newcomer’s
GUIDE A special supplement to The Covington News and The News
CHARLES HILL MORRIS JR. Publisher T. PAT CAVANUAGH General Manager Publisher, The News DEBBIE THOMPSON Controller JAN PHILLIPS MICHELLE KIM Editors CRYSTAL COLE News Editor AMANDA ELLINGTON Circulation Supervisor CARIN DEBOER Graphics Manager EDITORIAL STAFF Brian Fazio, sports editor; Gabriel Khouli, reporter; Danielle Everson, reporter; Paula Travis, proofreader; Darrell Everidge, photographer ADVERTISING Cynthia Blackshear-Warren, Covington advertising supervisor; Annette Godwin, Rockdale sales director; Susan Grajko, sales representative; Jana Crowe, sales representative GRAPHIC DESIGN Mark Garner, designer CIRCULATION Tonya Brownlee, circulation clerk SOLUTIONS GROUP Amber Pittman, webmaster Jason Cosby, account executive Russ Youngblood, account executive
Letter from the general manager
A warm welcome Newton County embraces tradition, looks to the future Greetings. If you are new to our county, you have picked a place of natural beauty and special historical heritage. If you have lived here all of your life, this guide will remind you of the good things that exist here and why you or your family chose to call Newton County home. Our staff here at The Covington News spends about four months preparing this magazine each year. We are proud that we, too, are part of Newton County’s history. The Covington News traces its heritage back 148 years. You will discover that Newton County has five cities: Covington, which is the county seat, along with Porterdale, Oxford, Newborn and Mansfield. Each has it own unique personality. Newton County itself is named for Sgt. John Newton, who served under the famous Gen. Francis Marion, “The Swamp Fox,” during the Revolutionary War. The county is rich in Southern history and still contains many antebellum homes, one being Twelve Oaks, said to be the model for Ashley Wilkes’ home in the book and movie “Gone With the Wind.” Newton County and Covington, with their wealth of historic architecture, have been the scene of major movie and television series such as “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Remember the Titans,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and the current smash hit “The Vampire Diaries.” No wonder Covington bills
T. PAT CAVANAUGH
GENERAL MANAGER
itself as the “Hollywood of the South.” Newton County also is the birthplace of Georgia 4-H and has a rich agricultural heritage. It is rich in land and water resources. A drive through the countryside reveals rolling farmland, scenic rivers and a deep respect for tradition. With pharmaceutical giant
Baxter International building a 162-acre complex where 1,500 people ultimately will be employed, Newton County and surrounding communities are poised to build a strong economic base in biotechnology, a key goal of the state of Georgia as well. We are represented by four colleges, and our county schools have made tremendous progress over the past few years. Yes, you have chosen a great county in which to live. We urge you to use this guide to navigate around it. And to keep up-to-date on happenings in your new home, read The Covington News or follow us at CovNews.com. You can also read The News or visit rockdalenews.com Welcome.
6 COVNEWS.COM l Newcomer’s 2013-2014
Newcomers_2013.indd 6
7/15/2013 2:31:07 PM