A Kroger will be a great addition. I would really like for Blue Ridge, however, to not lose it’s original charm.

I’ve heard Kroger, and I’ve heard “that ain’t it” from one person recently. Whatever it will be, the sitework’s moving at a snail’s pace, and that does look a bit less “Krogering” to me, but this isn’t Atlanta.

It’s about time Blue Ridge grew up a bit. It is a shame most of us have to move to Atlanta/Chattanooga to make a decent living. Six bucks an hour just wont cut the mustard, even in Fannin County.

There is nothing I would love more than to move back home. Seems there is much more to accomplish before that is a reality.

Word on the street now is Super Wal Mart. Horrific news if true.

Kroger? Walmart? I heard super Target as Kroger pulled out and Walmart just opened in Elijay, so they are done in this region for now. Any major chian would be nice, as driving to Atlanta stinks! PUBLIX would be the BEST though!!!

The Home Depot is nice but I hate to see Blue Ridge change from the quiet little town it once was. Progress is good I guess but it’s getting so crowded now on the weekends. When my Mom moved to Blue Ridge (from Doraville, Georgia) back in 1999 it was such a peaceful, quiet beautiful little place. She loved the change. It was like a little piece of heaven on earth! We could go shopping downtown and not be in crowds. Now it’s crowded all the time not just when they are having a festival downtown. My sweet Mom has since passed on but I will remember those wonderful times we had back when no one knew where Blue Ridge was. My sister has a place there so I still visit but it makes me long for the quieter days.

Shelby,

I agree with you. I have had my property in BR since ‘89. This was even before the 4-lane was completed. You could buy an acre of land for $1,500 and a lake lot for $50-60,000.

But, change is inevitable everywhere. It is a result of a growing population on this earth. The key is controlling it. Fannin Co. has said zoning is not needed because it is a rural county. They didn’t want to increase the costs of construction to the point where it slowed down economic growth. It is only in the last couple of years that the commissioners have discovered the rural nature of Fannin is changing. BR and Fannin want the tourist dollars but do not want growth or change. This will not happen without proper controls.

I hope Blue Ridge never becomes like Helen, GA. I can remember when Helen was just a gas station near a state park and nice waterfall. Look at it now - timeshares and condos everywhere.

TO,
I heard Target, Kroger, then a friend of mine that asked not to be named, said he was walking out of the Home Depot and a friend/employee stopped him and said that they had just signed the papers.

He said: “What papers?” and the guy said, “Super Wal Mart”. Whatever it is it will be ugly; the orange glow of the Depot signs are already visible from very nice cabins off Aska Road that used to have great views, and they didn’t grade the rest of that large hill for nothing. The folks living on Scenic Drive must be thinking of changing their street name.

I was at the ever-busy Wal-Mart/Lowes in Ellijay last week. The entire other side of the 4-lane has already been clear-cut and rough-graded for the inevitable Wal-Mart sprawl. Why do I get the feeling those deals are already cooking (read “done”) in Blue Ridge? Where did that Home Depot come from? Last I heard, BR rejected them, they went to Blairsville, Lowes went to EJ—-BAM, there’s a Depot in BR without any debate that I heard about.

To live and die in CB: spent 6-years of our lives in Crested Butte, CO: franchises were not allowed in CB or MT CB. The nearest stop light or fast-food joint was 30-miles away in Gunnison. Walked to work, the grocery store, bars, restaurants, free busses. There’s perpetual gold in them there hills if it’s properly protected!

I think Blue Ridge needs a bit of growth.With gas prices and all, not having to drive to Ellijay will be great!
I see SuperWalmart as a major plus in the area. One stop shopping for everything. Plus it will bring alot more jobs to the area with good benefits!

I say bunk to a super wal-mart! It’s bad enough we have the Home Depot, I would be curious what it has done to the local Ace Hardware’s business. Is there no planned growth? OR is the City of Blue Ridge just approving anything to obtain tax dollars? We need to promote tourism and the small town charm, not unmanaged growth! My opinion is that with a super wal-mart, we are taking away from the local community’s small businesses and we will see a decline and ruination of the fine establishments in downtown. We did not buy in this area to shop wal-mart. I will be heartbroke and livid if this goes through.

