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44-606: The scenic byway traverses along 19 miles (31 km) of US 64 / US 74 , as it routes along the north banks of the Ocoee River . At Oswald Road (Forest Road 77), the 7-mile (11 km) Chilhowee Scenic Spur climbs to the top of the Chilhowee Mountains . Various boating/fishing activities can be done at Parksville Lake; while canoeing, rafting and kayaking can be done at the Ocoee Whitewater Center , venue of

88-522: A humid subtropical climate similar to much of the rest of the state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census , there were 9,133 people, 3,359 households, and 2,135 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2010, Toccoa had a population of 8,491. The July 2014 population estimate was 8,257. The median age of a Toccoa resident is 35.4. The number of companies in Toccoa is 1,135. In educational attainment, high school graduate or higher percentage

132-552: A hangar dance at the airport, and a special banquet featuring keynote speakers and veterans. The Ritz Theatre is a restored 1939 art deco movie theater, located in the Downtown Toccoa Historic District at 139 Doyle Street. It is an active venue for a variety of entertainment. "Born from fire, and twice rebuilt from ashes, Downtown Toccoa's Albemarle Hotel has witnessed Toccoa's growth, and its struggles, for more than 100 years." The current building, dating from

176-535: A hill overlooking the upper Tugalo River . The Greek revival antebellum house was built by his enslaved African-American workers, and the timber for the house was harvested from his plantation. The Prather family cemetery was developed to the right of the house. During the Civil War, General Robert Toombs , a close friend of Prather, used this house as a refuge from Union troops. The soldiers pursued him to Riverside, but he hid and escaped capture. The Prather Bridge

220-525: A major speech, and finished at Warm Springs for a vacation. Camp Toccoa was developed nearby as a World War II paratrooper training base. It was the first training base for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the Army's 101st Airborne Division . Its Easy Company was subject of the non-fiction book and an HBO miniseries adaptation of the same name: Band of Brothers . Traveler's Rest , an antebellum 19th-century inn, known locally as Jarrett Manor,

264-468: A restored 1939 dealership but has moved to Clarkesville, GA in Habersham County. There are over 100 years of automotive history on display. Vehicles can be stored, listed on consignment, for sale by owner or donated and everything is displayed as museum exhibits. The Currahee Military Museum, located in downtown Toccoa at the original train station where arriving GIs would disembark, is dedicated to

308-453: A route over nearby Little Frog Mountain , and a tunnel. The entire route is in Polk County . Toccoa Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia near the border with South Carolina . It is the county seat of Stephens County , Georgia , United States, located about 50 miles (80 km) from Athens and about 90 miles (140 km) northeast of Atlanta . The population

352-403: A wide range of concert experiences. The ensemble has premiered works by young composers, presents a yearly Christmas concert with a one hundred voice choir, and incorporates budding performers from nearby Toccoa Falls College. The rock band Luxury originated in Toccoa, at Toccoa Falls College, in the early 1990s. The Miles Through Time Automotive Museum was a co-op style automotive museum in

396-740: Is a regional financial services company with more than 1,300 employees. Annual events include the Currahee Military Weekend, the Ida Cox Music Series, Toast of Toccoa, Summer Movies at the Ritz, Costume Parade, Harvest Festival, ChristmasFest, and Christmas Parade. Toccoa is the home of a regional orchestra. The Toccoa Symphony Orchestra is made up of volunteer musicians from the surrounding community, in South Carolina , and Georgia . The symphony exists to provide quality symphonic music to

440-530: Is believed to be a former food supply storage facility, based on its position near the former camp's gates and the foundation's construction. It was donated to the museum in 2011 by the Milliken company, which was using it as a machine shop. The museum intends to restore the building, along with the surrounding grounds. On the first Saturday of every October, a six-mile race is held along the Colonel Sink Trail,

484-452: Is known as the regional South Appalachian Mississippian culture , by contrast, settlements were smaller and the peoples typically built a single platform mound in the larger villages. Salvage archeological studies were conducted by Dr. Joseph Caldwell of the University of Georgia in 1957, prior to flooding of this area after construction of a dam downriver. He determined the first settlement

