James January-February 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 20
of space in our downtown district
alone over the past few years. In
the center of downtown the historic
Jones Mercantile Building has been
reimagined as a coworking space/
event facility, and contains two new
world-class restaurants,” he says.
Building Tomorrow’s Woodstock
In 1990 Woodstock— the county’s largest city— had a population
of 4,500, but today there are 40,000
residents within the city limits. With
about 100,000 to 120,000 people with
a Woodstock address, Mayor Michael
Caldwell says Woodstock is now
Georgia’s 20th largest city.
“The city is building tomorrow’s
Woodstock by making the largest
infrastructure investment in city
history, funded by local, state and
federal funds,” Caldwell continues.
“We passed a parks bond in November 2023 with an 87 percent majority. And we are building the Little
River Park that doubles the amount
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The city is building tomorrow’s
Woodstock by making the
largest infrastructure investment
in city history, funded by local,
state and federal funds.
Woodstock Mayor MICHAEL CALDWELL
of green space in the city.” Furthermore, the well-connected Caldwell
(a former state legislator) says his
city is tying into the regional trail
system, as well as working with the
county on its master plan so that
Woodstock can tie into the rest of
the cities in Cherokee County.
The mayor notes that with 3
million visits to Woodstock’s downtown last year, it is among the most
visited downtown shopping districts
in the state. “Woodstock,” he adds,
“is a supporting community for the
metro Atlanta economic engine.
And a huge part of what gives us a
competitive advantage is that Woodstock is not a government-centered
downtown. It is a downtown area
that is wholly entrepreneurial driven. We told entrepreneurs they are
welcome and got into a mode where
