Cherokee County: Metro in the Mountains

Cherokee County has a lot to offer. Residents enjoy its vibrant downtowns, good schools, excellent healthcare, low taxes, safe neighborhoods, and its many parks and outdoor activities.

Bragging Rights: Harry Johnston, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, touts the county’s amenities, which include Cannon Park in the heart of downtown Canton. Photo: Eric Sun

“We’ve got almost everything going for us here in Cherokee County,” says Harry Johnston, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners. “We’re literally where Metro [Atlanta] meets the mountains. The geography is just incredibly beautiful. The climate is gorgeous – four real seasons, all of them beautiful. And the location, right? Just in the shadow of Atlanta with access to all that economic opportunity, yet the ability to enjoy a comfortable and safe small town and even a rural quality of life.”

Johnston also touts the county’s services, such as public safety and parks, which he says are “among the best in the state, even the nation.” And yet, taxes remain low. “I like to say we are clearly the best value in terms of quality services for your tax dollar than any other county in Georgia.”

With such great amenities and natural resources, it’s no surprise that Cherokee County has experienced rapid growth over the last three decades. Its population has increased more than three-fold from 90,000 in 1990 to around 290,000 today.

Connecting Businesses with People

Pamela Carnes, president and CEO of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, has lived here for 34 years and witnessed the county’s transformation firsthand.

“We’re a big place but we still have small-town values, and so we’re still a community,” Carnes says. “Businesses and individuals alike want to be in the know, and they want to be known.”

Carnes and the chamber play an important role in connecting businesses with the community, and currently the chamber has at least 1,063 members with a retention rate of around 84%. “We attract businesses of all shapes and sizes,” she says. “But the majority of our members represent the smaller sector.”

Important Role: Pamela Carnes, president and CEO of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. Photo: Brandon Clifton

Most chamber members have 20 or fewer employees, and many of those are entrepreneurs and mom-and-pop businesses.

The chamber also helps to boost tourism through its initiative, Destination Cherokee GA. Tourism is a major economic driver for the county. From the historic and lively downtowns of Woodstock and Ball Ground to the trails and water activities along the Etowah River, tourists spent $206.1 million in the county in 2023, which generated $16.1 million in state and local tax revenue and supported 1,979 jobs, according to Carnes. The business areas that saw the most visitation were food and beverage, retail and lodging.

Manufacturing and Film

Cherokee County attracts larger industries, as well. One of the county’s largest employers is Northside Hospital Cherokee, which employs 1,400 physicians and 3,800 other staff members and has invested millions since opening its facility in 2017.

Economic Growth: Rendering of Becker Robotics Equipment’s North American headquarters, being built in Cherokee County. Photo: Contributed

Over the last few years, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED) has recruited 21 companies that have either opened new or expanded existing operations within the county, according to Misti Martin, who was the longtime president and CEO of COED. This expansion has resulted in more than $100 million in capital investments and 900 new jobs.

“The population growth is always something we talk about because companies want to be in areas that are growing, and they want access to talent. That makes our job easy because we’re in a place where people want to be,” says Martin, who begins a new job as the Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce for the Georgia Department of Economic Development this month.

Becker Robotics Equipment, a German company that specializes in cable and robotic machinery, recently chose Cherokee County for its North American headquarters. Gravion USA, another German company and a leading manufacturer of embossing rollers, opened its U.S. headquarters in 2023 in Cherokee. Dumaplast, a company out of Belgium, which manufactures decorative floor and wall coverings, also opened its first U.S. location in 2021 within the county.

“We have a sweet spot for either a Northern American headquarters with an advanced manufacturing component or very high-end manufacturing jobs,” Martin says.

Industry Impact: Several movies and television shows, like the Netflix series Ozark, have been filmed in Cherokee, bringing jobs and growth. Photo: Contributed

In addition to manufacturing, the film industry also loves Cherokee. In recent years, film projects have included the blockbuster movie Hidden Figures, the Netflix series Ozark starring Jason Bateman, the movie American Made with Tom Cruise and The Piano Lesson, which was directed by Malcolm Washington, son of actor Denzel Washington.

