Blairsville

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Blairsville, Georgia
—  City  —
Historic Union County Courthouse in Blairsville
Nickname(s): City of Mountains
Motto: A Place for All Seasons
Location in Union County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 34°52′32″N 83°57′24″W / 34.87556°N 83.95667°W / 34.87556; -83.95667Coordinates: 34°52′32″N 83°57′24″W / 34.87556°N 83.95667°W / 34.87556; -83.95667
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Union
Area
• Total	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
• Land	1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,883 ft (574 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	652
• Density	599.1/sq mi (235.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	30512, 30514
Area code(s)	706
FIPS code	13-08480[1]
GNIS feature ID	0331184[2]

Blairsville is a city in Union County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 652.^[3] The city is the county seat of Union County.^[4]

History

Blairsville has a rich history of gold,Cherokee Indians, and early settlers. Although the neighboring city of Dahlonega, GA was well known for the first site of gold in the United States, Blairsville and the surrounding area was known to have the purest gold in the mountains. In the late 18th century two families settled in the area: the Collins Family, and the Dyer Family. Many houses from the early 19th century still stand, or have been moved/or restored in another area of the county to help with preservation. Blairsville's town square is home to the original courthouse, several local businesses, the Seasons Inn Motel, and a local old diner called the "Hole In The Wall".

History of name

Blairsville City Hall, which is the Union County Jail

At the top of the state of Georgia lies Union County, named after the Union Party who strongly supported President Andrew Jackson for his policy of Indian removal. On Dec. 26, 1835, the Georgia General Assembly designated Union’s county seat in an act that read, “lot No. 273 of the ninth district and first section of, originally Cherokee, now Union county, and at a place now known by the name of Blairsville” (Ga. Laws 1835, p. 113). It is believed that the town was named after Francis P. Blair, who was not only a prominent and influential man of his time but was a strong supporter of the Union Party, for which the county itself had been named. Adjacent towns and counties in the area have similar ties to the Union Party that help to support this connection.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Climate

Blairsville is located in the humid subtropical climate zone, however, it does resemble the humid continental climatic zone. Blairsville, being 1,883 feet (574 m) above sea level, gives it a more temperate climate compared to other southern locations. Areas of higher elevation around the Blairsville region have climates similar to that of New England. The average annual precipitation is 57.94 inches (1,472 mm). The average annual snowfall is 7 inches (180 mm). Snow generally falls every year, although not always in large amounts. The Storm of the Century (1993) brought 18 inches to the area with drifts measured in feet. The coldest temperature recorded in Blairsville was -16F(-27C) in 1985, and the warmest temperature ever recorded was 100F(38C) in 1934 and 1936.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] 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 (240.0/km²). There were 261 housing units at an average density of 245.4 per square mile (95.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.04% White, 2.00% African American, 0.10% Asian, 2.12% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.64% of the population.

There were 226 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.4% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.9% were non-families. 50.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.3% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 151.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 167.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $14,120, and the median income for a family was $24,712. Males had a median income of $21,953 versus $28,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,865. About 16.8% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.2% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

• The Sorghum Festival,^[6] is held every year, on the second and third weekends in October, celebrating the sorghum harvest and showcasing rural mountain culture and skills such as bluegrass music and clogging.
• The Green Bean Festival^[7] is held every year during the last weekend in July. Look for beauty pageants,Green Bean Pizza eating contests, a canning contest, a Green Bean Recipe contest, tractor parade, fresh produce, crafts, and lots of stuff for the kids.

Points of interest

Nearby Lake Nottely is a TVA reservoir that is a local recreational resource.

The Appalachian Trail in Georgia has elevations that vary from about 2500 to 4,500 feet (1,400 m) with many steep climbs and extends some 75 miles (121 km) through the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Butternut Creek Golf Course is an 18-hole mountainside public golf course located within the city limits.

Encompassing nearly two-thirds of the county, the Chattahoochee National Forest has winding trails that lead visitors through scenic mountains, rushing rivers, and cascading waterfalls. This is where you can step back in time with nature and walk where the Cherokee Indians' once lived.

Brasstown Bald is the highest mountain peak in Georgia. It has a park with a picnic area and a small observation tower near the peak with a movie chronicling the change of seasons and the impact of pollution on the mountain. The peak may be reached by bus or by walking from a point halfway to the top beyond which private vehicles are not allowed. The Mountain's Address: Highway 180, Blairsville, GA.

Vogel State Park is a park located on Highway 19/129 approximately eleven miles (18 km) south of Blairsville. It is centered around Lake Trahlyta.

