Business View Magazine - October 2018

162 163 COLUMBIA COUNTY, GEORGIA to colonists from northern Scotland and the Orkney Islands. In the early 1800s the Georgia Railroad came to the region, as did the Augusta Canal, which was created to harness the water power at the fall line of the Savannah River to help drive mills, provide transportation of goods, and pro- vide a municipal water supply. Prior to the American Civil War, planta- tion agriculture was the major force of the economy in the county. Cotton production had expanded dramatically after the in- vention of the cotton gin, which enabled the cultivation of short-staple cotton in the upland areas. Numerous vast planta- tions existed, and the central houses of some still exist. Thousands of slaves were brought to the county for labor, and, at times, the slave population outnumbered the free white population. The county was still primarily agricul- tural up until World War II, at which time the U.S. Army built Camp Gordon, now Fort Gordon, taking over a large portion of Richmond County and parts of Columbia, McDuffie, and Jefferson Counties, as well. The Army’s keeping the base after WWII, created a new population and economic center for the county. During the 1950s, the Clarks Hill Dam was constructed, submerging considerable land in northern Columbia County under the new reservoir, while prompting new residential develop- ment around the lake. Between 1950 and 1990, the county’s population increased dramatically. Agri- culture declined, as farmland was redevel- oped as suburban housing and community centers for persons employed in Augusta. Nu- merous personnel stationed at Fort Gordon also eventually settled in the area. Today, Columbia County contains two small incorporated cities, Grovetown and Harlem; three major unincorpo- rated communities, Appling, Evans, and Martinez; and 18 smaller, unincorporated communities. “We grew 39 percent in the last census,” says County Administrator, Scott Johnson, remark- ing upon Columbia County’s exceptional rate of growth, “and we’re on pace to do that again, next census. People are continuing to choose to live here.We’ve benefitted a great deal from Fort Gordon, which is now home to Army Cyber Com- mand and that’s bringing in a lot of high-paying jobs and people who are relocating there as a result of that.We also have a National Security Agency (NSA) component at Fort Gordon. So, we have government contractors coming in that are supporting the base, as well. Columbia County is also well-known for its medical community. The Medical College of Georgia, which is now Augus- ta University, is located next door to us and a lot of people working in that medical community choose to call Columbia County, home.We’re also very close to the Savannah River Site, an active nuclear facility that has high paying jobs. And while it’s in South Carolina, a lot of those peo- ple choose to live in Columbia County. And then there’s Plant Vogtle, which is a Georgia Power