What We Heard

88% 12%

Question 1: Did you grow up in Holly Springs?

Holly Springs is a city full of recent arrivals, with only 12.1% of survey respondents reporting that they grew up in Holly Springs. Most survey participants (87.9%) moved to Holly Springs after childhood. Survey respondents who said that THEY GREW UP in Holly Springs stated that the top reasons why they stayed in the City are:

Question 2: How long have you lived in Holly Springs?

When asked about their tenure of residency in Holly Springs, 30.8% of survey participants listed over 10 years. Over a quarter of participants (26.9%) said 3-5 years, 19.1% said 6-10 years, 16.1% said 1-2 years, and 7.1% said less than a year.

For those who DID NOT GROW UP in Holly Springs, most survey participants moved to the City from elsewhere in Cherokee County (36.2%). Another 18.6% responded that they moved from another state to Holly Springs, while Cobb County (17.6%) and Fulton County (13.8%) were the other top responses.

People who moved to Holly Springs were attracted to the City for many of the same reasons that keep long-time residents in the community.

Commonly cited reasons included:

AFFORDABILITY to other downtowns, especially Canton and Woodstock

Schools

location and convenience

Nature, trails, and parks

safety and cleanliness compared to Atlanta and other cities

small-town charm

Harmony on the Lakes subdivision

Interestingly, a majority of survey respondents did not grow up in Holly Springs (87.9%) but moved to the area for a variety of reasons. Those who moved to Holly Springs over 20 years ago were attracted to the quiet, rural lifestyle and excellent schools. As Cherokee County has developed and more people have moved to the area, the small-town, rural atmosphere has changed. Nearly 27% of survey respondents said they moved to Holly Springs within the past three to five years, showing a new wave of growth. People moving to the area today are doing so for different reasons than those who arrived over 20 years ago. Many more recent arrivals cited larger lots and more affordable housing were a draw, in addition to lower taxes than surrounding counties. More than 18% of respondents moved to Holly Springs from out of state, attracted to the lower cost of living in the area.

The different reasons for settling in the area yesterday and today reflect a divide in what people value.

Longer-term residents are sad to see their quiet, small-town, rural lifestyle replaced with busy streets and chain restaurants. However, newer residents (many of whom have moved away from more populated metropolitan areas) would like to see more things to do and a larger variety of shops and restaurants.

In addition to the online survey, the UGA Institute of Government team conducted public input meetings with members of the Holly Springs community and City employees. Public meetings took place October 17-18 at various locations in Holly Springs, including the historic depot, the Holly Springs Public Safety Building, Harmony on the Lakes clubhouse, and Sequoyah High School. Meetings were also hosted online on Zoom. Participants were asked questions related to the online survey and gave great feedback about what Holly Springs has to offer, areas in which the City can improve, and their opinions about the City’s brand direction.

Takeaway: