By Laura Newsome

Time and again, Atlanta tops the nation’s prestigious list of cities with stellar population growth—the best predictor of future prosperity and community vitality. With 14 of the nation’s fastest growing counties located right here in the heart of the 24-county metro area, it’s no surprise that Atlanta is the nation’s ninth largest city, gaining nearly a million new residents in the last decade alone.

In this issue of KNOWAtlanta, we are highlighting seven of Atlanta’s fastest-growing counties, where home prices are affordable, land is plentiful, the scenery is breathtaking, business is expanding and recreational opportunities are at a premium.

Forsyth
Population: 158,914
Yearly Growth: 7.2 percent
Website: forsythco.com

The country stores and barbeque stands that once characterized the rural landscape of Forsyth County are quickly being replaced by mammoth shopping centers and luxurious communities. For many years growth in Forsyth County was fueled by million dollar mansions built on the beautiful blue waters of Lake Lanier, metro Atlanta’s recreational paradise.

However, in recent years, growth has moved north from Fulton County suburbs like Alpharetta and Roswell to the less congested and more rural scenery of Forsyth County. Accessible by I-85 and GA 400, Forbes magazine recently voted Forsyth County “one of the best places to get ahead.” The state’s fastest-growing county, Forsyth is fueled by 200-miles of Lake Lanier shoreline, the lowest tax rates in the state, financial benefits for seniors and unparallel natural beauty. Poultry, horse and farming industries rule the countryside, and Forsyth is a home base for two major food producers—Tyson Foods and American Proteins Company.

As the county shifts away from its rural beginnings, data processing, fiber optics and high-tech printing are Forsyth’s industries of the future, with major employers including UPS research and development, Amoco performance products, Scientific Games, Inc., and LaFarge, the world leader in building materials. The county seat of Cumming is a rapidly emerging city known for its close proximity to 22 privately developed business parks, including the award-winning Johns Creek Technology Park, Windward Business Park and The Meadows.

Growing up around Forsyth’s dynamic business development are luxury, active adult and first-time homebuyer communities oriented around scenic recreational features like equestrian centers, wooded nature trails and the shores of Lake Lanier. The ever-growing Northside Forsyth Hospital, renowned schools with pilot programs in arts and technology, a major shopping artery at exit 14 and direct access to Atlanta via GA 400, are just some of the many reasons why Forsyth has become the state’s fastest-growing county.

Paulding
Population: 127,906
Yearly Growth: 6.7 percent
Website: Paulding.gov

For nearly two decades, Paulding County has ranked among the top five fastest-growing counties in the state of Georgia. With a growing business climate and easy access to Atlanta, it’s easy to see why Paulding is a popular destination for young families seeking affordable housing and great schools.

The county seat of Dallas has a Queen Anne-style courthouse on the National Register of Historic Places, a recently renovated town square packed with charming downtown retail, and a close proximity to the Silver Comet Trail, a 60-mile paved recreational trail for bikers and hikers. Paulding County is also home to the City of Hiram and the City of Braswell, as well as major employers like Greystone Power Corp., Georgia Power, SunTrust, Regions, WellStar Health System and Cousin Properties.

With a young population averaging just 31 years of age, Paulding residents are drawn to the county’s strong sense of family and spacious and affordable homes. Master-planned communities like Edenwood take advantage of the county’s scenic landscape, with homes from the $190s to the $500s tucked between trails, open greenspace, colorful flora and the bubbling Pumpkinvine Creek.

Families also flock to Paulding County for its school system, noted for academic excellence and a state-of-the-art fiber optic infrastructure connecting every classroom to numerous educational tools, including 5,000 computer workstations for a 1:4 computer to student ratio.

Even though Paulding may be well known as a small-town rocking-chair-on-the-front-porch kind of community, Paulding County was recently voted by CNN and Money Magazine as the 20th best place in America for job growth—something to be proud of indeed.

Jackson
Population: 59,254
Yearly Growth: 6.7 percent

Website: jacksoncountygov.com
This small town retreat, located an hour from Atlanta on I-85, was once known as a bedroom community and annual shopping destination for residents of nearby northern counties like Gwinnett, Hall and Barrow. These days Jackson is developing its own identity as a great place to live among beautiful, natural scenery.

