Dawsonville, Georgia
| Dawsonville, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location in Dawson County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 34°25′N 84°7′W / 34.417°N 84.117°WCoordinates: 34°25′N 84°7′W / 34.417°N 84.117°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Dawson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.9 sq mi (5 km2) |
| • Land | 1.9 sq mi (5 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,365 ft (416 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,536 |
| • Density | 325.8/sq mi (123.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 30534 |
| Area code(s) | 706 |
| FIPS code | 13-21940[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0331529[2] |
Dawsonville is a city in Dawson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 619 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Dawson County.[3]
History
Dawsonville was founded in 1857 as seat of the newly formed Dawson County. It was incorporated a town in 1859 and as a city in 1952.[4] The community is named for Senator William Crosby Dawson.[5]
This town was featured in Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy discussing its history of moonshine and how bootlegging eventually turned into NASCAR.
Geography
Dawsonville is located at 34°25′N 84°7′W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all of it land.
The community is at the junction of State Routes 9, 53, and 136.
Amicalola Falls, located in Dawsonville, is on the List of the seven natural wonders of Georgia (U.S. state).
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 619 people, 234 households, and 153 families residing in the city. The population density was 320.9 people per square mile (123.8/km²). There were 257 housing units at an average density of 133.2 per square mile (51.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.58% White, 0.16% Native American, 0.97% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.00% of the population.
There were 234 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 114.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,327, and the median income for a family was $39,000. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $25,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,207. About 12.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.
Auto racing
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) and celebrates its involvement every October with the yearly festival aptly named by locals as the "Mountain Moonshine Festival." [6] Dawsonville is the home of retired NASCAR driver Bill Elliott, who won the Winston Cup championship in 1988 and is to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and his son Chase Elliott, who currently races in the Nationwide Series. Bill's nickname, in homage to his hometown, is "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville". The city hall also has an extravagant racing theme as well.
Education
Dawson County School District
The Dawson County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school.[7] The district has 219 full-time teachers and 3,036 students.[8]
- Black's Mill Elementary School
- Kilough Elementary School
- Robinson Elementary School
- Riverview Elementary School
- Riverview Middle School
- Dawson County Middle School
- Dawson County High School
As far as education goes in Dawsonville, the small town is fairly advanced with technology and has a small student to teacher ratio. The Dawson County School system is a charter system. The one and only high school in Dawsonville, Dawson County High School, won the honor of being a part of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Also, Riverview Middle School won the governor's Gold Award on student achievement in the 2008-2009 school year.
Notable residents
- Bill Elliott "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville", stock car driver
- Chase Elliott, stock car driver and son of Bill Elliott
- Bill Goldberg, professional wrestler and actor (once resided in Dawsonville)
- Lloyd Seay and Roy Hall, moonshine runners and early stock car racing drivers, cousins
- Raymond Parks, moonshine runner and NASCAR pioneer regarded as the first "team" owner in stock car racing, a relative of Seay and Hall
- Gober Sosebee, race car driver from Dawsonville
- Jerry Glanville, National Football League head coach, NASCAR driver
- Corey Johnson, professional male runway model, actor, producer (residence)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). "Historical Gazetteer of the United States". Routledge. p. 227. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 101.
- ↑ "Welcome to Dawsonville Georgia".
- ↑ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 8, 2010.
- ↑ School Stats, Retrieved June 8, 2010.
External links
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