Patty,
I agree with you 100%. I did some work in a small town in Iowa last fall. Wal-Mart had a small store there and then abandoned it to go to a SuperSize store. The locals said everything was fine with the small store. The local stores could compete. Everything changed with the Super Wal-Mart. Now there is no competition for Wal-Mart. The old store remains empty (like in Ellijay) and the small locally owned stores are closing. Their downtown has died. The new Wal-Mart is on the edge of town away from everything. Guess what happens to prices and selection when there is no competition. Also, Wal-Mart has a history of not treating employees well. Look at the low wages they pay, very limited benefits and the discrimination lawsuits they have lost.

The Ace Hardware seems to be surviving. I was in there the other day and they had 4 registers open and a line at 3 of them. Home Depot only has two registers and 4 self serve. I have seen times when you were required to go to the self serve when the “manned” registers were closed - even with a cart full of wood that wouldn’t fit in the area.

Kip has it right. My favorite small town is Breckenridge, CO. You won’t find a super Wal-Mart there. All of the businesses are within 2 blocks of Main Street or in a small retail area as you enter town. They handle thousands of visitors everyday plus the couple of thousand local people. They also have over 20 nice restaurants that serve alcohol and none of them are a chain.

Managed growth is needed in BR - not big stores. I say take your twice a month one stop shopping to Ellijay and keep the smaller stores in BR. Otherwise you will end up with two stores in BR: Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

Steve, thanks for the concurrence of opinion! But my question is - we talk on this blog, but who makes the decision on the building permit? Does this go through county government or the city? Would letters to the editor raise ire? Or would a letter writing campaign to select officials serve a purpose? How do we get our voices heard? I am a Florida resident hoping to make my Blue Ridge vaction home a permanent home in the not too distant future and the last thing
I want is to see a super wal-mart off my back deck! If there is any way possible, I want to help stop the madness before it gets out of control. Or is it already too late?

Patty,
I am sure all large scale business developments are a combination of city and county. The development occurs inside the city because of sewer access since the county doesn’t really have any except for the Industrial Park on Hwy 5 which I think is now fully developed. I think it was the county that agreed to pay for the improvement of the Hwy 5 access to HD even though it is in the city. The city has much stronger zoning than the county (which has none). All variances in the county are approved by the three county commissioners. It is a “good ol’ boyâ€? network. Over the years I have seen set back variances of 8 feet approved for “friendsâ€? and structures built in violation of setbacks that are later approved. It was only within the past few years that the EPA started cracking down on county approved structures that violated state water setback laws.

You can write a letter to the local newspaper but I think all of the locals will be against you. They want jobs. They see the growth in Ellijay around the Wal-Mart and think that is good. They have not seen what happens over time to the local market.

As far as the elected officials, you have to remember that the long time Mayor of BR has been arrested several times for gambling and being a spectator to animal abuse. The current Chairman of the county commissioners was previously elected and quit mid term thereby forcing the county to spend thousands of dollars for a special election. His successor was run out of office for trying the change things (not necessarily good changes but they didn’t like the changes). Another commissioner is a local builder and wants to keep construction workers employed. Construction is the second largest industry in Fannin behind tourism.

You are like a majority of the people who own second homes or lots in Fannin County. They are paying a lot of money in property taxes but cannot vote to change things. This will not change until retirees start living in Fannin County and register to vote. However, that is not likely to happen for FL residents since it is to their advantage to keep their permanent residence in FL where there is no income tax.

I love Home Depot! I am excited that the small town of Blue Ridge GA is finally willing to expand it’s boundaries to include a fine Home store such as this. I also am very excited about the upcoming new Kroger store. The Kroger store in Jasper, Ga is one of the cleanest I have seen anywhere. I trust the same will be true of the one in Blue Ridge.

Who needs a Kroger when we have Ingles. My husband and I are from Florida and have a vacation home in BR and do not want to see BR become a strip mall. I love Ace hardware and there was never anything I needed that they did not have so I didn’t see the need for Home Depot. I guess since they have already cleared the area we are going to get something but why a Super anything? A regular sized Target might be nice though so we had more choice. I would love to be able to pick up clothes from somewhere other than Goody’s.

