East Ellijay is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, East Ellijay had a population of 650.
East Ellijay was originally the location of Fort Hetzel, one of the Cherokee removal forts built in 1838 to house the Cherokee people before sending them on the Trail of Tears .
Geography
East Ellijay is bordered to the north and west by the city of Ellijay.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Georgia State Route 5/515, a four-lane bypass of Ellijay, runs the length of East Ellijay from north to south. U.S. Route 76 follows Routes 5/515 in the northern half of East Ellijay. The city of Blue Ridge is to the northeast, Jasper is to the south, and Chatsworth is to the west. Georgia State Route 52 runs southeast from East Ellijay to Dahlonega.
The town lies on the southern border of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The Cartecay River, a tributary of the Coosawattee River, flows from east to west through East Ellijay.
Demographics
At the 2000 census,