Blue Ridge, GA

I thought since everyone seems to love our wonderful little town located in the N. Georgia Mountains, that I would share a little history. We have seen alot of changes, but one thing still stands-"friendly, caring folks"!

Blue Ridge, Georgia, so named because of the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian Range, was incorporated by an act of the Georgia Legislature on October 24, 1887.

The founding father was Colonel Michael McKinney. He built the first house in the town and established the first business after the incorporation. He dealt in lumber, real estate, and merchandise.

Colonel McKinney was a moving force in getting the railroad to Blue Ridge. His partner, C.R. Walton, a civil engineer, was superintendent of construction for the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad. He surveyed and laid out the town of Blue Ridge.

The site for Blue Ridge was once a Cherokee Indian stronghold. White settlements date back to about 1832. A post office operated there from 1848. A Methodist Episcopal Church, South,was established in 1877, and the First Baptist Church in 1888.

In many respects, the railroad "built" Blue Ridge. In 1886, the wood-burning engine, "Little Mary," of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad, made it's first appearance in Blue Ridge. Tracks for the railroad had been laid through the efforts of convict labor and sheer determination of men such as Mike McKinney, Legislator Ben Duggar of Fannin County and the engineer, C.R. Walton.

Some facts from Facets Of Fannin, History of Fannin County.

More on the history of our beautiful mountain town coming soon. I love sharing the history of Blue Ridge and knowing that my husband Terry Ledford, a real estate agent himself, is the GG Grandson to the founding father of this great town, Col. Michael McKinney.

Patty Ledford-Realtor

www.LedfordProperties.com

After seeing the slowest months in my real estate career for the months of November and December, things have really started moving since January 1st. In Fannin County 24 Properties have gone under contract and in Gilmer County 21, more than doubling from the month before. This may be due to some really great deals out there on property. Has anyone else noticed the increase in activity?

Kristy Petrillo

http://www.georgiamountains.com

The number of ACTIVE listings in the North Georgia Mountain Real Estate Market have actually seen a slight decrease in number over what the market saw in November. This is due to a small increase in the number of SOLD properties in December over the previous month. Also, there have been a lot of folks that have chose to pull their properties off of the market until we see a shift back to a Sellers Market. Read the rest of this entry »

The Blue Ridge City Council has voted to proceed with their plan to annex part of Hwy. 515 from south of the Blue Ridge city limits to the Gilmer county line and from the east of the city to the Lakewood (intersection of Hwy. 515 and Hwy. 60).

The Georgia General Assembly must approve this change. Blue Ridge city council may have waited too late to start this again since the Georgia legislature will soon convene. The city council would like to hold a town hall meeting and hear what the public has to say on the matter. One council member who cast the only vote against the proposal said the council should study the matter further.

It seems there has been plenty of time to hear from the public and for council members to meet to discuss since nine months has passed since the last time the council wanted this annexation last April. Some people feel waiting until the last 40 days the legislature has to meet to bring this up is a disservice to the public. A state representative says there is a lot of opposition. Given the timing and opposition, this is an issue that should not be hurried.

Read more detail in The News Observer
local newspaper serving Fannin County

Donna Yates, Realtor
Mountain Investments of North Georgia
706-633-0644 cell
www.move2northgeorgia.net
donna@ellijay.com