Commerce

History

Before European settlers arrived, the area around present-day Commerce was inhabited by the Creek and the Cherokee people. Historians describe a territorial war between the Creeks and Cherokees over the land in the county during the 1770s. The Lacoda Trail, which extended from present-day Athens to the north Georgia mountains, was a significant trade and travel route through this area. (Georgia State Route 334, which follows a section of this ancient trail, was designated the "Lacoda Trail Memorial Parkway" by the Georgia General Assembly in 1998.) The Cherokee ceded their disputed lands east of the Oconee River in the Treaty of Augusta (1783) and the Creeks did likewise in their own Treaty of Augusta (1783) and the Treaty of Galphinton (1785). The first permanent white settlement in Jackson County began near present-day Commerce on January 20, 1784, when German immigrant William Dunson was awarded a land grant on Little Sandy Creek. The settlement was named "Groaning Rock", It served various purposes over the years, including the manufacture of denim overalls and the earliest production of electricity in the city. The mill village created to house employees makes up a significant portion of the homes on the southeast end of Commerce today. The mill had been in operation under various corporations until the spring of 2004, when it closed operations and was sold; it has been used for warehouse storage space since, and is currently for sale. The building is still a major feature of the city. Near the end of the 19th century, many began to feel that the name "Harmony Grove" was too long to write and sounded too much like a country village. In addition, many didn't like the fact that mail frequently went to another post office by the same name in Dawson County.…

Geography

Commerce is located in northeastern Jackson County at (34.206520, -83.461203). Interstate 85 runs through the northern part of the city, with access from Exits 147 and 149. I-85 leads southwest to Atlanta and northeast to Greenville, South Carolina. U.S. Route 441 runs along the eastern border of Commerce, leading north to Demorest and south to Athens. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.77%, are water. Commerce sits on a drainage divide between tributaries of the Oconee River to the southwest and tributaries of the Savannah River to the northeast.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  951
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  905
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  779
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  691
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  654
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  637
• Eastern Phoebe

  Sayornis phoebe (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  581
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  573

Largest nearby schools

• East Jackson Comprehensive High School
  High · Commerce · 1,343 students · 16:1 ratio
• Jefferson High School
  High · Jefferson · 1,214 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Jefferson Middle School
  Middle · Jefferson · 1,014 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Jefferson Elementary School
  Elementary · Jefferson · 1,007 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Jefferson Academy
  Elementary · Jefferson · 931 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• East Jackson Elementary School
  Elementary · Commerce · 594 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• East Jackson Middle School
  Middle · Commerce · 544 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Commerce Middle School
  Middle · Commerce · 530 students · 14.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.54 — 2022-09-12
  13 km NE of Jackson, Georgia
• M 2.51 — 2015-05-18
  0 km NNW of Crawfordville, Georgia
• M 2.5 — 2006-09-05
  11 km ENE of Woodville, Georgia
• M 3.5 — 2003-03-18
  11 km S of Rayle, Georgia