This Day in Georgia History
July 30, 1931
Act to Merge Milton County with Fulton
In the second year of the Great Depression, Gov. Richard Russell signed an act incorporating Milton County into its southern neighbor, Fulton County, conditioned on approval of a referendum in each county. The momentum for the merger came from rural Milton County in the hopes of cutting taxes and improving services by allowing more affluent Fulton County to assume responsibility for providing services to Milton County residents. Voters of both counties ratified the consolidation, which became effective Jan. 1, 1932. A similar consolidation effort had taken place earlier in Fulton County’s southern neighbor, Campbell County. Both mergers became official on Jan. 1, 1932, and on that day, Fulton County tripled in area and the number of Georgia counties was reduced from 161 to 159.
