Living in Marietta
Marietta sits near the center of Cobb County and has been its county seat since the 1830s. The General Assembly recognized the village on December 19, 1834, and Marietta incorporated as a city in 1852. A mayor elected citywide and a seven-member council, one per ward, govern with a city manager. The city runs its own police and fire departments, zoning and permits, tax office, school district and, through Marietta Power and Water, its own electric, water and sewer utility.
The Marietta name covers far more ground than the city. Much of unincorporated Cobb County uses Marietta mailing addresses, including most of East Cobb, which voters declined to incorporate in 2022. Those addresses fall under Cobb County zoning, police and schools and, in most cases, the Cobb County Water System. By the Census Bureau's address geocoder, Wellstar Kennestone, Marietta High School and the Square sit inside the city, while Sprayberry, Walton and Osborne high schools, all with Marietta addresses, sit outside it. Check every address.
The center of town is the Marietta Square, with Glover Park in the middle and the railroad on its west side. Union troops burned most of the businesses around the Square in November 1864. The city grew fast after 1941, when Rickenbacker Field, now Dobbins Air Reserve Base, was built, and after 1943, when the Bell Aircraft plant opened to build B-29s; Lockheed took over the plant during the Korean War. Miriam Ofoegbu, a REALTOR with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, is based at the firm's Gwinnett office at 3095 Satellite Blvd in Duluth and works across Metro Atlanta.
Homes and property types in Marietta
The oldest houses in Marietta stand on the streets around the Square. The Northwest Marietta Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1975, runs along Kennesaw Avenue, Church Street and the streets toward Whitlock Avenue, with Greek Revival houses from the 1840s and 1850s and Victorian houses from the 1870s and 1880s. The Whitlock Avenue Historic District, 82 acres listed in 1989, adds Italianate, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Dutch Colonial and Craftsman houses built from before the Civil War into the 1930s.
The war years changed the city's size. The 2022 comprehensive plan notes that the population more than doubled between 1940 and 1950, after the Bell Bomber plant opened. Beyond the historic core, later decades added mid-century ranch houses near downtown, larger subdivisions, apartment complexes and townhome communities along the main roads. By the plan's estimate, detached single-family homes are the largest single type, though most housing units in the city are attached homes or apartments.
Location inside the city decides how much freedom an owner has. The 2022 plan names four locally designated historic districts: Downtown, Kennesaw Avenue, Church and Cherokee Streets, and Forest Hills. There, the Historic Preservation Commission must approve demolition, new buildings, new fences, steps or paving seen from the street, and changes to a historic facade, windows or doors before a permit. Repainting, gutters and HVAC replacement are exempt, and paint color is not regulated.
Age sets the inspection list. A house from the 1800s or early 1900s may have old wiring, plumbing, foundations and additions of uncertain date, and a mid-century house may still have original systems. Ask whether the house is on public sewer: inside the city, Marietta Power and Water collects wastewater, while in unincorporated Cobb some older homes and subdivisions use septic tanks, regulated by Cobb and Douglas Public Health. For a lot near a creek, pull the FEMA flood map.
Marietta areas and communities
The names below are historic districts defined by the city and the National Register, plus downtown; the Register also lists the Washington Avenue and Atlanta-Frasier Street districts. Elsewhere, Marietta is mostly subdivisions, townhome communities and apartments off the main roads, which the city does not map by name. Outside the limits, a Marietta mailing address can sit in East Cobb or other unincorporated areas under Cobb County rules.
- Marietta Square and downtown
- The blocks around Glover Park, the Strand Theatre and the railroad. Downtown is one of the four local historic districts named in the 2022 plan, with townhomes and apartments near the Square.
- Kennesaw Avenue Historic District
- Part of Kennesaw Avenue northwest of the Square. Designated in August 2013 as the city's first local historic district, with Greek Revival and Victorian houses such as Tranquilla, built in 1849.
- Church and Cherokee Streets
- North of the Square, roughly between Margaret Avenue, DeSoto Avenue, Montgomery Street and Campbell Hill Street. National Register listed in 1985, with city design guidelines adopted in 2016.
