"Big Strickland" became "Cedar Town" when Prior deeded ten acres of adjacent land to the newly chartered city in 1852.

[citation needed] During the Civil War, Cedar Town was abandoned by most of its citizens when Union troops encroached.

The city was burnt to the ground by the Union forces of General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick in 1865, leaving only one mill standing on the outskirts of town.

The former Seaboard Air Line, now CSXT, tracks are still in place and used between Rockmart and Cedartown, to serve rail customers in both cities, connecting with the former L&N line in Cartersville, Ga on a former SAL branchline, that now serves a Georgia Power plant with Wyoming coal.

Cedartown's Main Street is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its 1890s architecture.

During the 1970s, many structures were demolished, including train stations, churches, and a high school, and a theater on Main Street.

In January 2017, the Polk County Comprehensive Plan outlined investments to be made in the repair and construction of new sidewalks, street parks, and paving in Cedartown over the next decade.

The city suffered a major economic blow when the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company closed its local factory operations.

[16] Access to nearby major cities such as Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga is easier with the expansion of U.S. Highway 27, which is four lanes from I-20 into Cedartown.

[citation needed] The city built a replica of the historic depot which now serves as the Welcome Center and the trailhead to the Silver Comet Trail.

The nearest stop on the Greyhound line is a full service station in Rome, Georgia, 20 miles north.

Country music artist Waylon Jennings had a minor hit single with the murder ballad "Cedartown, Georgia" from the 1971 album of the same name.

The slow, meditative song about betrayal and murder was a portent of the outlaw country genre's predilection for themes that stood outside of what was acceptable in the Nashville music establishment: Tonight I'll put her on a train for Georgia.

Gonna be a lot of kin folks squallin' and a-grievin', 'Cause that Cedartown gal ain't breathin'.