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528-491: Is located at 34°34′29″N 83°19′12″W  /  34.57472°N 83.32000°W  / 34.57472; -83.32000 (34.574725, −83.319865). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 8.4 square miles (22 km ), of which 8.3 square miles (21 km ) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) (0.60%) is water. Altitude is 313 m (1,027 ft). Toccoa has

572-536: Is located outside Toccoa. It stands near Lake Hartwell , which was created by flooding an area of the Tugaloo River after completion of the Hartwell Dam in 1962. The inn has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . Toccoa Falls is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College . The short 100-yard path to the base of the 186-foot (57 m) high natural waterfall is gravel-paved and easily walkable. Toccoa

616-475: Is prone to rockslides . The worst rockslide in the route's history occurred on November 10, 2009, near Ocoee Dam No. 2 , blocking the route for months. Due to the increasing rate of commercial traffic, the Tennessee Department of Transportation plans to replace the route with a four-lane highway. Multiple methods are being considered, including a route on the south side over the river and existing route,

660-454: Is the home of Toccoa Falls College , a private Christian college. North Georgia Technical College has the Currahee campus just south of Toccoa. Amtrak 's Crescent connects Toccoa with the cities of New York , Philadelphia , Baltimore , Washington , Charlotte , Atlanta , Birmingham , and New Orleans . The Amtrak station is at 47 North Alexander Street. The Amtrak line is shared with

704-649: The 1996 Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Competition when the Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta . The majority of the route is two lanes, but a short segment east of the whitewater center is four lanes. Part of the four lane section was narrowed to two lanes before the Olympics to make room for stands, and the original eastbound lanes of that section are now used as parking for the Whitewater Center. The two lane sections are

748-714: The Cherokee Removal . The toll road remained in operation until after the Civil War. Today the path is part of the Cherokee Heritage Trail project. A 2.5 mile (4.0km) section of the original trail opened for hiking in June 2005. It is located in the Cherokee National Forest in Coker Creek. The rest of the turnpike can be can be seen by car on roads that roughly follow the route of the old trail. “Unicoi”

792-817: The Norfolk Southern Railway . Before Amtrak, Toccoa was a stop on the Airline Belle , a regional train of the Southern Railway from 1879 to 1931. Toccoa is also home to the Toccoa Airport , a small executive airport to the northeast of town. The airport was built by R.G. LeTourneau and is sometimes referred to as R.G. LeTourneau Field. The nearest interstate highway is Interstate 85 . State highway 17 bypasses Toccoa, and highway 17 Alt runs through Toccoa. US highway 123 / state highway 365 runs through Toccoa as well. The Toccoa Record newspaper

836-465: The paratroopers of World War II who trained at Camp Toccoa . Camp Toccoa was located just outside the city proper, at the foot of Currahee Mountain , and was formerly known as Camp Toombs. The museum houses the original Aldbourne stables where paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division were housed temporarily in England in 1944. Only one building remains of the original Camp Toccoa. The building

880-631: The 1930s, retains some of the previous structure. For many years, it was known as the Alexander Apartments. The hotel is located in the Downtown Toccoa Historic District, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Stephens County Schools serves students in preschool through grade twelve. There are four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 304 full-time teachers and over 4,405 students. Stephens County High School finished building its new facility in

924-577: The American Colonies ) Indian agent Col. George Chicken was one of the first English colonists to mention Toccoa in his journal from 1725, calling it Toxsoah. As early as 1740, the Unicoi Turnpike , an important Native American trading path, connected Tennessee to Savannah by way of Toccoa. The route began on the Savannah River , just below the entrance of Toccoa Creek . In 1830, it

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968-562: The Cherokee on the infamous " Trail of Tears " extinguished most of their land claims to this area. The US government released former Cherokee and Creek ( Muscogee ) lands for sale and settlement by European Americans in Georgia. A more substantial bridge was built across the Tugaloo River in 1850. That year James D. Prather supervised the construction of his plantation house known as Riverside, on

1012-414: The Cherokee struck a treaty with the U.S. government to allow construction of a toll road along the path. According to the treaty, the tribe would be paid $ 160 per year for twenty years. After that time the agreement would be re-negotiated or the route would revert to the Cherokee's ownership. The annual amounts were reportedly never paid. A company led by Russell Wiley worked from 1813 until 1817 to turn

1056-1003: The Clock in the Afternoon came in the War hoop from Ouconey with a piece of a Scalp of one of the Enemies Scouts, giving an Accot that Scouts being in Number Twenty four that went out from old Estotoe, and Toxsoah having come upon the tracts of three of the Enemy found they were made downwards towards the other Towns (on wch) they Concluded to waylay the Path thinking by that means to Catch the Enemy being three in Number returning back to their old tracts near Estotoe from Town to Town." George Chicken, Journal (quoted in Travels in

1100-687: The Johns House, a Victorian cottage near Prather Bridge Road, was built in 1898. When the Georgia General Assembly created Stephens County in 1905, Toccoa was established as the county seat. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited Toccoa on March 23, 1938 during the Great Depression . Roosevelt's train made a brief stop there, and he made remarks from the rear platform of the presidential train. He traveled to Gainesville to deliver

1144-556: The United States. Scots-Irish who acquired land in the lottery moved to this area from the backcountry of North Carolina and the Georgia coast. The Georgia Gold Rush , starting in 1828, also attracted many new settlers to North Georgia. European Americans pressed the government to take over the land of the Five Civilized Tribes, seeking cheaper land to develop for cotton plantations. Short-staple cotton, which could be grown in

1188-767: The following cities: Toccoa, Eastanollee , Martin , and Avalon . Major industrial parks in the area are Toccoa Industrial Park, Meadowbrook Industrial Park, and Hayestone Brady Business Park. The top Stephens County employers in descending order are the Stephens County School System, Caterpillar, Patterson Pump, ASI (GEM Industries), American Woodmark Corp., Standard Register, Sage Automotive Interiors, Habersham Plantation, Toccoa Falls College, Coats & Clark, Eaton Corporation, and PTL Company (an elevator fixtures and parts manufacturer). Founded and headquartered in Toccoa, 1st Franklin Financial Corporation

1232-634: The mountains in Unicoi Gap on its way east to present-day Murphy, North Carolina , and followed the Hiwassee River toward Hayesville , before turning south towards present-day Hiawassee, Georgia , and entering Georgia's Unicoi Gap. The trail then crosses Spoilcane Creek and the Chattahoochee River 11 times, dropping around 800 feet on its way to Sautee. In the Sautee-Nacoochee Valley,

1276-636: The only sections of US 64 in Tennessee that are still two lanes. The route follows the Old Copper Road, originally a wagon trail dating back to the 1850s for transporting copper from the Copper Basin area to Cleveland and Chattanooga . The Ocoee Scenic Byway was the first National Forest Scenic Byway in the nation, designated on July 22, 1988, by the United States Forest Service . The route

1320-401: The region and to bring together musicians from throughout northeast Georgia. The symphony was founded in 1977 by Pinkie Craft Ware and Archie Sharretts, both music educators. Since its founding, the symphony has performed at least three concerts every season. It is supported by a board of directors and an extensive network of patrons. The orchestra collaborates with many musicians and provides

1364-471: The same trail used by the paratroopers as part of their training for combat. Known as one of the most daunting races in America. The common refrain is "Three Miles Up And Three Miles Down." The race is part of the Currahee Military Weekend, which features World War II military reenactments in a staged military camp, weapons demonstrations, book signings by veterans, a parade through the downtown historic district,

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1408-603: The spring of 2012. It includes a four-sided gymnasium arena, better fine arts facilities, and a larger media center. Crossroads Juvenile Academy is an alternative school in Stephens County that gives behaviorally impaired students a second chance. Mountain Education Center is an online night school that grants full Georgia high school diplomas. This course is designed not only for full-time students but also part-time students who are working to recover lost credits. Toccoa

1452-470: The toll road. The toll ranged from twelve and a half cents for a man and his horse to $ 1.25 for a four-wheel “carriage of pleasure." The discovery of gold at Coker Creek in the 1820s brought an influx of people and a fort was established to separate miners from Cherokee and their lands. In the 1830s, the turnpike was the first leg of the Trail of Tears for more than 3,000 Cherokee people who were deported during

