Rome, Georgia (Atlanta, Carrollton, Cartersville: transplants, neighborhoods, construction)

[Georgiafrog]

I hail from Rome. I love this town, and am fairly well travelled in North America. I'd be interested to know what fellow Georgians (or transplants) know of Rome, and how we might be regarded.

[southgeorgia]

i know of rome.


i thinks its a very nice place.


my best friend's uncle and his family live in rome. i've been up to visit a couple of times and found it to be a great area.

they moved to rome from shannon, ga, which was really an awesome place. me and my friend spent a summer up in shannon, ga, when we were in our early teens and had a fantastic time.

i could definitely live there. everyone was just so nice, and it was really a family friendly kind of place.

i found the area to be full of really wonderful folks, and i would have no problems living there (other than your proximity to the ocean; i have to be within an hour's drive of saltwater).

[mezzogirl]

I like Rome, too. That whole area, in general, is very nice. It is a charming little town and reminds me of yesteryear, being that it is still somewhat mainstreet and agriculture. I think the only downside is that it is a college town. Seems to have a lot of college age kids hanging around with nothing to do. It is a different place when school is not in session. The drive from Rome up to Summerville in the sumemr months is very relaxing and country. All in all, I think Rome is a little undiscovered gem. Not to worry, your town has a good reputation.

[Jc69]

I loved living in Rome!

[champ0909]

in that part of GA I like Carrollton better.

[ga gal in tx now]

I grew up in Rome and still have family there. Rome was and is, in some areas, a very nice place. However, the lack of zoning control has left much of Rome with abandoned retail buildings that are a scab on what could be a nice place. Big box retailers, Kroger, Walmart, etc... built facilities and then, after 10 or so years, move on to the "newer" location - closing the previous store and leaving residents with a stockpile of abandoned buildings. When will the Commissioners learn? Stop allowing retailers to move in and destroy the charm of neighborhoods. If a retailer wants to move into an area, allow them to only assume vacant space or knock down and rebuild existing space. Same thing for building any new governmental space - local or otherwise. Use what is there and retrofit or tear down and rebuild.

[mezzogirl]

Originally Posted by ga gal in tx now

I grew up in Rome and still have family there. Rome was and is, in some areas, a very nice place. However, the lack of zoning control has left much of Rome with abandoned retail buildings that are a scab on what could be a nice place. Big box retailers, Kroger, Walmart, etc... built facilities and then, after 10 or so years, move on to the "newer" location - closing the previous store and leaving residents with a stockpile of abandoned buildings. When will the Commissioners learn? Stop allowing retailers to move in and destroy the charm of neighborhoods. If a retailer wants to move into an area, allow them to only assume vacant space or knock down and rebuild existing space. Same thing for building any new governmental space - local or otherwise. Use what is there and retrofit or tear down and rebuild.

This goes on everywhere- not just Rome. I really like this little town. While I don't live there, I have been daytripping that area since we moved to Atlanta area in 2001. I have seen many changes there, but I think for the better. I see that the majority of locals take pride in that town and are trying to keep things clean for people coming in to see the schools like Darlington and Berry. Everything is relative, I guess. I have seen towns that are totally destroyed by big box stores moving in and out. Rome still has abundant charm and great hospitality. But I understand that you are interested in seeing the town take care of what could become a bad problem in the future.

[LovinDecatur]

Although I don't get up there very often (and it is IMO "off the beaten path", which may be a plus for many), I have always had a very favorable impression of Rome...a quaint town mainly known for its' academic institutions (Berry University, The Darlington School, Shorter College). Maybe I'm a little prejudiced...my sweet dad was a graduate of Darlington.

[DTL3000]

I have mixed feelings about Rome but I tend to lean toward the negative. I grew up north of Armuchee so I guess I can be considered a Rome native for what it's worth. I live in Atlanta right now and I've lived in a lot of other places across the country.

Rome has had so much potential for so long only to disappoint me. It has a beautiful natural setting, 3 sizable colleges(It really needs a decent 4-year public university but that's another rant.) and it's in a prime spot between ATL, Chattanooga, and B'ham. It needs to loosen up a little in my opinion.

It is a great town if you are a retiree or you're one of those types who are happy settling down with a family right after high school or college. If you have career ambitions inside the medical, legal, or law enforcement field then there's opportunity, otherwise you either move or commute 4 hours a day. And speaking of law enforcement, I've never seen as many cops as I have on a Friday night in downtown Rome.

It would be a good setting for a novel. I've always sense that something less than kosher is going on under the surface.

It's not for me at this point in my life, in other words.

[Georgiafrog]

Originally Posted by DTL3000

I have mixed feelings about Rome but I tend to lean toward the negative. I grew up north of Armuchee so I guess I can be considered a Rome native for what it's worth. I live in Atlanta right now and I've lived in a lot of other places across the country.

Rome has had so much potential for so long only to disappoint me. It has a beautiful natural setting, 3 sizable colleges(It really needs a decent 4-year public university but that's another rant.) and it's in a prime spot between ATL, Chattanooga, and B'ham. It needs to loosen up a little in my opinion.

It is a great town if you are a retiree or you're one of those types who are happy settling down with a family right after high school or college. If you have career ambitions inside the medical, legal, or law enforcement field then there's opportunity, otherwise you either move or commute 4 hours a day. And speaking of law enforcement, I've never seen as many cops as I have on a Friday night in downtown Rome.

It would be a good setting for a novel. I've always sense that something less than kosher is going on under the surface.

It's not for me at this point in my life, in other words.

Seen the new interactive fountain downtown by the Forum? They are building a riverwalk now too. And there are 13 bars on Broad Street. I agree with you on the potential part. It seems to be waking up. The south loop has begun construction, and there is still the talk of the Memphis/Atlanta Interstate happening with a high speed interchange around Cartersville.