‘It seems like everybody knows you’

Published 8:23 am Friday, December 17, 2010

There’s no hesitation from Billy Vinyard when he talks about his favorite aspects of Varnell.

“It has good recreation, a strong school system,” said Vinyard, who lives in Varnell with his wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 7. “It seems like everybody knows you. It’s just a small town. Everybody tries to help one another and are just real friendly. I really like it.”

Now, outsiders are recognizing Varnell’s small town charm.

Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.com named Varnell — a town of less than 1,500 — the “Best Place to Raise Kids” in Georgia in its fifth annual list. The runner-up was Leesburg, which is in Lee County in southwest Georgia. One city was selected for each state.

For the current list, editors changed their focus from large, urbanized places to smaller towns and cities. Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.com used data from Onboard Informatics, a New York-based real estate data company specializing in residential demographic and lifestyle information, to evaluate 5,418 cities across the country. Emphasis was given to the number of schools, school performance, cost of living and crime rates. Other factors considered were air quality, ethnic diversity, job growth and access to parks, recreational facilities, theaters and zoos.

Only towns with populations larger than the state median but no larger than 50,000 were considered. Towns also had to have a median income within 20 percent of the state’s median. The U.S. Census Bureau reported the state’s median family income in 2008 was $50,834. Varnell’s median family income in 2009 was $69,404.

“The following places we selected are neither rich suburbs nor havens for luxury living — so don’t expect to find mansions and elite country clubs (although some areas will have them),” according to the Businessweek.com article. “Rather, these are communities inhabited mostly by middle-income earners that have good public schools, low crime and resources to keep the family entertained on weekends.”

The article contrasted Varnell’s small physical boundaries (the city is a mere 2.5 square miles) with the amount of nearby parks and trails, as well as Nob North Golf Course. There are four schools in or near the city. Also, Prater’s Mill attracts thousands of visitors and vendors during the fall country fair.

There’s also a sense of working together in the community. The city of Varnell and Varnell Elementary partnered for a food/toy drive for the holiday season.

Vinyard is from Whitfield County and has lived in Varnell since 2006. In addition to calling the town home, he has a business interest there. He’s a building contractor whose current development, Reed’s Crossing near Reed Road, has plans for 14 homes.

Dan Peeples — who grew up and attended school in Varnell — is raising his family there. He’s also the town’s mayor.

“Our hard work is paying off and the people are noticing the changes we are making from the developing we’re going to be doing in downtown to the businesses that are beginning to come to the Cleveland Highway area to the changes we’re making around our recreation areas,” Peeples said. “They’re noticing that, ‘Hey, this is a good place to live.’”

Varnell is building a new city hall and is renovating the historic Varnell house into a senior center. City officials got a $500,000 federal community development block grant last year to pay for the work expanding the structure into a senior center.

A sewer extension along Cleveland Highway is attracting businesses and there have been talks with a Mexican restaurant, a sports grill, insurance agencies and law offices, Peeples said. Despite the planned growth, Peeples thinks Varnell can retain its small town feel by keeping large business development on Cleveland Highway.

“We know that we’re never going to be a Dalton or a Chattanooga, but all of the people that work in these large cities, they have to have somewhere to live,” Peeples said. “So we’re trying to meet that niche where your kids have a great place to play baseball, we have a great walking track, we have a nice, new city gymnasium, new subdivisions.”

Brian Anderson, president of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce, congratulated the members of the Varnell City Council for being progressive and making strides to improve the community.

“Those of us that live in our community have always known that Varnell is a special place and certainly a community that offers families an ideal place for raising their children,” Anderson said. “Given the wonderful schools that cater to Varnell’s children, a very low crime rate, and ample green space and leisure amenities, Varnell is now being appropriately recognized by those external to our community but who have studied many communities looking for those that stand out.”

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, also complimented the people of Varnell.

“It’s a proud day for Varnell and the 9th Congressional District,” he said. “This national recognition is a testament to the quality of life that the community has fostered, as well as the genuine goodness of the people who live there.”

The full story and list of top cities can be viewed at www.businessweek.com.