Georgia Trend magazine, in its February edition, has named Savannah as one of eight communities it describes as “Georgia’s renaissance cities.”
Hinesville and Statesboro also are on the list along with Roswell, Decatur, Columbus, Dahlonega and Blue Ridge.
Click here to view a slideshow of Georgia Trend's Eight "Renaissance Cities."
“These eight downtowns are bustling with shops, restaurants, art and activity,” the magazine writes.
Writers Candice Dyer, Patty Rasmussen and John W. Mccurry go on to say: “Who doesn’t love a lively, thriving downtown area, especially one with some small-town charm and bigtime buzz? Making and keeping a downtown healthy and inviting takes a lot of work — sometimes cities have to re-invent themselves.”
In describing Savannah, Dyer writes (among other things):
Savannah boasts a well-documented and zealous culture of historic preservation, but one sector in particular nagged at the conscience of civic leaders for decades: Ellis Square.
The square is part of the four original squares of Georgia’s oldest city and site of the City Market, which was razed in 1954 to build an unsightly parking garage. Fifty years later, leaders began re-imagining the space.
“We sought community engagement on how to restore it and make it as interactive and appealing as possible for residents and visitors alike,” says Mayor Edna Jackson, the city’s first African-American woman elected to that position. “We also had to keep in mind the need for parking, so we really needed creativity and collaboration between government and businesses.”
In a public-private collaboration, the city, with logistical and financial support from local businesses, tore down the garage and dug into its underlying clay deposits to construct a four-story, 1,100-space underground parking facility. The square was converted into a LEED-Gold certified plaza, featuring a visitors center, bandstand, fountain, statue of native son Johnny Mercer and nine transplanted live oaks — a hospitable spot that is quintessential Savannah, in other words.
What was said about Hinesville
In its description of Hinesville, Georgia Trend includes:
For a city that’s actively pursued downtown revitalization for little more than eight years, Hinesville is proving an apt pupil. In 2004, the city created the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority as part of a comprehensive plan for the city. Vicki Davis serves as executive director. She says a recommendation made by two county commissioners serving on the board in its early years, locating a new county government building in the downtown historic district, laid the groundwork for successful downtown revitalization.
“Keeping that building in the walkable district, the historic core, was the greatest thing they could have done,” Davis says. “Our government services, police station, fire department, city hall, justice center and historic courthouse serve as the anchor there.”
The historic core, complete with retail shops and restaurants, greenspace and sidewalks, has become an attraction and a meeting place for people in Hinesville and nearby Fort Stewart, an integral part of the Hinesville community.
What was said about Statesboro
Georgia Trend discussed ongoing redevelopment in its article on Statesboro:
An arts center and theater and a city campus for Georgia Southern University have served as the most recent catalysts in an ongoing redevelopment of Statesboro, a city of more than 29,000.
“We’re trying to get people downtown as much as we can,” says Statesboro Mayor Joe Brannen.
Earlier redevelopment included the transformation of the old Jaeckel Hotel into a new city hall in 1997 and the restoration of the Bulloch County courthouse, which was completed in 2000.
“Downtowns are a city’s identity, a bay window into the community,” says Allen Muldrew, executive director of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority.
Statesboro’s downtown is also a major economic engine with more than 200 businesses that employ more than 1,700 people.