Martin notes that these film projects have impacted tourism and spurred long-term economic development. For example, when filming started in downtown Ball Ground for American Made, the city had a population of around 1,600 people and a labor force of 842. Now, Ball Ground has a population over 3,200 and labor force of 1,434.

According to COED’s research, there were 12 businesses along Main Street in downtown Ball Ground prior to the filming of American Made. Today, there are 26. The film also jump-started downtown redevelopment.

“This is an example of how the impact of a film lives on much longer than just the direct spend of the film being there,” says Martin.

Downtown Revitalization

Ball Ground’s downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and its revitalization has fueled the city’s growth. The downtown area exudes small-town charm and includes unique locally owned restaurants and shops, breweries and historic homes.

“Our downtown is actually pulling in a lot of economic growth and improvement,” says Mayor Rick Roberts III. “We now do city events multiple times a year and sometimes with have 7,000 to 10,000 visitors, and that of course enhances all businesses downtown.”

Another Ball Ground attraction is Gibbs Gardens, a majestic 376-acre estate garden just outside the city limits. Tourists come for the gardens, then enjoy the downtown area afterwards.

Serenity Now: Gibbs Gardens is a big tourist draw in Ball Ground. Photo: Contributed

“If you come to Ball Ground on any weekend, Saturday or Sunday, it’s packed with people,” he says.

Leveraging the popularity of its downtown, the city has added a lot of homes in recent years that are walkable to the downtown area. Ball Ground’s homes sell for around $458,000, according to its median sale price, and it also has a handful of homes listed for more than $2 million dollars.

Ball Ground also added a new Aylo Health primary care facility in 2024, which was a $6 million investment, according to Roberts.

As for job growth, Roberts says the city has added approximately 160 to 180 new jobs in the last two years. That may not sound like much, “but it is for us,” he says.

Twenty-five years ago, Ball Ground was a small community of less than a thousand people. Since then its population has more than tripled. “I’ve been here most of my life,” Roberts says, “and we’re the best now than we’ve ever been.” Although still much smaller than its sister cities in the county, “we’re proud of our growth.”

A New Town Center

Moving Forward: Rendering of the new Holly Springs City Hall. Photo: Contributed

Holly Springs is more than 100 years old, yet it has never had a proper downtown. After years of planning, in 2021 the city broke ground on its Town Center project, an all-new walkable downtown district that will feature a new city hall, an amphitheater, a grand lawn for community events, restaurants and shops, a brewery, new home sites and a public parking deck.

Progress in 2023 and 2024 included the completion of the Hickory Road roundabout and the veterans’ memorial within it, the sale of new townhomes built by Stonecrest Homes, and the final development phase of the 323-space public parking deck.

Moving Forward: Holly Springs Mayor Ryan Shirley took office in January. Photo: Contributed

Mayor Ryan Shirley, who took office in January, says he will use his experience in commercial real estate to help move the project forward. “I think being a connector is my major job,” he says. “I want to get people in there and try to get win-win solutions for everybody around here.”

Construction of the amphitheater and city hall is expected to begin in the spring of this year, which will be followed by the construction of one-, two-, and three-bedroom flats for lease. After that, office, retail and restaurant space will go in. Single-family homes will also be built along the southeast portion of the center.

Once completed, the Town Center project will help attract new businesses and residents to Holly Springs. Shirley says this will be a real game-changer for the city.

“I just think we’re a city right now on the cusp of being amazing,” he says. “The next four years are going will really mold us into who we’re going to be in the future.”

Beer, Art and Parks

Finding Balance: Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell. Photo: Contributed

Tourism, retail and restaurants are driving the economy in Woodstock. Cherokee’s largest city, with a population or more than 38,000, had 3 million visitors in 2024. It is, according to Mayor Michael Caldwell, one of the most visited suburban downtowns in the southeastern United States.

