Georgia Trend magazine recently asked the Georgia Municipal Association to help them identify some of Georgia’s “most successful downtown revitalizations”.

From the initial list provided, Georgia Trend chose to highlight eight downtown areas in their February issue: Blue Ridge, Columbus, Dahlonega, Decatur, Hinesville, Roswell, Savannah and Statesboro.

Here’s a snippet of the Decatur write up from the article…

The city of Decatur could give a clinic on downtown revitalization. Since the early 1980s, the city’s leaders, business owners and citizens have worked diligently to create Decatur’s small-town atmosphere with a big-city buzz. “We did a town center plan around 1982,” says Bill Floyd a longtime mayor and city commissioner. “That’s when the vision of this community started. If you go back and look at that plan, you’ll see that what’s happened in Decatur is basically what’s in the plan.”

As noted on The Decatur Minute, the city of Decatur recently ranked among the “best places to work” by Georgia Trend.  Here’s the blurb…

City of Decatur
Decatur
Peggy Merriss, City Manager

Tony Parker says his workplace is a nonconformist’s dream. “I have spent 23 years working in an environment that rewards independent thought and crazy progressive ideas and where failure means we get to try again,” says Parker, assistant city manager for emergency services. This DeKalb County city of about 18,000 is east of Atlanta and covers a little more than four square miles.

Managers for the city of Decatur, which has 207 full-time employees, read and discuss a book each year. Past selections include Good To Great, by Jim Collins and A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink. “We are constantly challenged to find opportunities for personal and professional growth,” says Meredith Roark, a management analyst.

On nice days, she sits outside with her laptop and enjoys the citywide wireless network built with funds from a state grant. When Roark showed an interest in emergency preparedness, she had the opportunity to get certification even though it isn’t her primary job focus. “I am proud to be part of a forward-thinking team with its commitment to nurturing and sustaining me and the community,” she says.

As Meredith notes over on the Minute, Function, a Decatur marketing and design firm also made the list.