My wife and I have been considering moving from Jacksonville, Fl to Blue Ridge when we retire in about two years. With all the growth that is going on, I wonder if we are making a bad decision. Blue Ridge seemed like the perfect small town that we were looking for, but now we are starting to wonder.

Jack - I don’t think you are making a bad decision. Growth is inevitable in such a beautiful part of the country. What I’ve tried to say before is that we need managed growth instead of rampant uncontrolled growth. Whether or not we’ll see this remains uncertain due to the “good old boy” network but Blue Ridge is still my kind of town. I want to see the town of Blue Ridge flourish with quaint small businesses that currently exist, we don’t have to frequent the super stores nor will I support them in the area. We still plan on making Blue Ridge our permanent home in the future, I think it will be an excellent place to retire. In my opinion, this area is just a little slice of heaven.

We have made plans to visit in October and plan to stay at Cabins & Coffee. We are really looking forward to visiting the area and researching the real estate market.
Thanks for your response,

After visiting BR several time, I am another South Floridian who intends to retire there. In fact, I bought my land last year a couple miles north of town. Even with a Walmart and a Kroegers, Blue Ridge will still be a little slice of heaven. After all, its not the commerce that makes the town, its the people. I have yet to meet a person in BR that wasn’t friendly.

Again this morning I read in the News Observer
that 1 out of 10 in N. Georgia uses meth. This problem concerns us to say the least. I would be very interested in a web site showing crime stats for Fannin County.
Thanks

There would not be a WalMart if people did not shop there. I personally do not shop at WalMart. I prefer the little boutique shops. I did pay $99 for a pair of pants on summer clearance in downtown Ellijay. Now many of the locals can not pay that for a pair of pants. I live in Canton and Ellijay and own a business in Blue Ridge. The real key here is to have an education that is the reason I enjoy so much and have so much—I have an education. I asked someone about getting a job at Home Depot and she said you must have a high school diploma. Herein lies the rub some of the locals can not get a job there because of lack of education. I do not know if you have to have a diploma to work at WalMart. This is serious. Locals can not enjoy the wealth because they lack an education. This is key. Education is everything it is like a god. Worship at the altar of education. There, I even spelled altar correctly because I have an education. I don’t care what happens in Blue Ridge or Ellijay I just want to order a glass of Merlot at Del Grecos. God please help me to be able to order a glass of wine in Blue Ridge. Thank you.

Why are you all surprised? Didn’t anyone stop to think about “growth” when the road was widened? The area is very beautiful and a desirable place to live weather raising a family or retiring. When all the subdivisions and vacation homes were built, people came to the area. With new residents come increased service needs. It is inevitable that the community has new businesses to meet the needs of their new residents. Realtors and property owners have been making tons of money, now they want to baulk because they have some new commerce? Most folks don’t want to drive out a tank of gas and waste a day to go somewhere to get something that can now be had locally for a reasonable price. Moderation is the key to a successful community. Keep the courthouse and small shops, but big box stores have thier place as well. Other tiny towns need to take note, and realize the repercussions of cause and effect. If they want their town to stay small, keep it — don’t sell it off a piece at a time. Atlanta & Rome were built one building at a time.

Oh, BTW, I love the area now, will in the future, and have in the past. Many generation of my family are living here now, and are buried here.

I’ve heard long-time residents talk about the wonders of Blue Ridge. And the views and weather are magnificent. However, the traffic is miserable; BR is too small to have be having such a rush hour!
And job opportunities, even for those with bachelor’s degrees and higher, are lacking. I’ve been searching for a decent job for months and can’t support my family on a $56-a-day substitute teacher’s salary.
It doesn’t help that some long-time residents are not only extremely resentful of the part-timers with a second home in BR, they are resentful of out-of-staters who move to Georgia. Many of them are very complacent about problems, including animal control and zoning issues, and tell “outsiders” who want to contribute to positive change that if they don’t like the way things are done in Fannin County they can move.

I am a life long fannin co . girl. I have often wonder why folks from the metro area ,come to BR,
and then complain because we dont have this or that.change is slow coming in fannin , if you dont like it stay in the ATL. PLEASE !!!! If you do like us, please be kind to the locals, and we will be just as nice to you. enjoy the slow pace
dont complain.

