Building in the Majestic Mountains of North Georgia
The day dawns with a breathtaking vista. A soft breeze sweeps a serenade of chirping birds while the scent of fir trees mixed with mushroom perform Mother Nature’s aromatherapy.
From Blue Ridge to Blairsville, Hiawassee to Helen, Ellijay and everywhere else in North Georgia it is a mountain lover’s paradise.
Country or rural living reduces physical stress and boosts mental health. The degree to which that assertion is scientifically based fades from consideration when realizing that “Immersed in nature and quiet green spaces, the countryside offers many opportunities to unwind and relax. You can step outside your front door, take in your serene surroundings, and free your mind from the urgencies of everyday life,” according to a post in Psychreg.
These types of views abound in North Georgia mountains.
Mountain communities fan across North Georgia, separating Atlanta from the southern boundaries of North Carolina and Tennessee and the western line of South Carolina. City dwellers invest in get-away cabins or lodges made available to vacation renters much of the year. Others retire here. An increasing number who can now work remotely fashion a home office that offers majestic scenery mitigating the eye strain from prolonged screen time.
Home on a Hill
Spectacular views are byproduct of the Appalachians on the west side and its Blue Ridge segment to the east.
“A house on a hillside,” according to a blog post on the website of Turkel Designs, “can give you experiences that you can’t get anywhere else. You can have the cozy sense of being embedded into the hill, the experience of emerging out of the hill and standing on its surface, and occasionally, the heady feeling of standing in the air, above the slope.”
Construction is obviously more complicated than building on a flat surface, but just about anything can be engineered, budget notwithstanding. The site will need grading, quite possibly one or more retaining walls, step footing, tree removal in all probability, and most likely a well and septic tank.
Heavily wooded sloped lot requiring step footers, and retaining wall.
Slopes greater than 20 percent typically encounter stipulations specified in local ordinances.
It may be feasible to consult a landscape architect to help determine the re-contour of the hillside and position of the house and driveway for optimized aesthetics.
Channeling water runoff is another concern since soil erosion could cause serious problems, and you may find headwater streams beneath the land’s surface.
These and other considerations are enumerated in our post Key Factors In Picking The Right Property. Pay close attention to the subhead about slope and soil.
If/when you identify the house you want to build, find land that can accommodate it. The mountains of North Georgia will generously reward your diligence.
Constructing a new home in the North Georgia mountains.
Great Places to Live
To avoid our own bias, we searched “best North Georgia Mountain towns” to comprise a list of recommended cities you might consider for erecting a hillside home or getaway.
We visited eight websites that listed recommendations. More than two dozen cities were identified, half of them mentioned in two or more of the articles. You can pick up a free guide from Explore Georgia for greater insights, but we’ll provide a thumbnail of the dozen cities mentioned in more than one of the articles.
The number in parenthesis is how many articles mentioned the city, and we list them in order of popularity.
Blue Ridge (8)
Blue Ridge was the winner – or most frequently recommended city – appearing in all 8 articles. When you roll down the mountain into town you’ll find a train depot for its Scenic Railway offering a 26-mile roundtrip along the Toccoa River and into the Tennessee-Georgia border towns of McCaysville, GA, and Copperhill, TN.
Dahlonega and Ellijay (7)
Both mentioned in seven of the eight articles, Dahlonega and Ellijay each have much to offer. In fact, along with Blue Ridge, Dahlonega and Ellijay made the list of The South’s Best Mountain Towns 2022 published in June 2022 by Southern Living Magazine, the most prestigious of our searched sources.
Dahlonega is centrally located to several mountain wineries, but the cornerstone of the city is its Gold Museum housed in its historic county courthouse. The museum commemorates the gold rush of 1868.
Bird’s eye view.
What gold is to Dahlonega apples are to Ellijay. The town hosts an annual Apple Festival and features 11 apple orchards, some that offer pick-your-own shopping. There is a charming, historic downtown as well as on-the-water fun at the Ellijay River and Carters Lake. Outdoor activities abound at Fort Mountain State Park and the Cohutta Wilderness.