Amenities:

• Approximately five miles (8 km) of hiking trails
• Access to the Appalachian Trail
• Paddleboat rentals and fishing
• Miniature golf course
• 35 rental cabins
• 103 campsites

The park has seasonal programs:

• Fall Festival
• Pioneer Christmas
• Kids Fishing Rodeo
• Summer Saturday Music Events
• September All-Day Mountain Music Festival

Education

Blairsville is in close proximity to several colleges including a North Georgia Technical College campus in town,^[8] Young Harris Community College in Young Harris^[9] and North Georgia College & University in Dahlonega.^[10]

The public education system for Blairsville falls under the jurisdiction of the Union County School District, which is a relatively small school district, managing five schools in the system.^[11]

The Union County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and two high schools.^[12] The district has 172 full-time teachers and over 2,598 students.^[13]

• Union County Elementary School
• Union County Primary School
• Union County Middle School
• Union County High School
• Woody Gap High/Elementary School

Blairsville is home to one alternative school, the Mountain Education Center High School which is an Evening School.^[14]

The Union County Public Library is part of the Mountain Regional Library System, a library system that manages four libraries in the region. Union County Public Library is a member of Georgia Library PINES (the Public Information Network for Electronic Services) along with Mountain Regional Library in Young Harris, Towns County Public Library in Hiawassee, and Fannin County Public Library in Blue Ridge.^[15][16]

• The Mountain Area Christian Academy, in Morganton, Georgia.^[17]
• Eastgate Life Academy, in Hiawassee, Georgia.
• Murphy Adventist Christian School, in Murphy, North Carolina^[18]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Blairsville sits on Zell Miller Mountain Parkway (GA 515) which runs from Cherokee County / Pickens County Border, to Young Harris Georgia. U.S. Route 76 also runs through Blairsville, being Cosigned to 515.

Blairsville is also intersected by U.S. Route 129, a 582 mile long stretch of highway that connects Chiefland, Florida to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Blairsville is home to Blairsville Airport (ICAO: KDZJ^[19], FAA LID: DZJ formerly 46A).^[20]

Media

Blairsville and the surrounding area is served by a few local television stations, two newspapers and numerous local radio stations that serve several genres of music including sports, news and talk radio in addition to three local papers.

North Georgia News is the primary newspaper for the Area.^[21]

Blairsville has 12 Local radio stations.

1210-AM(WDGR), 89.5-FM(WNGU), 104.3-FM(WZTR) are based in Dahlonega, Georgia. WCVP-AM (600), WCNG-FM (102.7), and WKRK-AM (1320) are based in Murphy, North Carolina. 95.1-FM(WACF) and 770-AM(WYHG) are based in Young Harris, Georgia while 105.1FM(WNGA) & 89.9FM(WTFH) based in Helen. 1230-AM(WNGM) & 103.9-FM(WPPL) in Hiawasee & Blue Ridge respectively.

One local television station is W50AB (Channel 50) based in Hiawassee, Georgia.

References

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (April 2012)

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_GCTP2.ST13&prodType=table
4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
5. ^ "Monthly Averages for Blairsville, Georgia". Weather Channel. July 2011. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/USGA0052=. Retrieved 2007-07-23. 
6. ^ "sorghum.blairsville.com". sorghum.blairsville.com. http://sorghum.blairsville.com. Retrieved 2012-04-29. 
7. ^ "greenbeanfestival.com". greenbeanfestival.com. http://www.greenbeanfestival.com. Retrieved 2012-04-29. 
8. ^ "North Georgia Technical College". Northgatech.edu. http://www.northgatech.edu/about/campus_blairsville.cfm. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
9. ^ "Young Harris College". Yhc.edu. http://www.yhc.edu/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
10. ^ "North Georgia College & University". Northgeorgia.edu. http://www.northgeorgia.edu/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
11. ^ "Union County Schools Website". Ucschools.org. http://www.ucschools.org/. Retrieved 2012-04-29. 
12. ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 29, 2010.
13. ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 29, 2010.
14. ^ "Mountain Education Center High School". Mountaineducationcenter.net. http://www.mountaineducationcenter.net/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
15. ^ "Union County Public Library Website". Georgia.educationbug.org. 2007-06-01. http://georgia.educationbug.org/public-library/3359-union-county-public-library.html. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
16. ^ "Mountain Regional Library System". Mountainregionallibrary.org. http://www.mountainregionallibrary.org/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
17. ^ "Mountain Area Christian Academy". Macalions.org. 2011-09-23. http://www.macalions.org/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
18. ^ "Murphy Adventist Christian School". Murphy Adventist Christian School. http://www.murphyadventistchristianschool.com/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
19. ^ Airport information for KDZJ at AirNav
20. ^ http://www.airnav.com/airport/KDZJ
21. ^ "North Georgia News". Nganews.com. http://www.nganews.com/content.aspx?IsHome=1&MemberID=1281&ID=2354&Module=Quickpage. Retrieved 2012-04-29. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blairsville, Georgia

• Blairsville, GA City Website
• Blairsville, GA Website
• Blairsville Chamber of Commerce
• Blairsville Downtown Development Authority
• Vogel State Park Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites
• Stories and Events from the North Georgia News

v t e Municipalities and communities of Union County, Georgia, United States County seat: Blairsville City Blairsville Unincorporated community Suches