Dawsonville, Georgia | |
---|---|
Historic Dawson County Courthouse | |
Motto(s): "Protecting our history and providing for the future" | |
![]() Location in Dawson County and the state of Georgia | |
Coordinates: 34°25′N84°7′W / 34.417°N 84.117°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Dawson |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor-council government |
• Mayor | John Walden |
Area | |
• Total | 8.61 sq mi (22.31 km2) |
• Land | 8.59 sq mi (22.25 km2) |
• Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
Elevation | 1,365 ft (416 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,720 |
• Density | 433.01/sq mi (167.19/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 30534 |
Area code | 706 |
FIPS code | 13-21940 [2] |
GNIS feature ID | 0331529 [3] |
Website | www |
Dawsonville is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, [4] Georgia, United States. The population was 3,720 in 2020. Dawsonville is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan statistical area.
The city head is Mayor John Walden, who was sworn in on December 18, 2023. [5]
Dawsonville was founded in 1857 as seat of the newly formed Dawson County. It was incorporated as a town in 1859 and as a city in 1952. [6] The community and the county are named for U.S. Senator William Crosby Dawson. [7]
Dawsonville is located at 34°25′N 84°7′W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.2 square miles (21.3 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2), or 0.26%, is water. [8]
The community is at the junction of State Routes 9, 53, and 136. SR 9 leads northeast 14 miles (23 km) to Dahlonega and south 17 miles (27 km) to Cumming, while SR 53 leads southeast 6 miles (10 km) to U.S. Route 19 and west 24 miles (39 km) to Jasper. SR 136 also leads to Jasper, on a 29-mile (47 km) route that runs further to the north through the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Amicalola Falls, 15 miles (24 km) north of the center of Dawsonville, is one of the seven natural wonders of Georgia.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 199 | — | |
1900 | 217 | — | |
1910 | 179 | −17.5% | |
1920 | 198 | 10.6% | |
1930 | 203 | 2.5% | |
1940 | 319 | 57.1% | |
1950 | 318 | −0.3% | |
1960 | 307 | −3.5% | |
1970 | 288 | −6.2% | |
1980 | 342 | 18.8% | |
1990 | 467 | 36.5% | |
2000 | 619 | 32.5% | |
2010 | 2,536 | 309.7% | |
2020 | 3,720 | 46.7% | |
2023 (est.) | 4,627 | [9] | 24.4% |
U.S. Decennial Census [10] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 3,236 | 86.99% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 29 | 0.78% |
Native American | 15 | 0.4% |
Asian | 20 | 0.54% |
Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.13% |
Other/mixed | 167 | 4.49% |
Hispanic or Latino | 248 | 6.67% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,720 people, 998 households, and 667 families residing in the city.
The city's community is known in auto racing circles for its long tradition of involvement in the sport; many racing skills originally developed as a consequence of moonshine activity in the area. Dawsonville celebrates this legacy each October with the annual "Mountain Moonshine Festival". [12]
Dawsonville is the home of retired NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, who won the Winston Cup championship in 1988 and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, and his son Chase Elliott, who won the 2020 NASCAR Cup Championship and who currently races in the NASCAR Cup Series. Bill Elliott's nickname is "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville". [13] The former city hall has a racing theme as well, and serves as the location of the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. Following a significant racing accomplishment made by Bill or Chase Elliott, such as a win, the siren on the Dawsonville Pool Room near the city square goes off to let the town know.
The Dawson County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. [14] The district has 219 full-time teachers and 3,036 students. [15]
The Dawson County School System is a charter system.
Dawson County is a county located in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,798 up from 22,330 in 2010. The county seat is Dawsonville.
Tyrone is a town in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,658 in 2020. The estimated population in 2018 was 7,388. It is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Stockbridge is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. As of 2020, its population was 28,973. Stockbridge is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Monticello is the largest city in and the county seat of Jasper County, Georgia, United States. The city includes historic buildings such as the Jasper County Courthouse, Monticello High School and the Monticello Historic District. The population was 2,541 in 2020. It is 56 miles (90 km) southeast of Atlanta.
Jasper is a city in Pickens County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,084 in 2020. The city is the county seat of Pickens County.
Mooresville is a town located in the southwestern section of Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of the fast-growing Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 50,193 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in Iredell County. It is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of Charlotte.
Cornelius is a suburban town located along Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a major suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 24,866 at the 2010 census.
William Clyde Elliott Sr., also known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", "Million Dollar Bill", or "Wild Bill" is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience part-time in 2022. His accolades include the 1988 Winston Cup Championship and garnering 44 wins in that series, including two Daytona 500 victories in 1985 and 1987, three Southern 500 victories in 1985, 1988, and 1994, one Winston 500 victory in 1985, one Brickyard 400 victory in 2002, one "The Winston All-Star Race" win in 1986, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway between 1985 and 1986.
The 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season was the inaugural season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, the season included eight races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the Wilkes 200 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 16. Raymond Parks won the Owners' Championship, while Red Byron won the Drivers' Championship with a 16th-place finish at the final race of the season.
The Daytona Beach and Road Course was a motorsport race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set.
Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock was an American stock car racer.
Raymond Parks was an American stock car racing team owner. He was the owner of Red Byron's car which won the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock Series championship in 1949. Parks was announced as one of the members of the 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.
Jimmie Lewallen was an American stock car racing driver from High Point, North Carolina, United States. He competed in NASCAR's Strictly Stock/Grand National division from its first race at Charlotte Speedway in 1949 until 1960.
Gober C. Sosebee was an American racecar driver. He won on the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949, 1950, and 1951. He was born in Dawson County, Georgia, and began his career in 1940 at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway.
Lakewood Speedway was a race track located south of Atlanta, Georgia, in Lakewood, just north of the eastern arm of Langford Parkway. The track held many kinds of races between 1919 and 1979, including events sanctioned by AAA/USAC, IMCA, and NASCAR. It was a one-mile (1.6 km) dirt track which was located adjacent to Lakewood Fairgrounds. Lakewood Speedway was considered the "Indianapolis of the South" as it was located in the largest city in the Southern United States and it held an annual race of the Indy cars.
Carl D. "Lightning" Lloyd Seay was an early stock car racing driver from Dawsonville Georgia. NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. described Seay as the "best pure race driver I ever saw". He was shot to death by his cousin Woodrow Anderson over a moonshine operation. His last name was pronounced as "See".
The inaugural Southern Five-Hundred was an automobile race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina on September 4, 1950, as part of the 1950 NASCAR Grand National. While the 1950 race was co-sanctioned by NASCAR and its rival Central States Racing Association, all subsequent Southern 500 races were hosted exclusively by NASCAR.
Roy Hall, known as "Rapid Roy" and "Reckless Roy", was a pioneering American stock car racing driver, who achieved success in the early days of the sport driving cars owned by Raymond Parks and prepared by Red Vogt. Hall was also involved in the moonshine trade in north Georgia in the 1930s and 1940s and would compete in three events in the NASCAR Strictly Stock Series shortly following its formation.
Ed Samples was a pioneering American stock car driver, who competed in NSCRA and NASCAR events in the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the winner of the 1946 stock car racing championship and later won the 1949 National Stock Car Racing Association championship.
David Sosebee is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series race car driver who competed from 1979 to 1988. He is the son of racer Gober Sosebee.