SR 5 continues northeast, then cuts north into Douglas County, where it is locally known as Bill Arp Road, crosses Interstate 20 (I-20) in Douglasville.

[1][3] Continuing northeast, and having picked up a concurrency with US 78/SR 8, the highway heads through Lithia Springs, crosses US 278/SR 6, and enters Cobb County and Austell.

In Austell, SR 5 splits from US 78/SR 8 and heads slightly northeast through the western parts of Smyrna to just west of Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

[1][3] SR 5 remains concurrent with I-575 for that route's entire length, as the two highways bisect Cherokee County, and bypass Holly Springs, Canton (crossing the Etowah River north of Canton), and Ball Ground.

The highways curve northwest around Jasper, then turn back to the north near Talking Rock on their way into Gilmer County and Ellijay.

In East Ellijay, SR 5 picks up a concurrency with US 76/SR 2, and heads northeast into the Chattahoochee National Forest in the direction of Blue Ridge in Fannin County.

[1][3] The following portions of SR 5 are part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense: The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) average annual daily traffic (AADT) numbers for the year 2011 show a variety of average daily traffic load numbers as the route travels across western and northern Georgia.

Averages quickly rise from about 7,500 vehicles north of SR 166 to reach numbers near 22,000 around I-20, then level off between 10,000 and 15,000 between Douglasville and Austell.

[3] Once SR 5 becomes concurrent with I-575, averages increase drastically, with a route high of 93,000 vehicles seen south of Woodstock, close to I-75.

Numbers generally decrease as the route travels further north, going from the mark seen in Woodstock down to 59,000 in Holly Springs, around 55,000 in Canton, and further down to 26,000 near Ball Ground.

As SR 5 approaches its northern terminus, vehicle load decreases once more to a low of 7,200, and hovers around 9,000 as the Tennessee state line is reached.

[3] With the construction of I-575 and other projects between Cobb and Gilmer counties, SR 5 saw significant routing changes in the 1980s and 1990 (see History below for additional details).

[7][8] By the middle of 1930, the southern part of the Gilmer County portion of the Jasper–Ellijay segment had a completed hard surface.

[8][9] By the end of the year, the segment from Blue Ridge to the Tennessee state line also was completed.

The southern two-thirds of the Ellijay–Blue Ridge segment had a sand clay or top soil surface.

[10][11] Between April and August 1932, a portion south of Canton had a sand clay or top soil surface.

[24][25] The next year, a portion of the extension southwest of Marietta had completed grading, but was not surfaced.

[34][35] By April 1949, the segment from Alabama to Roopville was shifted southward to a more direct path.

was built and hard surfaced from US 76/SR 5 southwest of Blue Ridge to SR 5 north of the city.

[49][50] The next year, the entire Cobb County portion (except for the southern end) of I-575/SR 713 was under construction.

[52][53] By March 1980, I-575/SR 713 was completed to SR 92 southwest of Woodstock and one exit to the south in the Canton area.

SR 5's path from northeast of Canton to north-northwest of Ball Ground was shifted westward, onto I-575.

It starts at the intersection of Barrett Parkway and US 41/SR 3 in Kennesaw, less than 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of where the SR 5 main line crosses the same two highways.

SR 5 Conn. heads northeast, locally known as Ernest W. Barrett Parkway on both sides of that intersection, and crosses Interstate 75 (I-75) just before passing by Town Center Mall.

is a 1.750-mile-long (2.816 km) business route of SR 5 that exists in the central part of Cherokee County, entirely within the city limits of Canton.

They curve to the northwest and split at Marietta Highway, with SR 5 Bus./SR 140 heading in a northerly direction.

passes the Riverplace Shopping Center and then intersects the northern terminus of SR 5 Conn. (Reinhardt College Parkway).

was a 8.3-mile-long (13.4 km) short-lived alternate route of SR 5 that existed in the central part of Gilmer County.

was a bypass route of SR 5 that existed in the central part of Fannin County, mostly within the city limits of Blue Ridge.

was a business route of SR 5 that existed in the central part of Fannin County, mostly within the city limits of Blue Ridge.