Ellijay, Georgia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ellijay is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,584 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Gilmer County^GR6.

Ellijay lies where two rivers, the Ellijay and the Cartecay, come together to form the Coosawattee River. It is at this point that the Coosawattee River begins its run to Carter's Lake, which is home to the largest rock dam east of the Mississippi River. (http://www.ellijaygeorgia.com/history.html)

The city holds an annual Apple Festival (http://www.georgiaapplefestival.org) and Gilmer County is known as the 'Apple Capital of Georgia'. The Apple Festival is held yearly in October.

[edit] Geography

Ellijay is located at 34°41′41″N, 84°29′1″W (34.694656, -84.483566)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,584 people, 593 households, and 342 families residing in the city. The population density was 228.2/km² (591.7/mi²). There were 662 housing units at an average density of 95.4/km² (247.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.25% White, 1.39% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.57% Pacific Islander, 12.50% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.19% of the population.

There were 593 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the 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% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,120, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $21,875 versus $20,469 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,740. 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% of those age 65 or over.