A THRIVING ECONOMY Along with its natural wonders, Hall County, with the City of Gainesville at its seat, is one of the fastestgrowing regions in Georgia. Tim Evans, Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, highlighted, “The real story about the Gainesville/Hall County metropolitan area is that we’re one of the fastest-growing MSAs in the state, and we are always top in the nation for growth.” The area has experienced a remarkable population growth rate of nearly 2% per year, supporting the robust job creations in Hall County. “Those jobs really are focused in areas like healthcare, education, and advanced manufacturing, and those three areas are often cited as to why Gainesville/ Hall County is a very resilient economy among peers around the country,” Evans said. Northeast Georgia Health System is the largest employer, with a workforce of 13,000 and a significant economic impact of approximately $7.5 billion annually. INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH As it grows,Hall County remains focused on enhancing its critical infrastructure. Bill Nash, Director of Hall County Public Works and Utilities, shared, “We are focused on a lot of high-capacity projects, taking a lot of rural roads and trying to widen those.” Another significant project, the Sardis Road Connector, will connect two state roads via a 3.6-mile roadway corridor. “We’re excited for that project,” Nash said. “That’s a very high-priority project, from the stance of connecting two state routes with a lot of traffic flows, to give an additional bypass into downtown Gainesville.” Walkability is also top of mind, with Nash noting that the ongoing road projects include a pedestrian component. “We’ve got multiuse paths on those projects that will increase mobility and safety among users,” Nash said. “We are also involved with the Highlands to Islands trail project, a multijurisdictional trail system that will essentially connect the highlands of Hall County all the way to the islands of Lake Lanier with 30 plus miles of 151 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 11 HALL COUNTY, GA
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