Editing Hiawassee, Georgia

{{Short description|County seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States}}
{{hatnote group|
{{redirect|Hiawassee|the town in [[Tennessee]] that was fomerly known as Hiawassee|Ducktown, Tennessee}}
{{other uses|Hiwassee (disambiguation)}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Hiawassee, Georgia
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images --------------->
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image|total_width=275|border=infobox|perrow=1/1/1|caption_align=center|image1=Hiawassee, Georgia in Towns County – aerial photo 02.jpg |caption1=Hiawassee on [[Chatuge Lake]]|image2=The Towns County Courthouse in downtown Hiawassee, Georgia, US 04.jpg |caption2=Towns County Courthouse in Hiawassee}}
| imagesize          = 275px
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps ----------------->
| image_map          = Towns_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Hiawassee_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Towns County, Georgia|Towns County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location ------------->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Georgia|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Towns County, Georgia|Towns]]
<!-- Government ----------->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Liz Ordiales
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 1856
| established_title1 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date1  = May 17, 1956
<!-- Area ----------------->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023">{{cite web|title=2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2023_Gazetteer/2023_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 29, 2024}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 5.379
| area_land_km2      = 4.220
| area_water_km2     = 1.160
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.077
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.629
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.448
<!-- Population ----------->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 1002
| pop_est_as_of      = 2023
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2023"/>
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
| population_total   = 981
| population_density_km2 = 237.4
| population_density_sq_mi = 615.0
<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 600
| elevation_ft       = 1969
| coordinates        = {{coord|34|56|58|N|83|45|27|W|region:US-GA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 30546
| area_code          = [[Area codes 706 and 762|706 and 762]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 13-38124
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0328122<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|0328122}}</ref>
| blank2_name        = [[Sales tax]]
| blank2_info        = 8.0%
| website            = {{URL|https://hiawasseega.gov/|hiawasseega.gov}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Hiawassee''' is the [[county seat]] of [[Towns County, Georgia|Towns County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011}}</ref> The population was 981 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Hiawassee_city,_Georgia?g=160XX00US1338124 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=July 29, 2024}}</ref> Its name is derived from the [[Cherokee]]—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means [[meadow]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yyMxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5700%2C4457103 |title=The Names Stayed |work=Calhoun Times and Gordon County News |date=August 29, 1990 |access-date=April 29, 2015 |pages=64}}</ref> (A variant spelling, "Hiwassee," is used for the local river and some other Appalachian place names.) Hiawassee is also known in the novel "Restart" by [[Gordon Korman]].

==History==
Hiawassee was established along the route of the [[Unicoi Turnpike]], a 1,000-year-old [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] trail.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2022 |title=Uncovering A 200-Year-Old Road with Modern Technology |url=https://www.smliv.com/api/content/8c3244aa-f3f2-11ec-9969-12274efc5439/ |access-date=April 13, 2024 |website=Smoky Mountain Living |language=en-us}}</ref> In the early 18th century, deerskins and furs were transported along the route from Tennessee to [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] and [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] for shipping to Europe.<ref name="tnriver">{{Cite web |title=Unicoi Turnpike Trail &#124; Tennessee River Valley |url=https://tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/entries/unicoi-turnpike-trail/63f4e2dd-dd65-4212-9691-f05f7f8a9cd6 |website=tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org}}</ref> Hiawassee was originally inhabited by predominantly Cherokee peoples. The name of  Hiawassee was originally derived from the Native American word ayuhwasi, meaning river and/or valley. A [[United States Government Fur Trade Factory System|United States fur trade factory]] was built in present-day Hiawassee between 1807 and 1811.<ref>Wesley, Edgar Bruce (1935). Guarding the frontier. The University of Minnesota Press, p. 38.</ref>

Settled by whites ''circa'' 1820 after settlers violently removed the Cherokee communities living there [[Cherokee War of 1776|in a night of massacre in 1776]], Hiawassee was designated seat of the newly formed Towns County in 1856. It was incorporated as a town in 1870 and as a city in 1916,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA233 |title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States |publisher=Routledge |date=May 13, 2013 |access-date=November 30, 2013 |author=Hellmann, Paul T. |pages=233 |isbn=978-1135948597}}</ref> .

