Blairsville, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Blairsville · Union County, Georgia
Population 816 (est. 2026: ~1,100)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 10.54% annual growth projection

Blairsville, Georgia

Union County, Georgia · Population 616

Blairsville sits at roughly 1,900 feet elevation in the Blue Ridge Mountains of far northeast Georgia, about 90 miles north of Atlanta and a short drive from the North Carolina line. It is the county seat of Union County — a fact that carries more weight than the population alone suggests. The incorporated city itself is small, with 616 to 736 residents depending on the census measure, but it anchors a county of nearly 25,000 people and serves as the commercial and civic hub for a wide swath of mountain communities. The surrounding landscape — Brasstown Bald, Nottely Lake, the Chattahoochee National Forest — draws visitors year-round, but the town itself is a working county seat: courthouses, county offices, local shops, and the institutions that mountain residents rely on.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates put Blairsville's population at 736, with a median age of 38.4. The racial composition is 535 white residents, 97 Black residents, and no Asian residents recorded. The Hispanic or Latino population stands at 112, a notable share of a small community.

There are 211 households in total, 119 of which are family households. The average household size is 2.25. Children under 18 account for 106 residents — about 14 percent of the population — suggesting a community weighted somewhat toward working-age adults and seniors.

Union County's overall population of 24,632 dwarfs the city proper, which means most county residents live outside the incorporated limits of Blairsville itself.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Blairsville is $21,827 — substantially below Georgia's statewide median, which consistently runs above $60,000. Per capita income is $23,657. Of the 736 residents, 192 fall below the poverty line, a rate that reflects the economic challenges common to rural mountain communities across Appalachian Georgia.

The labor force totals 227 people, with just 5 reported as unemployed — a low unemployment count in absolute terms, though the workforce itself is small relative to the population. Union General Hospital is the county's anchor employer for healthcare. Retail, local government, construction, and tourism-adjacent services round out the local economy.

Housing

Blairsville has 241 total housing units, with 211 occupied and 30 vacant — a vacancy rate of about 12 percent. The tenure split is striking: 160 units are renter-occupied versus just 51 owner-occupied. That means roughly 76 percent of occupied housing is rented, an unusually high renter share for a small mountain town, and worth factoring in for anyone considering a move.

The median home value is $165,100. Median gross rent is $681 per month. Both figures are on the lower end for Georgia but reflect the rural and income-constrained character of the market. Union County overall has seen significant interest from out-of-state buyers attracted to mountain scenery, which may push property values in surrounding unincorporated areas higher than what city figures show.

Schools

All public school students in Blairsville attend Union County Schools. The district operates four campuses:

Total enrollment across the district exceeds 2,900 students, served by a single-school-per-level system typical of rural Georgia counties. All campuses are operated under the Union County School System.

Getting Around

Of 217 workers, 182 drive alone to work. Just 4 carpool, and 16 walk — a meaningful walking share for a small town, reflecting how some residents live within range of local jobs. No one commutes by public transit, because none exists. Two residents work from home.

Aggregate travel time for all workers is 2,390 minutes, which works out to roughly 11 minutes per worker on average — short commutes consistent with a county seat where many residents work locally. Nearby Dahlonega, Hiawassee, and Murphy, NC are common destinations for those working beyond Union County.

Healthcare

Union General Hospital serves Blairsville and Union County. The facility appears in CMS records under two entries — one listed without a specific city designation and one specifically in Blairsville. Rating and emergency service classification data are not available from the current CMS Hospital Compare dataset. For a full directory of individual providers practicing in Blairsville, the NPI Registry returns licensed clinicians registered to this city.

The nearest major medical centers with specialty services are in Gainesville, GA (Northeast Georgia Medical Center) and Asheville, NC — both roughly 90 minutes away depending on conditions on US-19/129.

Library

The Union County Public Library serves the county from Blairsville. Phone: (706) 745-7491. It is part of the Georgia Public Library Service network and provides physical collections, digital resources, and public computing access.

Parks & Recreation

The mountains surrounding Blairsville are the primary draw for outdoor activity. Brasstown Bald, Georgia's highest peak, lies within a short drive. The Appalachian Trail passes through Union County. Lake Nottely, a TVA reservoir, is minutes from town and popular for fishing and boating.

The nearest listed campground with distance data is Deep Creek Campground at approximately 49.7 miles, located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundary. The Cades Cove Visitor Center is about 49.2 miles away, making Great Smoky Mountains NP an accessible day trip or weekend destination. The Chattahoochee National Forest surrounds the area and provides extensive trail and camping access without requiring that kind of drive.

Natural Hazards

Union County has a significant FEMA disaster declaration history, spanning multiple hazard types across three decades:

The Helene declaration in September 2024 is the most recent major event. Residents should understand that mountain location does not provide immunity from tropical moisture — river flooding and landslides are real risks during major storm remnants.

Government & Municipal Code

Blairsville's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/blairsville. No local building code is in effect — construction permitting and building standards are governed at the county level through Union County.

Weather

The National Weather Service forecast for Blairsville is available at forecast.weather.gov. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest observation station is the Blairsville Experiment Station, approximately 1.5 miles from town — one of Georgia's long-running agricultural weather monitoring sites.

References

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