Most of Clarkesville was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 23 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 39 buildings between them. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1823.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clarkesville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clarkesville is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clarkesville’s overall grade.
Georgia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Georgia town has 10.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clarkesville’s 383 sits above most of its state (85% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). Two sources give 1821.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Clarkesville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally the city was Native American, and was called Sak-yi. Later, the name was used for the Soque River, originally called “So-Kee”. The city was established along the route of the Unicoi Turnpike, a 1,000-year-old Native American trail. In the early 18th century, deerskins and furs were transported along the route from Tennessee to Savannah and Charleston for shipping to Europe.
Clarkesville was founded in 1821 as the seat of Habersham County. The community was named after John Clark, who was then the state's governor.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1821, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Clarkesville’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1850 counted 502 people here.
How does Clarkesville rank for history?
Clarkesville is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Clarkesville?
23 listings: 21 buildings, among them the Grace Church (listed 1980, the first), and 2 historic districts, the South Washington Street Historic District and the Clarkesville Downtown Square Historic District, with 39 contributing buildings. 75 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clarkesville?
4% of Clarkesville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1978.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (10), the National Register of Historic Places (23), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1908
1950
1950
1950
1950
1950
1950