- Forest Hills
- About 24 acres and 61 parcels south of North Marietta Parkway between Cherokee and Cole Streets. Locally designated in 2017; mostly vernacular homes, with Folk Victorian, Craftsman and ranch houses.
- Northwest Marietta Historic District
- About 230 acres between the railroad, Kennesaw Avenue, McDonald Street and Whitlock Avenue, listed in 1975. It includes the William Root House on Denmead Street.
- Whitlock Avenue Historic District
- Southwest of the Square, bounded roughly by McCord, Oakmont, Whitlock, Powder Springs, Trammel, Maxwell and Hazel streets. Listed in 1989 with 101 contributing buildings.
Schools and district lines
Marietta has its own school system. Marietta City Schools, founded in 1892, serves the area inside the city limits and is the only Cobb County district run separately from the Cobb County School District. It became one of Georgia's first charter systems in 2008. Seven K-5 elementary schools feed the Marietta Sixth Grade Academy, then Marietta Middle School for grades 7 and 8, then Marietta High School. The district points families to the city's My Marietta property search to find an address's school zone.
Outside the city limits, the Cobb County School District serves Marietta mailing addresses, and many Cobb schools carry a Marietta address while sitting in unincorporated Cobb. Cobb publishes attendance zone maps and asks families not to base a home purchase on them alone, since zones can change. Check the district for any address and keep a copy of the result. MCS also offers elementary school choice at some schools and grades each year.
- Marietta High School (9-12)
- At 1171 Whitlock Avenue, inside the city. An IB World School and a Georgia College and Career Academy, on its Whitlock Avenue campus since 2001.
- Marietta Middle School (7-8)
- At 121 Winn Street, northwest of the Square. The district's only middle school, for every seventh and eighth grader.
- Marietta Sixth Grade Academy (6)
- At 340 Aviation Road. Every Marietta City elementary school feeds this one school for sixth grade.
- Marietta Center for Advanced Academics (3-5)
- At 311 Aviation Road. A STEAM magnet with its own application process, and the first Georgia school to earn state STEM certification.
- Marietta City elementary schools (K-5)
- A.L. Burruss, Dunleith, Hickory Hills, Lockheed, Park Street, Sawyer Road and West Side, plus the Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center for younger children.
- Sprayberry High School (9-12, Cobb)
- At 1710 Piedmont Road with a Marietta address, in unincorporated Cobb. It opened in 1952.
- Osborne High School (9-12, Cobb)
- At 2451 Favor Road with a Marietta address, outside the city. On its Favor Road campus since 1962.
- Walton and Wheeler High Schools (9-12, Cobb)
- On Bill Murdock Road and Holt Road in East Cobb, both with Marietta addresses and outside the city limits.
What it costs to own here beyond the price
Georgia taxes homes on 40 of every 100 dollars of fair market value, set by the Cobb County Board of Tax Assessors as of January 1. A home inside Marietta gets two bills. The Cobb County Tax Commissioner bills the county levies. The City of Marietta Tax Division bills city taxes and Marietta City Schools taxes, plus the Downtown Marietta Development Authority or Gateway Marietta Community Improvement District where they apply, and lists the bill as due October 31. Rates change yearly, so get current figures from both offices.
Homestead exemptions are filed twice inside the city. For the county exemption, the Cobb County Tax Commissioner requires that you own and live in the home on January 1, that every owner be on the deed, and that you upload a Georgia driver's license and vehicle registration showing the address. The City of Marietta Tax Division takes its own form. The city gives April 1 as the filing date, extended by state law to the end of the assessment appeal window.
Utilities depend on the address. Marietta Power and Water, created by the city in 1906 and governed by the Board of Lights and Water, supplies electricity and water and sewer across much of the city, though some addresses get only one of those from it. It buys treated water from the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, which draws from Lake Allatoona and the Chattahoochee River. Other addresses, especially outside the limits, use Georgia Power or Cobb EMC and the Cobb County Water System.
