Dawsonville, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Dawsonville · Dawson County, Georgia
Population 4,147 (est. 2026: ~5,100)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 6.17% annual growth projection

Dawsonville, Georgia

Dawson County, Georgia · Population 3,720

Dawsonville sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 60 miles north of Atlanta along Georgia Highway 400. It is the county seat of Dawson County, a fast-growing corridor where the southern Appalachians give way to suburban sprawl pushing up from metro Atlanta. The city itself is small — under 4,000 people — but it anchors a county of nearly 27,000. Dawsonville carries an outsized identity for its size: it is the hometown of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott, and the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame marks that heritage. The Dawsonville Pool Room, a local institution, still rings a bell when a Georgia driver wins a NASCAR race. That mix of mountain-town character and proximity to Atlanta defines everyday life here.

People & Demographics

Dawsonville's ACS 2022 population estimate is 3,871, with a median age of 35.5 — relatively young. The city's 1,369 households average 2.74 people, and 985 residents are children under 18, reflecting a family-oriented community. The racial breakdown is predominantly white (3,465), with Asian (161), Black (103), and Hispanic or Latino (73) residents rounding out the population. Family households number 937 out of 1,369 total.

Economy & Employment

Median household income in Dawsonville is $79,479, and per capita income sits at $31,568. Of the 1,947 residents in the labor force, 84 are unemployed — an unemployment rate of roughly 4.3%. The poverty count is 173, a low share for a community this size. The Premium Outlets mall on GA-400 is a significant local employer and draws shoppers from across the region. Many residents commute south toward Gainesville, Cumming, and metro Atlanta for work in healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and professional services.

Housing

Dawsonville has 1,488 total housing units, of which 1,369 are occupied and 119 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 8%. Owner-occupied units number 1,003; renters occupy 366. The median home value is $278,400, reflecting demand driven by GA-400 corridor growth and proximity to Atlanta. Median rent runs $966 per month. The owner-to-renter ratio leans heavily toward ownership, consistent with a county seat in a rapidly suburbanizing area.

Schools

Dawson County operates a unified public school system serving the city and county. Schools in the district include:

Elementary enrollment is spread across four buildings, suggesting a county that has grown fast enough to require multiple feeder schools. Total district enrollment across these eight schools exceeds 4,600 students.

Among adults 25 and older, 654 hold a bachelor's degree and 160 hold a master's. High school diploma holders number 430. Doctorate holders total 25.

Getting Around

Dawsonville is car-dependent. Of 1,729 workers, 1,336 drive alone. Ninety-six carpool. Only 3 use public transit, and 20 walk. A notable 274 work from home, reflecting the remote-work shift that has made mountain-adjacent towns like this more viable for Atlanta-area professionals. Aggregate travel time for commuters is 43,670 minutes, which works out to roughly 25 minutes per worker — reasonable given the GA-400 connection, though the corridor sees significant congestion during peak hours.

Healthcare

Dawsonville does not have a major hospital within city limits. Residents typically travel to Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming (Forsyth County) or to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, both within roughly 20–30 miles. Local providers, including primary care physicians, dentists, and specialists, can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry for Dawsonville, GA.

Library

The Dawson County Library serves the community and can be reached at (706) 344-3690. It is part of the public library system supporting the county.

Parks & Recreation

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is the closest National Park Service unit, running along the northern edge of metro Atlanta and within reasonable driving distance of Dawsonville. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park lies roughly 40 miles to the south, and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta is about 47 miles away.

Closer to home, Thompson Creek Park Shelter and Toto Creek Campground offer camping in the immediate area. Amicalola Falls State Park, one of Georgia's most visited, is just a short drive west and serves as the approach trail for the Appalachian Trail. Lake Lanier's northern reaches are also accessible from the county. For visitors oriented to NPS sites, the Island Ford Visitor Center on the Chattahoochee is approximately 31 miles away.

Natural Hazards

Dawson County has a documented federal disaster history that spans weather, hurricanes tracking inland, and public health emergencies:

The pattern is notable. Inland Georgia, including the foothills, gets residual impacts from Gulf and Atlantic storms more often than most people expect. Helene in 2024 caused significant damage across northern Georgia. Winter storms hit the foothills harder than the Atlanta metro due to elevation, and flash flooding in creek drainages is a recurring risk.

Government & Municipal Code

Dawsonville's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/dawsonville. No locally adopted building code is on file in the available data.

Weather

Current forecasts for Dawsonville are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Dawsonville WB, located 1.1 miles from the city center.

References

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