Blairsville (5)
Mentioned in five of the best North Georgia Mountain Cities articles, Blairsville sits along the Appalachian Trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It’s also home to Georgia’s highest peak, Brasstown Bald as well as Lake Winfield Scott and Nottely River.
Dillard (4)
An annual Bluegrass and Barbecue Festival and lots of hiking, biking and fishing help get Dillard mentioned in four articles. There’s a distillery, The R.M. Rose Company, where you can see how bourbon and whiskey are made – and get a taste.
Helen, Hiawassee, Sky Valley (3)
You may think you’re in the Bavarian Alps – but it’s only Helen, GA. Besides its architectural style, the Chattahoochee River runs through Helen parading a steady stream of young and old tubing, and Anna Ruby Falls in Unicoi State Park is on the outskirts of town.
Searching for gold in a Dahlonega cave.
Picturesque Hiawassee, located near the North Carolina border, features an extensive shoreline and numerous waterfalls along the Hiawassee River. It’s also home to Bell Mountain, one of the taller ranges in North Georgia at 3,424 feet.
Award-winning vineyards, a par-73 championship golf course, and Georgia’s most elevated city – not just a peak, but the actual city – distinguishes Sky Valley. The city is surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest, nestled between Clayton, GA, and Highlands, NC.
Clayton, Dawsonville, Sautee Nacoochee, Tallulah Falls (2)
Besides its proximity to Sky Valley, Clayton offers the Warwoman Wildlife Management Area, Black Rock Mountain State Park, and the Chattooga River – a hotbed of whitewater rafting. The town is also gaining a reputation for its farm-to-table food services.
Located just 57 miles from downtown Atlanta on the outskirts of its northeastern suburbs, one review said of Dawsonville:
“Long known as one of the best places to visit in the Georgia mountains, it has also emerged in recent years as a perfect place to live.”
Nearby is Amicalola Falls State Park, featuring the tallest waterfall in the south and a trailhead that puts hikers just eight miles from the southern entrance (or exit) of the Appalachian Trail.
History is the hallmark of Sautee Nacoochee. It’s a Cherokee Indian landmark dating to the 15th/16th century named after the Nacoochee Indian Mound archeological site. There’s also an African-American heritage site, the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, and nearby you’ll find the Stovall Covered Bridge, Mt. Yonah, numerous wineries and the cities of Helen and Cleveland, GA.
Tallulah Gorge State Park and its semi-annual whitewater release draws kayakers to Tallulah Falls to test its raging rapids. Hiking trails rim the park and lead into the gorge, with a suspension bridge from which there are spectacular views. A century ago, Tallulah Falls rivaled Niagara Falls as a tourist destination.
More Possibilities
Living in any one of the cities mentioned above makes all of the rest of them easy and enjoyable day trips. Atlanta and its big-city amenities is no more than two hours away.
Broadening the geography some and digging deeper into the cities highlighted in our web search, 14 cities were mentioned one time by our eight sources. We only list the names, but you might want also to explore:
- Adairsville, GA
- Cartersville, GA
- Cave Springs, GA
- Cherry Log, GA
- Clarksville, GA
- Cleveland, GA
- Jasper, GA
- Kennesaw, GA
- Lakemont, GA
- Mountain City, GA
- Rome, GA
- Suches, GA
- Toccoa, GA
- Young Harris, GA
You can also venture into any of the three adjacent states (Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina) for similarly attractive places to live or visit.
Georgia On Your Mind?
Building in the mountains poses some budget-stretching challenges – offset by priceless rewards.
If you want to know more about the North Georgia cities we’ve highlighted, here are the articles titles and links:
The 20 Best Places to Live in the Georgia Mountains
15 Cutest Blue Ridge Mountain Towns Across The South
10 Most Beautiful Mountain Towns in Georgia
9 Mountain Towns In Georgia That Make For The Perfect Day Trip
8 Best Places to Live in North Georgia Mountains in 2022
4 Georgia Mountain Towns You Need to Consider for Your Next Home