About Troup County, GA

When I was a lad, I loved trains. My brothers and I would go to the park down the street that bordered the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. We would find a good spot to watch the trains go by.

We would wave to the engineer in the front, and then waited for the end of the train and the caboose. On a good day we would get a friendly wave from the conductor riding in the steel shanty at the rear of the train.

Every freight train ended with a caboose. It was always the last car, and it carried the conductor and a brakeman, who watched the train from the rear and made sure that all was well from that perspective. The conductor also did reports in the caboose as the train went on its way to the next destination.

When the train was stopped, the brakeman would walk back down the track with a lantern to warn approaching trains that the rails ahead were blocked. The caboose served as both the crew's office and lodging place, as they slept on board their moving workplace!

But by the 1980's, the caboose was slowly replaced with an electronic signaling device at the end of the train. The device could signal following trains, and alert the engine crew of technical problems with the equipment.

The caboose, which had served the railroads for 140 years, was now an obsolete piece of technology. There was no need to add the extra weight, and the two workers were no longer needed.

It still worked, but it was neither efficient nor cost effective. As a result, most were sold for scrap or reconfigured for work trains. The age of the caboose is over.

If you look around your house or office, I'll bet that you can find a hundred pieces of obsolete technology that had its day but is no longer useful. I wonder why we have so much trouble letting go of these things.

We know we'll never use them again, but we paid so much for them that it's hard to say goodbye. And so they collect into a mass and gather dust.

Come to think of it, I'm getting on and I'm not all that useful anymore either. I wonder what will be used to replace ME?

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of ERA United Realty and Coweta Fayette Real Estate of ERA United Realty Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2009. Richard Weisser 770-827-6225.
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Back in the late 1920's, a new architectural fad was spreading like wildfire across the land. Art deco was the haute couture of builders seeking clean lines and a "modern" contemporary look.

And while the Empire State Building in New York City is one of the finest examples and the largest monument to the craze, the genre was not limited to big cities and high budgets. It endures today in small towns across America.

The photo is part of the old Rialto Theatre n Hogansville Georgia. Hogansville is a small town even today, a mill village that still depends on agriculture and textiles for survival.

But the old Rialto, now refurbished as City Hall, stands proud and tall on the well preserved main street through the historic downtown district.

So even though styles change, there are classics that endure forever, bolstered by those that seek to preserve an important part of our architectural history! Thanks to their efforts, the works of the past serve today as living museums.

And that's a good thing!

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of ERA United Realty and Coweta Fayette Real Estate of ERA United Realty Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2009. Richard Weisser 770-827-6225.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and to search the entire Georgia MLS for free with no registration required visit CowetaFayetteRealEstate.com!

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In March of 2006 Kia Motors Corporation made an announcement that was great news to Troup County and the state of Georgia. The Korean automaker announced plans to build a $1.2 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia. The facility will be the automobile manufacturer's first plant built in the United States. Production from this newest facility is expected in 2009.

The anticipation, talk and excitement around town hasn't stopped since that announcement. Just last month Kia began accepting applications for approximately 2,500 job openings. Along with the Kia plant comes numerous other vendors that will provide support for this large industry.

New industries announced in 2007:

• Feb. 2007 Engineering World will employ 10 (manufacture racks)
• Sept. 2007 DaeLim will employ 75 (plastic parts)
• Sept. 2007 Pretty Products will employ 175 (floor mats)
• Oct. 2007 Gardens of Nectar will employ 10 (water bottling operation)
• Nov. 2007 Sejong will employ 250 (produce mufflers for KIA)
• Dec. 2007 Sewon will employ 550 (metal stamping for KIA)

Total of 1,070 new manufacturing jobs announced

The local residents are excited about the new businesses and opportunities that Kia is bringing to Troup County. Sure, there are some concerns that come along with the growth we are about to experience. Fortunately, our county and city officials are aware of these issues and working diligently to prevent any problems.

The Troup County population is currently 63,245. That breaks down to LaGrange, Hogansville and West Point with 32,145. The unincorporated area is home to 31,091. These figures represent a 7.6% gain since the 2000 census. We have over 5,000 new homes approved for construction in LaGrange and Troup County over the next few years. With all the new jobs and development the growth in our area will rise significantly.

Where will the people come from? Based on the calls to our office I would say from all over the United States. I look forward to the changes, the growth, and the opportunities, just not the traffic! LaGrange is moving on up, so we might as well look forward to it and embrace the changes.