Dawson County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,798 up from 22,330 in 2010. The county seat is Dawsonville.

Dawson County is included in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area. Its natural resources include Amicalola Falls, the highest falls in Georgia and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the state.

Dawson County was created on December 3, 1857, from Gilmer and Lumpkin Counties. It is named for William Crosby Dawson, a U.S. Senator from Georgia.

The 1860s brought war and hardships to the people of Dawson County. Many men of Dawson County answered the call and went to fight in the Civil War. Several Confederate units were raised in Dawson County, including:

The 1st Georgia Infantry Battalion (Union), Companies B and C also was raised there.

Dawson County is known for its long involvement in auto racing, which was established in the 20th century; many of the original NASCAR racers came from this area, and Dawsonville is now one of a few areas considered to be the "birthplace of stock car racing". Local racing skills are said to have been developed by men who ran moonshine down Georgia State Route 9, also known as Thunder Road, to Atlanta. The celebration of Dawson County's history and its involvement in bootlegging moonshine during the Prohibition era now occurs every October, dubbed the Moonshine Festival.

Locals have referred to Dawson County as the "Moonshine Capital of the World". This title is claimed by many other cities and communities, but is fiercely defended by residents of the area. Allegedly, bootleggers took advantage of the county's relative isolation and the ability to move so much moonshine to the larger cities, especially Atlanta, during the United States Prohibition era.

Dawson County currently serves grades K-12. It has a total of seven schools: one for pre-K, four for grades K-5, one for grades 6–7, one for grades 8–9, and Dawson County High School (grades 10–12).