Young Harris, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Young Harris · Towns County, Georgia
Population 1,087 (est. 2026: ~1,700)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 15.18% annual growth projection

Young Harris, Georgia

Towns County, Georgia · Population 1,098

Young Harris sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains of extreme northeastern Georgia, tucked into a narrow valley near the headwaters of the Hiawassee River. Towns County, at roughly 12,493 people, is one of Georgia's least populous counties, and Young Harris is its college town — home to Young Harris College, a four-year liberal arts institution that shapes nearly everything about how this place functions. The median age of 20.4 reflects that reality directly. This is not a retirement community despite the surrounding region's reputation for drawing retirees; it is a mountain college town with the demographics, income levels, and rental patterns to match.

People & Demographics

Young Harris holds 1,098 residents spread across 192 occupied households, with an average household size of 2.08 — well below the state average, again a function of student population. The median age of 20.4 is among the lowest imaginable for any incorporated place in Georgia. Of 1,066 counted residents, 852 identify as white, 111 as Black, 92 as Hispanic or Latino, and 2 as Asian. There are 67 children under 18 in town and 110 family households out of 192 total.

Economy & Employment

The median household income of $27,500 sits far below Georgia's statewide median and reflects the compressed earning power of a student-dominated population. Per capita income reaches only $13,666. Of 576 residents in the labor force, 47 are unemployed. Poverty touches 135 residents, a significant share of the total population. Young Harris College is the dominant employer and economic anchor. Beyond the college, the surrounding Towns County economy runs on tourism, outdoor recreation, and service industries tied to the lakes and mountains that draw visitors year-round. Workers here do not have many large employers to choose from without crossing into neighboring Rabun County or driving toward Gainesville.

Housing

The housing stock in Young Harris is small — 246 total units, with 192 occupied and 54 vacant. The renter-to-owner split is stark: 146 renter-occupied units versus just 46 owner-occupied. That ratio (roughly 76% renters) reflects student housing demand from the college. Despite modest incomes, the median home value reaches $260,700 — a figure driven by the broader mountain real estate market, where scenery commands a premium and retiree demand from outside the area pushes prices up relative to local wages. Median rent of $695 is comparatively low against Georgia metros, though against local incomes the burden is significant. Anyone buying a home here at the median price on the median household income faces a substantial gap.

Schools

Young Harris is served by the Towns County school system, which runs three campuses:

Young Harris College (phone: 706-379-3111) operates within the town limits and serves as the dominant post-secondary institution for the area, offering four-year degrees and drawing students from across the region.

Getting Around

Of 495 workers, 295 drive alone, 88 carpool, and 85 walk — that walk share (roughly 17%) is unusually high for a Georgia town and reflects the compact, walkable nature of a college campus community. Zero workers use public transit; none exists here. Aggregate travel time across all workers totals 7,710 minutes, suggesting average one-way commutes are short for those who stay local but longer for those commuting out to Blairsville or beyond. Twenty-seven residents work from home. A car is essentially mandatory for anything beyond the immediate campus and town center.

Healthcare

Chatuge Regional Hospital serves as the primary hospital for Towns County and is located in nearby Hiawassee, just a few miles from Young Harris. For provider-level searches, the CMS NPI Registry lists local providers: Search Young Harris, GA providers. Specialty and tertiary care requires driving to Gainesville or the Asheville, NC area.

Library

Mountain Regional Library serves Young Harris and the surrounding area. Contact: 706-379-3732. The library is part of the Georgia Public Library Service network and functions as a regional resource for a county with no large municipal library system of its own.

Parks & Recreation

Young Harris sits within easy reach of some of the most significant public lands in the eastern United States. Great Smoky Mountains National Park — the most-visited national park in the country — lies roughly 45 miles north. Nearby access points and facilities include:

Lake Chatuge, the Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir straddling the Georgia-North Carolina line, is immediately adjacent to the Hiawassee area and provides boating, fishing, and shoreline recreation that draws visitors throughout warmer months.

Natural Hazards

Towns County has accumulated a long FEMA declaration history that reflects the genuine exposure of this mountain terrain. Major events on record:

The pattern is clear: this county faces recurring threats from both tropical systems that push moisture and wind into the southern mountains and from severe winter weather that can isolate a community sitting above 1,900 feet in elevation. Hurricane Helene in 2024 demonstrated how seriously these storms can affect western North Carolina and the adjacent Georgia mountain counties even far from any coast.

Government & Municipal Code

Young Harris maintains its municipal code through Municode: library.municode.com/ga/young_harris. No local building code is currently on file for Young Harris, meaning construction and development standards may default to state minimums or county-level codes.

Weather

Current conditions and forecasts are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for Young Harris. Active alerts can be tracked at weather.gov alerts. The nearest weather observation station is Hiawassee, approximately 2.4 miles away.

References

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