Carrollton | Carroll County: Rural and Urban Appeal

Like many areas of Georgia, Carroll County is striving to find the right balance between achieving economic growth and development and preserving the rural and agricultural heritage for which it has been known for nearly two centuries.

Supporting Business: Carrollton City Manager David Brooks in front of Local Ties Brewing Company. | Photo credit: Gregg McGough

Carroll County is located in West Georgia off of Interstate 20 and encompasses seven cities: Bowdon, Carrollton (the county seat), Mount Zion, Roopville, Temple, Villa Rica and Whitesburg. These cities offer a mix of urban and rural life that many people find irresistible, says Carroll County Board of Commissioners Chair Michelle Morgan. “We want our cities to grow, but we also want to retain our rural and agricultural heritage,” she says. “We’re not just an Atlanta bedroom community.”

There are 806 farms in Carroll County covering 92,092 acres, which, according to Morgan, makes Carroll the No. 2 county in individual farm operations in the state. Carroll County has a thriving beef cow industry and boasts the largest single Cattlemen’s Association in Georgia, according to the county’s website. Meanwhile, the county ranks No. 14 out of 159 counties in the state in poultry and egg production. And agritourism in Carroll County brings in nearly $2.8 million in revenue.

Balancing Act

Carrollton best exemplifies this balancing act between urban and rural. “We’re committed to keeping rural Carrollton agricultural while growing the city itself to support business and industry,” says Carrollton City Manager David Brooks.

Carrollton is home to a number of multigenerational family businesses. These include Southwire, one of the leading wire and cable manufacturers in the country; SMI, Inc., which specializes in child support payment processing and customer service; C.M. Tanner Grocery, which is celebrating its 131-year anniversary; and RaLin Construction.

“These companies could choose to locate their headquarters anywhere they want, but they have stayed in Carrollton,” says Brooks. “We’re very proud of this.” Other business developments of note in Carrollton and Carroll County include:

— CarMax recently opened a standalone 70,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Carrollton to recondition used vehicles. The facility will employ up to 200 by early 2025.

Pastoral Setting: Carroll County Board of Commissioners Chair Michelle Morgan at one of the area’s many farms, | Photo credit: Gregg McGough

— Fastenal, a distributor of industrial and construction supplies, has announced plans to build a new Southeast U.S. distribution and supply chain center in Carrollton. This will replace its legacy distribution center in Atlanta and employ up to 280 people.

— Crescent Kayaks, a major North American kayak manufacturer, completed its expansion into a larger facility and was named a 2023 Small Business ROCK STAR by the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

— FlexTC, which designs and constructs planned semipermanent buildings, has relocated its facility to Villa Rica, bringing new employment opportunities and economic growth potential to the area.

Last year, Tanner Heart and Vascular Center was renamed the Adams Heart Center at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton. Nellie Adams worked as a nurse’s aide for 26 years at Tanner, and her five children also worked there in various capacities. The Adamses’ gift will support the continued expansion of heartcare in the region.

“This has made a huge difference for patients and families who live in the area and can now stay close to home for comprehensive cardiac services,” says Tanner Health System CEO Loy Howard. “We worked for many years to get approval to perform open heart surgery here.”

Tanner Health System also plans to begin construction this year on a major three-floor expansion of its Carrollton hospital that will add 50 new beds. The expansion is targeted for completion by early 2026, says Howard.

Emphasizing Quality Growth

Family Business: A Southwire worker moving cable in the Carrollton plant. | Photo credit: contributed

More than two decades ago, Carroll County established Carroll Tomorrow, a master plan initiative designed to address issues and concerns related to the growth of the region. Today, Carroll Tomorrow is the county’s economic development partnership for creating, growing and attracting new job opportunities and investment to the county.

In addition to his role with Tanner Health System, Howard also serves as chair of Carroll Tomorrow. “The emphasis with Carroll Tomorrow is on quality growth and development,” he says. “Not all growth is quality growth. We want to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives and works in Carroll County.”

“Our goal is to create a community where people want to visit and want to live,” says Jonathan Dorsey, executive director of the Carrollton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “There’s a broad range of things here to attract visitors and residents alike.”

According to Dorsey, tourism generated $162 million in Carrollton in 2022, which was up 8% from the year before. “Nearly 1,500 jobs in Carrollton are supported by tourism,” he says.

Downtown Carrollton is bustling, with an emerging craft brewery scene including Printer’s Ale brewery and Local Ties Brewing Company, which the Chamber of Commerce named the Carroll County Startup Business of the Year in 2023. At the center of downtown is the AMP at Adamson Square, an amphitheater that seats up to 1,000 people and hosts a wide range of free events year-round – from concerts by national and international touring acts like Drivin N Cryin and Mother’s Finest to movies, trivia, yoga and the entertainment for the annual Taste of Carrollton.

Community Driven: Carrollton Mayor Betty Cason. | Photo credit: contributed

Other downtown attractions include the Carrollton Center for the Arts, Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum, and the Depot on Bradley. Originally the Carrollton Train Depot, the Depot on Bradley was renovated a decade ago and now can be rented for weddings, parties, business meetings and other functions.

Carrollton recently worked with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia to complete a downtown master plan. The plan illustrates the community’s vision for downtown’s future and provides concrete steps to get there. “The city has purchased almost an entire city block downtown adjacent to the Center for the Arts for redevelopment,” says Carrollton Mayor Betty Cason. “This is a gateway into Carrollton, so we want to make sure we get it right.”

Creation of the downtown master plan was a community-driven process, adds Brooks. “We got feedback from all across the community to find out what people want to see downtown,” he says. “All options are on the table including a new hotel, high-end apartments, retail and restaurants, and maybe a museum.”

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

A concert at the AMP at Adamson Square. | Photo credit: contributed

Morgan notes that young people today emphasize quality of life outside of work. “Carroll County operates five public parks equaling more than 2,300 acres,” she says. “There are so many opportunities here to enjoy the great outdoors – from walking or bike riding on the GreenBelt to hiking, mountain biking and playing disc golf on the top-rated course in the state.”

The 19-mile Carrollton GreenBelt, which circles the city, is the longest paved loop trail in Georgia. It connects several recreational areas including ball fields, gyms, a pool and new mountain bike trails. “The GreenBelt is a big part of the high quality of life offered in Carroll County,” says Joseph Ingui, the director of economic development for Carroll Tomorrow. “It’s a great resource for our city.”

Another outdoor attraction is historic Banning Mills, which is located on nearly 300 acres of land along Snake Creek in southeast Carroll County. Mike and Donna Holder bought the property in 1997 and created a popular adventure destination, highlighted by the largest continuous zip line canopy tour in the world, according to its website. An additional 1,000 acres surrounding Banning Mills are preserved in perpetuity.

Higher Education

Phased Renovation: Rendering of the University of West Georgia Campus Center, which includes new construction that expands the existing Health and Physical Education building. | Photo contributed

Phased Renovation: Rendering of the University of West Georgia Campus Center, which includes new construction that expands the existing Health and Physical Education building. | Photo contributed

Carroll County boasts two well-regarded institutions of higher learning: the University of West Georgia (UWG) and West Georgia Technical College (WGTC). Enrollment at UWG now tops 12,000 students while more than 6,000 students attend WGTC, which features a student-faculty ratio of 20-to-1. A brand new 45-acre WGTC Carroll campus opened in 2022, replacing the original 50-year-old building on Newnan Road. The three-story main building and two other structures total 176,000 square feet.

UWG is moving to NCAA Division I athletics this year and joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. This move is expected to increase the school’s visibility nationally, expand athletic scholarships and allow greater opportunities for student-athlete recruitment. UWG currently has 14 sports and plans to add men’s track and field, women’s beach volleyball and women’s stunt, a type of competitive cheerleading, for the 2024-2025 season.

Transformation in Villa Rica

A More Walkable Community: Villa Rica Mayor Leslie McPherson. | Photo credit: Gregg McGough

Villa Rica, the second-largest city in Carroll County, was the site of the first gold rush in Georgia in 1826. To celebrate that heritage, the city hosts a Gold Rush Festival every year in the fall that includes a Gold Rush Parade, a 5K run, food and craft vendors, and local entertainment. Each June, the city celebrates gospel music pioneer Thomas A. Dorsey, who was born in Villa Rica, with the Thomas Dorsey Birthplace and Gospel Heritage Festival.

Villa Rica has experienced transformational growth in recent years due to both in-state migration and new residents from outside Georgia. The population has grown from about 14,000 in 2010 to more than 18,000 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “Many people move here because they don’t want to live in a big metro area and they love the rural feel of our community,” says Villa Rica Mayor Leslie McPherson.

Historic downtown Villa Rica is the heart of the city. “The MILL Amphitheater is the jewel of our downtown and serves as a central gathering place for activity,” says McPherson. The 2,500-capacity greenspace amphitheater hosts concerts, festivals, classic car shows, and numerous other events year-round, including the West Georgia Jazz Festival each April and Christmas on Main Street in late November or early December, which includes a Mistletoe Market and Christmas tree lighting.