I find these dialogues very entertaining. I have been a property owner in Fannin Co. over 17 years. Yes, I am over 17 years of age which means I am not a native of Fannin Co. It doesn’t mean I can’t love the area anyway.

What I find entertaining is hearing the natives of Fannin and Blue Ridge complaining about the non-locals wanting change, not wanting change, moving/visiting here and complaining, etc. The funny thing is, I hear the same thing in Atlanta! If you read the AJC, you should take a look at the Vent which is a reader contributed section where anyone can complain about life in Atlanta. You would not believe how Atlantan’s (there are no native people in Atlanta) complain about the Yankees moving there and not adapting to the way things are done in Atlanta.

From my understanding of law, birth place is only good for bragging rights. No other legal rights or claims go with it. Actually, there are no true natives in Fannin Co. If my understanding of history is correct, the only natives were the Cherokee’s. Look what happened when they resisted change; the ancestors of the Nouveau Fannin Natives ran them off and took over.

Growth, you all complain about growth and where are you from? Florida! If you people didn’t come here and want to have your big stores (it’s not that far to the mall in Dalton)and your fancy restaurants, your beer, “whine” and liquor with dinner, your fancy log cabins and your expensive “cabin” furniture, your “view” of the mountains (no, the “fog” on the ridge never goes away), your four-lanes, etc. then we would not have changed. We used to be able to buy a steak at a local grocer for $3 a pound in 1990. No more! Now it’s $11.99 a pound for a decent steak. How about eating out? $42 for two? Oh come on, we’re not in Florida and not in Hotlanta. We’re in the country folks. You’ve ALL changed it! You brought your city ways to the country and wanted it “your way”.. now you have it “your way” and are bitchin and moanin about how we’ve changed. Who’s shooting our dogs? You don’t want to live next to dogs, move into an apartment, but don’t shoot our dogs!

FYI, WalMart won’t open here because the city or county refused to pay for their water. They were asked to pay their own water/sewer, which I understand they won’t do. Target said we’re not in their demographics and as far as Kroeger, you can probably forget them and Publix. Publix=Ingles but more expensive. See? You have the money to live here, the locals don’t and yes, there are locals here. Blue Ridge was not all Cherokee. Listen up, love it or leave it, but don’t change it!

One more thing, you Floridians are not natives of Florida either. You moved there to get away from what you created, then moved here to get away from more of what you created. Please go back and live where you came from. We were happy with small town living, we didn’t need super stores or big pharmacies. We had a local hardware store before ACE put him out of business! What goes around comes around and ACEe is not going out of business at all. He’s expanding to meet the needs of the people, just like he should. The one in Ellijay carries a full line of furniture. We don’t have that luxury. Gas is also cheaper the further south you go and in Dalton/Chatsworth it’s almost a whole $1 cheaper than in Blue Ridge. Good Lord, aren’t we paying enough for the “privilege” of living in a tourist spot?

Change and Growth: These are two highly volatile subjects. It is probably unfair to blame those from Florida for any change in Fannin County or Blue Ridge. I have seen many “locals” express in the local newspaper a desire for more jobs in the area. Some wanted big box stores like Home Depot and Wal-mart so they would create more employment. Decent jobs are hard to find in Fannin County. Maybe if you are retired local you don’t care about more jobs.

A famous quote by Benjamin Disraeli is “Change is inevitable, change is constant”. The change in Fannin probably started when the first local sold their land to a non-local. His friends probably saw how much profit could be made and sold some land also. Then the land race began.

People do not like change, unless they initiate it themselves. Some of the locals of Fannin County initiated the change you see today. If no one sold their family land, there would be no land to buy. There would be no land to build new houses and no land for Home Depot. I don’t see how anyone can blame someone from outside the area for buying land from a local. Connie, our difference of opinion revolves around the concept of change. You don’t want any change and I know it will happen. A less famous quote related to change by Jacob Braude is “Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others”.

