Profile of Rabun County
Source: Rabun County Chamber of Commerce
Located in the northeastern corner of Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Rabun County is the Georgia County bordering South Carolina to the east and North Carolina to the north. Clayton, the county seat, is located 115 miles north of Atlanta, 83 miles west of Greenville, SC, and 90 miles south of Asheville, NC. Clayton has an average elevation of 2100 feet above sea level. The highest Point in Rabun County, and the second highest in Georgia, is Rabun Bald Mountain, 4696 feet above sea level with several other mountains ranging in height from 2500 to 4500 feet above sea level.
Rabun County was created from Cherokee lands by the Georgia Legislature on December 21, 1819, and named for William Rabun who was governor of Georgia from 1817 until his death in 1819. Located in the lower Blue Ridge Mountains of the Southern Appalachian Chain, the name Blue Ridge was given to these mountains because of the blue haze that covers them in all seasons. They have rightly been described as the most inviting, the most friendly, and the most hospitable mountains in all the world.
A mountain recreation and retirement haven uniquely situated, with the western boundary being the "Big A.T.," the Appalachian Trail; the east borders the Chattooga River, designated a "Wild & Scenic River" by an act of congress. Today, federally licensed companies offer rafting trips to visitors. The south gateway is the Tallulah Gorge carved from a once roaring river, now dammed, creates a breathtaking canyon. Just inside the northeastern border is Rabun Bald, a remote, serene mountain peak at 4696 feet.
A county slogan, "Where Spring Spends the Summer," is fitting, as the average temperature is 48.9 degrees in January and 79.8 degrees in August. Annual rainfall exceeds 70 inches and accounts for the lush forests and wild mountain flowers, including rare orchids. Laurel blooms along creek banks, in coves, on cliffs, and on hilltops in late May and June. Rhododendron blooms on July. In October the mountains take on a profusion of colors as the leaves begin to fall and signal winter will not be long in coming.
The county seat is Clayton, a city of approximately 2000 in population. It was incorporated in December 1823 and was named for Augustus S. Clayton of Clarke County, a Superior Court Judge and later congressman.
The second oldest city in Rabun County is Tallulah Falls, which straddles the line between Rabun and Habersham Counties and was incorporated in 1884. The town's first attraction is still the two-mile long Tallulah Gorge, now a state park, reaching depths of 1000 feet. Other incorporated cities within Rabun are: Dillard, settled in 1794 by a Revolutionary War Veteran, John Dillard, a farmer; Mountain City, known for Black Rock Mountain State Park, Georgia's highest, elevated at 3640 feet; Sky Valley, a four-season golf resort with snow skiing in season; and lastly, Tiger, named after the cry of roaming panthers or an Indian Chief named Tiger Tail according to our local story tellers.
Also, there are a number of unincorporated areas and communities. Some of them are Chechero, Lakemont, Persimmon, Pine Mountain, Rabun Gap, Satolah, Wiley, and Wolffork Valley.
Within Rabun County, the three state parks, five lakes, two rivers, and countless streams provide outstanding leisure, living, and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.
Rabun County encompasses 236,160 acres or 377 square miles. U.S.F.S. encompasses 149,500 acres.