# Towns County, Georgia

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.

## 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 km$^2$), of which 167 square miles (430 km$^2$) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km$^2$) (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
### 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.

### 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/km$^2$). There were 7,731 housing units at an average density of 46.4 units per square mile (17.9 units/km$^2$). 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.

### 2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,319 people, 3,998 households, and 2,826 families living in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile (22 people/km$^2$). There were 6,282 housing units at an average density of 38 units per square mile (15 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 98.80% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,998 households, out of which 20.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 6.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 16.30% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 20.50% from 25 to 44, 28.30% from 45 to 64, and 25.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 89.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,950, and the median income for a family was $37,295. Males had a median income of $28,657 versus $21,813 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,221. About 8.80% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% 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%

## Government

Towns County's Sole Commissioner is Cliff Bradshaw, who has served since 2017.
As of December 16, 2023, Towns County's Sheriff is Kenneth Henderson.
Towns County's Judge of Magistrate and Probate Court is D. David Rogers, who was elected in 2008. The Towns County Probate and Magistrate Courts are combined with a single judge presiding over both Courts. This combination court is one of very few in the State of Georgia (Long County is another example).

### Politics

Towns County is an outlier in Presidential politics in Georgia. Lifelong Georgian Jimmy Carter was the last Democrat to carry the county; the last one to get over 40% of the vote was Bill Clinton in 1992, but George H. W. Bush won a plurality, unlike in many other counties where Clinton was the only candidate to come in over 40%. Towns is also one of only eight counties in Georgia where George Wallace came in third in 1968. This reflects Towns' highland, Unionist character as opposed to a Black Belt county.
United States presidential election results for Towns County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 7,155 | 80.96% | 1,649 | 18.66% | 34 | 0.38% |
| 2020 | 6,384 | 80.01% | 1,550 | 19.43% | 45 | 0.56% |
| 2016 | 5,383 | 79.16% | 1,210 | 17.79% | 207 | 3.04% |
| 2012 | 4,876 | 78.09% | 1,273 | 20.39% | 95 | 1.52% |
| 2008 | 4,292 | 74.46% | 1,391 | 24.13% | 81 | 1.41% |
| 2004 | 3,823 | 72.34% | 1,430 | 27.06% | 32 | 0.61% |
| 2000 | 2,902 | 64.53% | 1,495 | 33.24% | 100 | 2.22% |
| 1996 | 2,030 | 48.58% | 1,664 | 39.82% | 485 | 11.61% |
| 1992 | 1,674 | 45.19% | 1,487 | 40.15% | 543 | 14.66% |
| 1988 | 1,783 | 65.12% | 942 | 34.40% | 13 | 0.47% |
| 1984 | 1,960 | 66.06% | 1,007 | 33.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,475 | 48.12% | 1,510 | 49.27% | 80 | 2.61% |
| 1976 | 1,175 | 39.68% | 1,786 | 60.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 1,573 | 79.56% | 404 | 20.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,492 | 52.33% | 770 | 27.01% | 589 | 20.66% |
| 1964 | 1,140 | 46.88% | 1,289 | 53.00% | 3 | 0.12% |
| 1960 | 1,272 | 54.73% | 1,052 | 45.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,096 | 55.33% | 885 | 44.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 983 | 46.94% | 1,111 | 53.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 302 | 36.65% | 516 | 62.62% | 6 | 0.73% |
| 1944 | 674 | 37.22% | 1,137 | 62.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 830 | 48.14% | 894 | 51.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 732 | 48.96% | 763 | 51.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 790 | 51.57% | 742 | 48.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 857 | 62.37% | 517 | 37.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 765 | 55.76% | 604 | 44.02% | 3 | 0.22% |
| 1920 | 398 | 60.86% | 256 | 39.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 481 | 56.92% | 358 | 42.37% | 6 | 0.71% |
| 1912 | 89 | 16.95% | 230 | 43.81% | 206 | 39.24% |

## 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.

## Healthcare

Towns County is served by Chatuge Regional Hospital on Highway 76 North in downtown Hiawassee. The hospital opened with 13 beds in 1951 as Lee M. Happ Jr. Memorial Hospital. In 1960, the facility was renamed Towns County Hospital and the Johnson wing was constructed. The attic caught fire in 1967 and 40 percent of the building was destroyed. In 1971, a neighboring 112-bed nursing home opened. Chatuge Regional Hospital received its current name in 1994. The facility was acquired by Union General Hospital in 1999.

## Communities
### Cities

* Hiawassee
* Young Harris

### Census-designated place

* Tate City

### Unincorporated communities

* Campagne
* Gumlog
* Jacksonville
* Mountain Scene
* Macedonia
* Townsend Mill

## Notable natives

* Zell Miller – former Georgia governor and U.S. senator.