The City of Canton has a rich heritage. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the site where Canton would be founded lay in the heart of the Cherokee Nation.

During the first hundred years of Georgia's history, Northwest Georgia was generally considered "Indian Country," and was bypassed by settlers going West. Georgia had made a treaty with the Federal Government in 1802 to relinquish its Western Territory for the removal of all Indians within its boundaries, and, although other tribes had been removed, little was ever done about the Cherokees. Since this was the heartland of the Cherokee Nation, the state and nation had avoided the handling of this delicate problem. Following the discovery of gold near Dahlonega in 1829, settlers ignored the Indian problems and began to move into the area north of Carrollton and west of the Chattahoochee River-sixty-nine hundred miles-and named it Cherokee.

Many members of the Cherokee Nation moved west, but the majority stayed until removed by Federal Troops sent into the area during the summer of 1838. The remaining Cherokees were gathered and held in forts until the removal could be completed. Present-day Cherokee County had the largest and most southerly of these fort, Fort Buffington, which stood six miles east of Canton. Today nothing stands to identify its timber structure, but the area is marked by a large piece of green Cherokee marble quarried near Holly Springs. By autumn of 1838, the federal troops had accomplished their mission and the Cherokees at Fort Buffington were marched off to join other groups on the infamous "Trail of Tears."

A permanent county seat and courthouse were chosen in 1833 and named Etowah. The name was changed to Cherokee Courthouse in 1833 and again changed in 1834 to Canton, because a group of citizens had dreams of making the town into an important silk center.

Over the years, Canton evolved from unsettled territory to a prosperous mill town known the world over for its "Canton Denim." The original county of 1831 now includes 24 counties, and Cherokee County remains one of Georgia's largest counties with an area of 429 square miles. The City of Canton remains the county seat.

Historical information adapted from The Heritage of Cherokee County Georgia 1831-1998