Growth – if you want more jobs, you need growth. I can remember when Atlanta and Birmingham were the same size in population. Atlanta decided to build a new airport in 1960. Birmingham said they had steel mills and didn’t need anything else to create jobs. You can see what happened. I also remember when Helen, GA only had an old gas station near a little bridge over the Chattahoochee River. There were no other buildings in the town. Look at it today! I must tell you that I haven’t been there in 15 years because of the condos, growth and congestion. Look at Gatlinburg, TN, a former beautiful village on the edge of the Smokies. Now it is a congested tourist town. Look at Branson, MO. It is a little Las Vegas on the edge of the Ozark Mountains.

Is growth good? Not necessarily. Is uncontrolled growth good? Not in my opinion. Small towns need to manage growth to succeed or one of two things will happen. They will die because the youth will leave as soon as they can to find jobs. Or, they will grow into towns like Helen, Gatlinburg or Branson. That is not what I would like to see in Blue Ridge.

It is up to the locals to elect leaders who will manage the growth, bring industries that will compliment the beauty of the surroundings, expand the small town atmosphere and most importantly establish strong zoning to maintain the beautiful natural setting. Construction is the number two industry in Fannin County. It will continue to grow unless the leaders put a halt to all construction. I don’t think that will happen. Also, look at all of the construction trades. Most of them are locals.

By the way, Blue Ridge is getting closer to Atlanta every year. You would be surprised to see how many people from BR drive to Atlanta for work. Also, BR is not the only town that is changing. There were only 4 traffic lights between Atlanta and the Toccoa River 17 years ago. Now there are 14. I could buy a steak in Atlanta for $3 a lb in 1990 also.

Instead of trying to get a Walmart with many low wage paying jobs why doesn’t BR try to attract some companies that are small and high wage paying business. They could make it attractive to start a business here that would employee college graduates and more white collar type jobs so kids don’t have to leave when they graduate. This would ensure future generations stayed and not everyone was from “somewhere else”. Construction will always have it place but it should not be the primary occupation of a town. I live in Florida but love the quiet ways of BR. I would love to see BR local governement research how other older tourism towns have managed growth and what they have regulated to keep them from becoming like Myrtle Beach where it is miniature golf and t-shirts stores wall to wall. It has got to be possible to allow growth without losing your charm.

I was born in Marion Indiana and my parents moved me to Port Charlotte Fl with them when I was maybe three years old,I lived in Fl with them for 31 years,my wife and I decided to move to the Mountains two years ago and we really love it,some people live where they are because thats where they where brought up,but this is a free country and for those of you that dont welcome Floridians or others why dont you go and get your self saved or just move to Iraq instead of spreading your plaque,the whole World is changing and growing at a fast pace get used to it,a smile will get you a mile a frown will keep you down,keep your head up high and your tone down low and watch how far you go,complain about everything and everyone you must never have any fun,I welcome everyone under the Sun,thats all im done!

I was born and raised in the area, but haven’t lived there since 1979. On a recent visit, I noticed that Collis Hardware in McCaysville was out of business and the historic building that housed it had been torn down too. Progress isn’t always for the best. I get upset everytime I see the bank building and parking lot in Copperhill that replaced the old First National Bank building on the corner. Is convenience worth the price of losing what makes that area special? That old hardware store had something the chain stores will never have. If you don’t already know what I’m talking about then I can’t explain it.

Its about time Blue Ridge catches up to the real world! I lived in Blue Ridge up in the Mountains in a beautiful cherrywood siding log cabin home, small town everyone knew everyones business~ what a shame.. Yes, for the short period of time that we resided there we come to realize that if you did not grow up there, married to a cousin, uncle, aunt or friend they wanted nothing to do with you. I dont encourage anyone to make it a home, maybe to visit, but not a home. The town itself is something like from the 50’s.

As far as the comment goes from “Comment by Connie -One more thing, you Floridians are not natives of Florida either. You moved there to get away from what you created, then moved here to get away from more of what you created. Please go back and live where you came from”

Well Connie ~Who are you to tell me (US-People) to go back where we came from~~ Just goes to show you what the people are like!!
I remember working at an office (a very well known office) downtown Blue Ridge everyone went to lunch I was never invited because I was the outsider. What a shame~ I even remeber at a christmas party one of my bosses approached me and my husband, and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek (now remember to us Floridians~ real people greet each other like that ~simple no harm done just being friendly~) Oh my god it was the talk of the office….

as far as the -Comment by Aaron on 2006-12-01 10:43:16 - “some people live where they are because thats where they where brought up,but this is a free country and for those of you that dont welcome Floridians or others why dont you go and get your self saved or just move to Iraq instead of spreading your plaque,the whole World is changing and growing at a fast pace get used to it,a smile will get you a mile a frown will keep you down,keep your head up high and your tone down low and watch how far you go,complain about everything and everyone you must never have any fun”

Aron We applaud you - noone could have said it better….!!

