White County, the 123rd county formed in Georgia, was created in 1857 from a part of the original land lot county of Habersham.  In early times, the area of White County formed a transitional boundary between the Cherokee and Creek Native-American nations. The county was named for Newton County Rep. David T. White, who helped to attain passage of an act creating the new county.

   The county seat of White County is Cleveland. Helen is the only other incorporated community. Cleveland was named after Colonel Ben Cleveland, who served in the Revolutionary War.

   Helen, in the northern part of the county, had formerly been a summer resort but was destroyed by fire. Later, the town was rebuilt and transformed into an alpine village. It has become a major North Georgia tourist attraction and thriving community. Helen is also home to one of the nation's largest Oktoberfests, held in September and October of each year.

   Gold was found in White County in the late 1820s on the Nacoochee River, then known as Duke's Creek, touching off the Great Gold Rush of that century. Gold mining operations are still found today along the banks of the Town and Tesnatee Creeks in western White County. This area originally belonged to the Cherokee Indians. However, miners and settlers pressured the U.S. government to such a degree that eventually the Cherokee were totally removed from North Georgia to a reservation in Oklahoma.

   During the gold mining years, nine gold mines operated in the county. Commercial gold operations remained profitable until as late as 1940.