Q: Did Helen always have an Alpine look? When did that start?
A: Nein. Helen didn't always look like it was torn from the pages of a Bavarian travel guide. It was little more than a half-deserted town filled with concrete buildings about 45 years ago. The gold that had attracted the initial settlers in the 1820s was long gone and the lumber industry had harvested most of the area's trees by the middle of the 20th century. So in the 1960s, city officials and businessmen knew they needed to do something. They conferred on how they could spruce up the buildings and bring in tourists and decided to hire a local artist who had been stationed in Germany. He made drawings of buildings, painting them with an Alpine look, and an idea was born. The city's stores began their extreme makeover in 1969, and before long, there was a taste of Bavaria in White County. Helen has become more German than Heidi Klum, hosting the longest Oktoberfest in the South, a Volksmarch, which isn't a car, but a hike through Unicoi and Smithgall Woods state parks, and Alpenfest, a holiday celebration in November and December. How do you say funnel cake in German?
Q: What’s the difference between Atlanta’s Five Points and Little Five Points? Where are they?
A: There are plenty of differences between Five Points and Little Five Points, from the location, to the attitudes to how folks are dressed. Five Points is basically the center of downtown, where Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street and two parts of Peachtree Street come together. It's near just about everything downtown, including – not surprising – the Five Points MARTA Station, Underground Atlanta, Georgia State University, Woodruff Park and restaurants and hotels. Just south of Virginia Highland and about 2 miles east of downtown, Little Five Points – or L5P -- is Atlanta's epicenter for the eclectic. It gained its name for the area where Moreland, Euclid and McLendon avenues meet and has grown into what Creative Loafing called "Atlanta's answer to Haight-Ashbury." Even if the area's funky vibe isn't your scene, L5P is a great place to grab a bite, get a drink and browse stores. Oh, and don't forget to people watch.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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