Blairsville is a city and the county seat of Union County, on the northern border of Georgia, United States. It was founded near the Nottely River, which was dammed in 1942 as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority project, forming Lake Nottely. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 616. History During the 1830s, the United States conducted Indian Removal of the Cherokee Nation and other Southeast tribes, to what was designated as Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. This area along the Nottely River was part of the large Cherokee territory and the leader Goingsnake was born here in 1758. After American settlers moved into this area, in 1835 the Georgia General Assembly designated Blairsville as the Union County seat. The town is named after American Revolutionary War veteran James Blair. The neighboring city of Dahlonega was known as the first site of gold in the United States, but the Blairsville area was known to have the purest gold in the mountains of northern Georgia. Assayers in Washington, D.C. could tell by looking that gold ore was from the Coosa Mines because it was “the yellowest gold” submitted and its brilliant color set it apart. This area of northern Georgia was still rural and isolated before World War II. During the Great Depression, under the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, the Nottely River was selected as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority projects. The river was dammed in order to form a reservoir to generate hydroelectric power. It also created a lake with recreational opportunities. This was one of the projects that produced electrification in a rural area. Geography U.S. Routes 19 and 76, as well as Georgia State Route 515 (Zell Miller Mountain Parkway), are the main highways through the city. U.S. 19 leads north to Murphy, North Carolina and south to Dahlonega. U.S. 76 and GA-515 run through the city together, leading northeast to Young Harris and west to Blue Ridge. Atlanta is to the south via U.S. 19. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Climate Blairsville has a humid subtropical climate, yet due to its elevation of , typically records far lower temperatures at night than what is encountered in much of the Southeastern U.S., and has slightly higher precipitation totals ( annually) than most locations in the state; the