Gainesville is rated as one of the 50 Best Places to Live in America, according to the April 2007 edition of Adventure Men’s Journal. Based on small-town atmosphere and proximity to Atlanta.
Gainesville is recognized by Barron’s magazine as one of the Best Places to Retire in the United States.
Gainesville is one of “America’s Best Low-Tax Retirement Towns,” according to Where to Retire (Jan/Feb 2008).
Gainesville-Hall County was host to the rowing, canoeing and kayaking competition games of the 1996 Centennial Atlanta Olympics. Today, Lake Lanier Olympic Center continues to host national and international flat-water rowing and canoe/kayak events.
Gainesville-Hall County’s forward-looking community knows where it’s going under a long-term strategic plan. Through VISION 2030, the community is working together to accomplish 15 Big Ideas by the year 2030. www.vision2030.org
Lake Lanier, with over 38,000 acres of water and 7.5 million visitors a year, is one of the most visited U.S. Corps of Engineers-operated lakes in the country.
Gainesville-Hall County received the title, “Hospitality Capital of the World,” during international television coverage of the 1996 Olympic Games.
Gainesville-Hall County showcases more cultural opportunities than nearly any city its size. The community is home to its own symphony, two nationally recognized theater companies, a visual arts center, a history center, and a ballet company.
Gainesville-Hall County is home to Smithgall Woodland Garden, a botanical garden currently under development that is poised to become one of the largest woodland gardens in the country.
In the heart of Gainesville-Hall County is one of the largest nature preserves within any city in America, the 1,500-acre Chicopee Woods, which features the Elachee Nature Science Center and over 13 miles of hiking trails.
Hall County is home to an NFL professional football team - the Atlanta Falcons - which holds its practices within a world-class training facility in Flowery Branch, a fast-growing community in the southern area of the county.
The largest American Grand Prix road race in the United States (Petit Le Mans) is held every year in South Hall County at the world-class 2.5-mile Road Atlanta race track.
Gainesville’s Lake Lanier houses the world’s largest inland marina and the largest marina in the United States.
Gainesville-Hall County is well-connected. A “Central Hall Trail” is under construction to connect Downtown Gainesville to the southern end of the county via a walk-bike trail.
Gainesville-Hall County is home to one of the country’s oldest women’s colleges - century-old Brenau University - located in the heart of downtown Gainesville.
A true college town, Gainesville-Hall County is the site of Brenau University, Gainesville State College, and Lanier Technical College. Within an hour’s drive are the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and North Georgia College & State University.
This information courtesy of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce