Waleska (/wɔːˈlɛskə/ waw-LES-kə) is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States.

Among these first pioneer settlers were the Reinhardt, Heard and Rhyne families, who moved into the region looking for fresh, fertile farm land.

When the Trail of Tears forced the movement of Warluskee, the daughter of a local Cherokee chief and friend of Reinhardt's, westward, he named this settlement in her honor (see Funk Heritage Center below).

In 1883, Augustus M. Reinhardt, an Atlanta lawyer, former Confederate captain, and son of one of the founders of Waleska, along with his brother-in-law, former Civil War Lieutenant-Colonel John J.

Sharp, founded Reinhardt Academy in Waleska for the impoverished children of Cherokee County.

Founded in 1883, Reinhardt offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

In addition to this main campus, the school has an off-campus site, Reinhardt University's North Fulton Center, located in Alpharetta, and offers select programs of study in Cartersville and Canton, Georgia, as well as online courses.