Business View Magazine | February 2019

316 However Jackson continued to pursue his vision and obtained financial backing for a new bridge to North Augusta- the Thirteenth Street/Georgia Av- enue Bridge.Thus,North Augusta became a reality and was incorporated in 1906. Its singular building was the Hampton Terrace Hotel,which, at the time, was one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in the nation. Legend has it that North Augusta was originally selected as the site for a major, new movie capital, but when the hotel burned down on NewYear’s Eve 1916, potential producers moved on to Hollywood, California. North Augusta’s original land area was approxi- mately 722 acres, but in 1951, the City held a referendum and extended its boundaries to an area of 5,139 acres. Since then, the City has annexed over 6,000 more acres, bringing the total land area to approximately 19.5 square miles.The City’s cur- rent population is approximately 24,000 and, today, North Augusta offers its residents all the advantag- es of big city living while still maintaining its small town charm.With its superb location, progressive government, quaint neighborhoods, and friendly people,North Augusta is an excellent place to call home. And the City continues to grow–on the top of its agenda is the Riverfront Project, a $230 million public-private development on the banks of the Savannah River. CityAdministrator,Todd Glover de- scribes the genesis of this major construction ven- ture.“We are a bedroom community of Augusta,”he begins.“We’re mainly residential and our residents wanted more amenities for shopping and dining. But we didn’t have the population to really support those types of retail, restaurants, hotels, etc. and they were difficult to attract because we’re so close