| County Formed |
December 22,
1857 |
| County Seat |
Cleveland |
| Incorporated Cities |
Cleveland and
Helen |
| Total Area |
241.6 square
miles |
| History |
White County,
the 123rd county formed in Georgia, was created in 1857 from a part of the
original landlot county of Habersham. The county was named for Newton County
Representative David T. White, who helped a Habersham representative
successfully attain passage of an act creating the new county. Gold was found in White
County in the late 1820s on the Nacoochee River, then known as Duke's Creek.
This area originally belonged to the Cherokee Indians. However, miners and
settlers pressured the U.S. government to such a degree that eventually the
Cherokee were totally removed from North Georgia to a reservation in
Oklahoma.
During the gold
mining years, nine gold mines operated in the county. Commercial gold
operations remained profitable until as late as 1940.
|
| Points of Interest |
Helen, in the
northern part of the county, had formerly been a summer resort but was
destroyed by fire. Later, the town was rebuilt and transformed into an alpine
village. It has become a major North Georgia tourist attraction and thriving
community. Cleveland is the site of Babyland
General Hospital where all of the Cabbage Patch Kids baby dolls are
"born."
|
| Education |
Truett-McConnell College
|
| Annual Events |
Helen is home
to one of the nation's largest Oktoberfests, held in September and October of
each year. |
|
 |
| 
Hot-air balloons in Alpine
Helen
Indian mound in Sautee Nacoochee
Valley
|
|
