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Towns County, Georgia facts for kids

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Towns County
Towns County Courthouse in Hiawassee
Towns County Courthouse in Hiawassee
Map of Georgia highlighting Towns County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Georgia
Founded 1856; 168 years ago (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)
 • 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 located in the northeastern part 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.

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, an artificial reservoir created by the completion of Chatuge Dam by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the 1940s, dominates the northeastern section of Towns County and extends into North Carolina. State Route 515 from north of Atlanta ends here at the North Carolina state line near Young Harris.

The county was traversed by a road built upon a traditional Cherokee trading path, 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, the county seat. They were forced to travel what is known as the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River, a journey during which many Cherokee died.

Major highways

  • US 76.svg U.S. Route 76
  • Georgia 2.svg State Route 2
  • Georgia 17.svg State Route 17
  • Georgia 66.svg State Route 66
  • Georgia 75.svg State Route 75
  • Georgia 180.svg State Route 180
  • Georgia 288.svg State Route 288
  • Georgia 339.svg State Route 339
  • Georgia 515.svg State Route 515

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
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

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.

2016

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%

2020 census

Towns County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
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.

Education

Towns County High School, Middle School, and Elementary School share a campus in Hiawassee, Georgia 04
Towns County's public schools are located on a unified campus east of Hiawassee

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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Towns para niños

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