Habersham

Formed December 15, 1818 (43^rd county)

Habersham County (46,033), Clarkesville (1,908), Cornelia (4,512)

There is a basic tan brick Modern design to the 1965 courthouse.  It is located on Monroe Street between Washington and Habersham streets.  Georgia State Highway 17 is Washington Street in the small town.  David Cuttino, Jr., is the architect.  The building was enlarged in 1983.  The Judicial Center was added in 2013.  It is located at Llewelyn and Stanford Mills.  It features tan brick construction with columns and a dome.  There were 1832 and 1898 versions of the courthouse in Clarkesville the only county seat.  The county was founded on December 15, 1818 as the 43^rd county and named for Colonel James Habersham.  The county was taken from Cherokee lands.  Revolutionary War General and then Governor John C. Clarke is the source name for the county seat.  The county center is 3.2 miles North-Northwest of Clarkesville. 

Habersham County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-eight Superior Court Judges serve Habersham, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gwinnett, Hall, Lumpkin, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White counties and Five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Habersham County (judicial.) The county is in northeast Georgia on the border with South Carolina.  The Tugaloo River is the eastern border of the county.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Rabun County and South Carolina and Stephens, Banks, Hall, White, and Towns counties. 

The area of the county is 278 square miles.  It is 110 out of 159 counties in the state.  It ranks 43 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 165.6 persons per square mile making it 39 out of 159 in the state.  Habersham County has 29.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 23 crosses the county north to south from Rabun County to Hall County.  United States Highway 441 is joined with United States Highway 23 from Rabun County, splits, and heads south into Banks County.  The county is shaped like Mickey Mouse ears turned 90 degrees.  Clarkesville is located near the center of the county.  The county is pronounced HAB-ER-SHAM.  Cornelia is located on the southern border of the county.  Clarkesville is the county seat and Cornelia is the largest city.  Clarkesville is 4.1% of the county population while Cornelia is 9.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Cornelia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Tallulah Falls