It is located on the Highlands Plateau in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern North Carolina, just north of a common boundary with South Carolina and Georgia. T he town of Highlands, NC, with about 2000 permanent residents and upwards of 25,000 summer residents, staddles the Blue Ridge Divide, the main watershed of the eastern part of the continent, and the source of the headwaters of the Chattooga and Cullasaja Rivers. The Chattooga, now a National Scenic and Wild River, plunges precipitously from the escarpment of the Blue Ridge, and flows southward to the Savannah River of the Atlantic drainage. The Cullasaja, in contrast, flows in the opposite direction to the Tennessee River, a major tributary of the Mississippi. T he moderate climate of the Highlands Plateau is a result of the mountainous topography and the high elevation at a relatively southern latitude.
Extreme temperatures are rare.
For example, in July, the warmest month, the average high temperature is 76 degrees and the average low is 56 degrees. In January, the coldest month, the corresponding averages are 42 and 24 degrees. Summer temperatures above 90 degrees are virtually unknown. Though winters may be cold and sometimes snowy, extended periods of extreme cold are unusual.