I fell in love with Georgia after working on a movie, Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland in Chicamauga. Since then I have driven the backroads all the way to Mobile.
We are looking to move/retire in the North GA mountains. Your 2 vids are the best we've seen! We loved all of the information. So helpful while we are in our decision making mode. Subscribed. Thanks!
Super informative and helpful! My family is taking a trip to Ellijay in a few weeks and this gave me a better idea of what to expect in this area of Georgia.
One other underrated area in Gilmer County is Whitepath community about halfway between Ellijay and Blue Ridge off the 76. The Buckhorn Estates is a nice HOA in Whitepath that doesn't allow short-term rentals, so if someone wants permanent living or a summer home, it's ideal. Plus being just 10 to 15 minutes from BOTH Ellijay and Blue Ridge with hiking and waterfall wilderness areas all around you makes Whitepath about as sweet of a 15 minute radius as it gets in North Georgia.
Thank you! Good to know. I am still venturing out and getting accustomed to some of the neighborhoods in the surrounding areas. Living in Blairsville, I know this area the best, but I am having fun learning more and more about the other great mountain towns doing these videos. :)
We lived in Blairsville for 12 years and loved it! We are currently in West Virginia and Florida but considering finding a place in North Georgia or southwestern North Carolina. Beautiful with 4 distinct seasons each of which is mild. Spring flowers start the end of January!
I have loved North Georgia since I first stumbled upon the area during a motorcycle trip from Sarasota FL in 1984. I have seen the area grow in ways that are, frankly, astonishing. But, then again, not at all surprising. Everything that Trish talks about is true: Quaintness, outdoor recreation, all of it. But, sadly, everything that draws people to the area means more people. Dahlonega, especially, since it is so easy to reach from the northern Atlanta suburbs. Real estate prices in recent years have more than doubled. So don't expect to find anything "cheap" anywhere. Personally, I like Blairsville and Hiawassee best since they're farther out and harder to reach. The sprawl has not overtaken them yet. But if you enjoy the outdoors, there is really no finer place to be. It has been my favorite for nearly four decades.
I bought property in Ellijay about 10 years ago with the hopes of moving there someday. it's still on my "to do" list. Another hidden gem in the area is Carters Lake. It is so pristine. To my knowledge there is no private property that borders the lake. Only government owned wilderness, parks, campgrounds, one marina and one beach. The best view of the lake is on the west end where you have to drive over the top of the dam to a park. A must see.
Ellijay is such a great area. I've not been to Carters Lake yet, but its on my list to check out. I will definitely have to check out the area you mentioned. Thanks for watching!
Elijay is no longer a small mountain community like it used to be… lived here my whole life…..4th generation. seen the traffic get worse and worse. Thanks to people piling in here. Mostly from Cobb county or up north somewhere looking for cheap housing in the mountains.
@@TravelGuy9834 floridiots only come up here because you morons come down and crowd our beaches to get your sun burns on. I can say the same for Fla. before the North overtook Fla.
Blue Ridge was beautiful. But sadly you have to travel pretty far to the attractions. Atleast to amicolola falls and Brasstown which were our desired designations. We still had the best time of our lives even though i drove about 600 miles while in Blue ridge lol. We are definitely headed back to the area! Blairesville for Thanksgiving!🤩 And its not hot! Compared to wear i live. It got up to 86 but it is so dry and clean. Right now in Louisiana where i live it is 88 feeling like 103 lol. We literally left this past Tuesday. It was 60 degrees pulling out the driveway on My mountain rd.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Blue Ridge and Blairsville will be lovely to visit during Thanksgiving! We’re in the middle of summer, and it still hasn’t really gotten that hot. Most mornings have been cooler, and the weather has been in the 80’s most days. We’ve had a lot of rain this year, so that could contribute to our lower temps, but all in all, we’re still generally lower temps than further south. 😊
The only real drawback to the park in Ellijay is that it is across the river from the town's water treatment plant and if the wind is blowing the wrong way, you have that smell to contend with. Blue Ridge locals tend to avoid the town on weekends because the town's population triples on weekends and even more if there is a holiday involved. But during the regular week and during off-season, it is the epitome of small-town America.
