Located in Walker and Whitfield Counties, GA 201 extends 20.5 miles from the scenic Villanow community north to Varnell. Overall, the highway exists in two parts joined by a 2.7-mile overlap with U.S. 41/76 in Tunnel Hill. The southern section from Villanow to U.S. 41 is 11.4 miles and the northern section 6.4 miles. The highway also includes an interchange with I-75 between Tunnel Hill and Varnell.

Many points of interest may be found along the route including the Villanow General Store, Georgia's oldest store still in business, the old railroad tunnel at Tunnel Hill and the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway in the Armuchee District of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

When originally commissioned in the 1940's, GA 201 originally existed as an 8.2-mile unpaved highway connecting Tunnel Hill to GA 71. This route included part of what is now GA 2 in Whitfield County from GA 71 to near the Catoosa County line. The rest followed parts of Lake Cathy Road and Oscar Nance Road (both C.R. 222) with the rest along present-day GA 201 to Tunnel Hill. The original route may have also followed Bonafacious Road (C.R. 242), but that is not certain, although it is fairly certain on the Oscar Nance Road route. Prior to 1950, GA 2 took over half the original route, but the portion south of GA 2 remained intact. What is also known is that the remaining original alignment was fully paved by 1953 and then relocated to its present route where it joins GA 2 in Varnell today in 1955.

Compare the shift in GA 201 between 1954 and 1956. The route shown further west on the first map followed what appears to be today Oscar Nance and Lake Kathy Roads in Whitfield County.

The Varnell-Tunnel Hill section was not the only change to happen along GA 201 in the late 1940's. In that same time, GA 201 was extended significantly southward when GA 2 was relocated along former county roads from Ringgold to Blue Ridge. The relocation of GA 2 directly affected GA 201 on both ends. In other words, on the north end, the truncation of GA 201 to Varnell and on the south end GA 201 taking over part of what was GA 2 previously.

The extension of GA 201 along the former GA 2 alignment was not the only highway to take over the Old GA 2 alignment. GA 143, now GA 136, also was extended, and where GA 201 met GA 143 in Villanow, GA 201 ended into the extended GA 143. Since GA 201 did not directly connect to the older GA 2 alignment, GA 201 was extended along part of U.S. 41/76 from where the original portion joins in Tunnel Hill south to Rocky Face, where the highway was extended along the Old GA 2 to Villanow.

This clip shows early GA 201. Note GA 2 along what is today GA 52, 136 and 201 (1946 GHD Map).

The most recent changes to the route included the five-laning of the route where it overlaps U.S. 41/76 in Tunnel Hill, completed in 1986 on the part lower half and 2002 on the upper half. Also, GA 201 itself underwent major reconstruction with passing lanes between GA 201 between I-75 and GA 2 in Varnell, completed in 2003.