Nothing as serious as the Maginot Line, a military fortification built on the border of France and Germany prior to World War II, or America's famed Mason Dixon Line ... the Twin Cities’ Blue Line is a lighthearted novelty, marking the border of Georgia and Tennessee. Here in McCaysville and Copperhill, it’s possible to stand with one foot on Georgia's Toccoa Avenue and the other on Tennessee's Ocoee Street. The state border line passes directly through the heart of town, inviting everyone to stop and straddle the Blue Line.
   During the 1820s in these southern Appalachians, the discovery of copper turned Copper Basin into one of the largest mining operations in southeastern United States. Early mining operations focused little on saving the environment. Clear cut forests, polluted groundwater and acidic runoff turned the land into a lifeless scar. Following a most familiar pattern, the U.S. Forest Service stepped into make amends. A reclamation project began as early as the 1930s, with help from the Civilian Conservation Corps.
   In another confusing switch here on the border, Georgia's Toccoa River also changes names in the Twin Cities town, turning into the famed Tennessee whitewater destination, the Ocoee River. Today this area relies more on tourism than industry, enjoying spinoffs from the Olympic Ocoee Whitewater Center.

     Copperhill-McCaysville Map