Editing Sky Valley, Georgia

{{Short description|City in Georgia, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|official_name            = Sky Valley, Georgia
|other_name               = 
|native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname                 = 
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|motto                    = <!-- images and maps  ----------->
|image_skyline            = Sky Valley Way, Sky Valley, Georgia.JPG
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Street in Sky Valley
|image_flag               = 
|flag_size                = 
|image_seal               = SkyValleyGAseal.png
|seal_size                = 90px
|image_shield             = 
|shield_size              = 
|image_blank_emblem       = 
|blank_emblem_type        = 
|blank_emblem_size        = 
|image_map                = Rabun_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Sky_Valley_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Rabun County, Georgia|Rabun County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|image_dot_map            = 
|dot_mapsize              = 
|dot_map_caption          = 
|dot_x                    = 
|dot_y                    = 
|pushpin_map              = <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
|pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption      = 
|pushpin_mapsize          = <!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|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 (U.S. state)|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Rabun County, Georgia|Rabun]]
|subdivision_type3        = 
|subdivision_name3        = 
|subdivision_type4        = 
|subdivision_name4        = <!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Hollie Steil
|leader_title1            = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
|leader_name1             = 
|leader_title2            = 
|leader_name2             = 
|leader_title3            = 
|leader_name3             = 
|established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date         = 
|established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
|established_date2        = 
|established_title3       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3        = <!-- Area    --------------------->
|area_magnitude           = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=December 18, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 7.94
|area_land_km2            = 7.87
|area_water_km2           = 0.08
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.07
|area_land_sq_mi          = 3.04
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.03
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 482
|population_density_km2   = 61.28
|population_density_sq_mi = 158.71
<!-- General information  --------------->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|59|03|N|83|19|53|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 3500
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 30537
|area_code                = [[Area code 706|706]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 13-71282<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2405468<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405468}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://skyvalleyga.com/|skyvalleyga.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Sky Valley''' is a city in [[Rabun County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States and is nestled in a mountain valley on the northwest slopes of [[Rabun Bald]], Georgia's second-highest peak. Incorporated in March 1978,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://skyvalleyga.com/history.html|title=History|website=City of Sky Valley Georgia}}</ref> it recorded a total population of 250 as of the 2000 [[U.S. census]], and 482 as of 2020.  Sky Valley shares [[ZIP code]] 30537 with nearby [[Dillard, Georgia|Dillard]].

Since 1969, it is home to Sky Valley Resort (now renamed Sky Valley [[Country Club]]), which features [[golf|championship golf]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sky Valley Country Club - About |url=https://www.skyvalleycountryclub.com/golf-course/about |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Sky Valley Country Club |language=en-US}}</ref> championship [[croquet]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Club Profile: Sky Valley Croquet Club |url=https://issuu.com/uscacroquetnews/docs/croquet_news_2020_volume_1-web_edition/s/10197237 |access-date=2022-05-22 |website=issuu |language=en}}</ref> tennis, and swimming, and formerly [[downhill skiing]].

==Ski area==
The resort formerly had the only winter [[ski area]] in Georgia, but after changing ownership in 2004, the resort's ski slopes were permanently closed after 35 years.<ref name="SkyValleySki">{{cite web | url=http://www.skisoutheast.com/remembering-sky-valley-ski-area-by-scott-fagan/ | title=Remembering Sky Valley Ski Area – by Scott Fagan | date=20 January 2007 | accessdate=21 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.skyvalleyga.com/history.html |title=A Tribute to Official Home Page |website=www.skyvalleyga.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051108211030/http://skyvalleyga.com/History.html |archive-date=2005-11-08}}</ref>

The former [[ski lodge]] at 696 Sky Valley Way now houses a church under its two unique eight-[[gable]]d roofs, while the [[chairlift]] house and equipment-rental shop were [[demolish]]ed in January 2007.  To the immediate south of this, [[condominium|condo]]s were built on the north-facing [[slope]] which previously had the five ski runs, named Panorama, Scooter, Kamikaze, Gravity's Revenge, and Pokey, the last of which was the [[bunny slope]] for children with its own [[rope tow]].  These provided {{convert|15|-|16|acre|ha}} of skiable terrain with a vertical drop of {{convert|210|ft|m|0}}.

Only three other [[aerial lift]]s remain in Georgia: the Sky Buckets open-air [[gondola lift|gondola]] at [[Six Flags Over Georgia]], and the Summit Skyride [[aerial tramway|tram]] to the top of [[Stone Mountain]], both in [[metro Atlanta]]; and the chairlift across [[Lake Winnepesaukah]], an amusement park even closer to Georgia's northern state line in [[Rossville, Georgia|Rossville]], a suburb adjoining [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]].

After the closures of Sky Valley's ski operations and Ski Scaly, [[Sapphire Valley]] is the nearest ski area, while [[Cloudmont]] in far [[northeast Alabama]] remains the southernmost in the eastern U.S. since 1970, beating Sky Valley after only a year.  Four western ski areas go as far south as the latitude of [[middle Georgia]], while Mexico's only ski area is slightly further south than Miami.

