This article is about the community in the US State of Georgia. For the sixes short form of cricket see Short form cricket

Short form cricket

Short form cricket is a collective term for several modified forms of the sport of cricket, with playing times significantly shorter than more traditional forms of the game....

, for the boundary score six in cricket see Boundary (cricket)

Boundary (cricket)

Boundary has two distinct meanings in the sport of cricket:# the edge or boundary of the playing field, and# a manner of scoring runs.-Edge of the field:...

.

Sixes is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in western Cherokee County

Cherokee County, Georgia

As of the census of 2000, there were 141,903 people, 49,495 households, and 39,200 families residing in the county. The population density was 335 people per square mile . There were 51,937 housing units at an average density of 123 per square mile...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located about three miles west of Holly Springs

Holly Springs, Georgia

Holly Springs is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,195 at the 2000 census. Census Estimates for 2005 show a population of 4,328...

 and near the eastern shore of current-day Lake Allatoona

Lake Allatoona

Lake Allatoona is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir in Georgia, located in northwestern metro Atlanta. The lake is mostly in southwestern Cherokee County, but a significant part is in southeastern Bartow County, and a small part in Cobb County near Acworth. Cartersville is the nearest...

. The community is located in the Georgia Gold Belt

Georgia Gold Belt

The largest quantities of gold found in the eastern United States were found in the Georgia Gold Belt, which extends from eastern Alabama to Rabun County, Georgia. The biggest concentration of gold was found in White, Lumpkin, and northern Cherokee counties in Georgia. The gold in the Georgia Gold...

, which runs southwest to northeast along the southern edge of the Blue Ridge mountains

Blue Ridge Mountains

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...

. The Sixes Gold Mine

Sixes mine

The Sixes Mine is a group of former gold placer mines in the Georgia Gold Belt. They are near Sixes in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States, located off Bell's Ferry Road, south of Canton, Georgia. The mine's coordinates are .-History:...

, a now-defunct gold mine dating back to the early 19th century, was located just to the northwest. In addition, the community is home to the Sixes Mill, which was originally built around 1820 by early gold prospectors and later rebuilt around 1880. The mill has been well-preserved and is still located off Sixes Road. There are two theories on how Sixes derived its name. The first theory contributes the name to Fort Hinar Sixes, a Cherokee Indian removal fort that was located in the area along the infamous Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...

. The second theory holds that the name is derived from an old Cherokee village that was located near the Etowah River

Etowah River

The Etowah River is a waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, north of Atlanta. Its name is the Cherokee version of the original Muskogee word Etalwa, which means a "trail crossing". On Matthew Carey's 1795 map the river was labeled "High Town River"...

 named "Sutali" — the Cherokee word for the number six. Sixes also lent its name to Fort Sixes, an 1830s US Army fort that served as a removal collection point for Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 prior to the Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...

. Sutallee

Sutallee, Georgia

Sutallee is an unincorporated community in western Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. Located about two miles northwest of current-day Lake Allatoona, it is one of the county's earliest white settlements. It is believed that former Georgia Governor and U.S. Senator Joseph E...

, a community that sits on the opposite side of the Etowah River (now Lake Allatoona) in western Cherokee County, also derives its name from this Native American village. Today, Sixes is a growing suburban community with many large, upscale residential neighborhoods, including BridgeMill. The area is served by two elementary schools (Sixes & Liberty); one middle school (Freedom); and two high schools (Woodstock & Cherokee).