Outside of downtown, the first phase of Villa Rica Town Center recently opened along Mirror Lake Boulevard. The nearly 60-acre multiuse development is anchored by a Publix and will include local and national restaurants and retailers, surrounded by single- and multi-family residential. Villa Rica Town Center is being built by Fuqua Development, which also developed The Battery Atlanta at Truist Park.

Now Open: Publix is the anchor store for the new Villa Rica Town Center. | Photo credit: contributed

An important feature of this development is the Villa Rica Parkway, a new roadway connecting the city’s downtown with Mirror Lake, a planned golfing community established in 1998. The roadway will improve traffic flow on that side of town and serve as a physical link to two parts of town that have historically been separate.

On the drawing board is the Gold Nugget Trail, a pedestrian, bike and golf cart-friendly paved path that will circle Villa Rica and connect the northern and southern parts of the city. “This trail will make everything more walkable,” says McPherson. “I think it will be a real game changer for Villa Rica.”

Temple Tackles Infrastructure Projects

In the small but growing town of Temple, which is seven miles west of Villa Rica on Highway 78, a major water system upgrade is almost complete: the replacement of old residential water meters with state-of-the-art new meters that can be read remotely. This project was several years in the making, according to Temple Mayor Michael Johnson.

“Meter reading was always a difficult job that required removing the meter box’s lid and clearing away debris so a city employee could read the meter before putting the lid back in place,” says Johnson. “Now, this formerly dirty, time-consuming task can be performed remotely, making the monthly job of meter reading faster, easier, and more accurate.” The project was funded by a very low-interest $1.4 million loan from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), notes Johnson.

Making Upgrades: Temple Mayor Michael Johnson. | Photo credit: Eric Sun

The next infrastructure priority for Temple is an upgrade to the city’s sewer system, which was recommended by an engineering consultant in 2022. “Our situation is similar to what most families and businesses have experienced in recent years – namely, that construction costs have increased,” says Johnson. “We will make sure that our revenues can handle the increased costs before moving forward with the project.” The city has secured another very low-interest loan from GEFA to fund most of this project.

Construction is underway on an expansion of the Temple City Hall that will more than double its current square footage. The expanded facility will be used for city council and municipal court meetings, as well as community meetings and other events.

Commission Chair Morgan says Carroll County will continue to walk the fine line between urban and rural that has attracted so many residents and businesses. “We’re committed to maintaining the rural and agricultural feel that people who live here love while also supporting the businesses and industry that are needed to ensure a strong local economy,” she says.

Local Flavor

Pressing Toward a Dream Job

High Expectations: Greg Smith, owner of Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Co. | Photo credit: Gregg McGough

Greg Smith started home brewing while attending the University of Tennessee in the early 1990s, back before home brewing really took off. “So I’ve been brewing beer my entire adult life,” he says.

But until 2017, home brewing was just his hobby. His full-time job was running a family printing business that was started by his great-grandfather, Philip John Fischer, in Scranton, Pa., more than 100 years ago. In 1982 the printing business relocated to Carrollton to service record companies that were opening factories in the Southeast.

One day, Smith was trying to figure out what to do with the back-third of the building that wasn’t being used. He decided to use it for home brewing, figuring that getting all the brewing equipment out of his house would make his wife happy while also putting some use to an underutilized space in the building.

In 2017, Smith expanded his home-brewing operation in the back of his print shop into a full-blown brewery and taproom: Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Co. “There wasn’t a brewery in Carrollton at the time, so I thought it was a good opportunity,” he says. “Everyone in the city was super supportive of the idea.”

Printer’s Ale specializes in farmhouse, Belgian-style beers and lagers. “Farmhouse beer is spontaneously fermented in the open and exposed to wild bacteria and yeast in the air,” he explains. “The result is a beer that’s dry and crisp – it tastes less like beer and more like wine.”

Smith hired some brewmasters to handle the brewing for the facility’s 20-barrel system and 32 taps. “We have high expectations and take our brewing very seriously,” he says. “Our customers expect excellence in every glass.”

The brewery isn’t just about beer; it hosts plenty of events such as Sunday Beer Bingo, team trivia and Books & Brews and offers live music on evenings during the week and acoustic afternoons on Saturdays. Last month, it also hosted Printer’s Ale’s seventh anniversary celebration, during which it released some new beers and brought back some old favorites, while guests enjoyed live music in both the afternoon and evening.

Smith believes that breweries are a perfect gathering spot for friends and families to enjoy conversation, play some games and have some laughs. “A brewery isn’t a bar – it’s a different kind of environment,” he says. “I’m thrilled to see the brewery scene taking off here
in Carrollton.”