About Dawson County

Dawson County, Georgia is located approximately 40 miles north of Atlanta, nestled in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains.

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Geography

The county seat of Dawson County is Dawsonville, Georgia. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dawson County covers 214 square miles. 211 square miles of the County is land and 3 square miles (1.36%) is water.

Part of Lake Lanier is in the southeastern part of the county and the boundary line with neigboring counties passes through the lake. The 729-foot Amicalola Falls are the highest not only in Georgia, but the highest falls east of the Mississippi River and are considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The highest point in the county is Black Mountain, with an elevation of 3,600 feet. The Amicalola, Chestatee and Etowah rivers flow through Dawson County.

Demographics

The 2006 Census Estimate recorded a population of 20,643 residents.

As of the 2000 Census, there were 15,999 people, 6,069 households, and 4,685 families residing in the County. The population density was 76 residents per square mile. There were 7,163 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 97.22% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,069 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.70% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.80% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.50% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,486, and the median income for a family was $52,320. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $25,851 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,520. About 5.80% of families and 7.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Related Links

More links of local interest can be found on the Community Links page.