BLUE RIDGE, GA — FANNIN COUNTY
Blue Ridge was founded in 1886 as a result of the arrival of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad. In the early years, there were five hotels and several boarding houses in downtown Blue Ridge, and the town was promoted as the “Switzerland of the South.”
Arts and culture are alive and growing like kudzu in the mountains of North Georgia. The town of Blue Ridge offers visitors uptown shopping and amazing dining in a charming small town setting. Blue Ridge has an artsy vibe with a vibrant arts scene, local art galleries, and great community theater in addition to three craft breweries and live music on weekends.
Blue Ridge also offers 106,000 acres of Chattahoochee National Forest with countless opportunities for outdoor fun! Such as hiking on the Benton MacKaye Trail or visiting one of the local waterfalls. Boat on Lake Blue Ridge or go rafting on the exciting Ocoee River. Float down the beautiful Toccoa River or catch trophy trout as Fannin County is known as the Trout Capital of Georgia.
Watch the videos below for more about beautiful Fannin County Georgia!
Videos
Welcome to beautiful Blue Ridge located in the North Georgia Mountains we are a charming town of approximately 24,000 with a projected 15% population increase by 2030 within a 45 minute drive time there is a population of approximately 142 thousand.
Business comes naturally here where a lunch break may consist of a quick stroll through the shops of downtown or an after work kayak trip down the Toccoa river.
The Fannin County Development Authority is dedicated to working with businesses large and small considering locating and growing in the area whether you are looking for resources, large tract of land, or established infrastructure we are here to be a partner.
One of our local business owners shares her story about locating her manufacturing business in Blue Ridge. “The name of our company is Pulse Medical we manufacture radiation protection garments and eyewear.
We moved to Blue Ridge about seven or eight years ago the business decision at the time we made it was primarily related to the deal that the development authority gave us. They helped us every step of the way logistically so I would say that it was affordable cost of living the affordable cost of doing business and the affordable employees.
I love that we have our business here, that we have our home here, we have three states in our view, we have a boat for Lake Blue Ridge, my grandchildren love it here, we moved my mother here, she wanted her own house so she lives in Blue Ridge Village which is the perfect retirement community for her. There isn’t anything about Blue Ridge that I just don’t love.”
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains Fannin County is located 90 miles north of Atlanta via I 575 and highway 515 only one and a half hour from Midtown Atlanta and two hours from Hartsville Jackson Airport. The county is on the Tennessee North Carolina line one and a half hour from Chattanooga and two and a half hours from Asheville we are perfectly situated just far enough away from bustling city life.
The county has three incorporated areas the city of Blue Ridge, the county seat, the city of Morganton, and the city of McKay’s Ville which shares a downtown with Copper Hill, Tennessee. Forty percent of our land is Chattahoochee National Forest 106 thousand acres. Making an escape for those fleeing the congested cities and big corporations of America.
The wide natural expanses of Fannin have proven highly attractive to folks who want to get away from traffic, crime, and taxes of the big city. We are designated as the trout capital of Georgia with over 100 miles of trout streams and rivers.
A branch of North Georgia Technical College is a short drive from Blue Ridge and offers a variety of programs that serve our community. University of North Georgia is breaking ground on a new campus right here in Blue Ridge.
With our loyal workforce consisting of approximately 59 thousand and a 45-minute drive time, good health care options, plentiful outdoor activities, top-notch restaurants, and shopping. We’re poised to attract your business. We are so close, but so far away learn more at www.fannindevelopment.com.
