Fayette County, Georgia

== History ==

Fayette County was created on May 15, 1821, from territory ceded to the United States by the [[Creek people]], who had historically inhabited the area. It was named for the [[Marquis de Lafayette]], French hero of the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n123 124]}}</ref>

In the years following World War II, the county developed suburban residential communities, with many workers commuting to Atlanta. [[Peachtree City, Georgia|Peachtree City]] was chartered in 1959. It was developed as the only planned community in the county and in the Southeast; it covers 16,000 acres.<ref name="tree">[http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/fayette-county Carolyn Cary, "Fayette County"], ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'', 2006/2015</ref>

The county population has increased rapidly during the late twentieth century with the growth of Atlanta. It has also benefited from a reverse migration of African Americans to the South, as new residents are attracted to jobs and opportunities. Significant growth and development continues.

In 2002 Charles "Chuck" Floyd was appointed to the position of Chief Magistrate Judge of the county. In 2004 and 2008, he was elected to the position in his own right, the first African American ever elected to any office in the county.