71% of Hall's Working Citizens Work Inside Hall County

I was interested the other day at how many people ... people in responsible government and business and media positions ... said they were surprised that 71 percent of the workforce that lives in Hall County also works in Hall County. Hall County has always been the commercial and trade center of Northeast Georgia, a hub where jobs were located. But it didn't just happen. We have had leaders through the years that made it happen.

For instance, among the Chamber of Commerce people in Georgia, it has been known at least as far back as the end of World War II that Gainesville had one of the best Chambers of Commerce in the South. It still is. Not only did it work hard to bring in new industry with good jobs, it was good at it. Not only did it go after new industry, it worked to be sure those industries were balanced, offering local folks different kinds of career opportunities and not leaving us vulnerable if one industry or another went into a slump. The local Chamber did not forget, however, the industry that was already here. And this town became known as a great place for entrepreneurs to start a new venture. As the county grew, the jobs moved throughout Hall County, not just in Gainesville.

I can remember a survey of workers in surrounding counties, with help from those counties, trying to prove to a prospective industry that if we in Hall County did not have enough workers to fill their needs, there were plenty in easy commuting distance. And the Chamber was deeply involved in getting Gainesville College located here, with Lanier Tech on an adjacent campus.

The quality of life here will always be immensely better if we are a total and balanced area, with our own jobs and our own sense of community. We lose that if we
become a bedroom community with jobs located elsewhere. Thank goodness we have long had a Chamber of Commerce that understood that and was good at making it happen. Thank goodness we still have that kind of a Chamber of Commerce.

This is Gordon Sawyer, from a window on historic Green Street.