Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dahlonega grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 84% of the state's and it is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 74% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $380K for a typical one and 4.2 times the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income. Dahlonega is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Georgia’s towns. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in Dahlonega, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town among the 263 in Georgia we compare has a lower median age than Dahlonega. Dahlonega has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Calhoun Mine and Dahlonega Courthouse Gold Museum.
Where Dahlonega beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cottrell Elementary School | PK–5 | 583 |
| Lumpkin County Middle School | 6–8 | 864 |
| Lumpkin County High School | 9–12 | 1,125 |
Calhoun Mine is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 671 in 1840, a low of 471 in 1870, 7,537 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and a map from 1951 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Dahlonega is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dahlonega, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Dahlonega.
Dahlonega is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Gainesville and beyond and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Georgia.
Its public schools are run by the Lumpkin County school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Lumpkin County High School, with 1,125 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumpkin County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 864 | B+ |
| Lumpkin County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,125 | B |
| Cottrell Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 583 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
11 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Dahlonega’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir, at 219 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Dahlonega | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Zwerner and Yahoola Creek Reservoir | 1.8 mi | 219 |
| 2. Yahoola Creek Park | 0.5 mi | 64 |
| 3. William J. Livsey Drill Field | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4,543 jobs are based in Dahlonega, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 21 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
Most working residents leave Dahlonega for work: only 16% work in town. The average trip to work in Dahlonega is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Dahlonega grew to 4,543 in 2023, 464 more than in 2013.
| Dahlonega | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 9% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Georgia is diabetes: 7.4% of its 7,011 adults have diabetes, against 13.3% statewide.
24% of Dahlonega adults have high blood pressure. Of the 261 Georgia towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Dahlonega. 25% of Dahlonega adults have obesity.
| Dahlonega | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 38% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Dahlonega | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.4% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 23.6% | 37.4% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 23.1% | 16.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dahlonega.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 29.9°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 97% of Georgia places with climate records; July afternoons average 87.4°.
Dahlonega has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. No town among the 264 in Georgia we compare has a lower January low than Dahlonega. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Dahlonega | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 30°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 87°F | 90°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
73.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.4% across Georgia.
The typical Dahlonega home is worth about $380,000, about the same as a year ago, 16% above the Georgia typical home.
| Dahlonega | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,220 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dahlonega. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi LakeLake Lanier
26 mi MountainBrasstown Bald
34 mi MountainCurrahee Mountain
15 mi WaterfallAmicalola Falls
18 mi National forestChattahoochee–Oconee National Forest
38 mi Stadium & arenaGas South ArenaLake Lanier: http://www.terraprints.com, CC BY 2.5 · Brasstown Bald: Unknown, Public domain · Currahee Mountain: Wikilackey (talk), Public domain · Amicalola Falls: Jsfouche, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest: Thomson200, CC0 · Gas South Arena: fr:File:ArenaatGwinnettCenterSat.png : fr:User:Betp (26 janvier 2008 à 20:19), Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Dahlonega
College town 55 of every 100 Dahlonega residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
5,242 counted in 2010 and 7,537 in 2020; an estimated 7,918 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.2% since 2020, after 43.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
10 places in Dahlonega on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Dahlonega.
City in Georgia, United States
Dahlonega ( də-LON-ig-ə) is the county seat of Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Dahlonega had a population of 7,537. Dahlonega is located at the north end of Georgia highway 400, a freeway which connects Dahlonega to Atlanta. The city is also a college town, home to the main campus of the University of North Georgia. Dahlonega was the site of the second major Gold Rush in the United States beginning in 1829. The Dahlonega Gold Museum Historic Site which is located in the middle of the public square, was originally built in 1836 as the Lumpkin County Courthouse. In 1849, when local gold miners were considering heading west to join the California Gold Rush, Dr. M…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Dahlonega grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns. Dahlonega is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Georgia’s towns. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
5 notable people were born here, including Sara Christian and William P. Price.