Natural gas is deregulated in this part of Georgia: you choose a marketer certified by the Georgia Public Service Commission, and Atlanta Gas Light delivers the gas. Inside the city, the Sanitation Division picks up garbage, recycling and yard waste once a week; in unincorporated Cobb, owners hire a private hauler. Many subdivisions and townhome communities have HOA covenants and dues, and lots near a creek may need flood insurance.
Buying your first home in Marietta
First homes in Marietta run from townhomes and condominiums to older ranch houses near downtown and houses in later subdivisions. On an older house, budget for a full inspection, and ask whether it sits in a local historic district, since exterior changes there need city approval. Inside the city you will pay two tax bills and file two homestead exemptions, so tell your lender about both.
Several programs can apply to a home here. Each has income, price and credit rules that change, so get current terms from the agency and a participating lender. Gwinnett County's HomeStretch program does not apply in Cobb County, but Cobb has its own program through the Housing Authority of Cobb County. Expect a homebuyer education class with most of these loans. Miriam Ofoegbu runs free online homebuyer webinars that walk through the steps in order.
- Georgia Dream (Georgia DCA)
- A 30-year fixed-rate loan with down payment help through participating lenders, for first-time buyers, buyers who have not owned a home in the past three years, or buyers in certain areas.
- Georgia Dream PEN (Georgia DCA)
- A Georgia Dream option for public protectors, educators, health care providers and people who work in those fields, and active military, with a higher assistance level than the standard option.
- Peach Plus and Peach Advantage (Georgia DCA)
- Georgia Dream products for FHA, VA or conventional borrowers who do not meet the traditional program's rules, which can include repeat buyers, with down payment help through participating lenders.
- Cobb County Down Payment Assistance (Housing Authority of Cobb County)
- A 30-year fixed-rate first mortgage with a grant toward down payment or closing costs. There is no first-time buyer requirement, and the home must be in Cobb County.
- City of Marietta employee grant (same program)
- An added grant for full-time City of Marietta, Board of Lights and Water and Marietta City Schools employees, and the city confirms the home is inside the Marietta city limits.
Hospitals and healthcare near Marietta
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center sits on Church Street north of the Square, inside the city limits. It is a Level I trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons, with a separate pediatric emergency department on Cherry Street, and its nine-story Yellow Tower opened in April 2026. Distances are approximate road miles from City Hall. Miriam is a registered nurse with a background in healthcare leadership, and she can point a buyer to the hospitals closest to an address.
- Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (Marietta)
- At 677 Church Street NE, about 1.5 miles from City Hall. A Level I trauma center, Comprehensive Stroke Center and Comprehensive Cardiac Center.
- Wellstar Windy Hill (Marietta)
- At 2540 Windy Hill Road SE, inside the city, about 6 miles from City Hall. Orthopedics, rehab and long-term acute care; Wellstar says it has no emergency department.
- Wellstar Cobb Medical Center (Austell)
- At 3950 Austell Road, about 8 miles south of City Hall, with adult, pediatric and 24-hour obstetric emergency departments.
- Wellstar Paulding (Hiram)
- At 2518 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway, about 15 miles west, with a 24-hour emergency department and a Level IV trauma designation.
- Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital (Atlanta)
- At 5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, about 15 miles east of City Hall, with an emergency department open 24 hours a day.
Parks, trails and things to do
Glover Park, 1.35 acres in the middle of the Square, has a gazebo, stage, fountain and playground and hosts concerts and festivals. Nearby are the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, opened in 1935 and restored in 2009, and the Marietta History Center in the 1845 Kennesaw House, where Andrews' Raiders spent the night before the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862. The Marietta Square Farmers Market sets up on Mill Street on Saturday mornings.
Larger parks sit a short drive from downtown. Laurel Park on Manning Road covers 25 acres with a tennis center, and A.L. Burruss Nature Park off Barclay Circle has wooded trails. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, run by the National Park Service, begins about 3 miles west of City Hall, just outside the city, and the Mountain to River Trail links it with downtown.
- Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre
- At 117 North Park Square. A nonprofit theater that opened on September 24, 1935, with Top Hat, closed in 2002, and reopened in 2009.
