|
| |
|
the Soque River -
Habersham County
Habersham County
contains a rich diversity of natural, historic and recreational resources
that are highly regarded by local residents, Georgians, and visitors from
out of state.
Due to the County’s occupation of two
physiographic provinces, the Blue Ridge uplands and the rolling plateaus
of the Piedmont, local topography ranges dramatically from almost 4,000
feet at the northwestern tip (the peak of
Tray Mountain) to less than
1,000 feet at the southern end.
Approximately 35,020 acres, close to 20% of the total County land area,
contains slopes of 25% or greater. These mountainous areas shed rainfall
rapidly and are typically drier than bottomlands. Once covered with a
mixed deciduous forest with little undergrowth, clear cutting has reduced
moisture retention in these areas leading to a dominance of drought
resistant trees and vegetation, such as Post Oak and Pitch Pine. Moderate
slopes are characterized by Red Maple, Blue Beech, Sweetgum and species of
oak and pine. Lower elevations typically receive more sunlight and more
moisture and represent the greatest diversity of vegetative coverage,
including many types of ferns. An estimated 60 tree species are thought to
occur in Habersham County. Three rare or endangered plants are known to
occur within the County with a high likelihood of nearly a dozen others.
The
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, managed by the US Forest Service covers
40,177 acres of land in Habersham County, representing approximately 22%
of the total land area (63 square miles out of a total 283). These lands
represent a broad diversity of recreational opportunities including
fishing, hiking, camping, hunting and horseback riding, to name a few.
There are four designated primary trout
streams within Habersham County. These are the Chattahoochee River and its
tributaries, the Middle Broad River, Panther Creek and the Soque River and
its tributaries.
Trout
fishing is a well known recreational opportunity within the county.
Habersham
County may be the only county in the state of Georgia to completely
contain its primary watershed, the Soque River, from headwaters to mouth,
affording the county a unique opportunity to control the future of its
heart river.
Occupying three-fourths
of the county’s land area, the Soque Basin provides the majority of the
drinking water demanded within the county. The
Eastern Continental Divide
runs through Habersham County. While the waters of the Soque River flow
to the Gulf of Mexico, the waters along the eastern edge of the county
flow into the
Savannah River and from there into the
Atlantic Ocean. |
Land Use Patterns
Urban
and suburban land uses are clustered around Habersham County’s
seven municipalities:
Alto,
Baldwin,
Clarkesville,
Cornelia,
Demorest,
Mount Airy,
Tallulah Falls. This is particularly true of
those in the southwestern corner of the County, with a more recent
trend towards dispersed residential development.
Conservation and recreation land, in the form of the Chattahoochee
National Forest, lies along the County’s northern and eastern
borders. Most commercial and industrial development is located in
the southwestern corner of the county, in proximity to more
populated areas, easy highway access, and lower topography.
Agricultural, forestry, and undeveloped lands are dispersed
throughout the
county, often intermingling with new residential development.
The cities of Alto,
Baldwin, Cornelia, and Mount Airy lie adjacent to each other along
the southern border of Habersham County. Portions of Baldwin and
Alto lie in
Banks County. Demorest rests north of these cities
along Highway 441, which has long served as a primary
transportation artery. Clarkesville sits in the middle of the
county, north of Demorest. Highway 441 between Cornelia and
Clarkesville has seen the highest concentration of commercial
development along a major transportation artery. |
Rapid Growth Area
Very little analysis has been completed to
accurately depict the areas within the county and municipalities
that are experiencing rapid growth.
As
Habersham
County
continues to develop its GIS capabilities, county building and
planning personnel plan to track annual permitting trends to
assist in this type analysis.
Habersham County’s most recent Comprehensive Plan was completed in
1988, then revised and readopted in 1993. Many of the growth
trends noted in this document are pertinent to growth patterns
today, with some changes, most notably the extension of State
Route 365 to Tallulah Falls. The following information was
extracted from this document:
“At least half the population
of Habersham County is concentrated in an urban growth corridor
which extends from Alto to Tallulah Falls and roughly parallels
U.S. Highway 441. The county’s seven municipalities and their
adjoining properties lie within this corridor, and there exists
a continuum of development between Baldwin, Cornelia, Demorest
and Clarkesville.”
Much of the commercial and
residential development is concentrated in the lower third of the
county and around urban growth zones serviced by Baldwin and
Cornelia. These concentrations are due in part to this regions
accessibility from more populated areas via State Route 365. This
region also has the fewest geographic and topographic restrictions
to development.
There are several other
significant growth trends. “Recently, subdivisions are being
located in the more rural settings [...] and there is a noticeable
trend toward the platting of residential lots along major
watercourses. Almost all multi-family residences are located in or
near municipalities."
Currently, most land use conversion within these
rapid growth areas consists of changes from an agricultural use to
residential and commercial use, due to the ease in developing
these lands. There appears to be a slower conversion of forested
acres to residential and commercial uses. Agricultural lands
returning to forested coverage are minimal, due to a sharp
decrease in the current economic viability of timber harvesting in
this region. |
Population of County and
Grantee Municipalities
Habersham County adopted its Future Land Use
Plan 2015 in November of 1993. This land use plan reflects current
transitions of increased residential development in the
southwestern portion of the county and extending north of Cornelia
and Mount Airy, east of Demorest, and south of Clarkesville.
Commercial growth zones are planned for historic U.S. Highway 441 northeast of
Clarkesville extending to unincorporated Turnerville. Increased
industrial development has been planned for north of Cornelia and
Baldwin as well as along Dick’s Hill Parkway east of Mount Airy.
|
Jurisdiction
(examples) |
2001 Census |
% of County |
|
Habersham County |
28,169 |
74.3% |
|
Baldwin |
1,993 |
5.4% |
|
Clarkesville |
1,248 |
3.4% |
|
Cornelia |
3,674 |
9.8% |
|
Demorest |
1,465 |
3.9% |
|
Mount Airy |
604 |
1.6% |
|
Totals |
37,153 |
100.00% |
|
|
|
|
- Back To Top - |
| |
|
