Chattahoochee Technical College, which started in 1963 with a single building in Marietta serving just 120 students, has grown into a thriving educational institution enrolling over 11,000 students each year. Originally known as Marietta-Cobb Area Vocational Technical School, the school was established through the joint efforts of the Marietta City Board of Education and the State Board of Vocational Education. Marietta furnished the land, half the cost of the building, and the equipment needed for the new building. The State Board was responsible for paying teacher salaries and the remaining half of the building cost. Excavation began in 1961 for this new facility, which was completed at a cost of $636,000. When the building opened on Sept. 3, 1963, the programs of study included Electronics; Electricity; Machine Drafting and Design; Practical Nursing; Radio and Television Repair; Machine Shop; Cosmetology; and Business Education.

For over 60 years, Chattahoochee Tech’s growth has been driven by strong enrollment in programs of study designed to meet the evolving needs of the local workforce. To help accommodate growing student enrollment in its early years, the college added classroom space at the Marietta Campus. The college then established additional campus locations in South Cobb, Paulding County, and East Cobb. The college’s South Cobb Campus opened in 1995 followed the next year by the opening of the Chattahoochee Tech Paulding Campus.  In 2000, the college opened its Mountain View Campus in East Cobb. Between 1987 and 2000, the college was known as Chattahoochee Technical Institute until the Georgia Legislature converted the names of all accredited technical institutes to technical colleges.

One of the most significant milestones in the history of Chattahoochee Tech involved the 2009 merger with two other colleges – Appalachian Technical College in Pickens County and North Metro Technical College in Bartow County. Appalachian Technical College had been established in 1967 as Pickens Area Vocational Technical School in Jasper. North Metro Technical College had been established in 1989 as North Metro Technical Institute. With the 2009 merger of the three colleges, representatives from the Board of Directors of these colleges adopted the name of Chattahoochee Technical College for the single college.

A Unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), Chattahoochee Tech now has nine campus locations serving some of the most dynamic counties in the state. In addition to the Chattahoochee Tech campuses in Bartow, Cobb, Paulding and Pickens counties, there are two campuses in Cherokee county. One of these campuses is located in the heart of downtown Woodstock, and the other one is in Canton. The newest Chattahoochee Tech campus is the Aviation Training Academy, which opened in 2024 in Paulding County.

Since its humble beginnings over 60 years ago, Chattahoochee Tech has become a leader in technical education. The college offers associate degree, diploma and certificate programs, as well as customized workforce training and continuing education courses. It also provides Adult Education programs that include free GED and HiSET preparation classes. For high school students, Chattahoochee Tech is an excellent option through both the Georgia Dual Enrollment program and the state’s Dual Achievement program. Chattahoochee Tech plays a vital role in shaping Georgia’s workforce by providing students with the skills and hands-on experience needed to excel in their careers.