An interesting thing happens when it rains in downtown Duluth.
The water flows in two different directions -- the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the west -- at spots at the old and new City Hall, Taylor Park, the town green and cemetery. The reason? The city's location along the Eastern Continental Divide.
This geographic wrinkle, which starts at the southern tip of Florida and meanders up through Wisconsin, hopscotches across dozens of communities in Georgia. It's not as well-known as the Great Divide in the West, so few enclaves actually mark it. But soon, Duluth will be among them.
In a move that's part education and part tourism, this Gwinnett County municipality of 26,000 is looking to call attention to the ridge.
"Any community [in Georgia] could mark the path the divide takes, but I can almost guarantee that no other location along the divide presents the unique opportunity for personal interaction that this one does," said Chris McGahee, the city's economic development manager. "It's in the most scenic part of town."
In the next two weeks, survey crews will connect the dots, or high points. Then later this month, the Downtown Development Authority will consider a road sign, explanatory marker and line of demarcation, perhaps in brick, granite or metal, McGahee said.
The ridge came to city leaders' attention a year ago by Duluth businessman Wayne Shirey, whose United Tool Rental shop sits 100 yards from the divide. "Evidently, [city officials] got it all verified and here we are," Shirey said. "I wish I had been smart enough to print T-shirts."
"Hopefully, we can find a way to market and identify this," Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris said. "We're always looking for ways for Duluth to be a destination."
A destination indeed. More than two years ago, the city unveiled a new $13 million City Hall, so grand it attracts visitors from Korea. Last October, Duluth trotted out a $60,000 marketing campaign to assert its progressive tendencies. And in January, the city created a bit of a buzz when it raised a 220-pound disco ball with wings to mark the new year. The divide, McGahee said, just "adds to the uniqueness of what this downtown is all about."
But Dr. Thomas Hodler, a University of Georgia geography professor, said the divide itself isn't unique and likely wouldn't attract out-of-towners.
"The uniqueness would be the actual marking of its location, not the occurrence," Hodler said. "But if someone's in town and sees it, it might be something that families and kids get out of the car and take a picture."
McGahee hopes families do just that, then stick around and buy something from downtown merchants.
"We might sell some Eastern Continental Divide ice cream," McGahee said. "Who the heck knows. We can sell pizza with Gulf shrimp and Savannah shrimp."
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