Home & Real Estate SPECIAL SECTION City dwellers find new homes in the mountains

By Kathy Dean

The mountains of north Georgia have a strong draw on people, especially city dwellers. Mountain vistas offer a spectacular beauty that calms the spirit and wakens the soul. Woodland trails entice hikers, and lakes invite boaters and fishermen and women. Friendly neighbors, arts and craft festivals, delightful shops and top-notch restaurants are everywhere. It’s no wonder that so many visitors claim a piece of the mountain for themselves.

For Cathy and Ted Day, the search for a mountain retreat was, in a way, a return home. “We both grew up with a love of the mountains,” Cathy explained. Originally from Gainesville, Ga., Ted spent much of his time enjoying activities in the great outdoors. Cathy grew up in Florida and always thought of herself as a beach girl. Still, her parents had a mountain house in North Carolina, and her sister’s family still has one there.

“As our children got older, married and had children of their own, the mountain house became our gathering place, our memory maker,” Ted added. “Now we have the opportunity to create that same kind of family gathering place.”

The couple spent several years looking for a cottage in the Blue Ridge area, with the help of Kim Knutzen of Harry Norman Realtors, Blue Ridge. During one of their ventures, they overheard someone ask Kim about Old Toccoa Farm, and it piqued their curiosity. Kim took Cathy and Ted to see the development; the more they saw and learned, the more they became convinced that Old Toccoa Farm was the perfect setting for their next home.

According to Cathy, they were impressed by the love and commitment that the developers, including Managing Partner Peter Knutzen, have for Old Toccoa Farm. “Their concept is just what we wanted. They believe in being part of the community and giving back to it.”

All the main requirements for their new home were met: a place to retreat and restore their souls; a place to enjoy and share fellowship with their very full family of 10; a place to create community with other residents and friends; and a place to potentially enjoy an active retirement.

“We invited our kids up to Old Toccoa Farm around Thanksgiving,” said Ted. “Before they left, they turned to us and said, ‘It’s perfect! What are you waiting for?’ That same day, we signed up and bought our piece of the Farm!”

Karen Rowell and Steve Frick recently purchased a vacation home in Mineral Bluff, near the Georgia/North Carolina border. “We absolutely love it!” Karen said. “It’s been a dream in the making, and Nathan Fitts, our Realtor with Remax Town & Country, helped make it come true.”

Steve and Karen agreed that their two biggest draws to the area were the beauty of the mountains and the outdoor lifestyle. They regularly ride their bikes, hike with their dogs and enjoy beautiful Lake Blue Ridge.

While they still work in Atlanta, Karen noted that it would be a perfect place to retire or reinvent themselves one day. “Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s amazing how less stressful life seems here than in Atlanta, where I’ve lived all my life.”

Steve Baker and Sally Farr love to travel, though they found a perfect place to take a respite in the north Georgia mountains. Steve, originally from Illinois, worked in the university system there for over 30 years, and is now retired. Throughout the years, he regularly traveled back and forth between the Champaign-Urbana area in Illinois and the St. Petersburg-Sarasota area of Florida.

He often dropped in on friends along the way – Joe and Diane in Mineral Bluff, Ga., just outside of Blue Ridge. In 2013, he asked Joe to show him some homes in the mountains that fit his needs and price range. He and Sally picked out Dogwood Cabin in Mineral Bluff and bought it, with the help of Mountain Tracks Realty of North Georgia.