[2] The county was created on March 6, 1856, and named for lawyer, legislator, and politician George W.

They were forced to travel what is known as the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.

In the early 1700s, deerskins and furs were shipped along the Unicoi Turnpike from Tennessee to Savannah and Charleston for transport to Europe.

[4] A United States fur trade factory was constructed in modern-day Hiawassee between 1807 and 1811.

[5] Hiawassee was settled by whites around 1820 and was designated seat of the newly formed Towns County in 1856.

[7] The historic Towns County Jail was constructed in downtown Hiawassee circa 1935.

[8] President Jimmy Carter visited Towns County in July 1980, landing by helicopter to go trout fishing with friends.

[9] The $27 million Brasstown Valley Resort was built on 503 acres east of Young Harris in 1995.

The source of the Hiwassee River is located in eastern Towns County, from which it flows northward into North Carolina.

Chatuge Lake dominates the northeastern section of Towns County and extends into North Carolina.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,493 people, 4,898 households, and 3,240 families residing in the county.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,471 people, 4,510 households, and 2,981 families living in the county.

[34] Towns County's Judge of Magistrate and Probate Court is D. David Rogers, who was elected in 2008.

This reflects Towns' highland, Unionist character as opposed to a Black Belt county.

Towns County School District offers pre-school to grade twelve on a unified campus.

The private Methodist-affiliated liberal arts college was founded in 1886 and served 1,425 undergraduate students as of 2020.