Germany Valley, located in Rabun County in the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, four miles northwest of Clayton, is a gently sloping valley surrounded by

Blue Ridge Mountain Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the westernmost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Appalachian Trail traverses the entire length of th ...

peaks. The Germany community is often referred to by local residents as "Germany Mountain," although there is actually no named peak in the area by that name. At an elevation of approximately , Germany is generally considered the third highest mountain valley in the state, after Sky Valley (), also in Rabun County, and the Suches community () in Union County. Germany Valley is approximately wide and almost long and consists mostly of pastureland and small farms with cattle and horses. Forestland, much of it owned by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Nationa ...

, surrounds the valley. Several wooded hills rise above the valley floor. Germany Valley is framed by numerous mountain peaks. Big Face () rises above the valley's southern edge and dominates most valley vistas. Billy Mountain, at , and Elisha Mountain—both of which sit along the

Eastern Continental Divide The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly spans ...

—rise less dramatically to the north. Also on the Eastern Continental Divide is Black Rock Mountain at the eastern end of the valley, which is the centerpiece of Georgia's highest state park. Perhaps the best views of Germany Valley are from the park's Tennessee Rock Overlook. Because of its altitude, Germany Valley experiences a significantly cooler climate than surrounding mountain valleys. Daily weather data are recorded by the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...

's Germany Valley cooperative observation station. Weather data over the years 2012–2017 reflected an average daily high temperature in July of . The highest temperature during that period was on July 2, 2012, which was the most recent day that the weather station recorded a reading in the 90s. The average high temperature in January during the period was . Low temperatures in the teens are not uncommon, and single-digit lows occasionally occur. Temperatures below zero are less common and do not occur every winter. The coldest reading during the 2012–2017 period was on January 7, 2014. Precipitation in the valley is plentiful, as it is across much of the southern

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

. The Germany Valley station averages approximately of rain a year. 2018 was especially wet, when the station measured 116.72 inches of precipitation, the second-most rainfall at a specific location in state history. Snowfall is somewhat sporadic in the valley but occurs a number of times each winter. Snowfall averages approximately a year. Germany Valley is drained by southwest-flowing Timpson Creek, which flows into the Timpson Cove arm of Lake Burton, the uppermost of five

Georgia Power Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consoli ...

reservoirs on the

Tallulah River :''This article refers to the river. For the town, see Tallulah Falls, Georgia, for the lake, see Tallulah Falls Lake and for the waterfalls and gorge, see Tallulah Gorge.'' The Tallulah River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography ...

, one of the northernmost watersheds in the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the nor ...

basin.

References

Valleys of Georgia (U.S. state) Landforms of Rabun County, Georgia {{RabunCountyGA-geo-stub