Ellijay, occasionally spelled Elijay, is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 1,862 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Gilmer County.
Agriculture is important in Gilmer County, known as the "Apple Capital of Georgia." The city holds an annual Georgia Apple Festival in October.
Former President Jimmy Carter owned a pine-cabin second home in Ellijay. Other tourists are attracted to the mountains and whitewater kayaking.
History
This area was long settled by cultures of indigenous peoples. It was known as part of the historic homeland of the Cherokee people until the US government's policy of ethnic cleansing of Native Americans from the Southern States saw them forcibly displaced to Oklahoma in 1838. They had a village here, at the confluence of the Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers, which together form the Coosawattee River. About 4,000 Cherokees died in the ensuing trek to Oklahoma.
Ellijay (sometimes formerly spelled "Elejoy") is the anglicized form or transliteration of the Cherokee name Elatseyi, meaning "new ground". Other sources say it means "green place".
Gilmer County was organized by territory cut from Cherokee County in 1832, and Ellijay was designated as its county seat in 1834. It was a fairly isolated and remote mountain community until the late 19th century. After the Marietta and Northern Georgia Railroad (later the Louisville and Nashville Railroad) was constructed through here in 1884, the railroad stimulated a boom in the timber industry by providing a profitable way to get lumber to markets. Many timber companies came into the area with their workers.
More than a century later, another major transportation improvement was construction of the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway (Georgia 515, named for Georgia governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller), which was completed in 1991.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Ellijay had a population of 1,862. The median age was 41.1 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.1 males age 18 and over.
90.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.6% lived in rural areas.
There were 727 households in Ellijay, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.8% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Education
Gilmer County School District
The Gilmer County School District holds preschool to grade 12, and consists of three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. There is also Crossroads, which is the alternative school in Ellijay.
- Ellijay Elementary School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Clear Creek Elementary School
- Oakland Elementary School (closed in 2011, due to county budget constraints)
- Clear Creek Middle School
- Gilmer High School
- Mountain Innovation Program
Private schools
- North Georgia Christian Academy
- Pleasant Hills Montessori School
- Grace Christian School
- Josephine Edwards Christian School
- Mountain Academy
- First Baptist Church Preschool
- Children's First Preschool
Higher education
thumb|right|200px|[[Dalton State College Gilmer County Center]]The Dalton State College Appalachian Campus - Gilmer County Center is a satellite campus of Dalton State College.
Ku Klux Klan
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of America's final active chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, is headquartered in Ellijay.
Notable people
- Jerry Bird (1943-present), a pioneer in formation skydiving, was born in Ellijay.
- John Davis (1965–present) was a starting offensive lineman with the Buffalo Bills and an All-American guard for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
- Col. Oscar Poole (1930–2020) was a longtime Methodist minister and radio personality whose Uncle Sam suit became a fixture at Republican events, where he promoted his Ellijay BBQ restaurant.
- Johnny Quarles (1946–2008), a Western author, wrote over a dozen novels and television screenplays, including the iconic titles Brack and Fool's Gold, many of them featuring Ellijay settings.
- Jay Allen Sanford (1960–present), author and cartoonist, is best known as the co-creator of Rock 'N' Roll Comics, and for his work with Revolutionary Comics, Carnal Comics, and the San Diego Reader.