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Other Information:
Stephens County's first courthouse (see
profile) was completed in 1908. That structure is still
in use, but a new courthouse across the street from the original
opened in May 2000.
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Stephens County was created from Habersham and Franklin counties
on Aug. 18, 1905, by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws
1905, p. 58). [Click here
for the text of the act specifying Stephens County's original
boundaries.]
Georgia's 143rd county was named for one of Georgia's most
famous politicans,
Alexander Stephens.
County Seat:
The legislation creating Stephens County designated Toccoa as
county seat. Toccoa began as a settlement named Dry Pond.In
the early 1870s, it became a railway station for the Air-Line
Railroad between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. In 1874, the superior
court of Habersham County incorporated Toccoa. On Feb. 26, 1875,
the General Assembly confirmed Toccoa's incorporation (Ga. Laws
1875, p. 189). Toccoa was named for nearby Toccoa Falls, which
may derive from a Cherokee word for "beautiful."
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 184.2 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 148th out of 159
Population:
Stephens County
City of Toccoa
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