The Oconee River is a 220-mile-long (350 km) river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River near Lumber City at the borders of Montgomery County, Wheeler County, and Jeff Davis County. South of Athens, two forks, known as the Middle Oconee River and North Oconee River, which flow for 55–65 miles (89–105 km) upstream, converge to form the Oconee River. Milledgeville, the former capital city of Georgia, lies on the Oconee River.
The Oconee River Greenway along the Oconee River in Milledgeville opened in 2008; the North Oconee River Greenway is in Athens, Georgia. J.W. McMillan's brick factory was located along the river.
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Course
The Oconee River begins at the confluence of the North Oconee River and the Middle Oconee River on the border of Athens–Clarke and Oconee counties. Those tributaries both have their headwaters to the east of Lake Lanier in Hall County. South of Athens, the Oconee River passes through the Oconee National Forest into Lake Oconee, a man made lake, near the towns of Madison and Greensboro off Interstate 20. From Lake Oconee, the river travels to Lake Sinclair, another manmade lake near Milledgeville, the town founded on Georgia's Fall Line and former state capital. South of Milledgeville, the river flows unobstructed until merging with the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River. Along the river there are many sandbars and oxbow lakes while the forest bottomland swamp surrounding the Oconee extends for miles, creating a very remote setting. Swamps along the Oconee river include Cow Hell Swamp in Laurens County.