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

, 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 websiteFannin 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)