- Marietta History Center
- In the Kennesaw House at 1 Depot Street, built in 1845 as a cotton warehouse and later the Fletcher House hotel, next to the railroad west of the Square.
- Laurel Park
- A 25-acre city park on Manning Road with a tennis center and 13 lighted courts, a walking trail, playground and sand volleyball court.
- A.L. Burruss Nature Park
- A 45.66-acre city park at 1050 Barclay Circle with trails for walking, running or biking, a picnic pavilion and picnic tables.
- Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
- A National Park Service battlefield with its visitor center at 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, about 3 miles from City Hall, in unincorporated Cobb.
- Fourth of July on the Square
- The city's Let Freedom Ring Parade runs past Glover Park and kicks off a day of concerts, vendors and fireworks on the Square.
Getting around and getting to Atlanta
I-75 runs along the city's east side. Marietta Parkway, State Route 120 Loop, circles the center of town and meets I-75 at exit 263 (South Marietta Parkway) and exit 265 (North Marietta Parkway), and Delk Road meets it at exit 261 toward Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Cobb Parkway, US 41, runs northwest of downtown, and Roswell Road and Canton Road carry State Routes 120 and 5 east and north. Downtown Atlanta is about 19 road miles from City Hall, and Hartsfield-Jackson is about 30.
CobbLinc, Cobb County's bus system, runs most local routes from the Marietta Transfer Center on South Marietta Parkway, next to Kennesaw State University's Marietta campus. Route 10 and Rapid 10 run down Cobb Parkway past Cumberland and The Battery to MARTA's Arts Center Station in Midtown, about 17 miles from City Hall. Routes 15 and 40 serve the Square. Transfers between CobbLinc and MARTA are free with a Breeze card.
Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta are about 8 miles southeast of City Hall. On foot or bike, the Mountain to River Trail, a multi-use path, runs from the Kennesaw Mountain visitor center into downtown Marietta. Dobbins Air Reserve Base, on the city's southeast edge, is a military field with no passenger service.
Buying and selling in Marietta
Miriam Ofoegbu, MBA, RN, is a REALTOR® with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers, working from the firm's Gwinnett office on Satellite Boulevard in Duluth. She is also a registered nurse with a background in healthcare leadership. These are the things to check in Marietta, and Miriam can go through each one with you, in English or Igbo.
Before you buy
- Check the address on the City of Marietta's My Marietta property search, because a Marietta mailing address in East Cobb or elsewhere can sit in unincorporated Cobb under county zoning, police and schools.
- Confirm the school assignment for the exact address with Marietta City Schools or the Cobb County School District, and keep a copy, since the city line decides which district serves the house.
- Ask whether the house is in the Downtown, Kennesaw Avenue, Church and Cherokee Streets or Forest Hills local historic district before you plan new fences, additions or window changes.
- Find out who supplies the electricity and water, Marietta Power and Water, Georgia Power, Cobb EMC or the Cobb County Water System, and call for the last year of bills.
- Budget for two tax bills inside the city, Cobb County's and the City of Marietta's, and tell your lender about both before closing.
- Ask whether the home is on public sewer or septic, and for a septic system get records from the seller and from Cobb and Douglas Public Health.
- Pull the current FEMA flood map for any lot that backs to a creek or sits low, and get a flood insurance quote before your inspection period ends.
Before you sell
- State in the listing whether the home is inside the Marietta city limits or in unincorporated Cobb, because schools, taxes, utilities and permits all change with the line.
- Name the school district and schools only after checking the address with Marietta City Schools or the Cobb County School District, and tell buyers to confirm the assignment themselves.
- Gather any Certificate of Appropriateness and building permits for work on a house in a local historic district, since the rules stay with the property after a sale.
- Have your latest City of Marietta and Cobb County tax bills ready, because the city bill is separate, carries the Marietta City Schools tax, and is due October 31.
- Find septic records, including the permit and pumping receipts, if the home is not on public sewer, and have them ready for the buyer's inspector.
- Get written HOA approval for exterior changes made before listing, and have the covenants and association contact ready for buyers.
