Georgia Cities by Population 2025

In Georgia, counties are governed by elected boards of commissioners or sole commissioners, responsible for countywide issues such as public health, emergency services, infrastructure, and county law enforcement. For example, Fulton County, encompassing Atlanta, is managed by a board of commissioners with a county manager who oversees administrative functions. Counties typically serve unincorporated areas and fill service gaps in smaller towns or rural municipalities, coordinating closely with state and federal authorities for funding and service standards.

Atlanta, Georgia‘s capital and largest city, exemplifies a mayor-council system with a strong-mayor structure, in which the mayor holds significant executive powers. This setup includes oversight of departments such as law enforcement, city planning, and public works. Atlanta’s city council, representing various districts and at-large seats, functions as the legislative branch, passing ordinances, budgets, and policies. Other cities, like Savannah and Augusta, employ similar models, but Augusta operates as a consolidated city-county government, blending city and county responsibilities under a unified administration.

Georgia also has a few cities that employ council-manager systems, in which an elected city council appoints a professional city manager to handle day-to-day operations. For instance, the city of Macon-Bibb County, a consolidated government, delegates administrative tasks to a manager while the elected officials focus on policy direction. This system is common in medium-sized cities that seek to balance professional management with elected representation.

Counties in Georgia, particularly in rural areas, manage vast unincorporated regions, handling most municipal functions such as law enforcement, road maintenance, and zoning. Gwinnett County, for example, includes several suburban areas and Census-Designated Places (CDPs) like Peachtree Corners that are not incorporated but rely on the county for local governance. These CDPs can mirror urban developments in population and infrastructure, though without their own municipal governments.

Local governance in Georgia also intersects with regional planning agencies, which work with counties and cities on long-term issues like land use, transportation, and economic development. These agencies provide technical expertise and facilitate cooperation between municipal and county governments, ensuring that local planning aligns with regional goals and state mandates.