Hi Trish, congrats on your channel, there is really not much of this content on RUclips for this area…I went on vacation this year with my family and we fell in love with the area, have been thinking about getting a vacation/ rental home there but not sure how safe it is to move around in the winter time with those roads with ice and snow…also like you showed on your videos some roads and driveways are REALLY steep…how bad is it? How much does it impact tourism? Would love to see some winter videos to see what it’s really like to deal with it. Thks!
Thanks so much! I am actually working on a winter video now. Generally speaking, it’s really not too bad. It doesn’t snow much, and typically when it does, it doesn’t stick or melts pretty quick. But if you’re high up on a mountain, of course that can change things or at least make the drive more treacherous. Most people up here know that if we’re expecting to get a good amount of snow, that might just mean you’re not going anywhere for a couple days. But it’s not really so bad that you’re stuck for very long and it also just depends on where your house is. If you’re pretty remote on some hilly roads, it’ll be worse than if you’re close to town with decent roads. Main roads are always treated.
Thanks for the videos. I couldn’t help but notice you mentioning in both videos gated communities. Is crime such a problem that those kinds of communities are necessary or preferred? Those towns are a long way from dangerous areas of Atlanta. Me, I prefer to find a place where gates are unnecessary and neighbors are at close but not that close.
Been going to Blairsville for some 15 yrs now for vacations and visiting friends we absolutely love it. living in south Florida soon to retire this one is top on my list with blue ridge a close second. We are thinking of that general vicinity of GA..North and South Carolinas and Tennessee. Do you have recommendations for those other states?
To Elanor from Tampa. Being you mentioned Tampa as a past living area, do you feel there is a huge difference in these 2 areas. Want to get relief from the Heat and Humidity levels. Thanks Frank
Thinking of living in Blairsville from mid April to mid October and then back to Florida for the remainder. Looking to be on or near Lake Nottely however the Crime Rating for that area is a F on the search maps. Thinking a Gated Community even though I want lakefront living. Both Retired and in mid 60's.
Hi Frank! I'd be interested to know what map you are looking at for the crime rates. Of course, crime has no zip code and can happen anywhere, but we have absolutely love living here and Lake Nottely is beautiful. There are several gated communities that offer lake access and even some that offer homes or land right on the lake. Please feel free to reach out to me directly to see how I can help! I hope you found my videos helpful!
@@higherelevationsrealestate Your videos are awesome and you are on my list to see as I am planning a few weeks next spring to head that way. Back and hip issues have me restricted this year. I just googled crime statistics around lake nottely and a shaded map of different colors showing the stats for that area if that helps. Have a terrific Summer and Fall. Frank
@@higherelevationsrealestate yeah, I’m finding that a little hard to believe. Hmm. Something is off about that. I’ve been vacationing in the Blairsville area since 2004 and have always felt safe there!🤔
We love living here, and coming from a much larger city with a much larger population, it does seem off. Maybe some of these calculations are based on population and throws off the numbers....not sure....
Sadly all these mountain communities are becoming more and more popular the last time I was in Blairsville the intersection of 129 and 515 was so busy you felt like you were still in Atlanta the hotel prices have doubled and the lady running the hotel was so arrogant I felt like I was in Key Wast 😐 country charm
I'm sorry to hear you felt that way. Blairsville has definitely grown over the years, but coming from an extremely busy and booming area south of Atlanta, the traffic and number of people still doesn't come close to that kind of busyness. Unfortunately, I think the idea of any small town is not so small anymore anywhere you go.
@@higherelevationsrealestate Blairsville is wonderful. While visiting from Orlando recently, I went to the grocery store and a man walked past me coming into the store humming a song. Loved it! Very happy people here. Thought I was at Disney World. And yes, I am working on relocating :)
@@robbynholland9602 We live in St Johns County FL, where it used to be a small town and everyone from up north has moved down. It's the fastest growing county in FL I believe, so BUSY! We're going to Blairsville tomorrow to look around and possibly get out of the crazy!
I was just in blairesville from Louisiana. It was the best time I've ever had. I didn't have much traffic at all. Infact we stayed in Blue Ridge.. we wished we would have stayed in Blairesville. Infact we've already planned our Thanksgiving trip
We are looking for a piece of land where we can come vacation and park our RV for a month every year. Looking at these areas, is there any restrictions if we don’t want to build a structure?
There will be restrictions if you try to buy in a neighborhood that is meant for homes. Other than that, you can typically find unrestricted land or even a lot to purchase inside an rv park that might even have some amenities. That situation is lot more common up here in the mountains. 😊 Feel free to reach out & I’ll see how I can help.
Both have reservoir lakes adjacent with boat launches, swimming and picnic areas. Both have one golf course. Both have wineries, apple empires, mountain properties, individual and HOAs, both have hiking trails and whitewater rivers. Blue Ridge is more of big city visitor shop oriented, "we saw you coming shops" and restaurants, with many more daily visitors and shortages of street parking (they built a parking garage)...it reminds me of Blowing Rock, NC. Ellijay is a smaller downtown, more realistic if you get my drift, but still geared toward tourist dollars. East Ellijay has the big full feature WalMart, the big newer Ingles supermarket (laid out similar to Publix, fresh and clean), more large chain generic shops/food in a better shopping center. East Ellijay (adjacent but separate city) has no downtown at all. Blue Ridge has a small WalMart, a smaller older Ingles (Piggly Wiggly or Winn Dixie style and some generic chain stuff scattered about in much older shopping centers on 515) They're 18 miles apart. I live between them. I go to Ellijay for almost anything I need.
My wife, daughter and I are thinking about moving to North GA next year. We are liking Blairsville due to the school system. My only nervousness is me finding a job. Maybe with you connections, that might not be as bad. Also my wife is a real estate broker as well….☺️
That’s great! We love the school system here…best move we could’ve made for our family! There are a number of hvac companies up here. Two we have specifically dealt with and liked are McKinney & James Thomas. But there are several more throughout Blairsville, Blue Ridge & even Murphy, NC. I would suggest giving them a call, I’m sure there are some looking for good experienced workers.
@@higherelevationsrealestate Awesome! Thanks for the reply. I’m in hopes I can still work where I’m at up there, but only time will tell. We will reach out to you when we get ready to look to see what’s on the Market. Thanks again!
There isnt a lot of businesses here.. I saw 2 HvAS businesses in Blairsville. If u can collect enough tools etc. U may get enough work on your own. Everything is word of mouth for workers.
The problem with Jasper is the old lady here who walks the streets with a baseball bat, knives, and a little dog. She makes a living trying to get hit by cars, but also going on to other people's properties and trying to get their dogs to bite her. LE in town knows all of this, they will even tell you they know she's full of it, but they don't care enough about it to bring her up on fraud or public nuisance charges. Also, the town is out of water.
I love Ellijay and Blairsville. Haven’t checked out Jasper much.
I fell in love with Georgia after working on a movie, Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland in Chicamauga. Since then I have driven the backroads all the way to Mobile.
We are looking to move/retire in the North GA mountains. Your 2 vids are the best we've seen! We loved all of the information. So helpful while we are in our decision making mode. Subscribed. Thanks!
That’s great! I’m so glad my videos are helpful! If I can be of any help, please reach out! 😊
Super informative and helpful! My family is taking a trip to Ellijay in a few weeks and this gave me a better idea of what to expect in this area of Georgia.
Thanks! I’m glad it was helpful! Have fun on your trip!!
One other underrated area in Gilmer County is Whitepath community about halfway between Ellijay and Blue Ridge off the 76. The Buckhorn Estates is a nice HOA in Whitepath that doesn't allow short-term rentals, so if someone wants permanent living or a summer home, it's ideal. Plus being just 10 to 15 minutes from BOTH Ellijay and Blue Ridge with hiking and waterfall wilderness areas all around you makes Whitepath about as sweet of a 15 minute radius as it gets in North Georgia.
