New York-based Fitch Ratings is giving Cobb a AAA rating on the $65 million worth of general obligation tax anticipation notes and $33.8 million of general obligation refunding bonds the county began selling on Wall Street March 25. The notes and bonds will mature from Jan. 1, 2004 to 2010.

As an assurance to developers, Fitch analysts Rebecca Hall and Amy Laskey report the county has "strong financial management, solid fund balances, low debt levels and an increasingly diverse economic base, as well as its proximity to Atlanta." The county is just north of Downtown Atlanta.

In a prepared statement, Fitch analysts say Cobb, "as part of the vibrant Atlanta metropolitan statistical area, exhibits healthy economic diversification and above-average wealth levels." Cobb's permanent population of 643,830 has grown an estimated 39% from 1990 to 2001, Fitch says.