Georgia Communities Bounce Back (cont.)

The five major objectives include building a stronger economy, a more skilled workforce and a quality physical infrastructure for growth; protecting and improving quality of life assets; and making more efficient use of government resources. Clearly, these objectives are connected in a multitude of ways, but one of Rome’s strongest assets is education. The Rome-Floyd County 20/20 capitalized on Rome’s unique advantage – four colleges, a prestigious boarding school, technical schools, plus a nationally recognized K-12 public education system:

• Berry College, a 28,000-acre liberal arts college, is recognized as one of the country's best by numerous college ranking publications.

• Floyd College, a two-year college of the University System of Georgia, was one of the first colleges in the nation to provide each student a laptop and has been recognized by Bill Gates for its innovative incorporation of technology in the classroom.

• Shorter College, another four-year, liberal arts college, offers eight bachelor degree programs and 10 preprofessional programs.

• Coosa Valley Technical College (CVTC) provides quality technical and related academic education, customized business and industry training, continuing education, and adult education services to meet the workforce needs of companies.

• Darlington School is a 430-acre, internationally renowned, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade boarding school that attracts students from across the country and around the world.

Additionally, the Floyd County School System offers comprehensive technical training through Floyd County Technical High School.

Today, by leveraging and continuing to grow its educated workforce, Rome is outsmarting the outsourcing that did indeed lead to the closing of its textile plant. Among various initiatives, the city schools added international language courses, and advanced placement courses to enhance math and science. Rome residents also passed a significant sales tax increase to improve the physical facilities at public schools, and the county started a high school industry academy.

The city helped several existing employers expand and has attracted some new ones. Rome is now home to foreignowned companies from Austria, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland. The companies have produced more than 1,000 jobs in just a few years. Rome officials believe that the city’s educational assets have been key in attracting high-tech manufacturing (including state-of-the-art automotive parts and supplies) and corporate headquarters.

Savannah, the “beautiful lady”

When General Sherman concluded his legendary march to the sea in 1864, he was so enamored with the beautiful city at the end of it – Savannah – that he left it unharmed and presented it to President Lincoln as a Christmas present. Despite Sherman’s reprieve, the city eventually found itself in a state of disrepair. Its condition was perhaps best captured by Lady Astor of England when, in 1946, she compared it to “a beautiful lady with a dirty face.”Many credit her now-famous estimation of Georgia’s “first city” for sparking its transition back to economic vitality.

The first step in this transition focused on the city’s most distinctive asset, its history. The Historic Savannah Foundation was chartered in 1955 to protect the city’s countless historic homes, churches and other structures. Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, unprecedented restoration took place; the Savannah College of Art and Design alone restored more than 70 buildings to their original grandeur. Subsequently, the tourism industry in Savannah boomed and today draws more than six million visitors each year.

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