History

Alpharetta comes from “alpha” meaning first, and “retta” meaning town. Alpharetta was originally a tiny village called New Prospect Camp Ground located in Milton County, Georgia at the base of the North Georgia Mountains by the Chattahoochee River along a Cherokee Indian trail. Later, it became known as the Town of Milton and then, in late 1858, the town was chartered, renamed Alpharetta and served as the county seat of Milton County. During the depression of the early 1930’s, Milton County merged with Fulton County. For more information on the rich history of this community, visit the City of Alpharetta website.

Demographics

Alpharetta’s current population is nearly 40,000 and the housing demands have increased as more individuals discover the beauty, convenience and amenities available in Alpharetta. Nearly 70% of all households in the local area consist of single-family dwellings. In January 2004, the median housing value for Alpharetta climbed to $264,000 according to demographic information released by the City of Alpharetta. If you would like to learn more about the current housing market locally, visit the Sales Trends in Alpharetta page

Alpharetta is a family-oriented community. Information from the 2000 Census lists 54% of all households as consisting of married couples and nearly half of those have children living at home. The median age in Alpharetta is 33 years of age, with 34% of the local population being under the age of 25 and just less than 6% being over 65. The median household income, according to 2000 figures, is just over $71,000 with nearly half of the households earning at least $75,000.

Alpharetta has excellent public and private schools. To learn more, visit our School Information page. Most (92%) of Alpharetta residents over the age of 25 have their high school diploma and nearly 40% have earned at least a Bachelor Degree.

Economic Development

Alpharetta, listed as one of the leading locations for technology-focused businesses by sources such as USA Today and Yahoo! Internet Life, is home to over 3,600 businesses, employing over 120,000 people. This is supported by a strong infrastructure that promotes technology and an environment that makes living and working here pleasant. To learn more about economic development in this area, visit the City of Alpharetta website.

Lifestyle and Entertainment

Alpharetta has over 20 hotels, nearly 200 restaurants of nearly every cuisine imaginable. It enjoys performances of live music of all genres, coffee-house poetry readings and a variety of musical entertainment, a skating complex, multiplex movie theaters, award-wining parks, playgrounds and sporting facilities. For nature lovers, there is easy access to the Big Creek Greenway from several hotels.

This natural paradise boasts over six miles of paved pathways through the beautiful wooded wetlands, home to blue heron, deer, ducks and Canadian geese. Among numerous other festivals and special events, Alpharetta was the finish line for the famous cycling event, the Dodge Tour De Georgia in April of 2005.