Towns County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Towns County
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Towns County Courthouse in Hiawassee
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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 Georgia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Named for | George W. Towns |
| Seat | Hiawassee |
| Largest city | Young Harris |
| Area | |
| • Total | 172 sq mi (450 km2) |
| • Land | 167 sq mi (430 km2) |
| • Water | 5.4 sq mi (14 km2) 3.2%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 12,493 |
| • Density | 75/sq mi (29/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
Towns County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,493. Its county seat is Hiawassee. The county was created on March 6, 1856, and named for lawyer, legislator, and politician George W. Towns.
Contents
History
Towns County was traversed by a road built upon a traditional Cherokee trading path, the Unicoi Turnpike, which ran north to south through the county, passing through Unicoi Gap. It served as a line between European-American settlers and the Cherokee until after the Indian cessions and Indian Removal in the 1830s, when it fell solely into the hands of the whites. When the Cherokee were expelled by US forces from their villages, they were forced temporarily into "removal forts." One had been constructed in what is now Hiawassee. They were forced to travel what is known as the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. In the early 1700s, deerskins and furs were shipped along the Unicoi Turnpike from Tennessee to Savannah and Charleston for transport to Europe. A United States fur trade factory was constructed in modern-day Hiawassee between 1807 and 1811.
Hiawassee was settled by whites around 1820 and was designated seat of the newly formed Towns County in 1856. It was incorporated as a town in 1870 and as a city in 1916. Young Harris College was founded in 1886. The historic Towns County Jail was constructed in downtown Hiawassee circa 1935. The two-story stone building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, located in Young Harris, was founded in 1937. Lake Chatuge, an artificial reservoir, was created by the completion of Chatuge Dam by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1942. President Jimmy Carter visited Towns County in July 1980, landing by helicopter to go trout fishing with friends. The $27 million Brasstown Valley Resort was built on 503 acres east of Young Harris in 1995. Fieldstone Inn on the shore of Lake Chatuge opened in June 1987. The Clint Eastwood film Trouble with the Curve was partially filmed in Towns County in 2012. A moon tree was planted in Towns County in 2024.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 172 square miles (450 km2), of which 167 square miles (430 km2) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km2) (3.2%) is water. Towns is mostly in the Hiwassee River sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin, with a part of the county in the Tugaloo River sub-basin in the larger Savannah River basin, as well as a small portion of the county's southwestern corner in the Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), near the source of the Chattahoochee in neighboring Union County. Towns County is inside the Bible Belt.
Towns County is located amidst the Blue Ridge Mountains, (part of the Appalachian Mountains), some of which are protected by the Chattahoochee National Forest. Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia, rises in southwest Towns County, straddling the Union County line. The source of the Hiwassee River is located in eastern Towns County, from which it flows northward into North Carolina. Chatuge Lake dominates the northeastern section of Towns County and extends into North Carolina. It is the highest major lake in Georgia. State Route 515 from north of Atlanta ends here at the North Carolina state line near Young Harris.
Major highways
U.S. Route 76
State Route 2
State Route 17
State Route 66
State Route 75
State Route 180
State Route 288
State Route 339
State Route 515
Adjacent counties
- Clay County, North Carolina (north)
- Rabun County (east)
- Habersham County (southeast)
- White County (south)
- Union County (west)
National protected area
- Appalachian Trail (part)
- Chattahoochee National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,459 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,780 | 13.1% | |
| 1880 | 3,261 | 17.3% | |
| 1890 | 4,064 | 24.6% | |
| 1900 | 4,748 | 16.8% | |
| 1910 | 3,932 | −17.2% | |
| 1920 | 3,937 | 0.1% | |
| 1930 | 4,346 | 10.4% | |
| 1940 | 4,925 | 13.3% | |
| 1950 | 4,803 | −2.5% | |
| 1960 | 4,538 | −5.5% | |
| 1970 | 4,565 | 0.6% | |
| 1980 | 5,638 | 23.5% | |
| 1990 | 6,754 | 19.8% | |
| 2000 | 9,319 | 38.0% | |
| 2010 | 10,471 | 12.4% | |
| 2020 | 12,493 | 19.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 13,035 | 24.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 11,469 | 91.8% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 124 | 0.99% |
| Native American | 28 | 0.22% |
| Asian | 81 | 0.65% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 373 | 2.99% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 415 | 3.32% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,493 people, 4,898 households, and 3,240 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,471 people, 4,510 households, and 2,981 families living in the county. The population density was 62.9 inhabitants per square mile (24.3/km2). There were 7,731 housing units at an average density of 46.4 units per square mile (17.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.3% were Irish, 15.4% were German, 13.8% were English, 11.7% were American, and 8.3% were Scotch-Irish.
Of the 4,510 households, 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.65. The median age was 51.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,540 and the median income for a family was $48,020. Males had a median income of $31,668 versus $27,127 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,527. About 5.6% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
Ethnicity
As of 2016 the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Towns County were:
- English - 15.2%
- German - 15.1%
- American - 14.7%
- Irish - 13.3%
- Scottish - 5.2%
- Scots-Irish - 3.6%
- Italian - 3.4%
- French - 3.4%
- Swedish - 1.8%
- Polish - 1.7%
- Welsh - 1.6%
- Dutch - 1.6%
Education
Towns County School District
Towns County School District offers pre-school to grade twelve on a unified campus. One elementary school, middle school and high school share the same grounds east of Hiawassee. The district has over 2,408 students and 144 full-time teachers.
- Towns County Elementary School
- Towns County Middle School
- Towns County High School
Young Harris College
Higher education is offered at Young Harris College in Young Harris. The private Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college was founded in 1886 and served 1,425 undergraduate students as of 2020. It offers degrees in more than 30 majors and 22 minors.
Media
The Towns County Herald newspaper has been published weekly in Hiawassee since 1928. It was preceded by The Young Harris News which was first published around 1900.
Communities
Cities
Census-designated place
Notable natives
- Zell Miller – former Georgia governor and U.S. senator.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Towns para niños