Ms. Connie:
I amazed by the tone in your voice. Seems as though you are taking your frustrations out on the comment box…

Sorry Ms. Connie - Who died and made you boss? Obviously you have some issues that you need to take care of.. My advice to you is to get some help.

Its people like you that make the world a sad place and that’s a real shame..

Well People, It over with,since I help with permits and the likes, Kroger now is coming to your BR right there beside your home depot.
Its time, yes time for BR to grow up and jump in with all four and the next thing that on the list is the new North Georgia Super shopping Center in the fall of 2008 to be on 515 north.

Blue Ridge is too close to Ellijay so it’s doubtful a Super Wal-mart would be located here.
BTW, you think Wal-mart jobs have good benefits? That’s interesting, considering the many charges leveled against Wal-mart.

Hooray…

Starbucks is getting closer and closer to Blue Ridge! One of the new freestanding buildings in front of the Wal-Mart (next to Longhorn) in Ellijay is going to be a Starbucks - they just hung banner announcing it on the building still under construction.. It will certainly make the drives up and down 515 better.. so give Blue Ridge a few more years at most and it will be “civilized” with more and more of the amenities that most people want and enjoy, in the pretty surroundings that we all love. Don’t listen to all the naysayers - growth can co-exist with preserving the beautiful natural surroundings. Get some zoning regs. with teeth, a comprehensive land use plan and some uniform design regs. and architectural standards going in the towns and Fannin could be a showcase for the country on tasteful growth. Better hurry though! Oh yeah.. and it requires leaders with a vision for the future, not the past…

Since we are on the subject of what’s coming to town, does anyone know what they cleared the lot for on the corner of 515 and Loving Road?

DANNY LOBO… I’M NEW TO AREA AS A RESIDENT (VACATIONED FOR 10+ YEARS) NEVER HEARD OF, WOULD LIKE MORE INFO RE “NORTH GEORGIA SUPER SHOPPING CENTER”, ON 515 NORTH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH IN ADVANCE. NEW HOME OWNER AND FULL TIME RESIDENT.

4 years ago, we purchased land off Colwell Rd. We loved the small town feel of Blue Ridge. Since then, we have visited many times, but the last trip up, we found Blue Ridge to be ugly with too many new mega stores and just plain too busy. We are considering selling the property and moving further into the “woods” in TN. We will be retiring in 3 years and had hoped we could enjoy a quiet country life in a small town. We are currently living in metro ATL….a fate worst than death! We had hoped to have part time business from the house, machininist & stained glass, but it looks like BR will now be a “burb” —disgusting. We dont “do” Starbucks etc, we are not “yuppies”.

anita is thinking maybe Ellijay; home depot is the only “mega” store here…Blue Ridge will change, but we love it here and people like anita should stay away and “deep woods” will have to put up with her(them)..good luck with that…

Yes BR will change altho we had hoped we would live in peace for 20+ years before it became unbearable. People “like me” what is that about? Please clarify. Blue Ridge is what it is, because people LIKE the old country hometown feel. I have spoken to many Blue Ridgians, and they too hate to see the crowds and development, altho on the + side, they need jobs . So its the old money balancing act.

Change does not mean “ugly”! “People like you” means that folks come and visit, like it and then expect time to stand still..just the fact that you visit and buy land here changes BR…read many of the past comments here about BR, there is “people like you” references in writing….come live here and make it a place to love and live, don’t just call BR names because it changed? before you got here to live…

We bought in BR recently and do consider ourselves outsiders and have been treated as such. However, I feel it is my responsibility to show the residents of this wonderful community that I am here for the same reasons they are…..the beautiful mountains, privacy, small town living. I treat everyone with the utmost respect. I do not feel I have been given it in return, however, I suppose I understand. Change is never easy. Not everyone appreciates it, but it’s coming and I personally don’t think it is for the worse. Property values are climbing, BR has become a ‘destination’. That = opportunity, money, jobs, etc…..Tourists really aren’t that bad, they are here on vacation, they just want to have fun..treat them with respect, you’ll get it in return. Why can’t we all just get along?????

