Consisting of little more than a fairly short, grass and dirt runway, Blairsville Municipal Airport was initially built sometime in the late 1950's - 1960's, featuring a very small terminal not much bigger than the average kitchen. A decade or so later, interest in having an airport grew, but residents of Union County at that time wanted nothing to do with it, so the Commissioner's office had little to no power to offer assistance with the airport's expansion. However, there was interest within the Blairsville Mayor's office to have a municipal airport.
The airport's facilities slowly grew with a turning point being in the early 1970's when monies from a few interested individuals allowed for a small expansion. The interest in having nicer facilities slowly grew, and in the early 1990's new hangers were constructed. Fortunately, local benefactors like W.C. Nelson were very involved in making this happen and continued to push for newer facilities and an expanded, lit runway.
A $3,000,000 expansion consisting of the paved and lighted runway to 5,000 x 100 feet and thirty-one new T-hangers was completed in 2006, a testament to the unwavering commitment of men like W.C. and others who new that Blairsville and Union County would greatly benefit from continued expansion.
Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley and W. C. Nelson, for whom the terminal was named, officially cut the ribbon for the new W.C. Nelson Airport Terminal building on Saturday, August 19, 2017. A host of long-time and native Blairsville/Union County residents joined Conley, Nelson, Georgia State Senator Steve Gooch, Union County Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris, members of the Blairsville City Council, and a host of others for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. (Source: Mark Smith/Fetch Your News)
The airport's facilities slowly grew with a turning point being in the early 1970's when monies from a few interested individuals allowed for a small expansion. The interest in having nicer facilities slowly grew, and in the early 1990's new hangers were constructed. Fortunately, local benefactors like W.C. Nelson were very involved in making this happen and continued to push for newer facilities and an expanded, lit runway.
A $3,000,000 expansion consisting of the paved and lighted runway to 5,000 x 100 feet and thirty-one new T-hangers was completed in 2006, a testament to the unwavering commitment of men like W.C. and others who new that Blairsville and Union County would greatly benefit from continued expansion.
Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley and W. C. Nelson, for whom the terminal was named, officially cut the ribbon for the new W.C. Nelson Airport Terminal building on Saturday, August 19, 2017. A host of long-time and native Blairsville/Union County residents joined Conley, Nelson, Georgia State Senator Steve Gooch, Union County Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris, members of the Blairsville City Council, and a host of others for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. (Source: Mark Smith/Fetch Your News)