Thank you! Good to know. I am still venturing out and getting accustomed to some of the neighborhoods in the surrounding areas. Living in Blairsville, I know this area the best, but I am having fun learning more and more about the other great mountain towns doing these videos. :)
We lived in Blairsville for 12 years and loved it! We are currently in West Virginia and Florida but considering finding a place in North Georgia or southwestern North Carolina. Beautiful with 4 distinct seasons each of which is mild. Spring flowers start the end of January!
Yes, we LOVE it here! Blairsville is the best!
Awsome! Subscribed! Can’t wait to get in touch with Trish..
It was great speaking with you!
Go go go you are doing something that is need.
On point as always! Like your information
Glad to hear it!
I have loved North Georgia since I first stumbled upon the area during a motorcycle trip from Sarasota FL in 1984. I have seen the area grow in ways that are, frankly, astonishing. But, then again, not at all surprising. Everything that Trish talks about is true: Quaintness, outdoor recreation, all of it. But, sadly, everything that draws people to the area means more people. Dahlonega, especially, since it is so easy to reach from the northern Atlanta suburbs. Real estate prices in recent years have more than doubled. So don't expect to find anything "cheap" anywhere. Personally, I like Blairsville and Hiawassee best since they're farther out and harder to reach. The sprawl has not overtaken them yet. But if you enjoy the outdoors, there is really no finer place to be. It has been my favorite for nearly four decades.
Blairsville & Hiawassee really are the best!
I bought property in Ellijay about 10 years ago with the hopes of moving there someday. it's still on my "to do" list. Another hidden gem in the area is Carters Lake. It is so pristine. To my knowledge there is no private property that borders the lake. Only government owned wilderness, parks, campgrounds, one marina and one beach. The best view of the lake is on the west end where you have to drive over the top of the dam to a park. A must see.
Ellijay is such a great area. I've not been to Carters Lake yet, but its on my list to check out. I will definitely have to check out the area you mentioned. Thanks for watching!
Beautiful.
Elijay is no longer a small mountain community like it used to be… lived here my whole life…..4th generation. seen the traffic get worse and worse. Thanks to people piling in here. Mostly from Cobb county or up north somewhere looking for cheap housing in the mountains.
how's the KKK community in Elijay? are they doing well?
And don't forget the Floridiots.
@@TravelGuy9834 floridiots only come up here because you morons come down and crowd our beaches to get your sun burns on. I can say the same for Fla. before the North overtook Fla.
Blue Ridge was beautiful. But sadly you have to travel pretty far to the attractions. Atleast to amicolola falls and Brasstown which were our desired designations. We still had the best time of our lives even though i drove about 600 miles while in Blue ridge lol. We are definitely headed back to the area! Blairesville for Thanksgiving!🤩
And its not hot! Compared to wear i live. It got up to 86 but it is so dry and clean. Right now in Louisiana where i live it is 88 feeling like 103 lol. We literally left this past Tuesday. It was 60 degrees pulling out the driveway on My mountain rd.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Blue Ridge and Blairsville will be lovely to visit during Thanksgiving! We’re in the middle of summer, and it still hasn’t really gotten that hot. Most mornings have been cooler, and the weather has been in the 80’s most days. We’ve had a lot of rain this year, so that could contribute to our lower temps, but all in all, we’re still generally lower temps than further south. 😊
The only real drawback to the park in Ellijay is that it is across the river from the town's water treatment plant and if the wind is blowing the wrong way, you have that smell to contend with.
Blue Ridge locals tend to avoid the town on weekends because the town's population triples on weekends and even more if there is a holiday involved. But during the regular week and during off-season, it is the epitome of small-town America.