My husband Kenny and I have recently purchased an old rundown home up off of Hwy 5……………..we chose this place as it excited us with the prospect of fixing it up and making gardens and have a place with a little land…………….our intent is to make it nice for the neighbors to look at as they pass and hopefully stop in and meet us………get to know the folks who live on the road.. We are coming in peace and offer peace to all we meet……………also a helping hand if it will be accepted, either in government, local event, or just whatever….we’d like to join in and help keep the charm that is Blue Ridge. This is an attitude I’m sure is not mine alone!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s taken many years of work to get us to this spot in our lives. We look forward to living in Blue Ridge and will celebrate the day we move in….. See ya’ll soon.

Hi to Patty and her husband Ken, my husband is Ken also! and we are coming down to Blue Ridge next week for a visit and to see our son and enjoy the mountains. Just like you we are thinking of buying a house in the area to live in the rest of our lives and just be happy, we are quiet people and we “just want to get along” in the best American tradition. It is sad if anyone has had a bad experience in North Georgia, I have to say that for us so far it has been lots of fun and we’ve been treated decently, a lady from Ellijay actually said she hoped we’d come to live there, so let’s give folks a chance to adjust to some of the changes that are coming (growth can be a scary thing these days) and all make sure that the character of the area is enhanced, not diminished. That can bring us all together can’t it?

Not all-inclusive Wish list for Blue Ridge:
1) Starbucks (getting closer!)
2) Whole Foods Market
3) Chick-Fil-A on 515 somewhere… (I’m tired of Wendys and Arbys)
4) A Target store (hurry and park it next to Home Depot)
5) A Houston’s Restaurant
6) Office Depot store (or similar) - for all the telecommuters
6) A Few more Virginia-Highland Type Shops downtown open late
7) a good brewpub or 2 with great mountain views
import a few more younger people with a cosmopolitan perspective who are bridges between the past and the future

…oh yeah, and a few more places to eat that stay open past 8 or 9 PM..
The mountains will always be in the background and very pretty (they can’t be moved), so everything else will be good change and add to the quality of life.. think Rocky Mountain Ski town without the snow and with trees on the mountains - and only 90 minutes from downtown Atlanta (with no traffic of course..)

and one more thing I forgot…

9) A Wachovia or Bank of America Branch in a nice historic period building somewhere (or build a “new” building to look “old” and blend in with the character and charm of the mountains - certainly not beyond the realm of possibility)…

BB&T and that one tiny little SunTrust branch are the closest choices for those of us who travel around the country and wish to do our banking seamlessly whether we are in Blue Ridge, Miami, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles or some little town in Texas.

We are building in Blue Ridge also - we arent very sociable so we dont care if the locals dont like us.
However, you “unfriendly locals” might want to rethink your position when you have experienced nurses and other professionals moving to your area and providing services that actually benefit you and could even save your lives….
We have friends in the area who moved up a few years ago and are v. happy.
I would love to see a Publix and a Target go up in that big space by Home Depot - Whole Foods would be wonderful but I think that is a ways down the road!! We dont eat fast food and I like to cook so not too bothered about restaurants/fast food/coffee shops. However a Barnes and Noble bookstore would be wonderful!!

The longer I am in this area, the more I have come to despise the term “locals”…. I am beginning to find it really obnoxious in its typical usage.

It is often used as if the “locals” are some special breed of people, to be handled with kid gloves or something… and I think the term (and the usually-associated attitude) breeds divisiveness…

Most “good” “locals” usually see themselves as part of the greater Georgia and U.S. society and community, and willing to welcome other productive members of society to the area and tear down walls rather than seeking to build them up between people. However the ones with the “you aren’t from around here….” attitude are a great deal of what has held this area back economically from what it could be - it seems they are content to shortchange the future generations and live a narrow-minded existence. And yes, DM a Borders or Barnes and Noble would be great here - or at least a good smaller bookstore with all those big city newspapers and books!

