# Jasper, Georgia

Jasper is a city in Pickens County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,084 in 2020. The city is the county seat of Pickens County.

## History

Jasper was founded in 1853 as seat of the newly formed Pickens County. It was incorporated in 1857 as a town and in 1957 as a city. The community is named for William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolutionary War. Jasper is situated at an elevation of 1,463 feet (446 m).

## Geography

Jasper is located at 34°28′9″N 84°26′3″W﻿ / ﻿34.46917°N 84.43417°W﻿ / 34.46917; -84.43417 (34.469127, -84.434039).
Georgia State Route 53 passes through the center of Jasper, while Georgia State Routes 5 and 515 bypass the city to its west. GA-5/515 lead north 21 mi (34 km) to Ellijay and south 60 mi (97 km) to Atlanta, via its connection with Interstate 575, which ends just south of the city. GA-53 runs through the downtown area as an east–west highway, leading east 24 mi (39 km) on a winding and mountainous route to Dawsonville, and west 36 mi (58 km) to Calhoun along Interstate 75.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km$^2$), all of it land.

## Demographics

Jasper racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,487 | 85.38% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 104 | 2.55% |
| Native American | 15 | 0.37% |
| Asian | 39 | 0.95% |
| Other/mixed | 182 | 4.46% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 257 | 6.29% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,084 people, 1,560 households, and 889 families residing in the city.

## Education
### Pickens County School District

The Pickens County School District holds pre-school to grade 12, and consists of four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. The district has 248 full-time teachers and roughly 4,400 students.
* Harmony Elementary School
* Hill City Elementary School
* Tate Elementary School
* Jasper Middle School
* Pickens Jr High School
* Pickens High School

### Higher education

* Chattahoochee Technical College - Appalachian Campus

## Points of interest

Nicknamed "The First Mountain City," Jasper is located 50 miles north of Atlanta.
The Tate House was built by local marble baron Sam Tate in the 1920s and now sits adjacent to Tate Elementary and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Standing on an old Cherokee place of worship, the historic Woodbridge Inn is a restaurant and inn.
Jasper is located near several large acreage mountain neighborhoods such as Big Canoe, Bent Tree, and the Preserve at Sharp Mountain.

## Events

The Georgia Marble Festival is held on the first weekend in October every year. It is sponsored by the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce, and held at Lee Newton Park.
The festivities start with the Marble Festival Road Race. There are booths with local vendors selling handmade crafts, among other things. Another highlight is the art show, with exhibits of carved marble, as well as paintings, photographs, and pottery.
The Apple Festival is held the following two weekends in nearby Ellijay, Gilmer County.

## Notable people

* Jeremiah Boswell - basketball player
* James Larry Edmondson - judge
* Weldon Henley (1880–1960) - MLB pitcher
* Chandler Smith - NASCAR driver