==Transportation==
The only highway or other significant through-road is the [[North Carolina Highway 106 - Georgia State Route 246|Dillard/Highlands Road]] ([[North Carolina Highway 106 - Georgia State Route 246|Georgia 246]] and [[North Carolina Highway 106 - Georgia State Route 246|N.C. 106]]) between [[Dillard, Georgia]] and [[Highlands, North Carolina]]. The northern city limit is the [[North Carolina]] state line, where the highway zigzags, crossing in five different places (two of which are into and out of the city).  Due to surveying errors more than 200 years ago, the boundary is considerably further south than the [[35th parallel north|35°N]] specified at the time by Congress.

Because of this, the main road into Sky Valley from the highway is actually within the community of [[Scaly Mountain, North Carolina]], which also had a ski area that closed in 2004 but offers [[snow tubing]] each winter since then.  Beginning at a small intersection that is bisected by exactly 35°N, Old Mud Creek Road travels south and becomes Bald Mountain Road at the state line, then curving east as the city's [[main street]] (though there is no downtown or [[business district]] ''per se'') and eventually ending at Hale Ridge Road just south of the state line.

The main entrance was originally to be a new road from Ga. 246 instead of N.C. 106, however [[GDOT]] denied this for safety reasons.  Around 1980, a [[covered bridge]] was built along the highway for this entrance, but was never used, and still stands as of 2019.

==Geography and climate==
Sky Valley is the northernmost city in the state.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land. The elevation of the valley floor is approximately 3100 feet above sea level, while areas within the city limits on the slopes of Rabun Bald exceed 4200 feet. Sky Valley is Georgia's highest incorporated city and one of the highest municipalities in the eastern United States.

Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Sky Valley has a temperate [[subtropical highland climate]] (Köppen ''Cfb''), a rarity in the southeastern US, due to its high elevation. The city is also one of the coldest locations in Georgia with the January average temperature {{convert|34.0|°F}} and the July average temperature of {{convert|69.0|°F}}.

{{Weather box
|location = Sky Valley
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 7.2
|Feb high C = 9.1
|Mar high C = 13.6
|Apr high C = 18.4
|May high C = 22.2
|Jun high C = 25.2
|Jul high C = 26.6
|Aug high C = 26.1
|Sep high C = 23.3
|Oct high C = 18.7
|Nov high C = 13.6
|Dec high C = 8.7
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 1.1
|Feb mean C = 2.6
|Mar mean C = 6.7
|Apr mean C = 11.1
|May mean C = 15.3
|Jun mean C = 18.8
|Jul mean C = 20.6
|Aug mean C = 20.2
|Sep mean C = 17.2
|Oct mean C = 11.8
|Nov mean C = 7.0
|Dec mean C = 2.7
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = −4.9
|Feb low C = −3.9
|Mar low C = −0.1
|Apr low C = 3.9
|May low C = 8.4
|Jun low C = 12.4
|Jul low C = 14.6
|Aug low C = 14.3
|Sep low C = 11.2
|Oct low C = 4.2
|Nov low C = 0.4
|Dec low C = −3.3
|year low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 169
|Feb precipitation mm = 169
|Mar precipitation mm = 200
|Apr precipitation mm = 155
|May precipitation mm = 165
|Jun precipitation mm = 155
|Jul precipitation mm = 160
|Aug precipitation mm = 157
|Sep precipitation mm = 148
|Oct precipitation mm = 138
|Nov precipitation mm = 160
|Dec precipitation mm = 175
|year precipitation mm = 
|source 1 = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/united-states-of-america/georgia/sky-valley-135682/|title=Sky Valley climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Sky Valley weather averages - Climate-Data.org|website=en.climate-data.org}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1980= 65
|1990= 187
|2000= 221
|2010= 272
|2020= 482
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 221 people, 112 households, and 81 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|72.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 675 housing units at an average density of {{convert|222.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 95.48% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.07% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], and 0.45% from two or more races.

There were 112 households, out of which 11.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.30.

In the city the population was spread out, with 9.5% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 8.1% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 45.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 64 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

In 2010 the largest self-identified ancestry/ethnic groups were:
* People who self-identified as being of [[English people|English]] ancestry - 33.0%
* People who self-identified as being of [[German people|German]] ancestry - 20.6%
* People who self-identified as being of [[American ancestry|"American"]] ancestry - 10.3%
* People who self-identified as being of [[Irish people|Irish]] ancestry - 8.5%
* People who self-identified as being of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] ancestry - 4.6%
* People who self-identified as being of [[Scots-Irish Americans|Scots-Irish]] ancestry - 4.4%
* People who self-identified as being of [[French people|French]] ancestry - 3.6%
* People who self-identified as being of [[Dutch people|Dutch]] ancestry - 2.3%<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2019-07-09}}</ref>

The median income for a household in the city was $44,750, and the median income for a family was $57,500. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $13,750 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $31,511.  About 5.6% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 1.8% of those 65 or over.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.skyvalleyga.com/index.html City of Sky Valley online]
*[http://www.skyvalleycountryclub.com/ Sky Valley Country Club online]
*[http://explorerabun.com/sky-valley-georgia/ Sky Valley general information, from Rabun County Tourism Development Authority]

{{Rabun County, Georgia}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Rabun County, Georgia]]