Northeast Georgia
Encyclopedia
Northeast Georgia is a region of the Georgia in the United States
. The northern part is also in the north Georgia mountains
, while the southern part (east of metro Atlanta
) is still hill
y but much flatter in topography
.
Cities in the region include Helen
, Cleveland
, Blairsville
, Sautee Nacoochee
, Clarkesville
, Clayton
, Dahlonega
, Gainesville
, Hiawassee
, and Toccoa
in the northern section. Elberton
, Hartwell
and Lavonia
are located farther south.
Athens
is the largest city, however it is often considered its own separate area, in the same way that metro
Atlanta
is often considered separately from the rest of north Georgia
.
Northeast Georgia is part of two media market
s: metro Atlanta's toward the southwest, and the western Carolinas to the northeast.
For the purpose of weather warning
s, the westernmost counties of the region are considered to be north-central Georgia by the National Weather Service
in Atlanta (NWSFO Peachtree City). The easternmost counties, bordering South Carolina
in the Savannah River
valley
, are the responsibility of the Greenville/Spartanburg office (NWSFO Greer).
Besides the Savannah River, and its tributaries the Tugaloo River
and Chattooga River
(which also form the state line), the other major rivers are the Chattahoochee River
and its tributary the Chestatee River
, which are the headwaters for much of metro Atlanta's water supply
, held in Lake Lanier
by Buford Dam. The Oconee River
also begins near Athens, and the Little Tennessee River
flows north from Rabun county.
The Chattahoochee and Chestatee are west of the Eastern Continental Divide
along with the Little Tennessee, while the others are east. The divide bisects northeast Georgia, running from near the northeastern tip down to the city of Atlanta.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The northern part is also in the north Georgia mountains
North Georgia mountains
The Georgia Mountains Region or North Georgia mountains or Northeast Georgia is an area that starts in the northeast corner of Georgia, United States, and spreads in a westerly direction. The mountains in this region are in the Blue Ridge mountain chain that ends in Georgia...
, while the southern part (east of metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
) is still hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
y but much flatter in topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
.
 |
The mountainous part of the region contains the Georgia counties of: | |
|
Habersham County, Georgia Habersham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 15, 1818, and named for Colonel Joseph Habersham. As of 2000, the population was 35,902. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 42,272. Clarkesville is the county seat.Chartered in 1823, the... Lumpkin County, Georgia Lumpkin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,966. Its county seat is Dahlonega.- History :... Rabun County, Georgia Rabun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 15,050. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 16,519... Pickens County, Georgia Pickens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census showed a population of 22,983. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 30,488... Stephens County, Georgia Stephens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 26,175. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 25,268. The county seat is Toccoa.-History:... Union County, Georgia Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 17,289. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,968. The county seat is Blairsville.Its Sole commissioner is Lamar Paris, who has served since 2001.... Towns County, Georgia Towns County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on March 6, 1856. As of the 2000 census, the population was 9,319. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 10,894. Its county seat is Hiawassee.-History:... White County, Georgia White County is a county located in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 22, 1857, from part of Habersham County. The county was named for Newton County Representative David T. White, who helped a Habersham representative successfully attain passage of an... |
|
Cities in the region include Helen
Helen, Georgia
Helen is a city located on the Chattahoochee River in White County in the north of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 420.-History:...
, Cleveland
Cleveland, Georgia
Cleveland is a city in White County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,907 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of White County....
, Blairsville
Blairsville, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 659 people, 226 households, and 101 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.7 people per square mile . There were 261 housing units at an average density of 245.4 per square mile...
, Sautee Nacoochee
Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia
Sautee Nacoochee is an unincorporated community in White County, Georgia, near Sautee Creek in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Georgia, approximately north of Atlanta...
, Clarkesville
Clarkesville, Georgia
Clarkesville is a city located in the center of Habersham County, Georgia. It is also the county seat.-Geography:Clarkesville is located at ....
, Clayton
Clayton, Georgia
Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,019 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Rabun County and is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains.-History:...
, Dahlonega
Dahlonega, Georgia
Dahlonega is a city in Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,242....
, Gainesville
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
, Hiawassee
Hiawassee, Georgia
Hiawassee is a town in and the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The population was 810 at the 2000 census. Its name comes from the Cherokee word Ayuhwasi, which means a meadow.-Geography:...
, and Toccoa
Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately from Athens and approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,323 at the 2000 census...
in the northern section. Elberton
Elberton, Georgia
Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,743 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County and serves as a hub for industry and small business in Northeast Georgia...
, Hartwell
Hartwell, Georgia
Hartwell is a city in Hart County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,188 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Hart County.-Geography:Hartwell is located at . It sits upon the southern border of Lake Hartwell...
and Lavonia
Lavonia, Georgia
Lavonia is a city in Franklin County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,827 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lavonia is located at ....
are located farther south.
Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
is the largest city, however it is often considered its own separate area, in the same way that metro
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
is often considered separately from the rest of north Georgia
North Georgia
North Georgia is the hilly to mountainous northern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of North Georgia were often scenes of important events in the history of Georgia...
.
Northeast Georgia is part of two media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
s: metro Atlanta's toward the southwest, and the western Carolinas to the northeast.
For the purpose of weather warning
Weather warning
A Weather warning generally refers to an alert issued by a meteorological agency to warn citizens of approaching dangerous weather. A weather watch, on the other hand, typically refers to an alert issued to indicate that conditions are favorable for the development of dangerous weather patterns,...
s, the westernmost counties of the region are considered to be north-central Georgia by the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
in Atlanta (NWSFO Peachtree City). The easternmost counties, bordering South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in the Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, are the responsibility of the Greenville/Spartanburg office (NWSFO Greer).
Besides the Savannah River, and its tributaries the Tugaloo River
Tugaloo River
The Tugaloo River is a river bordering the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. It is fed by the Tallulah River and the Chattooga River, which each form an arm of Lake Tugalo, on the edge of Georgia's Tallulah Gorge State Park. The Tugaloo then flows out of the lake via Tugaloo Dam,...
and Chattooga River
Chattooga River
The Chattooga River is the main tributary of the Tugaloo River. Its headwaters are located southwest of Cashiers, North Carolina, and it stretches to where it has its confluence with the Tallulah River within Lake Tugalo, held back by the Tugalo Dam...
(which also form the state line), the other major rivers are the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
and its tributary the Chestatee River
Chestatee River
The Chestatee River is a river in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia, USA. It begins at the confluence of Dicks Creek and Frogtown Creek The Chestatee River (variant spellings Chestatie, Chestetee, Chostatee, Chosteta, none in modern use) is a river in the Appalachian Mountains of...
, which are the headwaters for much of metro Atlanta's water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
, held in Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee River. The lake encompasses of water, and of shoreline at normal level, a "full...
by Buford Dam. The Oconee River
Oconee River
The Oconee River is a river which has its origin in Hall County, Georgia, and terminates where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River near Lumber City at the borders of Montgomery County, Wheeler County, and Jeff Davis County. South of Athens, two forks, known as the North Oconee...
also begins near Athens, and the Little Tennessee River
Little Tennessee River
The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River, approximately 135 miles long, in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Geography:...
flows north from Rabun county.
The Chattahoochee and Chestatee are west of the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide
The Eastern Continental Divide, in conjunction with other continental divides of North America, demarcates two watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean: the Gulf of Mexico watershed and the Atlantic Seaboard watershed. Prior to 1760, the divide represented the boundary between British and French colonial...
along with the Little Tennessee, while the others are east. The divide bisects northeast Georgia, running from near the northeastern tip down to the city of Atlanta.