Our community
Horizon Baptist Fellowship is located in Summerville, in rural northwest Georgia. The population of Summerville is around 4,400 and Chattooga County is around 25,000 based on the 2020 US Census. There are four incorporated cities in Chattooga County: Lyerly, Menlo, Trion and Summerville (county seat). Chattooga County is 94th in size (area) of the 159 counties in Georgia.
We have two school systems: Chattooga County (1 high school, 1 middle school and 3 elementary schools) and Trion City (1 high school, 1 middle school, 1 elementary school). Horizon Baptist Fellowship is located across the road from Chattooga High School.
Some other Chattooga County statistics from the 2020 US Census:
Income & poverty: Median household income = $43,556. Persons in poverty = 18%
Education: 73% are high school graduate or higher. 9.5% have Bachelor's degree or higher
Employment rate: 46%
Housing: Own home 67%
Race: White 82%, Black 10%, Hispanic 6%
The largest employer in Chattooga County is Mount Vernon Mills, who has a long history in Georgia that pre-dates the Civil War and has earned the Trion site a historical marker honoring its role as northwest Georgia’s first cotton mill.
Chattooga County is a rural area, however, we do have local retail shopping (including grocery stores) medical care (including a new stand-alone emergency room), restaurants, etc. We also have access to shopping, restaurants, entertainment, airports and top-notch medical care with Rome, GA, about 25 miles south of us, Chattanooga, TN, about 45 miles to our north, and, of course, Atlanta which is only 85 miles south of us.
Fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, cycling and kayaking are favorite local activities. The Chattooga River runs through the county and a large portion of the county is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest. We are home to Sloppy Floyd State Park as well as five other state parks within 65 miles of us. We are
the home of Paradise Garden, which was the home and workplace of Baptist minister and renowned folk artist, Howard Finster. It is now a public park dedicated to his life and art. For Civil War buffs, historic Chickamauga Battlefield and Museum and Lookout Mountain are both short drives away. There are
several golf courses very nearby. Dowdy Park, located downtown, features a memorial to veterans , a playground, a walking track and one of only a few operating train turntables in the United States, and is very often the site of arts and crafts shows, community activities, and organized recreation for our citizens
and visitors.
For more information about the area: