Highlands

Highlands sits at 4,118 feet in southeastern Macon County, with a sliver of the town limits crossing into Jackson County. It is one of the highest incorporated towns east of the Mississippi. Samuel Kelsey and Clinton Hutchinson, two developers from Kansas, laid it out in 1875 expecting trade routes to cross there; by 1883 nearly 300 settlers from the eastern states had arrived, and the town grew instead into a health and summer resort. The permanent population was about 1,000 at the 2020 census, and the town fills considerably from May through October.

The plateau is surrounded by Nantahala National Forest, and annual precipitation near 88 inches produces the mossy, dense woods the area is known for. Main Street holds shops, restaurants and the Old Edwards Inn, and homes within walking distance of it are in steady demand. Highlands Country Club, with its 1928 Donald Ross course, lies on Dillard Road; Cullasaja Club and Highlands Falls Country Club are a short drive from town, and Whiteside Mountain stands between Highlands and Cashiers. Housing includes in-town cottages from the early resort era, newer homes on the ridges above town, and club properties on the outskirts.