Is Cartersville-Bartow a good place to live? As an expert in Cartersville-Bartow Real Estate, I’m often asked this question, as people want to know about the quality of life in the area, the job market, stability of the housing market, schools, etc. While everyone selects where they live for their own reasons, I unreservedly answer YES. Below is a list of the top five reasons why I live here.
Area Homes Offer Affordable Value
You will get more home for your money and spend less annually in Cartersville than in nearby Acworth and Kennesaw. Cartersville is still very accessible to jobs in North Metro Atlanta via 75 and 41, yet the sale prices are significantly lower on comparable properties. The average home sells for $232,000 in Acworth vs $187,000 in Cartersville. Property taxes are significantly lower as well, with Cartersville at 2.97% of assessed value vs. Acworth at 3.8%. Combine lower home cost with an almost a 1% decrease in tax rate, and your mortgage payment will be significantly less on homes of equal quality.
Cartersville-Bartow Continues to Grow & Develop
Cartersville and the surrounding Bartow County area are growing in both jobs and population. Since the 2010 Census, the county’s population increased by 1.52% while Cartersville’s population grew by 1.29%. This growth is expected to continue as Metro Atlanta expands into surrounding counties.
According to the Department of Economic Development, growth plans announced in 2017 by the area’s top employers included more than 1,700 new jobs expected to start between 2018 and 2021 and mulita-year investments of nearly $14.8 million. Some of the area’s top employers that have announced growth plans include Anheuser-Busch, Toyo Tire North America, Vista Metals Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Transportation District 6 Headquarters.
Planned and in-progress developments will also contribute and support growth. Projects underway include a new automobile museum off Highway 20, several new fast food restaurants, a new 55,000-square-foot, mixed-multi-use development along Tennessee Street comprising retail, restaurant, office, and residential aspects and continuing developments at LakePoint Sporting Community to name a few.
It’s a Great Place for Business
For the fifth year in a row, Georgia ranked #1 in the Top States for Doing Business. On top of that, Cartersville-Bartow County is considered among the best areas within the state. In February 2017, Southern Business & Development Magazine named Cartersville-Bartow County among “The Best of Economic Development in Metro Atlanta,” including Best PLACES for Manufacturing in North Metro Atlanta, Best LOCATIONS in Metro Atlanta for Automotive Suppliers, and Best Industrial SITES in Metro Atlanta – HIGHLAND 75. In October 2017 the Atlanta Business Chronicle in partnership with World Trade Center Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Economic Development presented Georgia’s International Business awards recognizing “individuals and organizations working to build and strengthen Georgia’s vibrant global economy.” Finalists in various categories included Bartow’s own Anheuser-Busch, Toyo Tire, Voestalpine, as well as the Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development that was ultimately able to bring home the 2017 International Community Award to Cartersville-Bartow County.
More than 115 US manufacturers call Bartow County home and 35 international companies from 19 countries around the globe. And while Cartersville and Bartow County do have a strong and impactful industrial base, the majority of jobs and investment in the business in our community comes from more than 3,000 small businesses.
Well Rounded Education
We have good schools that are continuously striving for improvement, and it shows. Four years ago, both the Cartersville and Adairsville School Systems set a goal to have 90% of their students graduate. And they’ve done it. According to the Georgia Department of Education, 91.3% of Cartersville students and 91.2% of Adairsville students graduated. Cass and Woodland graduation rates also improved, at 88.1% and 82.8% respectively. All are higher than the state graduation rate of 81.6%.
The increased rate for Bartow County’s high schools is a “testament to our conscientious system leaders, building leadership teams, teachers and students,” Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page said in a recent article.
Besides academic success, area schools have excellent extracurricular programs. For example, the Woodland Band is being featured in the Macys Day Parade this year. Both the male and female Adairsville Raiders teams came in No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation last year and look to repeat this year. Cartersville’s football program consistently ranks in the top of their division and their players are often sought after and recruited by numerous colleges. These are just a few examples, as every week there are reports of academic and extracurricular success at our area schools.
Supportive Community
There are literally dozens of community and charitable programs, mostly non-profits supported by volunteers and private donations, whose purpose is to meet needs and provide support to not just students but everyone in the family. We have so many programs that yet another program, Bartow Collaborative, is a central resource to match residents with organizations that can best fit their need, whether it be as a volunteer or service recipient.
On top of this, Cartersville and Bartow Business, Churches, Education, and Government consistently collaborate and work together to serve and support our community. The Bartow County Disaster Coordination plan and Read to Grow initiates are great examples of this coordination. Should a natural disaster strike anywhere in Bartow County, like when a tornado hit Adairsville in 2013, representatives from area businesses, churches, schools, and government follow planned procedures and protocols to ensure all efforts to help get people to safety and shelter are coordinated and executed effectively.
The Read to Grow initiative allows community volunteers to support teachers in 1st-3rd grade, reading to students for a couple hours each week. Increasing the 3rd-grade literacy rate is the goal, as all future learning past the 3rd grade depends on the student’s ability to read to learn.
Sen. Bruce Thompson gives area churches high praise for their contributions to the community. “The people of Bartow County are very special and that is never more evident than witnessing the incredible friendship and cooperative spirit between all of the churches,” Sen. Bruce Thompson stated. “I have been amazed at how receptive leaders of all the denominations have been as we partner together for one cause-to make Bartow the best place to work, live and play!”
School officials also give a lot of credit for their success to committed community involvement. Cartersville Superintendent Dr. Marc Feuerbach stated in a recent article, “When a student completes high school, it is a result of the caring attention invested by families, community members and every staff member who has impacted that student throughout their K-12 experience.” 8 I agree. Thank you, Cartersville for “making it personal.”
Are you considering moving to the Cartersville-Bartow area? Or maybe you are selling your Cartersville-Bartow home? Contact me and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. If yo wish to sell your home, get an instant price estimate with a free comparable market analysis.
