The latest U.S. Census data shows that the City of Smyrna is growing at a faster rate than Marietta.
Smyrna’s population grew by 7.2 percent between 2010 and 2014, from 51,271 to 54,958, with nearly half of that growth occurring after 2013, according to an article in the Marietta Daily Journal. Marietta’s population grew by about 6 percent over the same four-year period, from 56,579 to 60,014.
A member of the Smyrna City Council, Teri Anulewicz, said in the article that she wasn’t surprised by the trend.
“Smyrna is booming and there are a lot of reasons for that,” she said. “One of the things that has always been so attractive about Smyrna is that we really do have this balance of small town charm but at the same time you can see the downtown Atlanta skyline.”
Anulewicz also said the biggest challenge facing the city going forward is ensuring “thoughtful” redevelopment.
Marietta Councilman Johnny Walker joked that Smyrna has a “long way to go” to catch up with his city.
Walker said in the article that Smyrna was probably growing at a faster rate because of its proximity to Atlanta and also possibly because it had more land available for development.
Marietta is located in central Cobb County and is the county’s seat and largest city. It is located near the center of Cobb County, between Kennesaw to the northwest and Smyrna to the southeast.
U.S. Route 41 and State Route 3 run through the city northeast of downtown as Cobb Parkway, and Interstate 75 runs parallel to it through the eastern part of Marietta, with access from exits 261, 263, 265, and 267. Downtown Atlanta is 20 miles to the southeast, and Cartersville is 24 miles to the northwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Marietta has a total area of 23.2 square miles of which 23.1 square miles is land and 0.077 square miles is water.
Smyrna is a city northwest of the neighborhoods of Atlanta. It is in the inner ring of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Smyrna grew by 28 percent between the years 2000 and 2012.
It is historically one of the fastest growing cities in the State of Georgia, and one of the most densely populated cities in the metro area.