At the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, there is evidence of human habitation dating back to 12,000 years. Mankind has known for a long time that the rivers, timberlands, rich soil, and rolling hills of the Midstate would be a great place to live. The rivers were an obvious attraction because people needed a source of water for themselves, their livestock, and their crops, but the rivers were also important for transportation. When early travelers paddled up the Ocmulgee River, they would reach a point where rapids would force them to shore. These spots were natural places for villages to be established. When Europeans arrived in Georgia, they followed the examples set by the Creek Indians and built colonies in may of the sites the American Indians had villages and trading posts.
The trains replaced riverboats, canoes and rafts. Our central location was a logical choice for railroads, which brought a period of prosperity at the turn of the century. After the railroads, the Midstate was again favored with the interstate highway system. Interstates 75 and 16 trisect the region. Residents can reach the Golden Isles on the coast or the cool mountain air of the Appalachians in a couple of hours.
The cities of Macon and Warner Robins are large enough to offer the most desirable urban amenities but small enough to avoid the hassles that plaque major metropolitan areas. The smaller cities such as Perry, Dublin, Fort Valley, Byron, Forsyth, Hawkinsville, Cochran, and Gray have the best of both worlds with lovely historic town squares and the charms of small-town life. But they are also within minutes of the shopping, resturants, hospitals, and entertainment of Macon and Warner Robins. Many of these Byron, Gray, and Forsyth in particular have grown into bedroom communities of Macon.
Likewise, the citizens of Macon and Warner Robins can get out of the city for a day of fishing at one of the area's fishing holes (Such as the Hugh M. Gillis Public Fishing Area in Laurens County) or hiking on protected lands (such as Jones County's Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge). Its no accident that Bass Pro Shops built a 600,000 square-foot retail and distribution center in north Bibb County. There's abundant opportunity for hunting, hishing, boating and camping in the eight-county area. and there are many outdoor recreation enthusiasts to enjoy the abundance.
It doesn't take a metropolis of 5 million people to provide the finer things in life. You can enjoy fine dining, live theatre, art exhibits and classical music without driving to Atlanta, and you'll rarely have to pay for parking. When tourists think of dining in the South, they automatically think of fried chicken or barbeque, and the Midstate does have its share of authentic Southern-style resturants that will have you loosening your belt before the pie is even served. But there's also French, Italian, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Korean, and Japanese as well as upscale continental cuisine.
With so many local theatre groups, you might think the Midstate is a training ground for Broadway, and that's proven to be true. A number of talented youth have gone on to work on Broadway and the west coast. With multiple community theatre groups and several colleges and high-school groups, theatre buffs have a full schedule of plays and musicals to choose from or to audition for. The area has several entertainment venues, including Hawkinsville Old Opera House and Macon's Grand Opera House, offering acts as Willie Nelson, "The Producers" and "Chicago." For more classical fare, the Macon Symphony Orchestra offers a full season of performances, and local colleges and universities share their cultural talents. During the academic year, its possible to hear classical music played by professionals several times a week at Mercer University often for free.
To get an idea of all the musical and athletic talent Georgia has produced, a visit to the museum district in Macon is necessary. Located within a few blocks of each other are the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, The Tubman African American Museum, and the Georgia Children's Museum. The Museum of Arts and Sciences is also located in Macon. Next to Robins Air Force Base is the Museum of Aviation, one of the fastest-growing museums in the Southeast with nearly 100 aircraft as well as aviation memorabilia from America's warsand military campaigns. In a way, each city in our region is a museum. Except for Griswoldville in Jones County, Sherman's troops left the area intact during the Civil War. While the post-war economy might have been in ruins, the houses and buildings weren't. Examples of Victorian, Queen Anne, Greek revival, Italianate. Early Republic and Craftsman architecture dot the skyscrapers.
Macon leads the area with 5,500 historic structures and 11 historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Peach County has three historic districts and Lauren's County has two. While there are many quaint bungalows and charming victorians to choose from, historic houses aren't the only options. Contemporary residential developments are plentiful and surprisingly affordable. According to figures from the 2000 census, the median house value in the eight-county area is $82,000 much less than the state median value of $112,200.
The low cost of living is one reason business are choosing to relocate or expand here. The economy is steadily growing, giving employees a variety of career options. Unemployment rates averaged 4.5 percent between the years 2000 and 2004, which is lower than the national average of 5.5 percent for the same period. Houston and Jones Counties were significantly lower with rates of 3.3 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively. Forbes magazine included Warner Robins in the Top 50 of Best Small Places for Job Growth in the country on its 2007 list.
While the health-care industry is the leading employer in several counties, manufacturing jobs are increasing and government-contract jobs associated with Robins Air Force Base, Which is the major economic engine in the area, are usually available. Here are just a few examples of the growing manufacturing industry in the Midstate. Nichiha USA is building a $78 Million Manufacting facility in Bibb County that is expected to open in late 2007. In Houston County, the Frito-Lay Plant in Kathleen will invest $125 Million to expand their facility and will hire 80 new employees in addition to the existing workforce of 1,200. YKK AP American in Laurens County has planned an $80 million expansion in three phases. Phase 1 is complete and Phase 2 is scheduled to open in late 2008. When all three phases are complete, YKK will have nearly 600 employees.
You can't talk about the Midstate without talking about the weather. Some would argue that the summers are unbearable, but any Southerner knows how simple it is to survive July; stay inside where there is air conditioning blasting. What we sacrifice in the summer is well worth the delightful temperatures we experience the rest of the year. Fall and Spring last so long that if it weren't for a calendar telling us what month it is, we might miss winter completely. The normal daily high temperature in January is 57 degrees. This makes it still a good time to get out our golf clubs or tie on our tennis shoes.
Spring is simply gorgeous. In early February, the first daffodils start peeping through the ground and purple blossoms of the Japanese magnolias start appearing. The snowy white Bradford pears and dogwoods set the stage for the magnificent Yoshino cherry trees that cover the landscape with pockets of pink blossoms. With more than 300,000 cherry trees, Macon has been named the cherry blossom capitol of the world, and each March the city celebrates wit a 10-day festival.
But our region is more than a strong economy or cultural events or significant architecture its the home of honest, hardworking people who care about their community and their neighbors, who attend church and belong to civic organizations, who buy wrapping paper for school fund-raisers and coach little league baseball, and who take dinner to shut-ins and visit the sick in the hospital.
It is a place where people can sit on their front porch and sip a cold drink while their children play hopscotch on the sidewalk one evening and the next evening enjoy costoletta di vitello arrostita and a bottle of Chianti before catching a show at the Grand Opera House. Here in the Midstate, we have it all except traffic.