Hi Trish, congrats on your channel, there is really not much of this content on RUclips for this area…I went on vacation this year with my family and we fell in love with the area, have been thinking about getting a vacation/ rental home there but not sure how safe it is to move around in the winter time with those roads with ice and snow…also like you showed on your videos some roads and driveways are REALLY steep…how bad is it? How much does it impact tourism? Would love to see some winter videos to see what it’s really like to deal with it. Thks!
Thanks so much! I am actually working on a winter video now. Generally speaking, it’s really not too bad. It doesn’t snow much, and typically when it does, it doesn’t stick or melts pretty quick. But if you’re high up on a mountain, of course that can change things or at least make the drive more treacherous. Most people up here know that if we’re expecting to get a good amount of snow, that might just mean you’re not going anywhere for a couple days. But it’s not really so bad that you’re stuck for very long and it also just depends on where your house is. If you’re pretty remote on some hilly roads, it’ll be worse than if you’re close to town with decent roads. Main roads are always treated.
where is the waterfall featured with the overlook deck?
That waterfall is at Vogel State Park in Blairsville.
@@higherelevationsrealestate Thanks!
Do you have any videos of Homesteading in North GA
No, I’m sorry, I don’t. Thank you for watching!
Are you familiar with a development called Andersen Creek Retreat near Ellijay?
I am not familiar with it, but will check into it.
Thanks for the videos. I couldn’t help but notice you mentioning in both videos gated communities. Is crime such a problem that those kinds of communities are necessary or preferred? Those towns are a long way from dangerous areas of Atlanta. Me, I prefer to find a place where gates are unnecessary and neighbors are at close but not that close.
The gates really are not necessary. I think it really just gives more of a luxury feel that some people like to see.
Been going to Blairsville for some 15 yrs now for vacations and visiting friends we absolutely love it. living in south Florida soon to retire this one is top on my list with blue ridge a close second. We are thinking of that general vicinity of GA..North and South Carolinas and Tennessee. Do you have recommendations for those other states?
I don't have any recommendations for the other states, simply because I don't know much about them other than visiting there myself. :)
To Elanor from Tampa. Being you mentioned Tampa as a past living area, do you feel there is a huge difference in these 2 areas. Want to get relief from the Heat and Humidity levels. Thanks Frank
In GA, we definitely still have heat and humidity. But being in a higher elevation, the heat is a little better. 😊
Thinking of living in Blairsville from mid April to mid October and then back to Florida for the remainder. Looking to be on or near Lake Nottely however the Crime Rating for that area is a F on the search maps. Thinking a Gated Community even though I want lakefront living. Both Retired and in mid 60's.
Hi Frank! I'd be interested to know what map you are looking at for the crime rates. Of course, crime has no zip code and can happen anywhere, but we have absolutely love living here and Lake Nottely is beautiful. There are several gated communities that offer lake access and even some that offer homes or land right on the lake. Please feel free to reach out to me directly to see how I can help! I hope you found my videos helpful!
@@higherelevationsrealestate Your videos are awesome and you are on my list to see as I am planning a few weeks next spring to head that way. Back and hip issues have me restricted this year. I just googled crime statistics around lake nottely and a shaded map of different colors showing the stats for that area if that helps. Have a terrific Summer and Fall. Frank
@@higherelevationsrealestate yeah, I’m finding that a little hard to believe. Hmm. Something is off about that. I’ve been vacationing in the Blairsville area since 2004 and have always felt safe there!🤔
I did find the map that I think you were referring to. I do find it very interesting.
We love living here, and coming from a much larger city with a much larger population, it does seem off. Maybe some of these calculations are based on population and throws off the numbers....not sure....
Sadly all these mountain communities are becoming more and more popular the last time I was in Blairsville the intersection of 129 and 515 was so busy you felt like you were still in Atlanta the hotel prices have doubled and the lady running the hotel was so arrogant I felt like I was in Key Wast 😐 country charm
I'm sorry to hear you felt that way. Blairsville has definitely grown over the years, but coming from an extremely busy and booming area south of Atlanta, the traffic and number of people still doesn't come close to that kind of busyness. Unfortunately, I think the idea of any small town is not so small anymore anywhere you go.
