Ellijay Georgia Real Estate

Ellijay GA, in Gilmer County, is a popular destination for log cabin buyers and weekend residents. It also attracts retirees and people who want to live in the mountains and work in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, about an hour south on Hwy 515. Property values have appreciated nicely in the past five years, and Ellijay attracts many investors who are looking for reasonably priced property. The current market slowdown, a resort market version of a buyer’s market, has created many attractive buys on both acreage and residential offerings in the Ellijay area.

The town of Ellijay - Cherokee for “place of many waters” or “place that is green” - is located at the confluence of the Cartecay and Ellijay rivers, which form the Coosawattee River. The Coosawattee in turn feeds Carter’s Lake, which is known for its striped bass fishing and 60 miles of unspoiled shoreline. As a Corp of Engineers project, the lakefront itself is unavailable for residential construction, although there are many cabins with dramatic views of the lake. Carter’s Lake has five recreation areas – Doll’s Mountain, Harris Branch, Damsite, Woodring Branch, and Ridgeway – with a number of boat ramps, campsites, and picnic areas. There is a public swimming area at Harris Branch. While the Cartecay is considered the best river for trout, both the Cartecay and the Ellijay can be rewarding for kayaking and canoeing. Mountaintown Creek, in the Gates Chapel area, is a beautiful trout stream with its headwaters in the Cohutta Wilderness Area.

With its three rivers, Ellijay is a wonderful destination for lovers of running water and peaceful streamside settings, but Gilmer County is also home to a significant portion of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Within the forest are the Cohutta Wilderness Area and the Rich Mountain Wilderness area, part of the Cohutta Mountains. There are miles of hiking trails in these areas, and the long-range Benton McKaye Trail traverses the county from Horsepen Mountain in the Rich Mountain area through Cherry Log and Bushy Head Gap to the Cohutta Wilderness Area. The Big Creek area, in the southeast corner of the county, is one of the most unspoiled and remote destinations in the mountains, while the northern part of the county provides access to the Cohuttas and the very popular Lake Conasauga. The county is also home to the Coosawattee and Talking Rock Wildlife Management areas. Amicalola Falls and Fort Mountain are nearby attractions.

Gilmer County is known as the Apple Capital of Georgia, harvesting over 600,000 bushels of apples, which are sold in apple houses on the edges of the many foothill orchards as well as at the popular Apple Festival, which is held in Ellijay over two weekends in October. A favorite fall pastime is driving Hwy 52 from East Ellijay southeast toward Amicalola Falls and Dawsonville, a route that goes past a number of apple houses.

Ellijay is known for its gated communities, the most upscale of which is Blackberry Mountain, situated in a beautiful setting on the Cartecay River. The sprawling Coosawattee River Resort is known for the most reasonably priced cabins in the mountains, while Walnut Mountain enjoys part-time residency by former president Jimmy Carter. Goose Island, near Cherry Log, enjoys a wonderful setting on the Ellijay River. Whitepath and Buckhorn Estates, also on the Ellijay River, are golf course communities. A number of newer developments of all types compete for the attention of cabin buyers with these older, more established communities. Cherry Log, between Ellijay and Blue Ridge, is home to Cherry Lake, a popular log cabin community in a beautiful mountain setting.

Ellijay has a charming downtown square with many interesting little shops and restaurants. Its “sister city,” East Ellijay, has a thriving restaurant scene, in part because its restaurants are allowed to serve beer, wine, and liquor. (The tax revenue generated by these destination restaurants is the envy of many politicians in the surrounding areas.) Popular destinations for dinner include the Cajun Depot, Longhorn Steaks, Ruby Tuesday, and Charlie’s. Gilmer County also has two popular barbecues. For the Republicans, there is Col. Poole’s in East Ellijay, famous for its “Pig Hill of Fame,” and for the Democrats there is Bud Holloway’s Pink Pig in Ellijay, where Jimmy Carter can occasionally be spotted.

Analysis of MLS data for July 2008 reveals that there were 29 residential transactions in the Ellijay Georgia real estate market last month. The median home sale was $190,000, with the highest sale being $389,000 and the lowest $13,000. These listings spent an average of 171 days on market before selling. The sold to list price ratio was 90.96%, and the sold to original price ratio was 85.14%. The total volume was $5,541,450.

For the first six months of 2008, there were 169 residential transactions in the Ellijay area. The median home sale was $194,900, with the highest sale being $727,500 and the lowest $5,000. These listings spent an average of 151 days on market before selling. The sold to list price ratio was 94.26%, and the sold to original price ratio was 86.84%. The total volume was $34,304,674.

Note: Because our MLS allows relisting property with a different MLS number, actual time on market is probably considerably longer than is represented in these statistics.

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