Helen, Georgia

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Helen is a city located on the Chattahoochee River in White County in the north of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 430.

Formerly a mining town, the city resurrected itself by becoming a replica of a Bavarian alpine town, in the Appalachians instead of the Alps. Tourism is the main industry in Helen, catering mostly to weekend visitors from the Atlanta area. Helen is extremely crowded in late October, when autumn leaves typically peak. It also hosts its own Oktoberfest during September and October. There are many events and festivals throughout the year. One of the most well known is the annual hot air balloon race, which is held the first weekend in June each year.

Significant damage occurred in the town on August 30, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina spawned a tornado in the area. One year later, much clean up and reconstruction has been done.

[edit] Geography

Helen is located at 34°42′9″N, 83°43′39″W (34.702396, -83.727508)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 430 people, 208 households, and 112 families residing in the city. The population density was 78.7/km² (203.8/mi²). There were 319 housing units at an average density of 58.4/km² (151.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.56% White, 5.12% African American, 0.23% Native American, 10.93% Asian, 0.23% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.02% of the population.

There were 208 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 42.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,917, and the median income for a family was $40,781. Males had a median income of $39,107 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,281. About 6.7% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.