About > Geography & Demographics

Geographically, Nelson is situated astride the border of Pickens and Cherokee Counties in north Georgia. Although city center is located in Pickens County, in recent years, the city limits have expanded further south, so now more of Nelson lies within Cherokee County than in Pickens. At present, 0.792 square miles of Nelson is in Cherokee and 0.631 square miles is within Pickens.

Neighboring communities include Ball Ground, an incorporated city located about three miles to the south, and also approximately three miles to the north is the unincorporated community of Tate. The nearest incorporated town to the north is Jasper, the Pickens county seat, at a distance of seven miles. The Cherokee county seat, Canton, is approximately fourteen miles to the south.

Nelson is located within the greater metropolitan area of Atlanta, which is located about 50 miles due south. Area residents have easy access to Atlanta via Interstate 575 whose terminus is only a short drive from Nelson where the interstate becomes the four-lane State Highway 515.

Geologically, Nelson, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is at the northern border of the Piedmont and the southern end of the ancient Appalachian Mountain Range. Approximately six miles to the north of Nelson is Mount Oglethorpe, at 3,288 feet tall, it is one of the highest mountains in Georgia and is named after the state's founder, James Oglethorpe. The First Marble City is in the Limestone Valley Conservation District, which is named for the extensive limestone and marble deposits that lie beneath the surface of the earth in this area. A rich vein of marble runs beneath Nelson. Sizable streams in the area include Long Swamp Creek to the east and Sharp Mountain Creek to the west.

Demographically, the 2010 Census reported a population 1,317, which was a 110% increase over the previous 2000 Census due mainly to the expansion of the city limits of Nelson. Projections are the population will increase by approximately five percent to 1,377 by the time the 2020 Census is released. The population breakdown is 49.5% male to 50.5% female. The racial makeup of the community is 90% white, 9% black, and 1% other.

Nineteen percent of residents are below the age of 18, 8% between the ages of 18 to 24, 29% in the 25 to 44 age bracket, 27% are between 45 and 64, and there are 17% above 65.

The median household income is $44,250 which is $5,500 above the state average while the per capita income is $20,604, and only 1.1 percent of Nelson's residents live below the poverty level. The median home value for Nelson is estimated at $208,000 which is more than $31,000 above the state average.