Dawsonville, GA, is the official government seat of Dawson County and it is located about 10 miles northwest of Lake Lanier, a beautiful man-made reservoir that is used as a source of drinking water by the City of Atlanta. Dawsonville is also 10 miles south of Amicalola State Park and it contains Amicalola Falls, the tallest cascading waterfall in America east of the Mississippi River. Millions of people travel to Lake Lanier and Amicalola State Park each year to enjoy sightseeing, swimming, boating, camping and fishing, and tourism accounts for a significant portion of Dawson County’s economy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dawsonville had a population of 619 in the year 2000 and a total land area of 1.9 square miles.

The city’s community is known in auto racing circles for its long tradition of involvement in the sport (many racing skills originally developed as a consequence of moonshine activity in the area) and celebrates its involvement every October with the yearly festival aptly named by locals as the “Mountain Moonshine Festival.”  Dawsonville is the home of semi-retiredNASCAR driver Bill Elliott. His nickname, in homage to his hometown, is “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville”. The city hall also has extravagant racing theme as well.

NASCAR museum

Burt's pumpkin found