Formed in 1833, Walker County was named after Freeman Walker, a U.S. Senator from Augusta.
The county currently operates under a Board of Commissioners form of government. Until January 1, 2021, Walker County operated under a Sole Commissioner form of government, which gave the Commissioner both legislative and executive powers.
69,410 people live in Walker County, according to the 2018 Census estimate. Five cities are incorporated within Walker County: LaFayette, Rossville, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and a small portion of Fort Oglethorpe.
The county boasts a labor force of 31,576. Nearly 39% of jobs in the county are in the service industry, while 33% are in manufacturing. The labor force for the entire Walker area is 433,819. Nearly 56% of jobs in the eight county region are in the service industry.
Walker County neighbors the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee and provides a convenient location for leisure and business. In addition to Chattanooga, Walker County is conveniently located within a short drive of Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham and Knoxville.
With two of Georgia’s top 25 tourist attractions, nearly half a million people from all over the world visit Walker County each year. Chickamauga Battlefield National Military Park is the oldest and largest military park in the United States. Rock City Gardens, an attraction located on Lookout Mountain features a legendary view of seven states from Lover’s Leap. Lookout Mountain was also home to Garnet Carter, the inventor of miniature golf and a co-founder of Rock City Gardens.
A variety of national and international companies have operations in Walker County. Bluecross Blueshield of Tennessee, Food City, Lucent Group, McDonald, Nissin Brake Georgia, Roper Corporation, See Rock City, Shaw Industries Group, Syntec Industries and Walmart make up the ten largest employers.
There is also a higher education institution in Walker County – Georgia Northwestern Technical College. Just across the county line sits Covenant College, which also serves our population.
The Georgia Department of Labor operates a Career Center in Walker County, as well.