Ellijay is the anglicized form of the Cherokee name Elatseyi, meaning "new ground". Other sources say it means "green place". Gilmer County was cut from Cherokee County in 1832, and Ellijay became the county seat in 1834. Ellijay existed as a remote mountain community until the Marietta and Northern Georgia Railroad arrived in 1884. This prompted something of a boom in the timber industry, but the area remained relatively isolated until the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway was completed in 1991.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,584 people, 593 households, and 342 families residing in the city. The population density was 591.7 people per square mile. There were 662 housing units at an average density of 247.3 per square mile. There were 662 housing units at an average density of 247.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 81.25% White, 1.39% African American, 0.00% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.57% Pacific Islander, 12.50% from other races, and 2.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.19% of the population. There were 593 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,120, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $21,875 versus $20,469 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,740. About 20.3% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 31.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Ellijay is governed by a five-member city council and a mayor. The current mayor is William Albert "Al" Hoyle.
The Gilmer County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. There is also Crossroads, which is the alternative school in Ellijay.