The historic [[Towns County Jail]] was built in downtown Hiawassee around 1935. The two-story rock building is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. President [[Jimmy Carter]] visited Hiawassee in July 1980, landing by helicopter to go trout fishing with friends.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Long |first=Becky |date=2025-01-02 |title=Locals share connections with Carter |work=[[Clay County Progress]] |publisher=[[Community Newspapers Inc.]] |location=Hayesville, NC |pages=A1-A2}}</ref>

==Geography==
Hiawassee is located on the [[Hiwassee River]] at {{coord|34|56|58|N|83|45|27|W|type:city}} (34.949428, -83.755078).<ref name=gnis/>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.077|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|1.629|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.448|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/>

Hiawassee is approximately 1969 feet (600 meter) above sea level.<ref name=gnis/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 104
|1910= 226
|1920= 146
|1930= 169
|1940= 163
|1950= 375
|1960= 455
|1970= 415
|1980= 491
|1990= 547
|2000= 808
|2010= 880
|2020= 981
|estyear=2023
|estimate=1002
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=July 29, 2024|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 29, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Hiawassee, Georgia – Racial Composition'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Hiawassee city, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Hiawassee%20city,%20Georgia&t=Race%20and%20Ethnicity&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2}}</ref><br>(NH = Non-Hispanic)<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|906
|92.4%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|4
|0.4%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] (NH)
|3
|0.3%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|4
|0.4%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] (NH)
|0
|0.0%
|-
|[[Some Other Race]] (NH)
|2
|0.2%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|23
|2.3%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|39
|4.0%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''981'''
|'''100.0%'''
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 981 people, 497 households, and 215 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Hiawassee%20city,%20Georgia%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=July 29, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> There were 754 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 94.2% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.7% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|some other races]] and 3.0% from [[Multiracial Americans|two or more races]]. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race were 4.0% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How many people live in Hiawassee city, Georgia |url=https://data.usatoday.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/hiawassee-city-georgia/160-1338124/ |access-date=July 29, 2024 |publisher=USA Today}}</ref>

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 880 people, 456 households, and _ families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.3% Black, 0.1% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.9% Other Races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 2.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], there were 808 people, 355 households, and 203 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|479.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 527 housing units at an average density of {{convert|312.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 97.40% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.25% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.12% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.73% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.37% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.12% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 355 households, out of which 14.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.39.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 10.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 46.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.5 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,615, and the median income for a family was $31,458. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $22,917 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,957.  About 12.6% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
Hiawassee has a mayor and city council in a strong mayor form of government. The current mayor, Liz Ordiales, is the first female mayor of Cuban descent in the State of Georgia.  The city council consists of five elected officials.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.projectq.us/atlanta/doraville_makes_history_by_swearing_in_two_lgbt_city_council_members?gid=18715|title=Doraville makes history by swearing in two LGBT City Council members|date=January 5, 2018}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Towns_County_High_School,_Middle_School,_and_Elementary_School_share_a_campus_in_Hiawassee,_Georgia_05.jpg|thumb|Towns County schools share a unified campus east of Hiawassee]]

===Towns County School District===
The [[Towns County School District]] holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school and a high school.<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=739&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved June 28, 2010.</ref> The district has 144 full-time teachers and over 2,408 students.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/TOOMBS/VIDALIA_CITY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 28, 2010.</ref>
* Towns County Elementary School
* Towns County Middle School
* [[Towns County High School]]

==Media==
The ''[[Towns County Herald]]'' newspaper has been published weekly in Hiawassee since 1928.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sn89053110/ |title=Towns County Herald (Hiawassee, Towns County, Ga.) 1928-Current |work=Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries |publisher=[[Library of Congress]]}} Retrieved February 19, 2024.</ref>

== Healthcare ==
Hiawassee and Towns County are served by Chatuge Regional Hospital, which is located on Highway 76 North in downtown Hiawassee. The 13-bed facility opened in 1951 as Lee M. Happ Jr. Memorial Hospital. It was renamed Towns County Hospital in 1960 and the Johnson wing was built. In 1967, the attic caught fire and 40 percent of the hospital was destroyed. The neighboring 112-bed nursing home opened in 1971. The hospital received its current name in 1994. The facility was acquired by [[Union General Hospital]] in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chatuge Regional Hospital |url=https://uniongeneralhealthsystem.com/facility/chatuge-regional-hospital/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=Union General Health System}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-05-17 |title=Nicholson |url=https://www.townscountyherald.net/pdf/tch%2005-17-17%20Front%202.pdf |access-date=2025-02-21 |work=[[Towns County Herald]] |pages=6A}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Our Facilities |url=https://uniongeneralhealthsystem.com/our-facilities/ |publisher=Union General Health System}}</ref>

==Points of interest==
* [[Fred Hamilton Rhododendron Garden]]
* [[Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds]]
* [[Chatuge Lake|Lake Chatuge]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Towns County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

<!--The town's location on Chatuge Lake will be considered on the coast-->

[[Category:Towns in Towns County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Towns in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Hiwassee River]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) placenames of Native American origin]]