Nelson is a city in Pickens and

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 ...

Counties,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,145. It is part of the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

History

The city is named for John Nelson, an early landowner, farmer, and

rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...

maker. The

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

incorporated Nelson as a town in 1891. The area possesses substantial deposits of marble. The railway construction in 1883 made the development of large-scale quarries possible. The quality of the marble has made it favored for federal monuments. On April 1, 2013, the city council unanimously approved the "Family Protection Ordinance". Every

head of household In the United States, head of household is a filing status for individual United States taxpayers. It provides preferential tax rates and a larger standard deduction for single people caring for qualifying dependents. To use the head of hous ...

must own a gun and ammunition to "provide for the emergency management of the city" and to "provide for and protect the safety, security, and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants." Residents are not required to buy one if they do not have one, and the ordinance does not penalize anyone who does not comply. Convicted felons are exempt.

Geography

Nelson is located on the border of Pickens and Cherokee Counties at (34.381562, -84.371303). The original city center is located in Pickens County, but the city limits have recently expanded southward so that more of the city is now located in Cherokee County. 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 , of which , or 0.56%, is covered by water. Nelson is served through its downtown by the Georgia Northeastern Railroad, and by Canton Road, the town's main street and the former route of Georgia State Route 5. South on old 5 is Ball Ground, and north is

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

. The north end of Interstate 575 and south end of State Route 515 are at the county line just to the west of Nelson. I-575 leads south to

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 ...

, and SR 515 leads north to Ellijay.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,145 people, 523 households, and 383 families residing in the city. Circa 2023, of the 1,164 people in Nelson, 865 lived in Pickens County and 599 lived in Cherokee County.

Education

Areas in Pickens County are in the Pickens County School District.
Text list
/ref> All residents of that district are zoned to Jasper Middle School, Pickens Junior High School, and Pickens High School. Areas in Cherokee County are in the Cherokee County School District. Residents of that portion are zoned to Ball Ground Elementary School, Creekland Middle School, and Creekview High School.
Creekview HS detail
/ref>

Notable person

Claude Akins Claude Aubrey Akins (May 25, 1926 – January 27, 1994) was an American character actor. He played Sonny Pruit in '' Movin' On'', a 1974–1976 American drama series about a trucking team; Sheriff Lobo on '' The Misadventures of Sheriff Lob ...

, actor

References

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