JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — Business is booming for Charlene Bennett at Bennett's Athletic Wear, a screen print and embroidery shop located in downtown Jefferson. Her hometown of Commerce is also booming. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Jackson County is one of the top four fastest growing counties in the country.
"We have a lot of people who have moved in from Gwinnett County," Bennett said. "That side of the county has just absolutely exploded. We've had people from California, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Florida, quite a few move in."
Bennett used to work for Jackson County government as a 911 operator for 20 years. She also worked with the sheriff's office for another 10 years. She noted the rise in the number of 911 calls for service over the years.
Ricky Sanders, another Jackson County lifer, runs the county's Parks and Recreation department and sits on the Jackson County school board. Sanders said several warehouses, the SK Battery plant in Commerce, and a strong school system have helped the population and landscape grow form a small, farming community into a bustling and growing one.
"The growth has accelerated past the point of being able to keep up with it in a lot areas," Sanders said. "Nothing stays the same forever. You want to maintain the feel of the county, but the county has changed a lot in the last five to 10 years. It's difficult."
While the transformation of this community is still underway, new businesses and restaurants are popping up, Sanders said, along with new opportunity. But the population growth in Jackson County comes with growing pains.
"We were a rural farming community for a long time and still have a lot of those farms," Sanders said. "But businesses are great, commercial, restaurants are great, having new people is great. It does have a lot of advantages. The disadvantages are traffic’s an issue, schools are an issue, we have to build more parks. It affects law enforcement, EMS, 911 system, roads and bridges.”
Sanders said school enrollment has increased 32% in the last five years, placing a heavy demand on the county to build more schools and hire more teachers. The county opened a middle school last year. It plans to open an elementary school by the fall to accommodate growth. Another middle school and elementary school could be built in the coming years, Sanders said.
Back at Bennett's Athletic Wear, Charlene Bennett said it's likely all this growth continues. It's partly to blame for her 32-year-old shop's rent rising from just $75 back in 1992. She hopes that growth comes with local ties staying intact.
"We try our best to use local, and I hope it stays that way," Bennett said. "I know we can't prevent the outskirts from growing, but I think Jefferson and downtown Commerce and Hoschton and Braselton are going to stay old school."