Barrow County offers tremendous opportunities for businesses, and is a great place to raise a family in Northeast Georgia. Sandwiched in between I-85 and GA Hwy 316, Barrow County's proximity to Atlanta and Athens afford the cultural and educational benefits of the cities just 30 minutes away while enjoying the small town atmospheres of Auburn, Bethlehem, Braselton, Hoschton, Statham, and Winder.
According to the 2000 U.S. census, the population was 46,144 (84.8 percent white, 9.7 percent black, and 3.2 percent Hispanic), a 55% increase since 1990. Barrow County's estimated population in 2010 is 70,000, an estimated 50% increase since 2000.
The City of Winder, the county seat of Barrow County, was originally a settlement that was called "Jug Tavern". According to sources, Winder was named for notable railroad builder and manager, John H. Winder and was incorporated in 1893, but settlements go as far back as the late 1700s. The current mayor of Winder is Chip Thompson.
Barrow was created in 1914 as a way of settling a dispute among the citizens of the City of Winder, which at the time was located at the juncture of three counties. A new county was created from parts of Gwinnett, Jackson, and Walton counties. Legend has it that two local men became involved in a fight, and one of the men, standing in Gwinnett County, shot another man who was standing in Jackson County. The unhappy victim of this affair fell and died in Walton County (Ingram, p. 16). The new county was named for David Crenshaw Barrow, Jr., chancellor of the University of Georgia from 1906 to 1925.
Winder was the hometown of Senator Richard Russell, who served in the U.S. Senate for 40 years. Senator Russell was known for his roles as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and president pro tempore of the Senate, as well as his service on the Warren Commission.
Winder is also home to Fort Yargo State Park, one of the most widely visited state parks in Georgia. The park includes a two-story log structure, built in 1792 for protection against Creek and Cherokee Indians, and hosts living history encampments several times a year. An 1,800-acre nature preserve, Fort Yargo has camping areas, cabins, picnic areas, a fishing lake, a beach area and many bike and walking trails. Created in 1971, Will-a-Way Recreation Area at the park offers nature opportunities for the disabled.
Attractions
Fort Yargo State Park
Barrow County Museum
Education
Barrow County Schools
Gainesville State College
Lanier Technical College- Winder Campus
Gwinnett Technical College
The University of Georgia
Local Real Estate
Century 21 Winder Barrow Realty
Maynard Bartlett & Butler Realty Group, LLP
About Winder
Winder Statistics
Barrow County
Winder Information
Barrow County Chamber of Commerce
Where to Eat in Winder
The Barrow County News
Barrow Journal
Community Partners
The Tree House
Winder-Barrow Brad Akins YMCA
Community Connection
Magnolia Estates Assisted Living
Braselton recognized as one of the most "recession-resistant" towns in America in 2009.
Braselton's success noticed
By Merritt Melancon - merritt.melancon@onlineathens.com
Published Wednesday, January 06, 2010
A national demography firm has recognized Braselton as one of the most recession-resistant towns in America.
The Gadberry Group ranked Braselton first on its annual list of towns with market potential - meaning their population, number of households and household buying power have grown faster than in the rest of the nation. This year's list features nine towns that have continued to grow despite the recession, according to the Gadberry Group.
Braselton has made a few national municipal top 10 lists in the past five years, but being named one of the most recession-resistant towns in the nation proves that the town's growth and success were not built on a bubble, said Mayor Pat Graham.
"As a community, we are fortunate that this is an area where people feel confident in investing here," Graham said. "We're just really proud to have worked in a way that ensured that we're sustainable."
Braselton's population has more than doubled since 2,000. The number of households has grown by 118 percent since 2000, and the average household income has increased from $68,102 a year to $113,664 in that same period, according to Gadberry's data.
Graham, who is leaving office after eight years when successor Bill Orr takes office Thursday, received an e-mail from Gadberry Group's demographers about three weeks ago asking her to review the statistics about the town. Braselton's growth outpaced the national average by such a large margin that the statistician working on the project thought there had been a mistake, she said.
"The data was so astounding that the demographer wanted to go over some of the numbers with us to make sure the data was accurate," Graham said.
She projects the town will continue to grow as commercial development firm Halverson begins construction of the 200-acre retail village it has planned for Georgia Highway 211 in the Barrow County portion of Braselton.
Demographers with the Gadberry Group, based in Little Rock, Ark., sell data to commercial developers and retail chains for executives to use when deciding where to build, according to the company's Web site. The company has produced a list of the fastest growing areas of the nation since 2007, according to a company spokeswoman. For more information on the other recession-resistant communities on Gadberry's list, go to the latest news section of
www.gadberry.net.
BUYING POWER
The Gadberry Group's "9 from 2009," towns whose population, households and household buying power have grown faster than in the rest of the nation.
1. Braselton
2. Atascocita, Texas (Houston suburb)
3. Spring Hill, Tenn. (Nashville suburb)
4. Lincoln, Calif. (Sacramento suburb)
5. Katy, Texas (Houston suburb)
6. Wake Forest, N.C. (in the Raleigh-Durham triangle)
7. Mansfield, Texas (Dallas suburb)
8. Wylie, Texas (Dallas suburb)
9. Buckeye, Ariz. (Phoenix suburb)