GAMap-doton-Nicholson, 2005
Nicholson’s story
144 years in pictures
Census counts: 167 in 1910, 1,808 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
- 1882Nicholson is settled
NicholsonGA
A town of 1,941, settled in 1882.
Population
1,941
2025 Census estimate · +7.7% since 2020
Typical home
$341K
+3.4% in a year
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
33.8
years
Jobs based here
55
A commuter town
Is Nicholson a good place to live?
Nicholson’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. On walkability, just 17 of Georgia’s 371 towns do worse. Nicholson's public schools beat 76% of Georgia towns on state tests and graduation. Only 18 of Georgia’s 371 towns score higher on cost of living. The biggest park or preserve is Nicholson City Park, at 39 acres. Nicholson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Nicholson stand out
Where Nicholson beats most towns.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Nicholson for work
Where Nicholson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
55jobs based in Nicholson
0%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Nicholson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Nicholson is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 0.4% of households have no car; 0.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 17% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income$52K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsA−Open →HealthSt. Mary's Hospital 11.9 miles awayCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2% conserved landCOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life2.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.8; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Nicholson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nicholson, and how to reach them.
PowerGeorgia Power16.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNicholson Water AuthorityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Nicholson’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Georgia you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereJackson County Voter RegistrationJackson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP codes30565, 30529, 3053030565 95% · 30529 3% · 30530 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Nicholson.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Nicholson
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
17risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Nicholson stands out in Georgia and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
0.5% of working residents work locally in Nicholson, where Georgia’s towns sit at 9.1% and U.S. towns at 8%. Jobs based in Nicholson fell to 55 in 2023, 43 fewer than in 2013. Nicholson’s average trip to work is 30 minutes.
0%work in town
| Nicholson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 9.1% | 8% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 15% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Nicholson0%
Athens21%
Jefferson8%
Commerce6%
Gainesville3%
15 mi
median commute distance
55
jobs based in Nicholson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Health in Nicholson trails 69% of U.S. towns
Nicholson beats the Georgia average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Nicholson, above both the Georgia town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 37% of Nicholson adults feel lonely.
31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Nicholson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 39% | 33% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Georgia
0 better29 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Nicholson | GA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 17.4% | 13.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6.5% |
| More adults in frequent physical distress | 15.7% | 13.5% |
St. Mary's Hospital
11.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Nicholson has mild winters and hot summers
Nicholson has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Nicholson is 89°F.
2″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–55°
Spring49–73°
Summer68–88°
Fall51–73°
Nov 7
typical first frost
Mar 29
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Nicholson home is worth about $341K
The typical Nicholson home is worth about $341,000, up 3.4% in a year, close to the Georgia typical home.
$341KZillow home value
| Nicholson | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,008 a month | $1,154 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Nicholson$341K
Georgia$329K
+3.4%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.9%conserved
1.9%
conserved · 48 of 2,531 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nicholson City Park | — | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 59 attractions →Sanford Stadium and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nicholson. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Stadium & arenaSanford Stadium
Big draw31 mi LakeLake Lanier
29 mi MountainCurrahee Mountain
39 mi Stadium & arenaGas South Arena13 mi MuseumGeorgia Museum of Art
37 mi National Recreation AreaChattahoochee River National Recreation Area2.9M visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Sanford Stadium: The original uploader was Clio64 at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Lanier: http://www.terraprints.com, CC BY 2.5 · Currahee Mountain: Wikilackey (talk), Public domain · Gas South Arena: fr:File:ArenaatGwinnettCenterSat.png : fr:User:Betp (26 janvier 2008 à 20:19), Public domain · Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: Keizers, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nicholson
19pages on Nicholson
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Nicholson
Athens Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Athens10 mi$3,390 in-state tuitionUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity or college · Public · Athens11.5 mi$11,450 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Nicholson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
About Nicholson
City in Georgia, United States
Nicholson is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Nicholson had a population of 1,808. Nicholson is known for its "Daisy Festival" and for several famous residents, including singer Kenny Rogers. Steve Nichols is the mayor of Nicholson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 840 ft
- ZIP code
- 30565
- Area code
- 706
Questions about Nicholson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nicholson, GA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.