The City of Dahlonega, pronounced “Dah-lahn-e-ga”, was originally incorporated as Talonega in 1833. The city, located in Lumpkin County, was a gold mining region and was the site of one of the first gold rushes in the 1820s. The gold had been discovered on Cherokee land in North Georgia, and the Native Americans were forced to leave their home and live on reservations.

The name “Dahlonega” is Cherokee for “golden color” or “yellow money”. The city still has places where visitors can recreationally pan for gold. The Dahlonega Gold Museum, the states oldest public building, is housed in the old Lumpkin County courthouse located in the center of Dahlonega’s town square, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.