The 2023 Greatest Small Cities of the South have been decided by Southern Residing readers, an inventory during which Dahlonega ranked No. 4 of fifty.
The accolade, whereas a “fairly spectacular feat,” in keeping with the town’s director of tourism Sam McDuffie, isn’t shocking.
“There’s something particular and distinctive about Dahlonega — I believe it’s a magical place,” he stated.
McDuffie and his spouse first fell in love with Dahlonega in 2005, when he was working at Amicalola Falls with Georgia State Parks. When McDuffie’s job moved them north of Rome in 2006, the couple spent the following decade “attempting their darndest” to return to the locale that held their hearts, which they did in 2016.
“My spouse and I sat down and it was like, ‘All proper, it’s time for us to maneuver. You decide 5 locations and I’ll decide 5 locations that we’d prefer to reside, and we’ll share that checklist tonight at dinner.’ The No. 1 place on our checklist was Dahlonega,” he stated.
Hottest throughout the vacation season, when the sq. transforms into an old style winter wonderland, Dahlonega’s “hometown really feel” homes a way of magic that’s palpable year-round, in keeping with Southern Residing.
“Step into the city sq., and you don’t have any selection however to agree,” wrote the article’s creator, Mary Shannon Wells. “Upon arrival, it’s clear why it was chosen as the situation for a number of Christmas motion pictures. Why construct a whole set when Dahlonega is already completely propped? … With a purpose to actually ‘get it,’ don’t miss an opportunity to work together with the parents behind the counters who’re at all times keen to talk with any curious prospects passing by. And people pleasant conversations are exactly the place that inescapable magic lives.”
Dahlonega gives one thing for each demographic, McDuffie stated, from wine nation to waterfalls, however it’s the town’s historical past as the positioning of the primary main gold rush that’s significantly wealthy.
“Take the time to … learn how Dahlonega got here to be and it makes you admire it much more,” he stated. “From younger kids to older adults, there’s a little one thing for everybody right here. That’s a part of the distinctiveness of Dahlonega.”
