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DEL.ICIO.USBuford named one of the best cities to call home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He learned about the honor in an e-mail from City Hall.
“I was thrown back,” said Tim Koenning, president of the Buford Business Alliance. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet.”
The word is out about Buford, thanks to CNNMoney.com, a service provided by CNN, Money and Fortune magazines. The north Gwinnett town was named the third-best U.S. city to live in and launch a business. The March 26 online profile praised the community of 13,576 for its affordable housing (median home price of $195,493), scenic environment (Lake Lanier) and business acumen.
What makes the ranking so sweet is how it came about. Civic leaders and town officials had no idea the town was even in the running. No one contacted Koenning, and he didn’t seek the publicity, though the article praised the nonprofit alliance for its work in the community.
The unsolicited ranking fell like sugar from the sky. Bufordites I came across Wednesday on the Badie Tour bask in the sweetness. Truth be told, some are a little perplexed, too.
If CNN knows how great the town’s business and leisure mix is, why do so many people right in its backyard appear clueless?
“It’s amazing how so few people know about this,” said Petra Hope, co-owner of Sperata, an upscale restaurant in historic downtown where Koenning and I ate lunch.
Soon, more people will. The business alliance, in conjunction with City Hall, has produced a TV commercial that will soon debut on the local cable channel. The ad shows various scenes in the “Leather City” as a narrator encourages viewers to “live, work and play — the Buford way.”
Long term, Koenning envisions Buford creating signature events that help define the town as a destination. Think the Duluth Fall Festival. Buford has held some events that have proved attractive, but it lacks a venue that can hold masses of people.
“Right now with our amphitheater, we’d be lucky to hold 1,000 people at a time,” said Koenning, a history buff and managing partner with Magnolia Financial Advisors in downtown Buford. “There are discussions about doing something with the greenery across from City Hall. The vision is definitely here. [City Hall] has embraced the alliance as a marketing arm, and the alliance’s vision is to bring the civic groups, schools and businesses together as a community. It’s not just to network, even though the alliance gives businesses the opportunity to do that.”
Despite lack of an ample venue, the town makes do.
An arts and jazz festival, set for May 10, will take place in front of the Bona Allen Mansion. (The mansion, built in 1912-13, was the home of Bona Allen Sr., a leather and tannery magnate). The work of artists associated with the artists’ colony in Tannery Row will be on display during the festival. Local high school jazz bands will perform during the day, then turn the stage over to “professionals” at night.
It’s too early to say how, but Koenning says the town will capitalize on the national exposure granted by the CNNMoney.com ranking.
“I don’t know how they found us, but I’m thankful for it,” he said. “People are excited. “We’re proud Bufordites.”
For more information, visit www.visitbuford.com.
• Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (19) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
Comments
By LT5000
April 3, 2008 12:07 PM | Link to this
Yawn, another Badie snoozer.
I could have just read the CNN article.
LT5000
By Cindy
April 3, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
LT5000,
Hey.
You have such a way with words…sigh…I can’t contribute anything to this blog either. However, if you decide to hijack it with a topic we can discuss…count me in. ;)
Cindy
By Bruce Wilcox
April 3, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
“I don’t know how they found us, but I’m thankful for it,” , enjoy it now because it won’t last. At one time, and not all that long ago, Lilburn, Snellville, and even Norcross were decent places to live.
Now we have over developement, traffic woes, crime, old neigborhoods going down the tubes…sometimes, out of sight, out of mind, has it’s advantages.
By Cindy
April 3, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this
But I like Snellville, Bruce. Grrr?
By Paco
April 3, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this
Hello. Thees es Paco. Donde es Buford?
I want rent casa there weeth me 15 primos.
Norcross now es muy malo and me front yard have tall grass and too many Modelo Negro bottles.
I need house weeth un driveway grande por me 20 non-working trucks and cars.
Chee you soon neighbors.
Paco (aka LT5000)
By One Man's View
April 4, 2008 7:57 AM | Link to this
Just another one of those meaningless ratings, etc. Probably filler for their magazine. I suspect most people are seeing the first part “third-best U.S. city to live in” and ignoring or not understanding the last “and launch a business.”
The rating invites the question of what are the crieria for a good city to live in, let alone being good for business. There really is not too much to Buford - a few stores along a railroad track. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the rating. I will admit to a great deal of skepticism about claims to quality of life in the 21st century in places like GC. It’s probably a lot easier to make the opposite argument.
By Fled Buford
April 4, 2008 8:12 AM | Link to this
Heyyy Paco, Why of COURSE you know where Buford is…I believe you lived beside me IN Buford. I decided to leave and my beautiful home took over 14 mos. to sell thanks to your boss, (the owner of the two houses on either side of me on Church St.) who decided to remove the “for sale” signs in the front yard and replace them with “for rent” signs, then when he couldn’t rent them, opted for the quick and dirty cash plan where 20 of his illegal workers could live in each house for around $100 bucks a month each.
Driveway? You didn’t need a driveway. You parked as many as 15 cars in the FRONT YARD. La Musica? LOUD and constant. Help from the City or the County on breaking city and/or county ordinances…or even INS law? Forgetaboutit! Nobody cared about rescuing Buford. I was disgusted. I left town and the state after living in the Sugar Hill/Buford area for almost 20 years.
