Dewy Rose, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Dewy Rose · Elbert County, Georgia
Population 205 (est. 2026: ~0)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -36.1% annual growth projection

Dewy Rose, Georgia

Elbert County, Georgia · Population 161

Dewy Rose sits in the rolling piedmont of Elbert County in northeastern Georgia, roughly midway between Elberton and the South Carolina state line. It is a census-designated place rather than an incorporated municipality — no city hall, no mayor, no ordinance-making body of its own. The community draws from Elberton for most services, from healthcare to the county library system. With 161 residents spread across a tight cluster of households, Dewy Rose is one of those places where most people know their neighbors and the nearest traffic light is a few miles down the road.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 five-year estimates place Dewy Rose's population at 269, with a median age of 46.2 — noticeably older than the Georgia statewide median. The community is entirely White by race (269 of 269), yet Hispanic or Latino residents account for 96 people, pointing to a significant Latin American heritage population living within an otherwise racially homogeneous area. There are 80 households in total, 72 of which are family households. The average household size of 3.36 is above the Georgia average, consistent with the multigenerational or larger-family patterns common in rural Hispanic communities. Children under 18 number 26.

Elbert County as a whole holds 19,637 residents, making Dewy Rose a small fraction of the county's footprint but not a negligible one for a rural CDP.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Dewy Rose is $48,516. Per capita income runs considerably lower at $18,207 — a gap that reflects the larger household sizes rather than unusual wealth at the top. Thirty residents fall below the federal poverty line, representing a meaningful share of the community.

Of 165 people in the labor force, zero are counted as unemployed in the ACS estimates — a figure that reflects small-sample rounding as much as genuine full employment. Most residents commute out of the CDP for work; there is no meaningful commercial or industrial base within Dewy Rose itself. Elberton, the county seat, is the primary employment hub for the area, with granite quarrying and processing historically anchoring Elbert County's economy.

Housing

All 80 housing units in Dewy Rose are occupied — zero vacancies. That full occupancy rate stands in sharp contrast to the rural Georgia norm of persistent vacancy in small communities. The tenure split, however, is striking: only 15 units are owner-occupied, while 65 are renter-occupied. More than 80 percent of households rent, which is unusual even by urban standards and suggests the housing stock here may be largely rental-managed rather than individually owned. Median rent is $753 per month. No reliable median home value is available in the dataset.

Schools

Dewy Rose students attend Elbert County public schools. The full ladder runs through four campuses:

All schools are county-wide facilities based in or near Elberton. No school sits within Dewy Rose itself.

Getting Around

Every working resident commutes by car. Of 165 workers, 101 drove alone and 64 carpooled — a carpooling rate near 39 percent that is well above average and likely reflects both economic practicality and the tight-knit nature of the community. Zero workers used public transit, walked, or worked from home. The aggregate travel time for all workers totals 2,260 minutes, putting the average one-way commute around 13–14 minutes — short by Georgia standards, consistent with driving to Elberton or nearby employment centers.

There is no public transit serving Dewy Rose.

Healthcare

Elbert County is served by Elbert Memorial Hospital in Elberton, the county's only hospital. Local provider listings for Dewy Rose can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry. For anything beyond routine care, residents typically travel to Athens or Augusta, both within roughly an hour.

Library

The Elbert County Library Bookmobile serves Dewy Rose directly, operating out of the Elbert County library system (phone: 706-283-5375). The bookmobile stop is approximately 1.4 miles from the community center of the CDP — a practical solution to rural library access that many small Georgia communities rely on.

Parks & Recreation

The nearest National Park Service site is Ninety Six National Historic Site, a Revolutionary War-era battlefield and frontier village in South Carolina, approximately 48.8 miles from Dewy Rose. A visitor center operates on site. Closer to home, Elbert County's position along the Savannah River basin and near Lake Russell and Richard B. Russell State Park gives residents reasonable access to fishing, hiking, and water recreation within a short drive.

Natural Hazards

Elbert County has a documented history of federally declared disasters reaching back decades. The full list of FEMA declarations affecting this county:

The pattern is clear: Elbert County gets hit by the outer bands of Gulf and Atlantic storms more often than the inland location might suggest, and winter ice events are a recurring hazard. Hurricane Helene in 2024 was significant enough to generate both an emergency management declaration and a full major disaster declaration within days.

Government & Municipal Code

Dewy Rose is a CDP, not an incorporated town, but a municipal code is published through Municode: library.municode.com/ga/dewy-rose-cdp-georgia. No local building code is on file. For building permits and land use matters, residents fall under Elbert County jurisdiction.

Weather

Current forecast: NWS Forecast for Dewy Rose

Active alerts: Weather Alerts

The nearest weather observation station is Elberton 0.7 WNW, approximately 0.6 miles away — close enough that its readings are essentially local.

References

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