Known for its commitment to growing industries, Jackson is now home to numerous industrial parks and thriving companies such as the Toyota distribution center for the Southeast, Huber Engineered Woods and the Roper Pump Company. With easy access to Atlanta’s main artery, I-85, Jackson County is full of manufacturing, government and service jobs, with growth fueled by low tax rates and business incentives like revolving loans, low land costs and façade grants.

Jackson is also renowned in the Atlanta area for its three premier outlet malls in Commerce, where shoppers can get their hands on low-priced designer products from Nautica, Liz Claiborne, Banana Republic and Tommy Hilfiger. As one of the top 100 growing housing markets in the nation, Jackson County has everything from apartments to historic country estates, and three independent school systems for local students.

Towns like Jefferson, Commerce and Braselton are situated in scenic Jackson County, as is the famous Mayfield Dairy, the Atlanta Dragway, the luxurious Chateau Élan winery and Hurricane Shoals Park. Jackson’s county seat, Commerce, is as quaint and bustling as its name suggests. The orderly and historic town square immortalized in Olive Ann Burn’s classic novel, “Cold Sassy Tree,” is just one of many reasons why Commerce is one of Georgia’s Main Street cities.

Barrow
Population: 67,139
Yearly Growth: 6.3 percent
Website: barrowga.org

Barrow was once a spattering of traffic lights on Highway 316 traveling north from Gwinnett County to the college town of Athens, but affordable development and an emerging technology corridor have made Barrow an attractive prospect for homebuyers seeking affordable homes with lots of land. Comprising of several small cities like Auburn, Bethlehem, Carl and Statham, the anchor of the county is Winder, a quaint but growing town steeped in old Southern charm and tradition.

Dubbed a “city of opportunity,” Winder is home to old town streetscapes and the scenic 1,814-acre Fort Yargo State Park, one of the states’ most popular parks, featuring a wooded oasis overlooking icy blue lakes, camping grounds, miles of shaded trails and miniature golf.

The county’s school district, which scores high on state and national achievement tests, low student-teacher ratios, low taxes and an affordable cost of living make Barrow County a perfect choice for small-town comfort within driving distance of Atlanta or Athens. The growing population is making way for many new home developments and retail centers. The majority of employment is in the management, business, engineering, service, health and life science industries.

Straddling urban and suburban living, small-town life with big-city convenience, Barrow is located near the center of Georgia’s Innovation Crescent, a burgeoning section of Atlanta known for its growing list of research and technology companies. Tax incentives for businesses, quick access to I-85 and Highway 316, and four large employment and education markets make Barrow the fourth fastest growing county in Georgia.

Cherokee
Population: 204,363
Yearly Growth: 5.3 percent
Website: cherokee.ga.com

This mountainous county, nested along the horizon of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has become a destination all its own, with easy access to Atlanta’s stylish northwest side, the shopping and dining conveniences of the Town Center Mall area and the scenic pleasures of Lake Allatoona.

Once a railroad county known for the gold found in its streams, Cherokee’s public schools exceed national and state averages, and living options range from starter homes in the low $100s and executive estates priced over $1 million to active adult communities and recreation neighborhoods like Great Sky, Lake Arrowhead and Harmony on the Lakes, built around mountain lakes, forest land, swimming, tennis and miles of hiking trails.

No matter where you live in Cherokee County, low taxes and excellent schools can be found in the growing cities of Woodstock, Holly Springs and Canton, home to Cagle Dairy Farms and numerous cotton and textile mills, as well as smaller towns like Waleska, Nelson, Mountain Park and Ball Ground, the former site of gold mines running along the scenic Etowah River.

Spectacular scenery, historic town squares, picturesque mountain peaks, recreational opportunities and modern infrastructure have created a vibrant community with nationally and internationally prominent companies like Siemens Energy, Herman Miller, ULMA Packaging and Torrington operating in the area. Averaging 10 percent business growth annually, the county is conveniently located near I-575, the economic spine that connects Atlanta to other Southeast markets.

