Roswell: A Village, A Town, A City

Steeped in Southern charm, nurtured by Mother Nature, colorfully cloaked in history, the resplendent city of Roswell has yet another plume to add to its hat. It has been named one of the country’s top three cities to raise a family.

Roswell, Georgia, ranked third in the new book, “Best Places to Raise Your Family: The Top 100 Affordable Communities in the U.S.” (Frommer’s, $24.99). Authors Peter Sander and Bert Sperling compared such categories as demographics, standard of living, education, lifestyle, and health and safety. Beyond statistics, they also had to have a good feeling about the place.

Delighted as he was with the recognition, Roswell Mayor Jere Wood wasn’t the least bit surprised. “I grew up in Roswell and while it has grown over the years into a good size city, it has always had a small town heart,” Wood said. “That has everything to do with the people who live here. There has always been and will always be a great sense of community in Roswell.”

With that proud populace comes all of the city’s added amenities: abundant natural resources championed by an award-winning parks system and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area; endless entertainment venues, bolstered by a year-round calendar of family-friendly events; and a wealth of historic sites, some fully operational today as shops, museums and restaurants.

“Roswell has so many non-profit organizations – Bulloch Hall, Smith Plantation Home, Barrington Hall, Chattahoochee Nature Center – as well as numerous offerings in the arts and theater, that there is always something to do and a way to get involved and really feel part of the community,” said Dotty Etris, executive director of the Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau, the definitive place for residents and visitors alike to learn more about the city.

“The outstanding Recreation & Parks Department maintains wonderful parks and trails, so there are recreational facilities for all ages, offering opportunities for fun and fitness,” she added.

Long-time resident Joan Hilliard couldn’t agree more. For the past 40 years, she’s helped raise over a half million dollars for the Roswell Recreation & Parks Department through the Roswell Arts Festival, an idea she conceived in 1966 at the home of Emily Dolvin during a meeting of the Roswell Recreation Association.

“The town was small. We had small children and wanted to raise money for better parks. I had started painting and suggested having an art show on the square,” she said. The fall festival has since become a celebrated tradition, attracting artists from around the country. This year’s big event, set for Sept. 16-17, will feature fine arts, original crafts, music, entertainment, food and kids activities. Joan still serves on the committee.

“Roswell has gone from being a wonderful small town to quite an art center, with so many galleries and all of the theater here,” she said. “We just have everything.”

Situated on the northern banks of the Chattahoochee River, in the “Enchanted Land” of the Cherokee Indians, Roswell was founded in 1839 by native New Englander Roswell King. An agent for the Bank of Darien, he discovered the great potential of the area on a trip to the gold-mining mecca of north Georgia. He subsequently returned here to build what would become one of the most successful cotton mills in the Southeast along the Vickery (Big) Creek.

Though the Roswell Manufacturing Company mill was torched by Union troops in 1864 (and later by lightning), the ruins of the mill can be seen today, as can the original “Town Square” commissary building and many other historic hot spots – from plantation homes to churches and cemeteries – each telling the tale of a community that has stood the test of time.

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