Lumpkin County

Lumpkin County, Georgia
Lumpkin County Courthouse in Dahlonega
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 3, 1832
Named for	Wilson Lumpkin
Seat	Dahlonega
Largest city	Dahlonega
Area
• Total	284 sq mi (736 km2)
• Land	283 sq mi (733 km2)
• Water	1.3 sq mi (3 km2), 0.4%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	31,408
• Density	106/sq mi (41/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.lumpkincounty.gov

Lumpkin County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,966. Its county seat is Dahlonega.

Lumpkin County was created on December 3, 1832. The county was named for former governor of Georgia, Wilson Lumpkin. Lumpkin's daughter, Martha Wilson Lumpkin Compton, was the source for the town named Marthasville, the early-1840s predecessor of Atlanta.

Gold was discovered in the county near Auraria in the 1830s, and the U.S. government had a mint in Dahlonega for over twenty years as a result, until the Civil War. Gold from the county was later used on the dome of the current state capitol building.

Agriculture and agritourism are top business industries. Since the mid-1990s, Lumpkin County has been recognized as "the heart of Georgia wine country." The county features multiple vineyards and five licensed wineries that attract many tourists. In 2015, Senator Steve Gooch introduced Georgia Senate Resolution 125, officially recognizing Lumpkin County as the Wine Tasting Room Capital of Georgia.

The historic Dahlonega Square is also a popular destination, with gift shops, restaurants, art galleries and artists' studios and additional tasting rooms.

Lumpkin county is the home of the U.S. Army's Camp Frank D. Merrill, the home of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion of the U.S. Army Ranger School's mountain Phase. Camp Frank D. Merrill is located in the northern end of the county, within the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area of the Chattahoochee National Forest.