Hiawassee, GA

Hiawassee, Georgia is an idyllic small mountain town located along the border with North Carolina in the southern section of the Appalachian Mountains. Like other mountain towns in North Georgia and Western North Carolina, Hiawassee offers a quick escape from the city hustle and bustle boasting many recreational and lifestyle opportunities not found in other areas.

Hiawassee’s main distinction with other area towns is drawn primarily from it’s location and the presence of 7,000 acre Lake Chatuge. Hiawassee is only about 2 hours from Atlanta, Chattanooga, Asheville and Greenville but unless you set Hiawassee as your designation you probably would not reach it. Hiawassee is off the main artery of larger road systems like Hwy 575/515 and 441 but this has been a blessing in disguise giving Hiawassee and the surrounding towns of Young Harris, Ga and Hayesville, NC a more laid back, less touristy feel than other mountain towns. With a full time population of only about 11,000 people in the whole county this different developmental climate makes Hiawassee a uniquely perfect place to relocate, retire or vacation if one is desiring a slower pace of life. I use this word picture when describing the slower pace of life in Hiawassee; there are only 5 stop lights in Towns County ( Hiawassee & Young Harris).

Lake Chatuge is the other unique feature of Hiawassee. Chatuge is a 7000 acre TVA operated reservoir that has around 132 miles of shoreline with half of that owned or controlled by TVA and not open for private development. Hiawassee by virtue of location is the only mountain town on an area lake that virtually sits on the shores of the lake. All other lakes are several miles away from the closet towns. This fact gives rise to there being multiple recreational facilities, marinas, dining, shopping and lodging opportunities right in town. In my opinion one would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful lake, ringed in by mountains on all four sides and unspoiled lake frontage from the government owned shore over much of the lake.

Many other features of the area add into the value of Hiawassee as a future home or vacation spot. Approximately 65% of Towns County is owned by the Government which insures that the pristine hardwood rainforest here will be preserved for the future. Also therein lies miles and miles of hiking, fishing, off roading, multiple water falls and countless mountain vistas all open for everyone to enjoy. Hiawassee and Towns County are home to the Brasstown Bald, the Appalachian Trail and Bell Mountain, nationally known natural attractions. To top it all off Towns County has some of the lowest property taxes in the State.