Towns County, Georgia
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Towns County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 2.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 17 flood losses here since 2016. 24% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Towns County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 109,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tusquitee | 18% | n/a |
| Porters | 15% | n/a |
| Ashe | 12% | n/a |
| Hayesville | 11% | 0% |
| Bradson | 9% | n/a |
| Edneyville | 9% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas GA651 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 52.68 in, 12.53 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 65.21 in.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Towns County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
2.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 2.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
17 flood losses since 2016, $99,292 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 8.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 65.21 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 52.68 in (-12.53) |
| 2025 | 56.46 in (-8.75) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 90.52 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2016: 41.80 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BLAIRSVILLE EXP STN (12 mi away) | 18.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,808 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 24% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $316,100 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, NC | 10 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Union County, GA | 15 mi | 0% | 6% |
| White County, GA | 18 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Rabun County, GA | 19 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Habersham County, GA | 22 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Macon County, NC | 25 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Cherokee County, NC | 25 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Lumpkin County, GA | 28 mi | 0% | 7% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status