Introduction

Once a thriving market town and center of cotton growing and textile production, this vibrant city has evolved from a small frontier outpost to a bustling 21st century hub of commerce, industry, and higher education. Major industries and employers including Southwire and Tanner Health System make Carrollton an important regional employment center, attracting residents from across Carroll County and beyond.

Located approximately 50 miles west of Atlanta, Carrollton offers convenient access to big city amenities while preserving the city’s small-town atmosphere and attractive rural setting. Carrollton’s 26,738 residents take advantage of the city’s unparalleled quality of life. Local amenities include the 18-mile GreenBelt trail network, over two dozen lush community parks, and a lively historic downtown with thriving local restaurants, small businesses, and entertainment options. Thousands are drawn to a rich variety of annual events downtown including concerts at the Amp, the Mayfest Arts and Crafts Festival, Taste of Carrollton, Christmas in Carrollton & Parade, and more. Less than a mile and a half from the downtown square, over 13,000 students study at Carrollton’s University of West Georgia, one of only a handful of comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. Students, faculty, and staff enrich the atmosphere in Carrollton, infusing the community with a youthful energy, diversity, and creative culture. The thriving downtown destination visitors flock to today has been many generations in the making. Carrollton experienced the city’s first boom in the years following the arrival of the Savannah, Griffin, and North Alabama Railroad in 1874. Many of the buildings surrounding Adamson Square date from the 1880s and early 1900s. Speaking to the active role city leadership has always played in shaping the city, Carrollton enacted a local ordinance in 1899 prohibiting wooden buildings along the square. Carrollton’s attractive historic masonry buildings provide a testament to early leaders’ foresight.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Carroll County served as one of the most productive cotton growing regions in the state. The arrival of the boll weevil in 1917 initiated a long decline in the local economy. Industry began to take a larger role in the area in the 20th century. Mills serving the cotton industry, including Mandeville Mills, Carroll Mills, and numerous hosiery mills provided employment to many residents in the first half of the 1900s.

The decline of the textile industry after World War II and changing patterns of commerce and transportation drained economic life from downtown Carrollton. In the 1970s and 80s, many downtown businesses closed or relocated to sprawling shopping centers along Maple Street and other corridors on the outskirts of town. Downtown institutions including Johnson’s Drug Company, first opened in 1854, closed permanently in the 1970s. While major industries on Carrollton’s outskirts, including the world’s largest record and cassette manufacturing plant, brought jobs and a renewed economic vitality, these economic generators drew commercial life away from downtown to the city’s sprawling commercial corridors. Long-time residents recall a time when downtown felt hollowed out and empty. Carrollton’s active local leadership and civic-minded local corporations stepped in to stem the tide of downtown decline and bring life back to the city’s heart. Carrollton’s active Main Street Board and elected leaders played a fundamental role in downtown’s revival. From the 1990s to the 2010s, Carrollton transformed from a sleepy, faded business district into one of Georgia’s great downtowns. Major public projects, including the Carrollton Center for the Arts (2002), Barnes Avenue parking deck (2008), Newnan Street parking deck (2010), Carrollton Depot renovation (2013), downtown hotel (2015), Carroll County Courthouse (2012), and amphitheater (2012) brought new life and activity to downtown. In 1999, the city began planning an ambitious trail network surrounding the city. This Carrollton Greenway Trail Vision plan served as the origin for Carrollton’s GreenBelt trail network, completed in 2016. These major projects, along with significant investments by the private sector, have made downtown Carrollton the prosperous and inviting community destination it is. A whole generation of Carrollton residents, children of the 1990s and 2000s, likely have no idea their thriving downtown ever struggled.

Local residents treasure the small, locally-owned businesses, including Georgia’s oldest bookstore, that give downtown Carrollton a unique and inviting atmosphere. Carrollton celebrates the importance of these attractions in the city’s tagline “Altogether Original.” Small businesses like Local Ties Brewing Company, Gallery Row Coffee, City Tavern, the Corner Café, and more act as authentic community anchors. These “third places” outside of work and home life serve as important hubs for social interaction, places where neighbors can run into one another and share in community life.

The very qualities and small businesses that residents love about Carrollton are the elements most threatened by continued progress and growth in the community. To make the often-challenging bookkeeping work, small businesses typically rely on older buildings or locations with lower overhead costs. As rents and property values climb, these beloved community spaces are often priced out of the market, giving way to national chain retailers and high-end outlets that can operate on thin margins. This phenomenon not only erodes the cultural identity of the community but also diminishes the appeal of downtown to residents and visitors alike.

Many communities across Georgia and beyond have looked to placemaking to help buoy struggling downtowns and other areas. Placemaking often involves reshaping public areas to make them more vibrant and active for local residents. While placemaking typically helps define communities without a strong identity or urban fabric, placekeeping focuses on preserving the essence and authenticity of existing places, ensuring they continue to reflect the identity and values of the community. Advocated by Mayor Nancy Harris of Duluth, Georgia, placekeeping emphasizes the importance of retaining the unique identity and heritage of a place, often in the face of external development pressures. A commitment to placekeeping means assuring that the things that people love about Carrollton stand the test of time. From historic architecture and a thriving arts and cultural scene to locally-owned small businesses and restaurants, the elements that define the character of downtown must be nourished and preserved to ensure Carrollton remains the thriving and unique community it is. With these issues in mind, local government leaders enlisted the assistance of planning professionals at the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government to help plan for the continued success of downtown. Step one of the Carrollton RSVP planning process began with a review of existing plans, a market study and analysis, a public town hall meeting, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and a community survey in February 2023. As part of the plan, thousands of citizens from throughout Carrollton shared their opinions, concerns, and dreams for their community.

A community survey crafted to gauge residents’ opinions generated an overwhelming 3,610 responses, or 13% of the total population. Of these survey participants, 93% reported liking downtown, a tremendous level of support from local residents. Community members overwhelmingly treasure the small, locally-owned businesses that make Carrollton unique; praised community attractions like the Amp and Local Ties, appreciated the ease of accessing downtown by car, foot, golf cart, or bike; and generally viewed downtown as an active and exciting local destination. Considering the lively, attractive, and beloved community destination downtown already is, the number one issue for any future plan must be to not lose the qualities that make downtown the special place it is. In short, don’t mess it up!

Residents voiced a general consensus around the key issues downtown. Community members see traffic issues at Adamson Square and the configuration of traffic patterns downtown as a major issue. Similarly, Carrollton citizens expressed the desire to prioritize downtown walkability, improving streets and sidewalks to encourage more residents and visitors to explore downtown on foot and ease parking demand. Parking availability and accessibility remain concerns for many residents. Locals repeatedly pointed to limited accessibility and wayfinding at existing parking areas. Community views largely echoed a 2015 study recommending improving pedestrian and vehicle wayfinding and enforcing time limits on parking. Residents also envision a greener downtown with many requesting more trees, GreenBelt spurs, expanded parks, and family-friendly play spaces. Many also see the need to address housing and expand the viability of downtown small businesses with mixed-use infill development. Finally, residents requested more of all the things they already like to do downtown, including more diverse food and entertainment options that appeal to all residents.