Dahlonega is a city in Lumpkin County, Georgia, and the county seat, set in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the north end of the Georgia 400 corridor. Its name derives from the Cherokee word "talonega," meaning golden or yellow — a fitting origin for a town whose identity is inseparable from gold. The city's defining historical event is the Georgia Gold Rush, which began in 1829 and stands as the first major gold rush in the United States, predating the California rush by two decades. Thousands of prospectors poured into the region, and in 1835 the federal government established a branch mint at Dahlonega, which produced millions of dollars in gold coins before closing in 1861 with the outbreak of the Civil War. That legacy is preserved at the Dahlonega Gold Museum, a Georgia state historic site, and in the town's restored downtown. The city's second great institution grew from the first: the University of North Georgia was founded in 1873 in the abandoned mint building, making it the first state-supported college in Georgia to grant a degree to a woman. Today it is one of only six senior military colleges in the United States and one of Georgia's larger universities, with its Dahlonega campus anchoring the town. The university gives Dahlonega a lively, college-town dimension alongside its tourist economy. Modern Dahlonega is celebrated as the heart of North Georgia wine country, with Lumpkin County home to several vineyards and wineries and recognized as the state's wine-tasting-room capital. The historic public square, a National Register-listed district and award-winning Main Street community, hosts shops, restaurants, and festivals. Surrounding the city, the Blue Ridge foothills offer waterfalls, trails, and scenic drives. Dahlonega suits those drawn to mountain scenery, gold-rush history, a walkable historic downtown, and a genuine university presence — all within a little over an hour of Atlanta's northern suburbs.