Cherokee has been rated by the American Business Chronicle as one of five counties with the greatest growth potential in America. Just 25 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta, Cherokee has the most undeveloped land left in metro Atlanta, making the county ripe for global expansion.

Douglas
Population: 124,495
Yearly Growth: 4.8 percent
Website: douglascountygeorgia.com

Located less than a half-hour away from the center of Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Douglas boasts big city luxury with a friendly small town atmosphere. Low-cost living, a growing educational system, excellent health care facilities and attractive neighborhoods have helped put Douglas on the map.

Featuring everything from $100,000 ranches to multi-million dollar mansions, Douglas County is home to one of Atlanta’s largest mix-use neighborhoods, Tributary at New Manchester, a master-planned community featuring everything from single-family homes on spacious lots to charming craftsman homes situated near pocket parks, and Mirror Lake, a golf community featuring 36 holes of championship golf and a pristine 96-acre lake.

Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, recreational opportunities include the gorgeous Sweetwater Creek State Park, Georgia’s most visited state park, where hiking, fishing and historical sites abound. For residents of the area, the State University of West Georgia is a major focal point of Carrollton, and Douglas County’s roster of shopping centers and specialty stores includes 1.4 million square-feet of retail at the Arbor Place Mall, making Douglas County the retail hub of West Georgia.

With major cities consisting of Villa Rica, Lithia Springs, Austell and Douglasville, a designated Main Street City featuring picturesque O’Neal Plaza, with it’s winding brick paths and a beautiful fountain, major employers include First National Bank of Georgia, Georgia Power, MetroBank, GreyStone Power Corporation, WellStar Douglas Hospital and West Central Technical College.

Ample land, commercial incentives, easy access to the I-20 corridor, good schools, affordable property taxes, close proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and 12 industrial and business parks are all reasons why the county has seen more than $1 billion in investments over the last five years, making Douglas a prime location for new and relocating industries.

Gwinnett
Population: 776,380
Yearly Growth: 3.5 percent
Website: gwinnettcounty.com

Traveling north on I-85, two tan-colored silos mark the beginning of one of Georgia’s largest and most prosperous counties, with the aptly titled moniker, “Gwinnett is Great.” Stretching from the decidedly urban Duluth area to the rural wilds of Hamilton Mill, Gwinnett has topped the nation’s fastest growing list for more than 20 years, transitioning from a rural farmland to a booming, self-sustaining metropolis rivaling the City of Atlanta.

With up to 65 percent of Gwinnett’s residents working inside the county lines, Gwinnett has one of the lowest tax rates in the region, and is home to more than 400 international companies and 650 high-tech firms, including Publix, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Primerica Financial Services, Scientific-Atlanta and The Home Depot.

Adding an average of 1,200 new jobs and 350 new corporate complexes annually, Gwinnett is home to a growing number of young professionals and families, featuring a variety of housing options, from apartment complexes and spacious single-family starter homes to million dollar estates in secluded neighborhoods.

The largest school system in the Southeast, Gwinnett has 13 National Schools of Excellence and 35 Georgia Schools of Excellence, where 95 percent of student graduate and 86 percent attend postsecondary institutions like Georgia Gwinnett College, the state’s newest four-year university.

Numerous recreation and entertainment venues occupy Gwinnett’s landscape, boasting miles of Lake Lanier shoreline and the Southeast’s largest mall, the Mall of Georgia. The county also claims its own set of sports teams, including Georgia Force arena football and Gwinnett Braves baseball, while The Arena at Gwinnett Center is a major venue that hosts top musical acts.

Major towns and cities include Buford, Dacula, Duluth, Grayson, the bustling county seat of Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Loganville, Norcross, Snellville, Sugar Hill and Suwanee, recently named a Top 10 Small Town in America by Money magazine.

Increasingly, Gwinnett’s historic squares are reclaiming their small-town charm with redeveloped town centers that provide the perfect antidote to car-dependent suburbia. The City of Norcross features well-preserved historic homes and a Victorian downtown full of distinguished restaurants and unique shops, with period-style street signs, plentiful greenspace and revitalized streetscapes where residents can live, work and play in style.

Click here for more metro Atlanta county information.