Cumming

The town was laid out in 1833 on two 40-acre land lots, numbers 1269 and 1270, which justices of the Forsyth County Inferior Court had bought for the purpose. A post office opened in 1834, and the town was incorporated on December 22, 1834. A second charter in 1845 set up the mayor and council form of government. The city has been run by a mayor and a five-member council since then.

The name is usually traced to Colonel William Cumming. Two other namesakes have been suggested, the Rev. Frederick Cumming and Alexander Cuming, so the origin is not settled.

Early businesses grew up in the 1830s and 1840s to serve gold miners. The 1849 California Gold Rush then drew people away and caused a local depression, and new railroads passed the town by. In 1900 lightning struck the county courthouse and destroyed it. A new courthouse was built in 1905.

State Route 400 opened through the county in 1971. Its completion is the main reason Cumming and the rest of Forsyth County turned into a commuter area for Atlanta. The county population rose from 98,407 in 2000 to 175,511 in 2010 and 251,283 in 2020.

Lake Lanier shaped the area too. The lake formed after Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River began operating in 1956. It is a 37,000-acre (150 km2) lake maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and it forms the eastern edge of the county. Boaters and visitors use it, and it supplies drinking water.

Several major roads meet at Cumming: U.S. Route 19 and State Routes 9, 20, 306 and 400. State Route 400, also signed as U.S. 19, is the main route south to Alpharetta and Atlanta.

The Big Creek Greenway is a multi-use trail along Big Creek, which starts about a mile south of downtown Cumming.

Cumming is served by Forsyth County Schools, which runs dozens of schools across the county. The University of North Georgia opened a Cumming campus in 2012.

City Hall is at 100 Main Street, Cumming, GA 30040, telephone (770) 781-2010. The city issues business and alcohol licenses, special event permits and planning and zoning permits, and it handles open records requests. Cumming Utilities runs its own online service for starting service and paying bills. The city also lists an aquatic center, a recreation center and the fairgrounds among its facilities.

The Cumming Fairgrounds has a covered arena for concerts, rodeos and large gatherings. It also hosts antique car shows and the annual Cumming Country Fair and Festival, which is held every October. Music and theatre are staged at the School Street Playhouse.

Lake Lanier has beaches, pavilions and boat ramps off Mary Alice Park Road. Sawnee Mountain Preserve gives views of the city from the top of Sawnee Mountain. The film American Reunion was partly shot at Mary Alice Park, and scenes from Smokey and the Bandit were filmed on Buford Dam Road and State Route 400. The city's motto is "Gateway to Leisure Living."