Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
General Information
Location - History - Climate - Population & Growth
LOCATION
GAINESVILLE, the seat of HALL COUNTY, is located 52 miles northeast of
Atlanta via I-985 / GA 365 (Lanier Parkway), a four-lane limited access highway,
and 45 miles northwest of Athens. Other cities are Flowery Branch and Oakwood in
south Hall county, Clermont in north Hall, and Lula and Gillsville in east Hall.
Lake Sidney Lanier, a 38,000-acre lake built by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers,
is ocated in Hall County. Its 607 miles of shoreline form the boundary for the
finest recreational center in Georgia. Hall County, which lies at the southern
edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest along the foot of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, contains an inviting terrain of natural vegetation, abundant water
resources and a good network of highways. Gainesville has become the trade,
medical, educational, industrial, legal, retail, cultural, and recreational center
for more than 360,000 people of Northeast Georgia.
HISTORY
On July 12, 1733, James Oglethorpe landed at Savannah to establish the last
of the 13 original colonies. In 1778, Georgia became the fourth state, and the
first southern state, to ratify the Federal Constitution and enter the Union.
Eighty-four years were to pass before the story of Gainesville began. On December
15, 1818, out of the land acquired from the Creeks and the Cherokees, Hall County
was formed. The Lottery Act of 1818 divided the land into counties and plots of
202.5 acres. Citizens were given one chance to draw a title to a plot of land.
Hall County was named for Dr. Lyman Hall, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence on behalf of Georgia, later a Georgia governor and a
judge in Chatham County.
On April 21, 1821, an act was approved by Governor John Clark that
chartered the town of Gainesville, formerly called "Mule Camp Springs". The first
commissioners were Stephen Reed, John Stringer, John Finch, Jesse Clayton and Eli
Sutherland. There are two ideas on the origin of the name Gainesville: one, that
it was named for a pioneer family named Gaines; two, for General Edmund Gaines who
was instrumental in adjusting the matter between the state and the Cherokees. The
county seat was organized here, due, it is said, to a spring located at the foot of
Spring Street. Early traders gathered there to trade with the Cherokee Indians.
In 1832, Gainesville officially reincorporated, with Minor Brown, John W.
Moore, James W. Jones, James Law and Larkin Cleveland as commissioners. In
December 1851, Gainesville was virtually destroyed by fire, but subsequently was
rebuilt into a better and more attractive town.
Gainesville struggled through the Civil War and its aftermath, but the
struggle was upward and the town regenerated at the turn of the century as a
prosperous trade and mill center.
On January 1, 1903, a tornado struck the city, leaving 106
dead, 300 injured and property damage estimated at
$750,000.
On December 16, 1903, Hall County voted not to sell alcoholic
beverages.
On March 1, 1905, free mail delivery began in the city.
The General James Longstreet Chapter of the United Daughters of the
Confederacy dedicated the statue of the Confederate soldier on the square on June
7, 1909. In November of the same year, the square and the streets adjoining it for
one block were paved.
In August of 1919, the American Legion was organized and named for the
first soldier from Gainesville that gave his life in World War I - Paul E. Bolding.
On April 6, 1936, Gainesville was struck by a tornado and again a bigger
and more beautiful town was born. Beginning with the rebuilding after the tornado
of 1936, Gainesville moved forward at a faster pace with an accelerated economy
based on war. Poultry became a major industry, and climate, resources, labor, and
prosperity further facilitated economic growth. Today, there is a great
diversification of manufacturing and service industries in Gainesville and Hall
County.
Another milestone was marked with the creation of Lake Lanier in 1958. It
opened yet another avenue of growth, the tourist trade. Lake Lanier has a
surface acreage in Hall County of 21,993 acres, and is the single most extensively
used water recreation area in the United States.
Over the last 10 years, Gainesville-Hall County has enjoyed steady
diversified growth. During this time, 53 quality industries have made the
community home. These new industries have created over 5,200 new jobs in Hall
County.
CLIMATE
Gainesville is located in the foothills of the southern Appalachian
Mountains in north-central Georgia. The terrain is rolling and hilly while it
slopes downward toward the east, west and south. Gainesville has a mean elevation
of 1,279 feet above sea level.
The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean are approximately 300 miles south
and southeast of the city, respectively. Both the Appalachian chain and the two
nearby maritime bodies exert an important influence on Gainesville's climate.
Temperatures are moderated throughout the year while abundant precipitation fosters
natural vegetation and growth of crops. Summer temperatures in Gainesville are
moderated somewhat by elevation but are still rather warm. However, prolonged
periods of hot weather are rare. Afternoon high temperatures during summer equal
or exceed 90 degrees less than one day in five, while 100-degree heat is rarely
experienced. The highest temperature ever recorded was 107 degrees on July 29,
1952. The mean temperature in the summer is 67.325 degrees F (May-September).
With the mountains to the north tending to retard the southward movement of
polar air masses, Gainesville's winters are rather mild. Cold spells are not
unusual but they are rather short-lived and seldom disrupt outdoor activities for
an extended period of time. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Gainesville
was -8 degrees F in January 1966. March 24 is the average date of the last
freezing temperature in the spring while November 12 is the average date of the
first freezing temperature in the fall, which gives an average growing season of
233 days. The mean temperature in the winter is 45.93 degrees F (November-February).
Monthly rainfall ranges from a mean of 3.43 inches in October to 6.89
inches in March, with an annual precipitation average of 52.32 inches. Dry periods
occur mainly during the late summer and early autumn, with a maximum of
thundershower activity during July.
The average annual snowfall is about 3.1 inches. However, a snow of 4
inches or more occurs about once every five years. Most snows melt quickly due to
the rapid warming which often follows a storm. Ice storms (freezing rain or glaze)
occur about every two years, causing hazardous travel and disruption of utilities.
evere ice storms occur about once every ten years.
The Bermuda high pressure area has a dominant effect on Gainesville's
weather, particularly in the summer months. Winds average only about 7.4 mph
during the year, with relatively small fluctuations of the barometric pressure.
East or northeast winds produce the most unpleasant weather conditions, although
southerly winds are quite humid during the summer. The generally light wind
conditions contribute to the formation of an occasional early morning fog.
However, the number of clear to partly cloudy days far exceeds the number of cloudy
days, making Gainesville a sunny place to live.
POPULATION
Gainesville's population according to the 1990 census was 17,885, with a
total population of 95,428 for Hall County. Currently, Hall County is growing at
an annual rate of 2.6 percent with a projected growth rate of 2.75 percent over the
next five years.
