Dawson County, Georgia

Dawson County, Georgia
Dawson County courthouse in Dawsonville, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1857
Seat	Dawsonville
Largest city	Dawsonville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	213.93 sq mi (554 km²) 211.04 sq mi (547 km²) 2.90 sq mi (8 km²), 1.36%
PopulationEst.  - (2006)  - Density	20,643 76/sq mi (29/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Dawson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 3, 1857 from Gilmer and Lumpkin counties. As of 2000, the population is 15,999. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 21,484.^[1] The county seat is Dawsonville.^[2]

It is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Dawson County is named for William Crosby Dawson, a U.S. Senator from Georgia.

Civil War

The 1860s brought war and hardships to the people of Dawson County. The men of Dawson County answered the call and went to defend their homes from the invading Federal Army. The following Confederate units were raised in Dawson County.

21st Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company E Concord Rangers

22nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I, Dawson County Independents

38th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I (Wright's Legion), Dawson Farmers

38th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company L (Wright's Legion)

52nd Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Company I

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the has a total area of 214 square miles (554.3 km²), of which 211 square miles (546.5 km²) is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km²) (1.36%) is water.

Part of Lake Lanier is in the southeastern part of the county and the boundary line with neighboring counties passes through the lake. The 729-foot (222 m) Amicalola Falls, are located in the county. The Amicalola Falls are the highest in Georgia, the tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River and are one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The highest point in the county is Black Mountain, with an elevation of 3,600 feet (1,100 m). 6,760 acres (27.4 km²) in the county are located in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The Chestatee and Etowah rivers flow through Dawson County.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 19
• State Route 9
• State Route 52
• State Route 53
• State Route 136
• State Route 183
• State Route 400

Secondary Highways

• Cowart Road
• Steve Tate Highway
• Burnt Mountain Road (Old SR 108)
• Dawson Forest Road (Old SR 318)
• Lumpkin Campground Road (Old SR 9E)
• Harmony Church Road (Old SR 9E)
• Auraria Road (Old SR 9E)
• Steve Evans Road (Old SR 342)
• Bailey/Waters Road (Old SR 342)
• Shoal Creek Road (Old SR 136 Spur)

Adjacent counties

• Fannin County, Georgia - north
• Lumpkin County, Georgia - northeast
• Hall County, Georgia - east
• Forsyth County, Georgia - south
• Cherokee County, Georgia - southwest
• Pickens County, Georgia - west
• Gilmer County, Georgia - northwest

National protected area

• Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Famous residents

• Bill Elliott - NASCAR Racer & Champion
• Gober Sosebee- Stock Car Racer (3 time Daytona Champion)

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 15,999 people, 6,069 households, and 4,685 families residing in the county. The population density was 76 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 7,163 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.22% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,069 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.70% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.80% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.50% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,486, and the median income for a family was $52,320. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $25,851 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,520. About 5.80% of families and 7.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Main article: Dawsonville, Georgia#Education

Cities and towns

• Dawsonville
• Juno

See also

	Atlanta portal
	State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dawson County, Georgia

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Archives of Dawson County, Roadside Georgia

Coordinates: 34°26′N 84°10′W / 34.44°N 84.17°W / 34.44; -84.17