| Official Name: | Hiawassee, Georgia |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Georgia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Towns |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Liz Ordiales |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1856 |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | May 17, 1956 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.379 |
| Area Land Km2: | 4.220 |
| Area Water Km2: | 1.160 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2.077 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.629 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.448 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Est: | 1002 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Total: | 981 |
| Population Density Km2: | 237.4 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 615.0 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | −5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −4 |
| Elevation M: | 600 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1969 |
| Coordinates: | 34.9494°N -83.7575°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code |
| Postal Code: | 30546 |
| Area Code: | 706 and 762 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 13-38124 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0328122 |
| Blank2 Name: | Sales tax |
| Blank2 Info: | 8.0% |
Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States.[2] The population was 981 at the 2020 census.[3] Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word Ayuhwasi, which means meadow,[4] (A variant spelling, "Hiwassee," is used for the local river and some other Appalachian place names.) Hiawassee is also known in the novel "Restart" by Gordon Korman.
Hiawassee was established along the route of the Unicoi Turnpike, a 1,000-year-old Native American trail.[5] In the early 18th century, deerskins and furs were transported along the route from Tennessee to Savannah and Charleston for shipping to Europe.[6] A United States fur trade factory was built in present-day Hiawassee between 1807 and 1811.[7]
Settled by whites circa 1820, Hiawassee was designated seat of the newly formed Towns County in 1856. It was incorporated as a town in 1870 and as a city in 1916,[8] after settlers violently removed the Cherokee communities living there prior in a night of massacre in 1776. Hiawassee was originally inhabited by predominantly Cherokee-speaking peoples, but the myth that the town was named after a Cherokee or otherwise Native American princess is false and is as mythical as the Cherokee princess herself. Hiawassee’s name is nature-based, as mentioned above.
Hiawassee is located on the Hiwassee River at 34.9494°N -83.7575°W (34.949428, -83.755078).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.077sqmi, of which, 1.629sqmi is land and 0.448sqmi is water.[1]
Hiawassee is approximately 1969 feet (600 meter) above sea level.
| White (NH) | 906 | 92.4% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 4 | 0.4% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 3 | 0.3% | |
| Asian (NH) | 4 | 0.4% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0.0% | |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 2 | 0.2% | |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 23 | 2.3% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 39 | 4.0% | |
| Total | 981 | 100.0% |
As of the 2010 census, there were 880 people, 456 households, and _ families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.3% Black, 0.1% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.9% Other Races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 2.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the 2000 census, there were 808 people, 355 households, and 203 families living in the city. The population density was 479.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 527 housing units at an average density of 312.7sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 97.40% White, 0.25% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.
There were 355 households, out of which 14.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.39.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 10.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 46.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,615, and the median income for a family was $31,458. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $22,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,957. About 12.6% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
Hiawassee has a mayor and city council in a strong mayor form of government. The current mayor, Liz Ordiales, is the first female mayor of Cuban descent in the State of Georgia. The city council consists of five elected officials.[12]
The Towns County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school and a high school.[13] The district has 144 full-time teachers and over 2,408 students.[14]
The Towns County Herald newspaper has been published weekly in Hiawassee since 1928.[15]