Ellijay

Ellijay is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,619 at the 2010 census. The city is known as the "Apple Capital of Georgia" The city holds an annual Georgia Apple Festival in October. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn own a pine cabin second home in Ellijay. The area was long settled by cultures of indigenous peoples. It was a fairly isolated and remote mountain community until the late nineteenth century. After the Marietta and Northern Georgia Railroad (later the Louisville and Nashville Railroad) was constructed through here in 1884, the railroad stimulated a boom in the timber industry by providing a profitable way to get lumber to markets. More than a century later, another major transportation improvement was construction of the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway (Georgia 515, named for Georgia governor and U.S. senator ZellMiller), which was completed in 1991. It is situated at the confluence of the Ellijays and Cartecay rivers, which together form the Coosawattee River. The county seat is bordered to the east and south by the city of East EllijAY. Ellijy lies within the Humid subtropical climate zone along with the majority of the rest of the southeastern United States, with temperatures topping out in the mid 80s during the summer months. It has a cool winters and warm summers, but neither would be considered extreme thanks to its slightly higher elevation than other areas in the south.

History

Ellijay is the primary city name, but also East Ellijay are acceptable city names or spellings. Ellijay (sometimes formerly spelled "Elejoy") is the anglicized form or transliteration of the Cherokee name Elatseyi, meaning "new ground" Gilmer County was organized by territory cut from Cherokee County in 1832, and Ellijay was designated as its county seat in 1834. It was a fairly isolated and remote mountain community until the late nineteenth century. After the Marietta and Northern Georgia Railroad (later the Louisville and Nashville Railroad) was constructed through here in 1884, the railroad stimulated a boom in the timber industry by providing a profitable way to get lumber to markets. More than a century later, another major transportation improvement was construction of the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway (Georgia 515, named for Georgia governor and U.S. senator ZellMiller), which was completed in 1991. It is located on the banks of the Coosawattee River, which is a tributary of the Georgia River. The town is located at the confluence of the Cartecay and Ellija rivers, which together form the Cooose River. It has a population of about 2,000 people, about half of whom live in the town of Gilmer, Georgia, which was established in the early 19th century by the Cherokee people. The city is located in the northern part of the state, at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, and is known as the "Gateway to the Mountain Kingdom" because of its rugged terrain.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.2 km²), all land. It is situated at the confluence of the Ellijay and Cartecay rivers, which together form the Coosawattee River. The highest elevations in the surrounding region reside in the Subtropical highland climate. Rain is evenly distributed throughout the year averaging 57.97 inches per year, as reported from the nearest NOAA reporting station in Jasper, Georgia. Summer temperatures are mild for southern standards, with temperatures topping out in the mid 80s during the summer months. The city lies within the Humid subtropical climate zone along with the majority of the rest of the southeastern United States. It enjoys cool winters and warm summers, but neither would be considered extreme thanks to its slightly higher elevation than other areas in the south. Winter snowfall is common, but generally on the lighter side. There are a few exceptions, one being the 1993 Storm of the Century which dropped 17 inches of snow in Ellijy. The county seat is bordered to the east and south by the city of East Ellijays, which is located to the south of the city. It has a population of 2,816, according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau estimate. It was the site of the World War II-era Battle of the Bulge, which claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 1,862 people, 844 households, and 520 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 81.25% White, 1.39% African American, 0.00% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.57% Pacific Islander, 12.50% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. The city's population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.9 per cent who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in theCity was $22,120, and the medianincome for a family was $36,250. About 20.3% of families and 27.5%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3%. of those under age 18 and 31.7 per cent of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.14. For every 100 females, there are 93.2 males. The per capita income for the city is $13,740. There were 662 housing units at an average density of 247.3 per square mile (95.5/km²). The city has a population of 1,584 people.

Government

Ellijay is governed by a five-member city council and a mayor. The current mayor is William Albert "Al" Hoyle. Ellijay has a population of about 2,000 people. The city is located in the north-east of the island of Hinterland in the North Sea. The town's population is about 1,500 people, according to the city's official statistics. The mayor's office has a staff of around 20 people. It is the only city in the region with a mayor and five-person city council. The council is made up of members from the town's different ethnic groups, as well as from the local community. It was founded in 1881 and is based in the centre of the town, near the town centre. The first mayor was elected in 1883 and the current one was elected on November 6, 2010. The City Council has a total of five members. The Mayor's office is made of about 20 people, including the mayor and the city council members. It has a budget of about $1,000,000 and is funded by donations from the city and its residents. It also has a police force of about 30 officers, including a chief constable and two constables. The police chief is a member of the local council, and the mayor is a former mayor of the city, William Albert 'Al' Hoyle, who was elected for a third time on November 7, 2010, and is currently serving a fourth term.

Education

The Gilmer County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. There is also Crossroads, which is the alternative school in Ellijay. The district also has private schools for pre- school through 12th grade. It is located in the county's eastern part, near the town of Ellijays. The school district is made up of four schools: EllijAY, Mountain View, Clear Creek and Gilmer. It also includes private schools: North Georgia Christian Academy, Grace Christian School, and First Baptist Church Pre-School and Children's First Pre- school. It was founded in 1872. The current superintendent is  David Wright, who has been in charge of the school district since 1998. He is also the former superintendent of Crossroads School, which was closed in 2011, due to county budget constraints. He has also been the principal of several private schools, including the private Christian school, Mountain Academy, and the private Montessori school, Pleasant Hills MontessorI School. He also served as the superintendent of the Gilmer School District from 1998 to 2008. He currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Trustees for the district, which he has served since 2007. He was the superintendent from 2008 to 2010, when he was re-elected for a second term. He will serve a third term in office, starting in 2013. He previously served as superintendent from 2007 to 2010.

Higher Education

Dalton State College Appalachian Campus - Gilmer County Center is a satellite campus of Dalton State College. The campus is located in the town of Gilmer, Georgia. Dalton State is a state-run college in Georgia. It is located on the Appalachian Campus of the University of Georgia. The Appalachian Campus was established in the 1970s. It was the first campus of its kind in the state. The college was founded by Dalton State University in 1974. It has since grown to become one of the largest colleges in the U.S. in terms of enrollment. It also has a number of satellite campuses around the country. It opened in the 1980s and has been in operation since the mid-1990s. The school has a total enrollment of 2,000 students, with 1,000 of them in the Gilmer area. Its main campus is in Dalton, Georgia, but it also has satellite campuses in Georgia, Georgia and Georgia Tech. It's also located in Georgia's Piedmont region, in the towns of Dalton and Georgia Springs. It will open a new campus in the fall of 2015. The Dalton State campus will be called the Dalton State Appalachian Campus. In the spring of 2015, it will be known as Dalton State's Appalachian Campus, or simply the Appalachian campus. Its name will be changed to Dalton State, or just Appalachian. The new campus will have the name Dalton State. The name Appalachian Campus will be removed from the college's name in the future. The original name will remain in place.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia = 90.3. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 80. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Ellijay = 4.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,862 individuals with a median age of 37.2 age the population grows by 10.10% in Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 525.40 residents per square mile of area (202.83/km²). There are average 2.53 people per household in the 638 households with an average household income of $31,850 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.30% of the available work force and has dropped -7.97% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 13.76%. The number of physicians in Ellijay per 100,000 population = 69.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Ellijay = 61.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 3.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 208. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 30.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 40, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia which are owned by the occupant = 37.11%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 32 years with median home cost = $122,360 and home appreciation of 1.59%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.10 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,586 per student. There are 14.7 students for each teacher in the school, 390 students for each Librarian and 536 students for each Counselor. 4.03% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.83% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.12% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).