Dawson County, Georgia


Dawson County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,798 up from 22,330 in 2010. The county seat is Dawsonville.
Dawson County is included in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area. Its natural resources include Amicalola Falls, the highest falls in Georgia and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the state.
WWW dawsoncounty.org𝕏 dawsoncogov

History

Dawson County was created on December 3, 1857, from Gilmer and Lumpkin Counties. It is named for William Crosby Dawson, a U.S. Senator from Georgia.

American Civil War

The 1860s brought war and hardships to the people of Dawson County. Many men of Dawson County answered the call and went to fight in the Civil War. Several Confederate units were raised in Dawson County, including:
  • 21st Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company E Concord Rangers
  • 22nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I, Dawson County Independents
  • 38th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I, Dawson Farmers
  • 38th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company L
  • 52nd Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Company I
The 1st Georgia Infantry Battalion (Union), Companies B and C also was raised there.

Post-Civil War to present

Dawson County is known for its long involvement in auto racing, which was established in the 20th century; many of the original NASCAR racers came from this area, and Dawsonville is now one of a few areas considered to be the "birthplace of stock car racing". Local racing skills are said to have been developed by men who ran moonshine down Georgia State Route 9, also known as Thunder Road, to Atlanta. The celebration of Dawson County's history and its involvement in bootlegging moonshine during the Prohibition era now occurs every October, dubbed the Moonshine Festival.
Locals have referred to Dawson County as the "Moonshine Capital of the World". This title is claimed by many other cities and communities, but is fiercely defended by residents of the area. Allegedly, bootleggers took advantage of the county's relative isolation and the ability to move so much moonshine to the larger cities, especially Atlanta, during the United States Prohibition era.

Education

Dawson County currently serves grades K-12. It has a total of seven schools: one for pre-K, four for grades K-5, one for grades 6–7, one for grades 8–9, and Dawson County High School.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and are covered by water.
The county is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Portions of the mountain chain extend into the far northern and western portions of the county, with elevations around 3,500 ft. in this area.
Part of Lake Lanier is in the southeastern part of the county and the boundary lines with neighboring counties pass through the lake. The Amicalola Falls, are located in the county. The Amicalola Falls are the highest in Georgia, the tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River, and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The highest point in the county is Black Mountain, with an elevation of. The Chestatee and Etowah Rivers flow through Dawson County.
The vast majority of Dawson County is located in the Etowah River subbasin of the ACT River Basin. The southeastern tip of the county is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River subbasin of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, and a very small northern section of Dawson County is located in the Coosawattee River subbasin of the larger ACT River Basin.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Private communities

Several large, gated, private communities function similar to a municipality, providing many municipal-type services that operate independently of county government.

Demographics

RaceNum.Perc.
White 23,54487.86%
Black or African American 2000.75%
Native American630.24%
Asian2350.88%
Pacific Islander140.05%
Other/Mixed1,1374.24%
Hispanic or Latino1,6055.99%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 26,798, 10,313 households, and 6,491 families. The median age was 44.3 years, with 20.0% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.0% of residents 65 or older.
For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males age 18 and over.
30.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 69.4% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.5% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.0% of the population.
There were 10,313 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 11,926 housing units, of which 13.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.7% were owner-occupied and 19.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.
Between 2021 and 2022, Dawson experienced a 5.8% growth in population, making it the fourth fastest growing county in the nation.

2010 census

In 2010, median income for a household in the county was $51,128 and the median income for a family was $60,236. Males had a median income of $41,726 versus $31,978 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,557. About 7.8% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was estimated at $51,989, and for a family was estimated at $60,455. About 8.9% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Dawson County was the only county that supported Thomas Dewey in 1948 and then supported Adlai Stevenson II in 1952. As of the 2020s, Dawson County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 81% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Dawson County is part of Georgia's 9th congressional district, currently represented by Andrew Clyde. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Dawson County is part of District 51. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Dawson County is divided between District 7 and District 9.

Transportation

Major highways

Pedestrians and cycling

Notable people