Cedartown, the county seat for Polk County, was incorporated February 8, 1854. The city was named for the abundance of Red Cedar trees that existed along the county line. The Cherokee Indians once laid claim to this area and had a settlement called Charley Town. Cedartown's Big Spring is the largest natural limestone spring in the South.

The downtown district of Cedartown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the city's 1890s style architecture.