Highlands has drawn visitors escaping the Southern heat since its founding, and its high-elevation plateau creates a rare microclimate — cool summers, abundant rainfall, and a botanically celebrated landscape of waterfalls, springs, and old-growth forest. The town became a golfing and society mecca in the 1930s when Bobby Jones and friends founded the Highlands Country Club, and today it anchors a cluster of prestigious residential country club communities like the Cullasaja Club. Downtown is compact and upscale: antique dealers, boutiques, Wine Spectator–honored restaurants, and the historic Old Edwards Inn and Spa, alongside a deep bench of cultural institutions including The Bascom visual arts center, the Highlands Playhouse, the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, and the Hudson Library.
Real estate is decidedly high-end, ranging from in-town cottages to grand mountain estates and gated club properties, with premier homes often listing well into the millions. The natural setting is the constant draw — hiking to Whiteside Mountain, waterfalls along the Cullasaja Gorge, trout streams, and scenic drives on the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway toward Franklin. With a permanent population that swells dramatically each summer, Highlands appeals to affluent second-home buyers, retirees, and anyone seeking a cool, cultured mountain retreat with world-class amenities.
Quick Facts
4,266 people live in Highlands, where the median age is 61.8 and the average individual income is $66,464. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Median Age
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Average individual Income
There's plenty to do around Highlands, including shopping, dining, nightlife, parks, and more. Data provided by Walk Score and Yelp.
Explore popular things to do in the area, including Highlands Good Food, August Produce, and High Country wine plus provisions.
| Name | Category | Distance | Reviews |
Ratings by
Yelp
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 0.19 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.19 miles | 1 review | 4/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.21 miles | 3 reviews | 4.7/5 stars | |
| Dining · $$ | 0.23 miles | 216 reviews | 4.3/5 stars | |
| Dining · $$$ | 0.51 miles | 135 reviews | 3.4/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.63 miles | 4 reviews | 4/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.68 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.69 miles | 62 reviews | 4.5/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.69 miles | 58 reviews | 4.6/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.71 miles | 57 reviews | 3.3/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.72 miles | 21 reviews | 4.9/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.74 miles | 5 reviews | 4.4/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.74 miles | 4 reviews | 3.3/5 stars | |
| Dining · $$ | 0.74 miles | 81 reviews | 3.9/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.75 miles | 3 reviews | 4.3/5 stars | |
| Dining | 0.75 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Dining · $$$ | 0.77 miles | 12 reviews | 4.8/5 stars | |
| Shopping | 0.77 miles | 1 review | 3/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.52 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.7 miles | 10 reviews | 3.4/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.73 miles | 10 reviews | 2.9/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.77 miles | 15 reviews | 4.7/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.77 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
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Highlands has 2,295 households, with an average household size of 1.82. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in Highlands do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 4,266 people call Highlands home. The population density is 47 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Median Age
Men vs Women
Population by Age Group
0-9 Years
10-17 Years
18-24 Years
25-64 Years
65-74 Years
75+ Years
Education Level
Total Households
Average Household Size
Average individual Income
Households with Children
With Children:
Without Children:
Marital Status
Blue vs White Collar Workers
Blue Collar:
White Collar:
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