Blue Ridge is a city in
Fannin County, Georgia, United States. As of the
2020 census, the city had a population of 1,253. The city is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Fannin County and the largest city in the county.
History
Prior to
Decolonization of the Americas
The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the Amer ...
(1770–1820), the area that is now Blue Ridge was inhabited by
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
and other Indigenous peoples.
Blue Ridge was laid out in 1886 when the
Marietta and North Georgia Railroad was extended to that point. It was incorporated in 1887 by colonel
Mike McKinney
Michael Dean McKinney (born July 5, 1951) is an American politician and former family physician who has been the chair of the Texas Pharmaceutical Initiative Governing Board since his appointment to the position in January 2024 by governor Greg ...
, who built the railroad.
In 1895, the seat of Fannin County was transferred to Blue Ridge from
Morganton.
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
Blue Ridge is the home of the
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, a restored railroad that features a four-hour, 26 mile roundtrip journey along the
Toccoa River to the sister towns
McCaysville, Georgia
McCaysville is a city in Fannin County, Georgia, Fannin County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 1,149 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the second largest city in Fannin County after Blue Ridge, ...
, and
Copperhill, Tennessee.
The original tracks started in
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...
, and reached Blue Ridge and the surrounding areas in 1886.
Geography
The city of Blue Ridge is located south of the center of Fannin County at (34.868344, -84.320991).
The city sits on the divide between the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...
watershed to the north (via the
Toccoa River) and the
Alabama River
The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka.
Over a co ...
to the south (via Crooked Log Creek, the
Ellijay River, and several downstream rivers).
U.S. Route 76 and
Georgia State Route 515 (Zell Miller Mountain Parkway) pass through the west side of the city, leading east to
Blairsville and southwest to
Ellijay.
Georgia State Route 5 leads north from Blue Ridge to
McCaysville at the
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
line.
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
is to the south via GA-5/515.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Appalachian-influenced ''
Cfa''.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,253 people, 476 households, and 249 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States Census, there were 1,290 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 92.1% White, 1.2% Black, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% from some other race and 0.9% from two or more races. 4.5% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 1,210 people, 553 households, and 319 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 631 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.26%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.41%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.41%
Asian, 0.17% from
other races, and 0.74% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population.
There were 553 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,214, and the median income for a family was $35,259. Males had a median income of $25,859 versus $17,941 for females.
The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,149. About 13.7% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.
LGBT community
In the late 2000s and continuing through the 2010s, the city has seen a surge in new business, particularly from the
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
community which constitutes a larger percentage of the population than is typical for a rural community and one of the highest in Georgia.
Education
Fannin County School District
The
Fannin County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 179 full-time teachers and more than 3,212 students.
*Blue Ridge Elementary School
*East Fannin Elementary School
*West Fannin Elementary School
*Fannin County Middle School
*
Fannin County High School
UNG Blue Ridge campus
In 2015, the
University of North Georgia (UNG) opened a campus in Blue Ridge.
Notable people
*
Mike McKinney
Michael Dean McKinney (born July 5, 1951) is an American politician and former family physician who has been the chair of the Texas Pharmaceutical Initiative Governing Board since his appointment to the position in January 2024 by governor Greg ...
, American Civil War veteran and founder
[
* Lake Underwood, entrepreneur, inventor, and racecar owner and driver
*]Mark Wills
Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – '' Mark Wills'', '' Wish You Were Here'', ''Permanently'' ...
, country singer
References
External links
City of Blue Ridge official website
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce
''The News Observer''
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
{{authority control
Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Cities in Fannin County, Georgia
County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)