Habersham County, Georgia

Habersham County Education, Geography, and History

Habersham County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 43,041. The county was created on December 15, 1818. The county seat is Clarkesville. Habersham is named for Colonel Joseph Habersham.

Habersham County comprises the Cornelia, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area. 

Etymology - Origin of Habersham County Name

The county is named for Major Joseph Habersham, who fought in the Revolutionary War, was Mayor of Savannah, served in Congress and was President George Washington's Postmaster General.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Habersham County History

Habersham County was created in 1818 from Indian treaty lands. Georgia's 43rd county was named for Major Joseph Habersham, who fought in the Revolutionary War, was Mayor of Savannah, served in Congress and was President George Washington's Postmaster General.

A Civil War iron works in the county produced guns and cannons for the Confederacy. Most of Habersham County was spared from pillage after Confederate troops turned back Union Calvary in a skirmish near Currahee Mountain.

Points of Interest

Habersham's mountains, lakes and rivers make it a nature lover's paradise. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the county is crossed by parts of the Chattahoochee National Forest, and the Tallulah and Tugaloo Rivers. Part of Tallulah Gorge, considered to be the Grand Canyon of the South, is located in Habersham County. Previously diverted underground for hydroelectric purposes by the Georgia Power Company, the Tallulah River is once again flowing through the gorge over a series of breathtaking waterfalls.

Notable Citizens

Several famous individuals have roots in Habersham County. Johnny Mize, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, was born in Demorest. Robert Toombs was a US Senator from 1848 to 1852 and lost the bid for president of the Confederacy to Jefferson Davis by one vote.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 279 square miles (720 km²), of which 277 square miles (720 km²) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) (0.8%) is water.

 Habersham county is located in north Georgia. The county includes part of Chattahoochee National Forest.

The highest point in the county is a 4,400-foot (1,300 m) knob less than 700 feet (210 m) southeast of the top of Tray Mountain, the seventh-highest mountain in Georgia. Habersham shares this portion of Tray Mountain, just 30 vertical feet shy of the peak's 4,430-foot summit, with White County to the west and Towns County to the north. 2.4 miles to the northeast of Tray Mountain is Young Lick (elevation 3,809 feet (1,161 m)). The Appalachian Trail runs along the top of the high ridge between Young Lick and Tray, a part of the Blue Ridge Mountain crest.

Habersham is in the Chattahoochee River basin and the Savannah River basin.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Rabun County; Oconee County, S.C.
• Southeast: Stephens County
• South: Banks County
• Southwest: Hall County
• West: White County
• Northwest: Towns County

Education

Higher Education

North Georgia Tech and Piedmont College.

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