Gainesville

History

Gainesville was established as "Mule Camp Springs" by European-American settlers in the early 1800s. Less than three years after the organization of Hall County on December 15, 1818, Mule Camp Springs was renamed "Gainesville" on April 21, 1821. It was named in honor of General Edmund P. Gaines, a hero of the War of 1812 and a noted military surveyor and road-builder. Gainesville was selected to be the county seat and chartered by the Georgia General Assembly on November 30, 1821. A gold rush that began in nearby Lumpkin County in the 1830s resulted in an increase in the number of settlers and the beginning of a business community. In the middle of the 19th century, Gainesville had two important events. In 1849, it became established as a resort center, with people attracted to the springs. In 1851, much of the small city was destroyed by fire. Around 1870, after the Civil War, Gainesville began to grow. In 1871, the Atlanta and Richmond Air-Line Railway, later re-organized into The Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railroad, began to stop in Gainesville, increasing its ties to other markets and stimulating business and population. It grew from 1,000 in 1870 to over 5,000 by 1900. By 1898, textile mills had become the primary driver of the economy, with the railroad integral to delivering raw cotton and carrying away the mills' products. With the revenues generated by the mills, in 1902, Gainesville became the first city south of Baltimore to install street lamps. On March 1, 1905, free mail delivery began in Gainesville, and on August 10, 1910, the Gainesville post office was opened. On December 22, 1915, the city's first high-rise, the Jackson Building, had its formal opening. In 1919, Southern Bell made improvements to the phone system. City services began in…

Geography

Gainesville is located in central Hall County at (34.304490, -83.833897). It is bordered to the southwest by the city of Oakwood. Interstate 985/U.S. Route 23 passes through the southern part of the city, leading southwest to Atlanta and northeast to Baldwin and Cornelia. U.S. Route 129 runs through the east side of the city, leading north to Cleveland and southeast to Jefferson. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.75%, are water. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, parts of Gainesville lie along the shore of one of the nation's most popular inland water destinations, Lake Lanier. Named after Confederate veteran, Georgia author and musician Sidney Lanier, the lake was created in 1956 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Chattahoochee River near Buford and flooded the river's valley. Although created primarily for hydroelectricity and flood control, it also serves as a reservoir providing water to the city of Atlanta and is a very popular recreational attraction for all of north Georgia. Much of Gainesville is heavily wooded, with both deciduous and coniferous trees. Much like the rest of northern Georgia, Gainesville has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. While Gainesville does not sit in Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common, supercell thunderstorms can sweep through at any time between March and November, being primarily concentrated in the spring. Tornado watches are frequent in the spring and summer, with a warning appearing at least biannually, occasionally with more than one per year. Tornado activity in the Gainesville area is above the…

Largest nearby schools

• Gainesville High School
  High · Gainesville · 2,294 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Flowery Branch High
  High · Flowery Branch · 1,363 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• East Hall High School
  High · Gainesville · 1,330 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Johnson High School
  High · Gainesville · 1,290 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Chestatee High School
  High · Gainesville · 1,244 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• West Hall High School
  High · Oakwood · 1,241 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• North Hall High School
  High · Gainesville · 1,138 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• South Hall Middle School
  Middle · Gainesville · 955 students · 12.4:1 ratio