Clarkesville is a city in, and the county seat of, Habersham County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,733, up from 1,248 at the 2000 census.Clarkesville was founded in 1821 as the seat of Habersham County. It was named for John C. Clarke, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.The Southern Railway arrived in Clarkesville in 1882.