I hope the CNN poll can bring some more good, stable buyers to the area and move out some of the sorry, I- don’t-give-a-flip, renters that I had to put up with.
Hasta la vista, Baby.
By gahockeymom
April 4, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this
Okay, nice story, who knows if anything will come of it. Hopefully, it’ll help the housing market in Gwinnett county and our home prices will rise again. I’m sure that is a main concern for most people now.
One thing I did come across recently is a new website solely dedicated to helping the consumer in Gwinnett County. Shocking! I was looking for a good realtor, with great reviews, to possibly list my house. What a disaster it was. Just try to find a review from other consumers about realtors in our area. Unless you want realtors promoting themselves, it’s not out there. But then, a friend recommended a new site to me. It is in the beginning stages, but is on the right track. I hope it does well, because we need it now, and in the future. Please go here and support this local Gwinnett County Mom in her quest to give us, the client, reliable and truthful reviews about realtors in our area. www.realtorreviews.blogspot.com
By gahockeymom
April 4, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Okay, nice story, who knows if anything will come of it. Hopefully, it’ll help the housing market in Gwinnett county and our home prices will rise again. I’m sure that is a main concern for most people now.
One thing I did come across recently is a new website solely dedicated to helping the consumer in Gwinnett County. Shocking! I was looking for a good realtor, with great reviews, to possibly list my house. What a disaster it was. Just try to find a review from other consumers about realtors in our area. Unless you want realtors promoting themselves, it’s not out there. But then, a friend recommended a new site to me. It is in the beginning stages, but is on the right track. I hope it does well, because we need it now, and in the future. Please go here and support this local Gwinnett County Mom in her quest to give us, the client, reliable and truthful reviews about realtors in our area. realtorreviews (dot) blogspot (dot) com
By Bruce Wilcox
April 4, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
Cindy I still like where I live in Lilburn, but it’s certainly not the same place it was in 93’.
In 93’ you could drive from 85 to 29 and find only two Mexican restaurants, no more grills like Legends or Demseys where you could get a killer burger. On the corner of Indian Trail and Singleton you actually had a florist shop, not a check-cashing dive.
In 93’ on the left side of the road from 85 all the way to Steve Reynolds, there was one office building, a small business and the Indian Trail Veterinary Hospital, no cheap hotels, no strip malls, no fast food joints. It seems the more businesses that move in the quality of the older ones go down hill or they close.
I’m just saying to the people of Buford, be careful of what you wish for. Hopefully the Buford city leaders will be more on the ball than our county commssioners.
By Cindy
April 4, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
I’m SO with you on that Bruce. Some of the small stores are the ones that drag down the neighborhood…if the commissioners wouldn’t allow the little strips of stores to be built, it would be much less convenient to then put a bunch of high density/low income housing all around it. But who am I kidding…those apartments aren’t exactly cheap…who pays all that money to live in an apartment? Where I just moved from in Conyers, apartments sprouted, then robberies became rampant…it goes hand in hand.
By Baker
April 5, 2008 9:03 AM | Link to this
I did standup comedy in beautiful downtown buford once at a small coffee shop w/sandwiches and everything.
Stares. Crickets. and the Hook.
I hated that day. Even after I found out Buford has a nudist colony. Yes they do.
By Cindy
April 5, 2008 9:09 AM | Link to this
Well next time, let me know you’re doing it first…I’ll come sit in the audience…if you can’t make me laugh, we’ll have to sit down and figure out a better presentation method for your jokes…cuz if you can’t make me laugh, you just ain’t funny. If you can make me laugh, everbody else will laugh with me…or i’ll simply laugh enough to make up for them.
See…fixed.
By Cindy
April 5, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this
Rick Badie, So here I am, it’s Saturday morning, it’s raining, my hair is still sticking out cuz I haven’t jumped in the shower yet…nope, what did I do? I stopped in to see what’s next on the agenda in your blog, for me to think about…weird huh? Funny thing…I actually like to think…but this week, your blog hasn’t made me think. So here’s what I propose to you…your words up there say that you’ll have a new blog for me to read Sunday…how about this…if it’s a humdrum one…scrap it…start over…I’m coming to you with this idea bright and early Saturday morning so you still have time to throw something good together if your currently drafted one is going to bore me to tears.
Strange thing…I like reading your blogs and thinking about them and the comments people leave. Stranger thing…blogs like living in Buford doesn’t do jack for me or the others.
My plead to you will make a not-so-chart-topping total of 14 comments for this one.
Give us something to work with? and have a nice day…after all…if we didn’t want to read what you write…you wouldn’t have any comments.
By Baker
April 5, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
Take a shower now, Cindy.
By Cindy
April 5, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
See…you made me laugh…I knew you could be funny. The dumb-dumb’s at the sammich shop were just giving you a hard time.
going to take that shower now…
By Bored with your boredom
April 5, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this
Cindy, get over yourself. No one cares if you’re bored.
By Serial
April 5, 2008 6:46 PM | Link to this
Buford Rocks!
By Cindy
April 5, 2008 10:06 PM | Link to this
ok bored with your boredom, thanks for the advice. i’m almost over myself. ssiuya. :)