Welcome to the City of Winterville Web site! We're glad you stopped by. Known as The Marigold Capital of Georgia and the Friendship City, Winterville is the only incorporated municipality located entirely within Athens-Clarke County. We're located in the Buck Branch Militia District of Clarke County, about six miles from the town of Athens (now unified with Clarke County to form the government known as Athens-Clarke County).

Our Beginnings

Winterville began as a railroad town, or a wood and water station for the Georgia Railroad, which used to pass through town. Our town was incorporated in 1904, and in 1906, the Oglethorpe County portion of town was transferred to Clarke County. A few years ago, the train tracks were removed when the train stopped coming through Winterville. But we have our newly restored, historic train depot to remind us of an earlier time when trains were the way to travel or move goods from one place to another. Our depot today features a kitchen and is handicapped-accessible. The depot serves as a community center and can be rented for a reasonable fee plus key and cleanup deposit. Call 706-742-8600 or E-mail: winterville@charter.net. Winterville residents may rent the depot at a reduced rate, subject to availability.

For many years our town was a trading center for farmers in the surrounding areas. At its peak as a trading center, Winterville had a bank, two cotton gins, several general merchandise stores, where almost any type of merchandise was available, and a fertilizer plant.

With the advent of good roads and fast transportation, the town became less and less important as a trading center. Most of the business concerns moved to Athens, or to other smaller towns located on the Seaboard Railroad which passes a few miles to the north of Winterville.

To read more about our history, visit the history section of our web site.

Today, Winterville offers small town living at its best just a short six mile drive from the University of Georgia and employment opportunities in the metropolitan area of Athens-Clarke County. To learn more about the City of Winterville, E-mail us at: winterville@charter.net or call City Hall: 706-742-8600. To read more about Athens Clarke-County, visit their official web site: www.athensclarkecounty.com.