Henry County is a suburban and rural county in the Atlanta area. It is routinly listed as one of the fastest growing counties in the state and tha nation.

History

In 1821, Henry County was ceded to the Georgia by the Creek Indians in the First Treaty of Indian Springs. Originally, Henry County included most of the Atlanta metropolitian area. It is often called the mother of counties. Within a year, DeKalb, Fulton, Fayette and Newton Counties were carved out of Henry County. Later, Henry County would give up land to form Clayton, Spalding, Rockdale and Butts Counties.

The county seat is the city of McDonough. WHen the county was created, the law required that the seat be in the geograpghic center of the county, and so it was. McDonough became a proseporus and important town at first. There fortunes changed. When the railroad was built from Macon to Atlanta¹, the citizens of McDonough wanted nothing to do with it. So the railroad went through another Henry County community, Hampton². Many McDonough residents moved to Hampton. Some went so far as to take their homes apart, and move them too.

Henry County Today

Today Henry County is a fast growing bedroom community. Undeveloped land and farms are being converted to suburbs at an astonsihing rate. The rural Henry County that existed in the 1980s is gone. The county's four cities, Stockbridge, McDonough, Hampton, and Locust Grove, are all trying to expand.

Retail and entertainment establsihments are finally being established to serve this large growing community. There are rumors of a major amusement park being established near Locust Grove. The only big draw to the county is the Atlanta Motor Speedway, which hosts a variety of events. The biggest events there are NASCAR³ and NOPI⁴ shows.