East Ellijay, Georgia | |
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City | |
East Ellijay city hall
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Location in Gilmer County and the state of Georgia |
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Coordinates: 34°41′5″N 84°28′21″W / 34.68472°N 84.47250°WCoordinates: 34°41′5″N 84°28′21″W / 34.68472°N 84.47250°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Gilmer |
Area | |
• Total | 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2) |
• Land | 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km2) |
• Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
Elevation | 1,273 ft (388 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 546 |
• Density | 161/sq mi (62.0/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP codes | 30539-30540 |
Area code(s) | 706/762 |
FIPS code | 13-25356 |
GNIS feature ID | 0331619 |
East Ellijay is a city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States. The population was 546 at the 2010 census, down from 707 in 2000.
As its name suggests, it is just east of Ellijay, Georgia, the site of a Cherokee settlement, one of several with the name. In the Cherokee language the name is properly rendered Elatseyi (abbreviated to "Elatse"), which can be translated as "green verdant earth", suggesting fresh-springing vegetation. It was variously spelled "Ellijay", "Elejoy", and "Allagae". In addition to the Cherokee town in Georgia, there were Cherokee towns of this name on the Keowee River in South Carolina, on the Little Tennessee River at Ellijay Creek in North Carolina, and on Ellejoy Creek of the Little River near present-day Maryville, Tennessee.
East Ellijay was originally the location of Fort Hetzel, one of the Cherokee removal forts built in 1838 to house the Cherokee people before sending them on the "Trail of Tears".
East Ellijay is located in central Gilmer County at 34°41′5″N 84°28′21″W / 34.68472°N 84.47250°W (34.684668, -84.472434). It is bordered to the north and west by the city of Ellijay.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2), all of it land. Georgia State Route 5/515, a four-lane bypass of Ellijay, runs the length of East Ellijay from north to south. U.S. Route 76 follows Routes 5/515 in the northern half of East Ellijay. The city of Blue Ridge is 15 miles (24 km) to the northeast, Jasper is 19 miles (31 km) to the south, and Chatsworth is 25 miles (40 km) to the west. Georgia State Route 52 runs southeast from East Ellijay 38 miles (61 km) to Dahlonega.