Gilmer County · The apple capital
About Ellijay
Ellijay is the county seat of Gilmer County and the apple capital of Georgia, a small mountain town sitting where the Ellijay and Cartecay rivers join to form the Coosawattee. It was a Cherokee village and trade center before the county was created, and the city has been the seat of Gilmer County since 1834.
The historic downtown runs on the square and the river, the orchards line Highway 52 East, and the Blue Ridge fills the horizon. This page is the quick orientation; the rest of the guide goes deeper.
What it is
A Cherokee trade center that became the county seat
The site was a Cherokee village and trade center long before the county existed. Gilmer County was created in 1832 from Cherokee County territory, Ellijay was designated the county seat in 1834, and the city was incorporated on December 29 of that year. The name comes from the Cherokee word Elatseyi, translated as "new ground" or "green place"; the city's own history notes the exact origin is not certain.
Ellijay sits about 75 to 80 miles north of downtown Atlanta in the North Georgia mountains. It is the heart of Georgia's commercial apple industry, a title that goes back to the 1920s, when apple orchards took over fields the boll weevil had taken from cotton.
How it works
A mayor-council city in a three-commissioner county
The city
- An elected mayor and a five-member city council run the City of Ellijay.
- City Hall sits at 197 North Main Street, with the city offices and the downtown square a short walk apart.
- The city runs its own administration, planning, and the downtown public spaces.
The county keeps
- Gilmer County is governed by a three-member board of commissioners.
- The county runs the schools, the parks and recreation system, the courts, and the county services.
- The county seat and most county offices sit in Ellijay, at 1 Broad Street.
Straight answers
Questions people actually ask
Why is Ellijay called the apple capital?
Because Gilmer County grows apples at a scale no other Georgia county matches. The orchards took over in the 1920s after the boll weevil ended the cotton era, and the region has been the state's apple center ever since.
Which rivers run through Ellijay?
The Ellijay and Cartecay rivers meet at the edge of town to form the Coosawattee. The Cartecay runs the downtown side and is the river you see from the riverside walk; the Coosawattee carries the water west.
Is Ellijay a good base for the mountains?
It is the natural one. Fort Mountain State Park, Carters Lake, and Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area all sit within a short drive, and Highway 515 runs straight up toward Blue Ridge. The parks page and the getting around page lay out the distances.
An editorial guide, not a listings site. Updated September 13, 2026. Real-estate guidance on this page is provided by Rob Dietrich, REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC.