Jasper is a city in Pickens County,

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 t ...

, United States. The population was 3,684 at the 2010 census. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Pickens County.

History

Jasper was founded in 1853 as seat of the newly formed Pickens County. It was incorporated in 1857 as a town and in 1957 as a city. The community is named for William Jasper, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.

Geography

Jasper is located at (34.469127, -84.434039).

Georgia State Route 53 State Route 53 (SR 53) is a west-to-east state highway located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway travels from the Alabama state line west of Cave Spring northeast, then east, then southeast to US 12 ...

passes through the center of Jasper, while Georgia State Routes 5 and

515 __NOTOC__ Year 515 ( DXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Florentius and Anthemius (or, less frequently, year 1268 ...

bypass the city to its west. GA-5/515 lead north 21 mi (34 km) to Ellijay and south 60 mi (97 km) to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, via its connection with

Interstate 575 Interstate 575 (I-575) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the United States, which branches off I-75 in Kennesaw and connects the Atlanta metropolitan area with the North Georgia mountains, extending . I-575 is also the unsigned State ...

, which ends just south of the city. GA-53 runs through the downtown area as an east-west highway, leading east 24 mi (39 km) on a winding and mountainous route to Dawsonville, and west 36 mi (58 km) to Calhoun along

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,084 people, 1,560 households, and 889 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 2,167 people, 942 households, and 575 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,030 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.74%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 4.38%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 2.12% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino people of any race were 3.23% of the population. There were 942 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,944, and the median income for a family was $40,833. Males had a median income of $30,774 versus $25,489 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,184. About 9.2% of families and 15.8% 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 22.1% of those under age 18 and 19.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Pickens County School District

The Pickens County School District holds pre-school to grade 12, and consists of four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. The district has 248 full-time teachers and roughly 4,400 students. *Harmony Elementary School *Hill City Elementary School *Tate Elementary School *Jasper Middle School *Pickens Jr High School * Pickens High School

Higher education

* Chattahoochee Technical College - Appalachian Campus

Points of interest

Nicknamed "The First Mountain City," Jasper is located 50 miles north of Atlanta. The Tate House was built by local marble baron Sam Tate in the 1920s and now sits adjacent to Tate Elementary and is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

. Standing on an old Cherokee place of worship, the historic Woodbridge Inn is a restaurant and inn. Jasper is located near several large acreage mountain neighborhoods such as Big Canoe, Bent Tree, and the Preserve at Sharp Mountain.

Events

The Georgia Marble Festival is held on the first weekend in October every year. It is sponsored by the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce,Official marble festival web site
and held at Lee Newton Park. The festivities start with the Marble Festival Road Race. There are booths with local vendors selling handmade crafts, among other things. Another highlight is the art show, with exhibits of carved marble, as well as paintings, photographs, and pottery. The Apple Festival is held the following two weekends in nearby Ellijay, Georgia ( Gilmer County).

Notable people

Jeremiah Boswell Jeremiah Boswell (born October 6, 1982 in Salisbury, North Carolina) is a former American professional basketball player from Jasper, Georgia. Jeremiah currently serves as a consultant for the NBA office while also remaining a partner in The Ski ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player *

James Larry Edmondson James Larry Edmondson (born July 14, 1947) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Education and early career Born in Jasper, Georgia, Edmondson received a Bachelor of Arts degree ...

- judge * Weldon Henley (1880-1960) - MLB pitcher * Chandler Smith -

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...

driver

References

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Pickens County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)