Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,131, settled in 1804. Public schools that outperform most of Georgia.
Trash day: WednesdayFor most people who can afford it, yes. Watkinsville grades A− overall, 18th among Georgia's 258 graded towns. Its schools outperform 97% of the state's. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 94% of the country. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $519K, 7.9 years of the Athens metro’s $66K median household income. Watkinsville’s density of trails is 2.9 miles per square mile, where Georgia’s towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Watkinsville is home to College of Athens. Only 22 of Georgia’s 374 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Watkinsville beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Colham Ferry Elementary School | PK–5 | 587 |
0.6% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Watkinsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 224 in 1810, a low of 224 in 1810, 2,896 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and a map from 1964 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watkinsville, 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 Watkinsville.
Watkinsville has schools in the top 5% of Georgia, draws workers from Athens and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Georgia.
More trails than any other town in Georgia. There are 9.7 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Thomas Farm Preserve, 101 acres with 4.9 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Thomas Farm Preserve | 4.9 mi | 101 |
| 2. Harris Shoals Park | 2.7 mi | 73 |
| 3. Watkinsville Woods | 0.6 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade ranks #1 of the 260 Georgia towns we grade for schools. It comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $519K.
Public schools: the Oconee County school district. Its one school is below. Watkinsville’s only public school teaches 587 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colham Ferry Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 587 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Georgia is tooth loss: 5.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
CDC measures, 32 in all: Watkinsville beats Georgia on 21 and trails on 1. Watkinsville: 17% of adults get no exercise outside work. In addition, in Watkinsville, 9.2% of adults smoke cigarettes, against 15% in Georgia’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of the 261 Georgia towns we compare have a lower share of adults who worry about having enough food than Watkinsville.
| Watkinsville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 40% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 29% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 23% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Watkinsville | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.9% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.4% | 17.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.5% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2,351 jobs are based in Watkinsville, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 22 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
For residents in Watkinsville, the share who live below the poverty line is 6%. Most working residents leave Watkinsville for work: only 7% work in town. Employers in Watkinsville added 811 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 2,351. Also worth knowing: the town’s average trip to work stands at 22 minutes.
| Watkinsville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 15% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.9% | 9.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 7.9 years of the Athens metro’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $519K) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
For Watkinsville, the typical rent is $1,541 a month. The typical Watkinsville home is worth about $519,000, up 0.6% in a year, 58% above the Georgia typical home. In Watkinsville, 73% of households own their home.
| Watkinsville | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,541 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Watkinsville, the peak summer temperature is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
One declared disaster, in 2000, has brought federal aid to Watkinsville households. Compared with nearly three fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. 59% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 12%. Since 1997, one flood insurance claim has been paid here.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Watkinsville. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaSanford Stadium
38 mi LakeLake Oconee
31 mi Ancient siteRock Eagle Effigy Mound6 mi MuseumGeorgia Museum of Art
3 mi GardenThe State Botanical Garden of Georgia
35 mi MuseumCallaway PlantationSanford Stadium: The original uploader was Clio64 at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Oconee: http://www.terraprints.com, CC BY 2.5 · Rock Eagle Effigy Mound: Brian McInturff, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The State Botanical Garden of Georgia: Pendragon98 (Talk / contribs), Public domain · Callaway Plantation: A P Wood, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Watkinsville
About 9 of every 100 Watkinsville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
Where Watkinsville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 notable people were born in Watkinsville.
City in Georgia, United States
Watkinsville is the largest city and county seat of Oconee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 2,896. It served as the seat of Clarke County until 1872 when the county seat of that county was moved to Athens, a move which ultimately led to the creation of Oconee County in 1875. It is included in the Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Watkinsville grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #18 of 258 in Georgia. It grades A for health and A+ for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Robert F. Ligon and Alan Busenitz.