“It’s just a spectacularly walkable … downtown,” he says. “You have somewhere between 30 and 40 restaurants and bars within walking distance from the center of town. You have trail access throughout. You’ve also got a really strong arts presence.”

Woodstock Arts, for example, is a multidisciplinary arts center which provides visual arts, concert series, theater and educational programs for the community, drawing a lot of people into the downtown area.

“Somehow, we have threaded that needle where you can grab a beer, walk around town, enjoy arts exhibits, live music at almost every venue, and still feel great walking with your kid in hand. And those balances are really tough to find in downtowns,” Caldwell says.

Building for Tomorrow: Renderings show the new Woodstock City Center. Photo: Contributed

To meet the needs of this popular and growing city, the downtown area is undergoing a revitalization. A key feature of this project is a 633-space parking deck scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025. “That’s free parking available to the public,” says Caldwell. “That should make a dramatic difference on a day-to-day needs basis.”

Caldwell also notes that there is not a major road or thoroughfare in Woodstock that isn’t currently undergoing or scheduled for a massive renovation.

“We are both rebuilding and rethinking all our existing infrastructure and working to make sure that it doesn’t just meet today’s demand, but that it’s scaled to meet tomorrow’s as well,” he adds.

Building for Tomorrow: Renderings show the outdoor classroom at Little River Park. Photo: Contributed

Another project underway is the city’s Little River Park. The 110-acre park will double the amount of green space in Woodstock and will include everything from traditional trail systems and water trails to an outdoor recreation center, including playgrounds and kayak launches. Construction of the park will begin in the first quarter of this year and is expected to open to the public in summer 2026.

“There is not a park like this north of the Perimeter right now,” Caldwell says.

Planning for the Future

Canton has made tremendous progress toward its 15-year Roadmap for Success Plan, which the city adopted in 2020 and began implementing in 2021. Within two years, the city had completed or nearly completed nearly 70% of projects included in the plan.

Tremendous Progress: Canton Mayor Bill Grant. Photo: Eric Sun

“We’re moving along speedily and efficiently and accomplishing a lot because everyone’s headed in the same direction, which is very exciting,” says Mayor Bill Grant. “Every line item in the budget is aligned with the roadmap tenets.”

Among the projects underway is a new pedestrian bridge along the new trail extension across the Etowah River to the Mill on Etowah. Grant described this as a “major development,” which was made possible through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Canton’s new wastewater treatment plant, a $75 million investment, is also nearing completion. “This is the biggest [municipal] project in the city’s history,” says Grant. When completed, the plant will treat up to 7 million gallons per day.

Canton will also become home to Becker Robotic Equipment’s North American headquarters. “It’s just a huge win for us,” Grant says. “I think it really speaks highly of what we’re doing. I think companies want to be here.” This will be a $30 million investment and create 137 new jobs in Canton.

Another big win is Northside Hospital’s announcement to expand and grow its Cherokee County campus in Canton. The hospital is adding a second entrance onto the hospital campus, a parking deck and an additional patient tower, and it recently opened a new medical office building.

Making Improvements: Northside Hospital Cherokee is expanding. Photo: Contributed

And like the other cities of Cherokee County, Canton has a popular downtown district, which will soon undergo an expansion that was recently approved by the city council. The city also draws thousands of people to its First Friday events for free concerts in May through October.

“[People] love the small-town charm and feel,” says Grant. “I think Canton has done a great job of preserving that in the Metro Atlanta area.”

The same can be said for all the cities in the Cherokee County. “We’re positioned to have something really, really special here in 20 or 30 years,” says Johnston, the county board chair. “And that would be this small-town-, even a semi-rural quality of life, just within a stone’s throw of the city of Atlanta and the world’s busiest airport, something that is rare today and will be even rarer in the future.”

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Practical Programs: Mark Roberts, president of Reinhardt University. Photo: Brandon Clifton