@@higherelevationsrealestate Blairsville is wonderful. While visiting from Orlando recently, I went to the grocery store and a man walked past me coming into the store humming a song. Loved it! Very happy people here. Thought I was at Disney World. And yes, I am working on relocating :)
@@robbynholland9602 We live in St Johns County FL, where it used to be a small town and everyone from up north has moved down. It's the fastest growing county in FL I believe, so BUSY! We're going to Blairsville tomorrow to look around and possibly get out of the crazy!
I was just in blairesville from Louisiana. It was the best time I've ever had. I didn't have much traffic at all. Infact we stayed in Blue Ridge.. we wished we would have stayed in Blairesville. Infact we've already planned our Thanksgiving trip
@@robbynholland9602 😂😂😂 anything is better than Orlando 😎
We are looking for a piece of land where we can come vacation and park our RV for a month every year. Looking at these areas, is there any restrictions if we don’t want to build a structure?
There will be restrictions if you try to buy in a neighborhood that is meant for homes. Other than that, you can typically find unrestricted land or even a lot to purchase inside an rv park that might even have some amenities. That situation is lot more common up here in the mountains. 😊 Feel free to reach out & I’ll see how I can help.
Ellijay vs. Blue Ridge?
Would you like to see a comparison video of Ellijay vs Blue Ridge?
Both have reservoir lakes adjacent with boat launches, swimming and picnic areas. Both have one golf course. Both have wineries, apple empires, mountain properties, individual and HOAs, both have hiking trails and whitewater rivers.
Blue Ridge is more of big city visitor shop oriented, "we saw you coming shops" and restaurants, with many more daily visitors and shortages of street parking (they built a parking garage)...it reminds me of Blowing Rock, NC.
Ellijay is a smaller downtown, more realistic if you get my drift, but still geared toward tourist dollars.
East Ellijay has the big full feature WalMart, the big newer Ingles supermarket (laid out similar to Publix, fresh and clean), more large chain generic shops/food in a better shopping center. East Ellijay (adjacent but separate city) has no downtown at all.
Blue Ridge has a small WalMart, a smaller older Ingles (Piggly Wiggly or Winn Dixie style and some generic chain stuff scattered about in much older shopping centers on 515)
They're 18 miles apart. I live between them. I go to Ellijay for almost anything I need.
We moved from south Texas to Morganton 2019 and we would not live anywhere else.
Yes! It’s great here!
My wife, daughter and I are thinking about moving to North GA next year. We are liking Blairsville due to the school system. My only nervousness is me finding a job. Maybe with you connections, that might not be as bad. Also my wife is a real estate broker as well….☺️
My background is HVAC and I’ve been in faculty management since 2010….. any help with connections around Blairsville would be much appreciated.
That’s great! We love the school system here…best move we could’ve made for our family! There are a number of hvac companies up here. Two we have specifically dealt with and liked are McKinney & James Thomas. But there are several more throughout Blairsville, Blue Ridge & even Murphy, NC. I would suggest giving them a call, I’m sure there are some looking for good experienced workers.
@@higherelevationsrealestate Awesome! Thanks for the reply. I’m in hopes I can still work where I’m at up there, but only time will tell. We will reach out to you when we get ready to look to see what’s on the Market. Thanks again!
There isnt a lot of businesses here.. I saw 2 HvAS businesses in Blairsville. If u can collect enough tools etc. U may get enough work on your own. Everything is word of mouth for workers.
Lot of competition in Real Estate
Blairsville has a real hospital.
Yes, Blairsville does have a real hospital, which I mentioned in the video :) Union General.
The problem with Jasper is the old lady here who walks the streets with a baseball bat, knives, and a little dog. She makes a living trying to get hit by cars, but also going on to other people's properties and trying to get their dogs to bite her. LE in town knows all of this, they will even tell you they know she's full of it, but they don't care enough about it to bring her up on fraud or public nuisance charges. Also, the town is out of water.
You are beautiful.