Hall County, Georgia

Hall County Education, Geography, and History

Hall County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 179,684.  Hall County was created on December 15, 1818.  The county seat is Gainesville. The county is named in honor of Dr. Lyman Hall (1724-1790), one of Georgia's delegates to the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence. He became the governor of Georgia in 1783.

Hall County comprises the Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Hall County Name

The county is named for Dr. Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of Independence and later governor of Georgia.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Hall County History

Hall County was created in 1818 from Indian treaty lands. Georgia's 44th county was named for Dr. Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of Independence and later governor of Georgia.

The county seat is Gainesville, which may have been named for early settlers in the area, or for General Edmund P. Gaines, who arrested Aaron Burr for treason.

Gainesville's municipal power plant was built in 1899. Gainesville was the first southern city to have electric streetlights.

Gainesville is often referred to as the "Poultry Capital of the World."

Points of Interest

Hall County is split by the Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier, the most northerly impoundment of the river. Lake Lanier is a major recreation and tourism site and served as the venue for many of the rowing and kayaking events in the 1996 Olympic Games.

Notable Citizens

General James Longstreet of the Confederate Army made his post-Civil War home in Hall County. He was appointed Minister to Turkey by President Grant.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 429 square miles (1,110 km²), of which 393 square miles (1,020 km²) is land and 37 square miles (96 km²) (8.5%) is water.

 Hall county is located in north Georgia. The county is in the Chattahoochee River basin and the Oconee River basin

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: White County
• Northeast: Habersham County
• East: Banks County
• Southeast: Jackson County; Barrow County
• Southwest: Gwinnett County; Forsyth County
• Northwest: Dawson County; Lumpkin County

Education

Higher Education

Gainesville College and Brenau University.

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