Cleveland is a city and the county seat of White County, Georgia, located in the North Georgia mountains about 90 miles northeast of Atlanta and roughly 128 miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its population was 3,514 at the 2020 census. The community was founded in 1857 as Mount Yonah before taking the name Cleveland, and it grew as a small mountain county seat in the Sautee Nacoochee Valley. The city is best known nationally as the home of Babyland General Hospital, the 'birthplace' of the Cabbage Patch Kids, which draws visitors from across the country to adopt a doll in a theatrical setting. Cleveland also serves as the gateway to Helen, the re-created Bavarian Alpine village a short drive north, and to the wider recreation country of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The region's history reaches back further, to Cherokee settlements in the Sautee Nacoochee valleys and the 1828 gold rush that began in nearby Dahlonega and touched White County's creeks. Cleveland anchors a rural, mountain lifestyle centered on the outdoors. The Chattahoochee National Forest surrounds much of the area, offering hiking, waterfalls, camping, and scenic drives, while state parks and recreation areas lie within easy reach. Downtown Cleveland provides shops, restaurants, and a walkable historic core, and community life revolves around the White County schools and seasonal mountain events. Public education is provided by the White County School System, which serves Cleveland and Helen. For residents, the town offers a quiet, small-community setting in the Blue Ridge foothills, with Gainesville and the broader Atlanta region accessible for employment, healthcare, and air travel. That combination of a distinctive attraction, mountain scenery, and a genuine small-town pace gives Cleveland a character unlike the suburbs closer to Atlanta.