There was a great small independent bookstore downtown but it finally went out of business. I used to try and buy a book each time we came to town hoping they would stay in business. Borders and Barnes and Nobles are a long, long way off I am afraid. People have to actually frequent these stores year round not just seasonally and I don’t think BR has the population density yet to support a bookstore of that size.

i think as a widow and living on very small retirement that a super wal=mart will be a plus to alot of senior citizens who need jobs to help suppliment their income and it would help our younger people as well as with the gas prices……..thank you wal-mart i love you, i just wish you would allow dogs under 5lbs in a completely enclosed carrier the right to shop with their moms because in travel they can not be left in the hot sun or the cold and this would allow us to shop with ease with our little family in completely enclosed tow with us…..please think about it……….thank you so much,,,,,,judy pittman,retired sheriff, from fla. now residing in blue ridge.

well i think they should have bigger name brand stores like WAL MART and Whole Foods Market, Blockbuster Video Etc. because when people who are from the city (like me) who visit little towns (like yours) we want the convenience of being familiar with the stores and products available to us. especially people with kids who can need ANYTHING at ANYTIME and need options such as a WAL MART or SUPER WAL MART.

Gee, Jen, there’s just not the population in Blue Ridge to support the big box stores. That’s why they are in the large populations of Metro Atlanta. We don’t even have an interstate running through our county! And in this downturned economy, some of the big box stores are struggling to even stay open in the big cities. Without a large population to support the stores, there is no way they will open here in Blue Ridge. When I was a kid growing up in Metro Atlanta, whenever we went to the mountains of No. GA, we took a lot of stuff along with us because we knew we were “getting away from it all,’ including the conveniences of big city shopping.

Wow, what a variety of comments. Just want to say, I’m >60 and have lived in the area all my life. I’ve worked with the public and while change is hard for some people to accept, I feel we have to embrace it and hope and pray we might get some decent jobs in the area so our children can live here and raise their families. I have met some wonderful people that moved here from other areas, some from the north and some from the south and I have met some a**holes. BUT the same is true of locals, most are great people, but like anywhere else the most vocal are usually a**holes. Lets just look at what we have in common. People wouldn’t relocate here if they didnt fall in love with the area. I like having people throw up there hands to wave when we pass by and I always try to wave back. Lets just live together and get along.

Wow what interesting and varied opinions from all…. I particularily liked Paula’s latest blog and think John’s wishlist for Blue Ridge is great. Unfortunately change is inevitable and necessary. For many, change is often scary because it means letting go of the old and familiar and embracing something new. View it instead as a postive means for growth in the area and development of new employment for year round residents as well as transplants from Metro Atlanta and Florida…. A town can not survive on seasonal tourism and construction alone especially in the wake of the economic downturn and rising foreclosures. The key as many people have mentioned is to control the growth of commercial business to preseve the natural beauty of the surrounding areas. I am a new homeowner and absolutely love it. I always feel like I am coming “home” whenever I come to Blue Ridge. I am a native Floridain not a transplant from somewhere else and though I am an “outsider” to your town, I have yet to meet a person I didn’t like. I hope this place will always retain its small town charm and hospitality while adding some vital businesses within reason to propegate growth and keep the local businesses flourishing.

As another “native” Floridian and a part-time owner in Blue Ridge, I must comment that Blue Ridge is nothing short of spectacular. We eagerly look forward to our precious vacation in the mountains and travel to Blue Ridge as much as possible. We, too, would be very disappointed to see the serene beauty of Blue Ridge to be marred by unplanned building and construction. To us Blue Ridge is perfect, but we realize that growth is inevitable. Thus, careful planning is key to maintaining the beauty of the region.

My wish list would include future construction (restaurants, businesses, etc) mandated to maintain the rustic flavor of the mountains. A Target would be nice to meet the all-around needs of families. We would love to see a few restaurants open until 10:00, or so, downtown. Perhaps dining under the stars would entice people to come downtown and perhaps a few storefronts could benefit from the added foot traffic.

Hope no Targets come to town, I’d rather go to Ellijay Walmart or bring it from home in gulp…….Fl—-a.

Hey rubaiyat, just curious can I ask where abouts in gulp FL your are from? I am from S. FL….