Walker County, Georgia

Walker County is a county in Georgia, United States, on the Tennessee state line at the foot of Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain. It had a population of 67,654 at the 2020 census and covers 447 square miles (1,160 km2) centred near 34°44′N 85°18′W.

LaFayette is the county seat, and its postal code is 30728. The county has 5 incorporated cities, 4 census-designated places, and a scatter of unincorporated communities; no part of the county lies in a civil township, since Georgia counties are not subdivided that way. Walker County is in the Eastern time zone and forms part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee–Georgia combined statistical area.

Towns & Villages in Walker County

Walker County has 5 incorporated cities and 4 census-designated places, plus dozens of named unincorporated communities and rural crossroads scattered across McLemore Cove and the valleys either side of Lookout and Pigeon Mountains. CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but Census-tracked); Unincorp. = an unincorporated community with no formal municipal government and, for most of these, no published Census-year population count.

Fort Oglethorpe straddles the Walker–Catoosa county line and is counted as a city of both counties by the Census Bureau; most of its footprint and its ZIP code, 30742, sit in Catoosa County. Rock Spring, north of LaFayette on US 27, is not the same place as Villanow’s Rock Spring Church community further south, and the two should not be confused.

ZIP Codes

• 30728 — LaFayette
• 30741 — Rossville
• 30707 — Chickamauga
• 30739 — Rock Spring (also serves Villanow and the eastern county)
• 30725 — Flintstone
• 30750 — Lookout Mountain

Fort Oglethorpe’s own ZIP, 30742, is centred in Catoosa County but reaches into the Walker County portion of the city; the CDPs of Fairview, Lakeview and Chattanooga Valley are served by the LaFayette and Rossville post offices respectively.

Geography

Walker County sits in the Ridge-and-Valley province of northwest Georgia, where Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain run as parallel sandstone ridges on the west and east sides of a broad limestone valley drained by the Chickamauga Creek system. West Chickamauga Creek and Chattanooga Creek carry most of the county’s runoff north into the Tennessee River. Cloudland Canyon State Park, on Lookout Mountain’s eastern escarpment, and the McLemore Cove karst valley between Lookout and Pigeon Mountains are the county’s best-known natural landmarks.

Walker County borders Hamilton County, Tennessee, to the north; Catoosa County to the northeast; Whitfield County to the east; Gordon County to the southeast; Floyd County to the south; Chattooga County to the south; DeKalb County, Alabama, to the southwest; and Dade County to the west. The four Georgia neighbors with their own site pages are Catoosa County, Whitfield County, Gordon County, Chattooga County, Dade County and Floyd County; Hamilton County, Tennessee, and DeKalb County, Alabama, are out of state.

Demographics

Walker County’s population was 67,654 at the 2020 census, a small decline from 68,756 in 2010. Fort Oglethorpe (10,423) and LaFayette (6,888) are the two largest communities, with the Fairview and Lakeview CDPs, both bedroom communities near Rossville and Chattanooga, also above 4,000 residents. County-specific median household income figures are not confirmed here; for context, the statewide Georgia median is $74,632. Density works out to roughly 152 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Much of Walker County functions as an exurb of Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a large share of residents commuting north across the state line for work. Poultry processing has long been a major local employer, anchored by Mar-Jac Poultry’s plant in LaFayette, alongside general manufacturing and retail along the US 27 corridor. Chickamauga and Chattanooga Valley host visitor traffic tied to the neighboring Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, whose southern units lie inside the county.

History

Walker County was created on December 18, 1833, from land ceded by the Cherokee Nation, and named for Freeman Walker, a former U.S. Senator from Georgia. The county was the scene of the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863, the bloodiest two-day battle of the Civil War’s Western Theater and the last major Confederate victory of the war. In 2002 the county drew national attention when decomposing, unburied remains were discovered at the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, exposing a years-long scandal in which hundreds of bodies had never been cremated as families were told.

Getting There

US Route 27 is the county’s main north–south highway, with Georgia Routes 1, 2, 95, 136, 151, 157, 189, 193, 201, 337 and 341 covering the rest of the county.

• Chattanooga, Tennessee — 10 miles north
• Rome, Georgia — 35 miles south
• Dalton, Georgia — 25 miles east
• Fort Payne, Alabama — 30 miles southwest

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, just across the state line, is the nearest commercial airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Walker County, Georgia?
It is in the northwest corner of the state, on the Tennessee line, immediately south of Chattanooga.

What is the population of Walker County?
67,654 residents at the 2020 census.

How big is Walker County?
447 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 0.6 square miles is water.

What is the county seat of Walker County?
LaFayette is the county seat.

How many towns are in Walker County?
Five incorporated cities — LaFayette, Fort Oglethorpe, Rossville, Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain — plus four census-designated places and several unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Walker County?
30707, 30725, 30728, 30739, 30741 and 30750, plus a share of neighboring Fort Oglethorpe’s 30742.

What is Walker County known for?
The 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, Cloudland Canyon State Park on Lookout Mountain, and its role as a Chattanooga commuter county.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.