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Ellijay (Gilmer County) Overview

The Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to Georgia's Apple Capital, which produces over 600,000 bushels of apples each year. Nestled in the foothills of the vast Chattahoochee National Forest in the Appalachian Mountain Range, the area is abundant in natural beauty, from forests, rivers, lakes, and streams, to apple and peach blossoms, wildflowers, and all kinds of wild and domesticated animals.

The Chamber of Commerce is located off Hwy. 515 (the Zell Miller Parkway) in East Ellijay Georgia. Visit it, and they'll tell you about places where sunlight dances off sparkling water; moon beams and starlight twinkle in dark skies; wildlife bounds through deep green forests; rocking chairs wait on friendly porches, while smoke curls lazily from chimneys, and crisp, juicy apples tempt you to stop and take a bite.

Ask about the Georgia Apple Festival, held the second and third weekends of each October; or about the many different varieties of apples grown in the county; or the historic landmarks; or the local fisherman with the most knowledge about the best fishing holes; or the best place to locate a new business.

Wildlife abounds in the many forests, rivers, lakes, and streams. Apple and peach orchards and dairy and chicken farms provide picturesque views through the valleys. The bright beauty of apple blossoms and wild flowers in the spring, the new life of young animals, the lush green of summer crops and forest foliage, the rust, gold, red, and green of autumn leaves and apples, and the strength and simplicity of the winter landscape all combine to produce an ever-changing panorama of the land and its people.

The 439 square miles of Gilmer County, located 84.5 degrees West Longitude by 34.5 degrees North Latitude, were once a part of the not-too-clearly defined Spanish territory known as Florida. It probably "became English" around 1775.

The first white people were, in all likelihood, the explorer DeSoto and his followers, who, it is believed, went through Gilmer County in their exploration of this territory. The Cherokee Indians were the first known settlers of the area. The present-day city of Ellijay is one of the rare places that retains the same name and is located on the exact site of an original Indian settlement. The name Ellijay, means "New Ground Place." Meaning a place which has been newly prepared for planting.

The Cherokees' legacy to us includes many of the names of the rivers and communities in Gilmer County.

Ellijay became the seat of the county government in 1834. It is located on the west bank of the Ellijay River. Within the community, the Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers come together to form the Coosawattee River.

Spend time where winter is a mountain top dusted with snow; spring is a hillside layered with apple blossoms; summer is a valley sprinkled with wildflowers; and fall is a mountain side covered with a patchwork quilt of multicolored leaves.