Blairsville

History

During the 1830s, the United States conducted Indian Removal of the Cherokee Nation and other Southeast tribes, to what was designated as Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. This area along the Nottely River was part of the large Cherokee territory and the leader Goingsnake was born here in 1758. After American settlers moved into this area, in 1835 the Georgia General Assembly designated Blairsville as the Union County seat. The town is named after American Revolutionary War veteran James Blair. The neighboring city of Dahlonega was known as the first site of gold in the United States, but the Blairsville area was known to have the purest gold in the mountains of northern Georgia. Assayers in Washington, D.C. could tell by looking that gold ore was from the Coosa Mines because it was “the yellowest gold” submitted and its brilliant color set it apart. This area of northern Georgia was still rural and isolated before World War II. During the Great Depression, under the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, the Nottely River was selected as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority projects. The river was dammed in order to form a reservoir to generate hydroelectric power. It also created a lake with recreational opportunities. This was one of the projects that produced electrification in a rural area. Blairsville's newspaper, the North Georgia News, was first published in 1909. United Community Banks, Inc., one of the largest financial institutions in the Southeast U.S., was founded in Blairsville in 1949.

Geography

U.S. Routes 19 and 76, as well as Georgia State Route 515 (Zell Miller Mountain Parkway), are the main highways through the city. U.S. 19 leads north to Murphy, North Carolina and south to Dahlonega. U.S. 76 and GA-515 run through the city together, leading northeast to Young Harris and west to Blue Ridge. Atlanta is to the south via U.S. 19. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Blairsville has a humid subtropical climate, yet due to its elevation of , typically records far lower temperatures at night than what is encountered in much of the Southeastern U.S., and has slightly higher precipitation totals ( annually) than most locations in the state; the average diurnal temperature variation exceeds in each of the spring and autumn months. Snow usually occurs several times every year. The average annual snowfall is 4 inches. The monthly daily mean temperature ranges from in January to in July. There are 7.6 days of highs and 4.6 days where the high fails to rise above freezing annually.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,896
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,597
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  3,269
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,203
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  3,059
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,036
• Eastern Towhee

  Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,585
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  2,304

Largest nearby schools

• Union County High School
  High · Blairsville · 887 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Union County Primary School
  Elementary · Blairsville · 776 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Union County Middle School
  Middle · Blairsville · 679 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Union County Elementary School
  Elementary · Blairsville · 616 students · 14.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.65 — 2026-03-24
  10 km SSW of Dillsboro, North Carolina
• M 2.57 — 2025-07-10
  2 km E of Greenback, Tennessee
• M 4.1 — 2025-05-10
  21 km SE of Greenback, Tennessee
• M 2.51 — 2023-11-04
  7 km WSW of Bryson City, North Carolina
• M 2.94 — 2022-01-21
  16 km NNE of Eton, Georgia
• M 2.72 — 2021-10-24
  19 km NNW of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina