Homes - Coweta Living 2011

Homes

A publication of

The Times-Herald

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From golf courses to lake living and more, Coweta offers

something for everyone

By Alex McRae

ood economic news is in short supply these days, and nowhere is the news worse than in the housing sector. But as bad as things are nationwide, Coweta County continues to buck the trend.

While home construction and current sales are a shadow of the record-breaking numbers generated during the growth boom of the mid-2000s, the Coweta real estate scene remains viable and getting stronger every day. You don’t need a crystal ball to know why. Just look at the numbers.

The latest U.S. Census estimates predict Coweta’s population – which has almost

“I talk to real estate people in other counties close to us, and it’s clear we’re much better off than they are.”

Frank Barron, President Lindsey’s Realty, Newnan

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Coweta Living 2011-12 • HOMES

doubled in the past 20 years to over 130,000 – to soar to almost 250,000 in the next 30 years.

Real estate professionals will tell you that kind of growth doesn’t just happen because of sensible taxes, good amenities and a great variety of home styles and prices. An even bigger factor is the local employment picture.

“I talk to real estate people in other counties close to us, and it’s clear we’re much better off than they are,” said Frank Barron, president of Newnan’s Lindsey’s Realty. “Our economy is more diverse, and we’ve still got lots of advantages in terms of schools and industry and access to the [HartsfieldJackson International] airport and that has helped a lot.”

The recent widening of I-85 through Coweta County hasn’t just made Coweta more attractive to a growing number of businesses eager to locate a half hour from the world’s busiest airport. It has also made a good drive to work even better for the 50 percent of Cowetans who work outside the county.

The improved interstate also makes it a snap to travel to Atlanta to sample first-class

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This home in SummerGrove features lake views and many custom features.

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with lots of neighbors or some acreage, it’s all right here. And there is still lots of undeveloped space in Coweta so you don’t have to drive far to really get to a truly rural area.”

Housing styles range from mini-farms to lofts to single family homes to maintenancefree cluster homes for those who would rather work on their golf game than their yard. And each neighborhood is served by a school system that continues to earn accolades not only for educational achievements but also for financial management that has kept property taxes reasonable without sacrificing educational excellence.

Coweta’s homes range from newer styles like the one on Marina Drive in Lake Redwine, above, to the historic Greenville Street home at right, which was used in filming “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” earlier this year.

entertainment attractions or to watch your favorite pro sports team. Other attractions, including West Point Lake and Callaway Gardens, are less than an hour’s drive away.

But when it’s time to head home, there’s no better place to end your trip than Coweta, which truly has a lifestyle for everyone. For people who prefer life on a golf course, Coweta has a large and growing number of golf communities, each with a housing selection for every budget. Several lake communities offer a relaxing alternative to those drawn to recreational fishing or the pleasure of watching the sun set on acres of sparkling water. Those attracted to Coweta’s small-town charm will find plenty to like in spots including Newnan, Grantville, Senoia, Moreland, Sharpsburg, Turin and Haralson.

“We have something for everybody,” Barron said. “Whether you want a subdivision

Coweta’s affordability and business-friendly atmosphere continue to pay dividends.

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Sensible spending by other government entities also helps Coweta rank high among current and prospective homeowners. In June 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek named Coweta County its “Best Affordable Place” in Georgia. The magazine’s profile of Coweta said, “What if you could have both proximity to work and quality of life at an affordable cost? While this may sound too good to be true, it’s the status quo in some places.”

Like Coweta.

Coweta’s affordability and businessfriendly atmosphere continue to pay dividends. Four years ago, Senoia’s Riverwood Studios, a full scale Hollywood

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production facility responsible for the creation of dozens of feature films and TV features, teamed up with the citizens of Senoia, where Riverwood is located, to form the Historic Senoia Project. The group is redeveloping land in downtown Senoia and building housing that appeals to local consumers and also serves as a perfect period backdrop for moviemakers currently flocking to Georgia.

The Historic Senoia Project’s downtown housing development was so eye-catching it was chosen as the site of the 2010 Southern Living Magazine Idea House, an attraction that drew thousands of visitors to the area.

Many came back to stay. Riverwood’s recent merger with Raleigh Studios, now known as Raleigh Studios Atlanta at Riverwood, will make Coweta’s Hollywood connection even stronger.

Coweta’s unemployment rate is already the lowest in the region and when three new hospitals open within the next two years,

hundreds of new employees are expected to fuel a housing boom that could be the envy of the state.

When it comes to housing you want at a price that still makes sense, Coweta County can’t be beat. Come see for yourself what “Home, Sweet Home” really means. CL

When Rose Lee Ransby’s Coweta home burned down at Christmas last year, movie producer Tyler Perry paid for it to be reconstructed.

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Coweta Gardens:

Celebrating the Seasons Story and photos by Katherine McCall

Coweta’s climate allows for many plant choices that can be cut and arranged throughout the year, including these camellia japonica below.

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ringing bouquets from my garden into my home breaks the barrier between inside and out. It opens a window on nature’s astonishing world and imparts a special wisdom that only increases the more you do it.” So says Suzy Bales in Garden Bouquets and Beyond.

Including plants in our garden that do well as cut specimens will help ensure that we have a ready supply for indoor vases and bowls.

We are fortunate in Coweta County that our gardening lives are not limited by the

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seasons. Our location in the Piedmont region of Georgia situates us in the USDA’s zone 7b planting region for the lower South. Although our official planting season is 220 days, our climate allows for many plant choices that can be cut and arranged throughout the year.

The freshness of living material brings life to a room. The dewy roses filling the dining room with scent, slowly unfurling their tender petals day after day, and then dropping their velvety softness onto the table whisper the wonders of nature in a way that a silk rose could never speak to us.

One doesn’t have to labor very hard to create a thing of artistry when dealing with flowers and foliage; they are incredibly lovely in and of themselves. For ourselves, our family, and our friends, it is important to expose the true beauty which is readily evident in nature and so easy to appropriate for our homes.

Many artists were and are directly influenced by growing, living things.

Katharine White in Onward and Upward in the Garden notices in many studios of the great modern painters there are always fresh flowers placed for inspiration. Claude Monet comes to mind instantly with his prolific garden at Giverny. He stated, “It took me time to understand my waterlilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them.” He planted and tended, and in turn was prodded

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to create one of his most famous masterpieces.

As creative beings, we possess a need for expression. The garden and bringing the garden indoors are ideal places to let loose that creativity. We do not need to self-express to self-promote but to share our artistry in order to inspire others. Amazingly, as one

becomes more creative, it stimulates others’ imagination and becomes the gift you give; they are touched in a way that encourages them to become more resourceful and imaginative in their own lives, similar to Babette in the short story and film Babette’s Feast. Babette was a great French culinary artist who sacrificed everything she owned in

Bringing the garden indoors with floral arrangements is a great place to experiment with creativity.

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As creative beings, we possess a need for expression. The garden and bringing the garden indoors are ideal places to let loose that creativity. preparing an extraordinary feast for a group of people she loved. The partakers of the feast were influenced to live richer, fuller lives. Arranging flowers for your home can develop and inspire you personally while inspiring others.

Keep in mind an arrangement does not have to consist of blooms. It can be made up of different but complimentary foliage, seedpods and berries. Many summer blooms which are prolific in Coweta gardens – such as money plant, hydrangea and lavender – dry wonderfully and can be used later in the year mixed with fresh blooms and greenery. Our ubiquitous pine cones and sweetgum balls on branches make a striking addition

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especially to fall and winter bouquets.

Some evergreens that provide year long greenery are boxwood (Buxus), ferns, pittosporum and conifers. Herbs and garden produce add interesting color and texture. To ensure a unified look, Malcolm Hillier in his Flowers: The Book of Floral Design advises to remember the basic elements of design – color, shape and texture – and to repeat these elements throughout your arrangement. Bouquets do not have to have a composed, arranged look. Take your cues from nature. Does the plant have a natural line or a particularly distinctive droop? Accentuate that as you put them into your chosen container.

Our gardening life can be extended and prolonged with arrangements we bring into our homes in addition to providing beauty, appreciating nature and inspiring others.

Beloved American writer E. B. White noticed this about his wife Katharine, gardener and longtime editor of New Yorker magazine, and wrote of it in his introduction to her book Onward and Upward in the Garden. He remembers with fondness and inspiration Katharine’s creations for their home: “One of the minor amusements I enjoyed for some forty years was watching my wife fix flowers, an operation that, in our home in Maine, usually took place a few minutes before lunch.

Newspapers would be spread out on a round yellow table on the north porch – our summer dining room. Vases would be set out, and Katharine would arrive, fresh from the cutting garden, bearing baskets of assorted blooms ... For Katharine, a room without a flowering plant was an empty shell.” CL

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