McRae-Helena is the Crossroads City of South Georgia
McRae-Helena is an industrial town of over 4,000 between Atlanta and the Atlantic Coast. Formerly two separate communities in Telfair County, the cities of McRae and Helena consolidated into one in 2015, making it one of the first city-to-city mergers in Georgia in nearly a century. “We’re surrounded by three major tributaries, and they all come together,” says Susan Evans, broker and owner of Susan Evans Realty, who has worked in South Georgia for nearly two decades. “We’ve got a lot of natural resources around us.” While it is well known for its open country landscapes and historical attractions, McRae-Helena also has a robust economy with major employers including the Coca-Cola bottling plant, the Golden Peanut Company and the Telfair State Prison. It’s also by a major highway intersection, which makes it easy to travel from one side of the state to the other. “We call it ‘The Crossroads City,’” Evans says. “You can get to anywhere from here.”
Southern staples and family-owned eateries
Many restaurants can be found along McRae-Helena’s downtown corridor along with flea markets, gas stations and hardware stores. Southern Star Grill is a country-themed restaurant that serves baby back ribs, pot roast and fried catfish, while Waylon’s Family Restaurant has daily specials for fried chicken, pork chops and beef liver. Cedar Lane Supper Club is a family-owned restaurant established in 1977 that specializes in steak and seafood. McRae Marketplace has used goods and antiques including furniture, paintings and dinnerware, and Joy’s Florist offers gifts and bouquets for special occasions. Telfair Plaza has a Harveys Supermarket and a Citi Trends clothing store, and groceries are also available at Piggly Wiggly and Dollar General.
Historic homes with traditional and ranch-style architecture
Older properties dominate McRae-Helena’s real estate market, with some homes built as far back as the 1890s. Traditional architecture is most common with a few ranch-style, Victorian and split-level homes also available. Fixer-upper properties with porches and metal roofs typically have less than 1-acre lots and cost $20,000 to $100,000. Single-family homes with quarter-acre to 3-acre lots have landscaped bushes and hardwood trees and range from $100,000 to $350,000. Some historic two-story homes have Neoclassical revival-style architecture with grand foyers and fireplaces, costing between $400,000 and $500,000.
A major highway intersection and Telfair County Transit
U.S. Routes 280, 341 and 441 all intersect in McRae-Helena and run throughout the county. Telfair County Transit provides public transportation throughout the rural area and costs about $3 per mile. The Dodge County Hospital is around 20 miles northwest in Eastman and is open for 24 hours. Both Columbus Airport and Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport are over 120 miles away.
Golfing and camping at Little Ocmulgee State Park
The crown jewel of McRae-Helena’s outdoor recreation is the 1,360-acre Little Ocmulgee State Park. Not only does it have an 18-hole championship golf course with a pro shop, but it also has cabins, campsites and a lodge with 60 guest rooms. Visitors can go fishing or hiking by Little Ocmulgee Lake, which also has a white sand beach where people usually go swimming or sunbathing. The Telfair County Recreation Complex has sports fields for baseball, football, soccer and tennis, and there are many hunting preserves around the county with wild game such as boar, quail and white-tailed deer.
Peaches, beaches and farmers’ markets
The Peaches to the Beaches Yard Sale has been called the longest yard sale in Georgia, stretching over 220 miles across U.S. Route 341 and passing through McRae-Helena. “They start at Fort Valley, where they grow peaches, and it’ll go all the way down to the beaches in Brunswick,” Evans says. The city hosts a fireworks show and concert around the Fourth of July, and the annual color run is held in October. The Telfair County Farmers’ Market also takes place in McRae-Helena from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Three schools for Telfair County students
The Telfair County School District earns a B-minus on Niche and serves around 1,700 students in the county. Telfair County Elementary School teaches kindergarten through fifth grade, while Telfair County Middle School serves sixth through eighth-grade students. Telfair County High School has a 92% graduation rate and has athletic programs including football, softball and cross-country. All three schools earn B-minuses.
