Kennesaw is located in Cobb County just northwest of Atlanta along Interstate 575 near Allatoona Lake in the Metro Atlanta Region of the state. Kennesaw is the site of a National Civil War Battlefield Park.
Kennesaw is part of the Atlanta, Georgia metro area.
One tradition says the community was named for the Civil War battle which occurred nearby; another says it was named for an Indian chief who signed a treaty with white settlers.