Nelson, Georgia

Nelson, Georgia
—  City  —
Location in Pickens County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 34°22′54″N 84°22′17″W / 34.38167°N 84.37139°W / 34.38167; -84.37139Coordinates: 34°22′54″N 84°22′17″W / 34.38167°N 84.37139°W / 34.38167; -84.37139
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Counties	Pickens, Cherokee
Area
– Total	1.448 sq mi (2.3 km2)
– Land	1.448 sq mi (2.3 km2)
– Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,237 ft (377 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	1,314
– Density	695.6/sq mi (272.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	30151
Area code(s)	770
FIPS code	13-54572[1]
GNIS feature ID	0319244[2]

Nelson is a city partly (0.631 sq mi) in Pickens and mostly (0.792 sq mi) in Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1314. City of Nelson - Pickens County

Pickens County was created in 1853 from parts of Cherokee and Gilmer counties. Georgia's 100th county was named for General Andrew Pickens, a Revolutionary War soldier.

According to the USGS GNIS, it is named for John Nelson, early landowner, farmer, and rifle maker. It is served through its downtown by the Georgia Northeastern Railroad, and by the former route of state route 5 along its main street. South on old 5 is Ball Ground, north is Tate. The north end of Interstate 575 and south end of state route 515 is at the county line just to the southwest of Nelson.

A railroad line built in 1883 from Atlanta, through the valleys and mountain passes of Pickens County to Tate and Nelson, made possible the development of large marble quarries. One of the largest marble veins in the world is in Pickens County, running at least four miles long. It is a half-mile deep and almost that wide in places. Over 60 percent of the monuments in Washington, D.C. are made from Pickens County marble.

Marble Museum: Located in the Nelson City Hall 1985 Kennesaw Ave, Nelson, Georgia 30151 in Pickens County. It is open M-F 9 AM until 4 PM and may be reached at 770-735-2211. The museum includes a year-round exhibit that includes “examples of fine marble and shows the history of marble mining in Pickens County. Many stone cutters and other workers who migrated from either Italy or Scotland in the early years of the industry settled in Nelson to work in the area’s marble industry. Today the Great Northern Railroad operates between Tate, Georgia, and the CSX interchange at Elizabeth (Marietta) five days a week. The Georgia Marble rail lines at Tate and Marble Hill, and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad at Blue Ridge, Georgia are also operated by GNRR. Their web site also states the “GNRR runs through a Georgia Marble facility that no is no longer served by rail” at Nelson.

Geography

Nelson is located at 34°22′54″N 84°22′17″W / 34.38167°N 84.37139°W / 34.38167; -84.37139 (34.381562, -84.371303)^[3]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.448 square miles (3.75 km²), all of it land. Approximately 40% of the city is located in Pickens County and 60% in Cherokee County.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 626 people, 254 households, and 188 families residing in the city. The population density was 695.0 people per square mile (268.6/km²). There were 275 housing units at an average density of 305.3 per square mile (118.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.94% White, 9.42% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16% Asian, and 0.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.16% of the population.

There were 254 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,250, and the median income for a family was $51,806. Males had a median income of $35,066 versus $30,450 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,604. About 1.1% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

---

Population in July 2008: 928. Population change since 2000: +48.2% Males: 447 (48.2%) Females: 481 (51.8%)

Median resident age: 42.0 years Georgia median age: 33.4 years

Zip codes: 30151 and 30107

Estimated median household income in 2008: $56,361 (it was $44,250 in 2000) Nelson: $56,361 Georgia: $50,861

Estimated per capita income in 2008: $26,140

Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $208,186 (it was $110,800 in 2000) Nelson: $208,186 Georgia: $169,100

Mean prices in 2008: All housing units: $204,682; Detached houses: $212,211; Townhouses or other attached units: $147,212; Mobile homes: $54,519; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $27,500

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.