McCaysville, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
McCaysville · Fannin County, Georgia
Population 1,571 (est. 2026: ~1,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -11.39% annual growth projection

McCaysville, Georgia

Fannin County, Georgia · Population 1,149

McCaysville sits at the northern tip of Georgia, pressed against the Tennessee border in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Toccoa River — which becomes the Ocoee River the moment it crosses into Tennessee — runs right through the middle of town. Copper Hill, Tennessee is literally across the street; the state line bisects the commercial district so completely that some buildings have addresses in both states. This is not a suburb of anything. The nearest metro is Chattanooga, about 50 miles northwest. Atlanta is roughly 90 miles south. McCaysville is a small mountain town that has weathered the decline of copper mining, the rise of Appalachian tourism, and the occasional hurricane remnant that finds its way this far inland.

People & Demographics

McCaysville has 1,639 residents by ACS 2022 estimates, with a median age of 37.7. The town is overwhelmingly white (1,341 residents), with a Hispanic/Latino population of 218 — the most significant minority presence in a community that otherwise records no Black residents and just 2 Asian residents in the survey data.

There are 764 households, of which 424 are family households. The average household size is 2.15, which is on the smaller end. Children under 18 number 355, meaning roughly one in five residents is school-age. Fannin County as a whole has 25,319 people, making McCaysville home to a small but not insignificant slice of county population.

Economy & Employment

The median household income is $43,553, and per capita income is $24,692. Both figures sit well below Georgia's statewide medians. Poverty is a real presence here: 384 residents fall below the poverty line out of a total population of 1,639 — a poverty rate close to 23%.

Of 788 residents in the labor force, only 3 are counted as unemployed — an unusually tight number that likely reflects both a small labor pool and the nature of mountain-town employment. Jobs in this part of Fannin County tend to cluster in healthcare, retail, tourism-adjacent services, and construction. The county seat is Blue Ridge, about 7 miles east, which carries a heavier share of the local employment base.

Housing

Total housing stock is 846 units, with 764 occupied and 82 vacant — a vacancy rate just under 10%. Owner-occupied units number 462; renters occupy 302. That's a roughly 60/40 owner-renter split, which is a higher renter share than most rural Georgia towns.

Median home value is $135,500. Median gross rent is $738 per month. Both figures are modest by any comparison to the Atlanta metro or even Chattanooga, though the Blue Ridge area broadly has seen tourism-driven pressure on housing prices in recent years. McCaysville's numbers reflect a working-class community rather than the vacation cabin market that dominates parts of the county.

Schools

McCaysville children attend Fannin County Schools. There is no separate McCaysville city school district — students feed into the county system alongside kids from Blue Ridge and the rest of Fannin County.

Depending on location within the city, McCaysville students most likely attend West Fannin Elementary before moving up to Fannin County Middle and High School in Blue Ridge.

Getting Around

McCaysville is a car-dependent town. Of 776 workers, 619 drive alone. Another 85 carpool. Fifty people walk to work — a notable number for a town this size, likely reflecting the walkable commercial core shared with Copper Hill. Zero residents report using public transit, and 22 work from home.

Aggregate travel time for all workers is 15,055 minutes, which works out to a mean commute of roughly 19 minutes. That's consistent with Blue Ridge being the primary employment destination — close, but not walkable for most residents.

Healthcare

Blue Ridge Medical Center serves as the area hospital, located in Blue Ridge approximately 7 miles east. Provider-level data for McCaysville-based clinicians is available through the CMS NPI Registry.

Library

The Fannin County Public Library is located 1.5 miles from town center and serves the entire county. Phone: (706) 632-5263. It is the primary public library resource for McCaysville residents.

Natural Hazards

Fannin County has a long and varied FEMA declaration history. Mountain geography doesn't insulate this area from storm damage — hurricane remnants routinely push into the southern Appalachians with flooding and wind.

Declared disasters affecting Fannin County:

The pattern here is consistent: ice and snow in winter, flooding from tropical systems in late summer and fall. Hurricane Helene in 2024 was particularly notable — its remnants caused severe flooding across the southern Blue Ridge, and Fannin County was among the affected Georgia counties. Anyone building, buying, or renting in McCaysville should take flood and winter storm risk seriously.

Government & Municipal Code

McCaysville operates under a city charter and publishes its municipal code through Municode.

No local building code is recorded for McCaysville. State and county standards govern construction activity.

Weather

Current forecasts and alerts for McCaysville's coordinates:

The nearest weather observation station is Blue Ridge 3 SW, located 0.9 miles from town.

References

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