Helen

Sister cities

• Füssen

History

Helen was laid out by John E. Mitchell of St. Louis during the years 1912 and 1913. When a name for the small settlement was being sought, a lumber official suggested the name of his daughter and there was little opposition. Called the "Star of the North," Helen was incorporated on August 18, 1913. Helen was built along the former route of the Unicoi Turnpike, a 1,000-year-old Native American trail connecting Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. Formerly a logging town in decline, Helen resurrected itself by becoming a replica of a Bavarian alpine town, in the Appalachians instead of the Alps. This design is mandated through zoning first adopted in 1969, so that the classic southern German style is present on every building, even on the small number of national franchisees present. In 1975, Documerica photographer Al Stephenson documented the life, recreation, and economy of the Helen area before and during the reconstruction of the settlement. Tourism is a key economic activity in Helen, catering mostly to weekend visitors from the Atlanta area and also motorcyclists who enjoy riding the roads in Helen and its surrounding areas. Helen can be crowded in late October, when autumn leaves typically peak. It also hosts its own Oktoberfest during September, October and November. Events and festivals are held throughout the year, including the "Southern Worthersee", which is a stateside Volkswagen and Audi event that pays tribute to the Worthersee Tour in Austria. An annual hot-air balloon race is also held here on the first weekend in June. The main road through town is north–south Georgia 75. The Helen stream gauge (HDCG1) is located on its bridge over the Chattahoochee in the middle of downtown. A parallel route to the west is labeled Georgia 75 Alt to identify it…

Geography

Helen is located at (34.702396, -83.727508). Georgia State Routes 17 and 75 are the main routes through the city, and run through the downtown area together as North Main Street. GA-17/75 lead north together to Hiawassee. The two highways split south of the city, with GA-17 leading southeast to Clarkesville and GA-75 leading south to Cleveland, the White County seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,104
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,101
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,959
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,917
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,879
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,372
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,235
• Eastern Phoebe

  Sayornis phoebe (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,227

Largest nearby schools

• Mountain Education Charter High School
  High · Cleveland · 2,581 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• White County High School
  High · Cleveland · 1,176 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• White County Middle School
  Middle · Cleveland · 858 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Tesnatee Gap Elementary (Old White Co. Intermediate)
  Elementary · Cleveland · 509 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Mount Yonah Elementary School
  Elementary · Sautee Nacoochee · 459 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Jack P Nix Elementary School
  Elementary · Cleveland · 416 students · 15.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.65 — 2026-03-24
  10 km SSW of Dillsboro, North Carolina
• 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
• M 2.78 — 2021-08-30
  6 km SE of Englewood, Tennessee