Cusseta ( ) is a city in Chattahoochee County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area. The population was 9,565 in 2020. The city is the county seat of Chattahoochee County, with which it shares a consolidated city-county government. Despite this, Cusseta is not coterminous with the county; it remains a geographically distinct municipality within the county.

History

Chattahoochee County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on February 13, 1854. It was formed from portions of Muscogee and Marion counties and named for the river that forms its western boundary. The act appointed five commissioners to choose a site for the county seat, which they named Cusseta to commemorate the Creek Indian town that used to exist nearby.

The original courthouse is preserved at the tourist attraction of Westville in Columbus, Georgia.

Cusseta was incorporated as a city on December 22, 1855. It is still the only incorporated city in Chattahoochee County.

Cusseta briefly prided itself on having the world's tallest man-made structure, the WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower, a guyed transmission tower built in 1962 about one mile from the city. However, it was surpassed only one year later by the KVLY-TV mast in Fargo, North Dakota.

In 2003, the city and county formed a consolidated Cusseta-Chattahoochee County government.

Geography

Cusseta is located at (32.305451, -84.776929). The city is located southeast of Columbus, Georgia along U.S. Route 280, Georgia State Route 520 (known as South Georgia Parkway), and U.S. Route 27. The three highways run northwest to Columbus. U.S. Route 280 and Georgia 520 separate from U.S. Route 27 in the city, with U.S. 280 and Georgia 520 running south and east to Americus and to Albany. Other highways such as Georgia State Route 26, Georgia State Route 137, and Georgia State Route 355 pass through or begin in the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.66% is water.

A portion of Fort Benning is in the city.

Demographics

According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 1,196 people, 436 households, and 316 families residing in the city.

  • Chattahoochee County Education Center
  • Chattahoochee County Middle School
  • Chattahoochee County High School

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File:Chattahoochee County, Georgia Courthouse.JPG|The Chattahoochee County Courthouse is located in Cusseta, the county seat.

File:Cusseta, GA Post Office (31805).JPG|Cusseta Post Office (ZIP code: 31805)

File:Chattahoochee County Public Library (Cusseta, GA).JPG|Chattahoochee County Public Library

File:Chattahoochee County Jail (Cusseta, GA; NRHP).JPG|Constructed in Cusseta in 1902, this two-story fireproof jail facility served the county until 1975. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1986.

File:Cusseta Industrial High School (Cusseta, GA; NRHP).JPG|The Cusseta Industrial High School is a Rosenwald School constructed from 1929 to 1930. It is

listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Chattahoochee County, Georgia| on April 15, 2011.

File:Cusseta First Baptist Church (Est 1839).JPG|Cusseta First Baptist Church, the oldest church in Cusseta, was established in 1839.

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See also

  • WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower

References