1496-408: The trail into a two-lane toll road for wagons carrying freight. Inns and rest stops called "stands" were built along the trail at intervals of about fifteen miles. Many such rest stops grew into communities, such as Brasstown, North Carolina . The only surviving inn, Traveler's Rest in Toccoa, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Drovers herded turkeys, hogs, and livestock on

1540-651: The trail, large mammals migrated along the route for the winter. In 1756, British soldiers used the road to construct Fort Loudoun during the French and Indian War . The trail later aided raids between European colonists and Cherokees during the American Revolution . In 1795 a United States fur trade factory was established in Tellico along the route. It was moved to Hiawassee in 1807 before being discontinued in 1811. In 1813, after requests from Tennessee and Georgia,

1584-688: The turnpike connected with the Cherokee Trading Path network which included trails to present-day Virginia , Pennsylvania , and Maryland . From Sautee-Nacoochee, the path continued east to Toccoa as the Chattahoochee River turned south. The route then connected with the Savannah River , just below the entrance of Toccoa Creek . From there, the river could be navigated to ports in Savannah and Charleston . The path has existed for more than 1,000 years. Even before Native Americans used

1628-532: The uplands through this area, had become profitable since the invention of the cotton gin for processing it. At the urging of President Andrew Jackson , Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , authorizing the government to force cessions of land by Southeast tribes in exchange for lands west of the Mississippi River , in what became known as Indian Territory , now Oklahoma. The 1838 removal of

1672-515: Was 84.1%. The total housing units in Toccoa is 4,009. The median household income was $ 34,047. The foreign-born population was 213. The percentage of individuals below the poverty level was 24.4%. Stephens County Development Authority (SCDA) was established in 1965 to continue and sustain the growth of Northeast Georgia . SCDA is responsible for the recruitment of new businesses such as industrial, manufacturing, distribution, corporate and regional headquarters and customer service centers. SCDA serves

1716-743: Was 9,133 as of the 2020 census. The Indigenous Nations of the Mississippian culture , and historic Yuchi , linked to the Muscogee Creek confederacy and later allies of the Cherokee , occupied Tugaloo and the area of Toccoa for over 1,000 years prior to colonization. The Mississippian culture was known for building earthen platform mounds . In the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, the people developed some large, dense cities and complexes featuring multiple mounds and, in some cases, thousands of residents. In what

1760-421: Was born near Toccoa, then part of Habersham County . Travelers had to rely on using fords, and later ferries, to get across the Tugaloo River. The first Prather's Bridge was a swinging bridge built in 1804 by James Jeremiah Prather. The first bridge was washed away during a freshet, an overflow caused by heavy rain. Georgia conducted a Land Lottery of 1820 , although the Cherokee had not yet ceded this area to

1804-499: Was burned in 1863 by Confederate troops during the Civil War to keep the Union enemy from crossing. James Jeremiah Prather and his son, James Devereaux Prather, rebuilt the bridge in 1868. This bridge lasted until 1918, when it was washed away. It was rebuilt in 1920 by James D. Prather. It was afterward replaced by a concrete bridge, but the wooden bridge was kept as a landmark. Vandals burned it down in 1978. According to historical accounts,

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1848-468: Was converted to a toll road. European Americans did not settle here until after the American Revolutionary War , when the government gave land grants in lieu of pay owed to veterans. A group led by Col. William H. Wofford moved to the area when the war ended. It became known as Wofford's Tract, or Wofford's Settlement. Col. Wofford is buried near Toccoa Falls . His son, William T. Wofford ,

1892-614: Was founded about 800 CE and lasted to 1700, when the village was burned. By that time, it was occupied by proto-Creek who were descendants of the Mississippians. Colonial maps until the American Revolution identified this village as one of the Hogeloge people, now known as Yuchi . While they later became allies of the Cherokee, they were of a different ethnicity and language group. "Saturday the 25th day of September 1725. About four of

1936-468: Was founded in 1873. Unicoi Turnpike The Unicoi Turnpike was a 150-mile (240km) trail through north Georgia , western North Carolina , and eastern Tennessee used by Native Americans before the footpath was converted into a toll road in the early 19th century. The trail began in Tennessee at Tellico Blockhouse on the Federal Road near Nine Mile Creek in present-day Vonore . It entered

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