Lyerly, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Lyerly · Chattooga County, Georgia
Population 535 (est. 2026: ~500)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -1.87% annual growth projection

Lyerly, Georgia

Chattooga County, Georgia · Population 454

Lyerly sits in the northwest corner of Georgia, tucked into the Ridge and Valley country of Chattooga County about four miles west of Summerville, the county seat. The Coosa River watershed drains the surrounding hills, and the landscape is distinctly Appalachian foothills — narrow valleys, wooded ridges, and small towns that have anchored the same communities for generations. With 454 residents, Lyerly is one of those towns where the post office and the elementary school define daily life more than any downtown corridor. It is a working-class community, owner-occupied and car-dependent, with housing costs well below state averages and a tight-knit population that skews toward families.

People & Demographics

Lyerly's ACS-estimated population of 548 is spread across 198 households, with an average household size of 2.77 — above the typical Georgia figure and a sign that families with children make up a significant share of residents. The median age is 38.5. Of 548 residents, 530 identify as white; 6 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. There are 144 children under 18, representing roughly one in four residents. Family households number 142 out of 198 total, meaning the majority of homes here are family units.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Lyerly is $50,250, and per capita income sits at $20,852. For context, Georgia's statewide median household income is substantially higher — Lyerly's households earn noticeably less than the state average, consistent with Chattooga County's pattern as one of Georgia's lower-income rural counties.

Of 234 residents counted in the labor force, 15 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of roughly 6.4%. About 52 residents fall below the federal poverty line. The local economy does not concentrate obvious industry within town limits; most workers commute out to manufacturing, healthcare, and service jobs in Summerville or the broader region.

Housing

Lyerly's 214 total housing units carry a median home value of $91,300 — a fraction of Georgia's statewide median, which makes ownership accessible for working households. Of 198 occupied units, 149 are owner-occupied and 49 are renter-occupied, an ownership rate near 75%. Vacancy stands at 16 units out of 214, roughly 7.5%. Median rent is $843 per month. The combination of low home values and a strong ownership majority is characteristic of small Chattooga County towns, where land is affordable and deep-rooted families have owned their homes for decades.

Schools

Lyerly Elementary School serves grades pre-K through 8 with 334 students — an enrollment figure that actually exceeds the town's counted population, reflecting a regional draw from surrounding rural areas. Housing both elementary and middle grades under one roof is common in small Georgia districts, and Lyerly's school functions as the anchor institution for the community. High school students feed into Chattooga County's consolidated high school program in Summerville.

Getting Around

Lyerly is car country. Of 219 workers, 203 drive alone to work. Two carpool, six walk, and eight work from home. Public transit is nonexistent. Aggregate travel time for all workers totals 4,460 minutes, putting average one-way commute time around 20 minutes — reasonable for a rural town, likely reflecting the short drive to Summerville and slightly longer hauls toward Rome or Fort Oglethorpe for specialized employment.

Healthcare

No hospital sits within Lyerly itself. The county's primary hospital access runs through Summerville (roughly 4 miles east), where Advent Health Gordon serves Chattooga County. For specialized care, residents travel toward Rome, Georgia, or the Chattanooga metropolitan area. Providers with practices registered in Lyerly can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry.

Library

The Chattooga Public Library, located 7.4 miles from Lyerly, serves as the public library for this area. It can be reached at (706) 857-2553. As part of the Georgia Public Library Service network, it provides residents access to physical collections, digital resources, and public computing.

Parks & Recreation

The surrounding region carries significant public land and historic sites within a reasonable drive.

Little River Canyon National Preserve (National Park Service) lies across the Alabama state line and offers canyon rim trails, waterfalls, and one of the deepest gorges east of the Mississippi. The Jacksonville State University Little River Canyon Center, 12.8 miles from Lyerly, serves as an interpretive gateway to the preserve.

Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, about 37.9 miles northeast, preserves the Civil War battlefields that shaped the region's history. Its visitor center anchors a broad park system that includes Lookout Mountain Battlefield, approximately 41.9 miles away.

Russell Cave National Monument in northeast Alabama protects one of the most complete archaeological records of prehistoric human habitation in the eastern United States.

Natural Hazards

Chattooga County has accumulated a long federal disaster declaration record, stretching back to 1973 — a sign of genuine vulnerability to the weather patterns that move through the southern Appalachian foothills.

Tropical systems have reached the county repeatedly, including Hurricane Opal (1995), Hurricane Katrina evacuation support (2005), Hurricane Irma (2017, with both an emergency declaration and a major disaster declaration), and Hurricane Helene (September 2024). Severe winter storms have triggered federal declarations in 1993, 2000, 2014, and again in January 2026. Tornadoes and flooding struck in 1973 and 1990. The 1977 drought generated a federal emergency declaration. The COVID-19 pandemic produced both an emergency and major disaster declaration in March 2020.

The pattern is clear: this county deals with ice storms in winter, tropical moisture and flooding in late summer and fall, and periodic tornado risk year-round.

Government & Municipal Code

Lyerly operates as an incorporated town under Georgia law. The municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/lyerly-town-georgia. No local building code is currently in effect for the town, meaning construction standards default to state and county requirements.

Weather

Current forecasts for Lyerly are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts for the area can be found at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest observation station is Summerville, 3.6 miles to the east.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)