Small Dallas, Ga., is getting some national publicity as the hometown of American Idol finalist Caleb Lee Hutchinson.
Located in Paulding County, Dallas is about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Dallas threw a parade for Caleb Hutchinson this week, with highlights scheduled to be shown on Sunday's American Idol broadcast on WSB-TV. An AJC writer said the large turnout was about the size one might expect for the annual Dallas Christmas parade along Main Street.
Landmarks on Main Street include the red brick Paulding County Courthouse with its clock tower, located in the courthouse square. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Another is the art deco Dallas Theater, the city's former downtown movie theater that was restored as a multi-purpose performing arts and event facility.
South Paulding High School, which has a Douglasville address, is about 12 miles south of downtown Dallas. Hutchinson is a graduate of South Paulding and was honored at the school this week with a pep rally on the football field.
Dallas has a population of 13,108, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Paulding County has 159,445 residents. Dallas and Paulding County are included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, what the Census Bureau calls the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro statistical area.
Caleb Hutchinson is not the only celebrity. The chamber of commerce also claims musicians Patty Loveless and Travis Tritt as former residents.
Dallas is named for a little known former U.S. vice president, George Mifflin Dallas, of Pennsylvania. The city was established in 1854, just before the Civil War.
Civil War buffs know the area as the site of three Civil War battles leading to the Battle of Atlanta in 1864: The Battle of New Hope Church, the Battle of Pickett's Mill and the Battle of Dallas. An historic marker and monument were erected outside New Hope Church, located on Ga. 381 northeast of Dallas.
Learn more about the 1864 Battle of Atlanta in the AJC's guide.
Follow news about American Idol from the AJC's Radio TV Talk blog.
Here is a map of Dallas, Ga.
Credit: WSB-TV WSB-TV Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV Matt Serafin WSB-TV
Credit: WSB-TV WSB-TV Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC Rodney Ho for the AJC WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV WSB-TV Matt Serafin WSB-TV
