Buchanan is the county seat of Haralson County, a small city in northwest Georgia on the western edge of the Atlanta metropolitan region. The community was founded in 1856 as the seat of the newly created Haralson County and was named for James Buchanan, the United States president in office at the time. It was incorporated as a town in 1857 and reincorporated as a city in 1902. With a population of 938 at the 2020 census, Buchanan remains a compact, historically rooted county seat whose identity is tied to the courthouse, the local schools, and the surrounding farm country. The land that became Buchanan was originally occupied by Native Americans, specifically the Creek people, before white settlement displaced them. Early growth followed the establishment of county government and small-scale agriculture and timber operations. Today the economy centers on county services, education, and the retail businesses that serve a rural county, with many residents commuting to nearby Bremen and Tallapoosa or farther into the Atlanta metro for work. Buchanan's civic and cultural landmarks reflect its long history as a government center. The city is home to the Little Creek One-Room Schoolhouse, one of the few one-room schoolhouses surviving in Georgia, and the Buchanan-Haralson Public Library serves as a gathering point for the community. The Haralson County Historical Society works to preserve the area's heritage, and the county seat continues to anchor civic life for a county known for its rural character and its position near the Alabama state line. Residents describe a quiet, small-town rhythm shaped by school events, county government, and the surrounding countryside.