This beautiful mountain lake is surrounded by the high peaks of the mountains of north Georgia and western North Carolina. At a level of 1920 feet above sea level, Lake Chatuge is considered to be one of the highest lakes in the south. Lake Chatuge is a Reservoir for the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) and was built for production of electricity.

The lake offers about 128 miles of shorline, including the islands within the lake boundary. Known as a boaters paradise, Lake Chatuge is the perfect place for skiing, fishing, jet-skiing, tubing and more. With the marina's located on the western side of the lake, one can rent pontoon boats and jet-ski's for a day of family fun and adventure.

The water is an aqua-blue due to the clean and clear high mountain streams, creeks and the Hiawassee River, which is the main contributary to the lake. Located in the deep wooded area of Towns county, the Hiawassee River starts way up in the mountains from a little brook, and as it meanders through the valley's, the pastures and farm lands, other creeks join creating the most scenic river in the north Georgia area.

This lake offers some of the most beautiful homes and other real estate. The homes dotting the shoreline of Lake Chatuge are family heirlooms, of which, families meet every summer for a week or two of pure rest and relaxation. These homes, of which some are for sale, are the perfect investment for either full time living or a second home. The kids will love the area, the entertainment and exciting trails tracing the shoreline of Lake Chatuge.

Chatuge Dam is a flood control and hydroelectric dam on the Hiwassee River in Clay County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The dam is the uppermost of three dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s for flood storage and to provide flow regulation at Hiwassee Dam further downstream. The dam impounds the 7,000-acre (2,800 ha) Chatuge Lake, which straddles the North Carolina-Georgia state line. While originally built solely for flood storage, a generator installed at Chatuge in the 1950s gives the dam a small hydroelectric output.

Chatuge Dam is named for an 18th-century Cherokee village once situated near the dam site. Chatuge Dam is an earth-and-rock dam 144 feet (44 m) high and 2,850 feet (870 m) long, and has a generating capacity of 10,000 kilowatts. The dam's concrete overflow "ski-jump" spillway consists of 50 bays with a combined discharge of 11,500 cubic feet per second. Chatuge Lake has a flood storage capacity of 62,619 acre feet (77,239,000 m3) and 132 miles (212 km) of shoreline. Water passes Chatuge Dam via the dam's intake tower (connected to the dam by a footbridge), from which a steel conduit carries the water under the dam and empties it downstream.

Various private entities recognized the hydroelectric potential of the Hiwassee in the early 1900s, although plans for dams were typically focused further downstream from the Chatuge site. After taking control of flood control operations in the valley in the 1930s, the Tennessee Valley Authority built Hiwassee Dam and carried out an extensive survey of the river (the waters of which were a major contributor to flooding in Chattanooga) in which they identified the Chatuge site. The outbreak of World War II in Europe brought an emergency demand for electricity, mainly to power aluminum production in East Tennessee, and TVA offered to meet this demand by building a series of dams on the Hiwassee and several other Tennessee River tributaries. The Chatuge Dam project (originally called the Hayesville project), along with several other dam projects, was authorized July 16, 1941. Work on the dam began the following day.

Chatuge Dam was completed and its gates closed on February 12, 1942. The cost of the whole project was just over $9 million. For most of its early years, Chatuge was operated as a flood storage unit in conjunction with nearby Nottely Dam (which has an almost identical design) to regulate water flow at Hiwassee Dam 45 miles (72 km) downstream. A small generator was installed at Chatuge in 1954.

Murphy Info Coming Soon

Blairsville is located in Union County, only 20 minutes from Lake Chatuge. The lovely community boast annual events such as the Sorghum Festival. This is a remarkable event where area "Ole Timers" come together and showcase the fruits of their labors. Grown in their own fields, these locals raise their own sugar cane, cook their cane and make the um um good ole favorite, Sorghum. This is a syrup that is much sweeter than honey, similar to maple syrup, yet RICH in flavor. Many people, including our Web Master, cooks with fresh Sorghum, making pies, cakes and other pasteries.

Blairsville is the county seat of Union County. With approximately 750 people living in town, Union County as a whole comprises a total of 21,000 people, who call Union County their home. Many of these people started out as part time residents, but later discovered the uniqueness of our community and chose to call Union County home.

Our little community has all the needs of city life, less the traffic and pollution issues associated with living in a large city. Our locals find that if they need a fresh brew of coffee, they just run over to the local Java service station and get that caffeine hit. Some like the double latte's and some like it not so stiff. If you like a fresh donut, you can take your pick of either plain, jelly filled, chocolate or cream filled.

The courthouse is on the Historical Registry, dating back to the late 1800's. This beautiful building is located on the square of downtown Blairsville. While driving through downtown, take a moment to walk around this beautiful building and you will see the craftsmanship these builders put into our iconic community.

Nottely Reservoir is in north Georgia on the southeastern edge of the Tennessee River watershed, amid the mountains and valleys of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

The reservoir features a beach and camping area and is a popular place for viewing wildlife. Nottely Reservoir serves a number of purposes other than recreation, including flood damage reduction and power generation.

Of all the mountain lakes, Nottely Lake is the smallest of them all.