The Chestatee River (variant spellings Chestatie, Chestetee, Chostatee, Chosteta, Chestotee;[1] none in modern use) is a 32.76-mile-long (52.72 km)[2] river in the Appalachian Mountains of northern Georgia, US.
The word "Chestatee" is a Cherokee word meaning roughly "pine torch place" or "place of lights", because they would use bonfires along the riverbanks to light their torches.[3] They would then use these torches for hunting deer and other wild game in the forest. The Chestatee Regional Library System takes its name from the river, as do Chestatee High School and Middle School in Gainesville. In a nod to the origins of the name, CHS strives to be "a place of light" to their students.