Almost as soon as I arrived in Taipei to cover the world’s second largest smart-cities conference, I was treated to an unplanned demonstration of the power of these technologies to meet citizens’ needs.

On my first night, after ordering food to go near the Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, a friend and I returned via cab to my hotel to catch up and eat.

The city of Woodstock in Cherokee County, Georgia is both one of the county’s oldest towns and its fastest growing since 2014. The city was founded over 100 years ago as a stop on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. With access to multiple rivers and streams, the area easily supported wood carving, yarn spinning and other industries reliant on water power and was also rich in minerals, including gold, mica and kaolin. By the 1890s, Woodstock was said to be shipping 2,000 bales of cotton annually. Today, Woodstock continues to be a hub with Interstate 575 and State Highway 92 running directly through its heart, providing ease of transportation. The city has also focused closely on walking and cycling access, with a master plan to create a more-than-60-mile trail and open space network throughout Woodstock and the surrounding areas.

Jumpstarting Careers in Cherokee County

The Cherokee Career Expo is an annual event, established as part of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development’s “Forget the Commute” campaign, which seeks to reduce out-commuting by helping residents find local jobs. The Expo showcases a range of local industries and includes features such as on-site interviews and resume building assistance. The event is free to attend and regularly hosts many of Cherokee County’s top employers eager to network with residents and local job seekers. In conjunction with the Expo, Goodwill of North Georgia hosts a series of virtual bootcamps on building critical skills for local industries.

Fostering Entrepreneurialism

The Fresh Start Cherokee Initiative, designed by the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, aims to cultivate a robust startup ecosystem in downtown Woodstock by providing educational programming and support for startups. One of the key programs of the initiative is Fresh Start Mornings, which are monthly networking events in which entrepreneurs present their business ideas to local community volunteers, providing them with the opportunity to find local support and refine their pitches for investors. Another major initiative program is the North Atlanta Venture Mentoring Service, which connects entrepreneurs with expert mentors to help take their projects to the next level.

The Circuit in Woodstock, the home of the First Start Cherokee Initiative, is Cherokee County’s first co-working space, created through a partnership between the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, Chattahoochee Technical College and the Woodstock Office of Economic Development. At 3,000 square feet, it provides an environment for students from Chattahoochee Technical College, entrepreneurs and remote workers to collaborate, network and work on projects. The Circuit is located in downtown Woodstock within convenient walking distance of local restaurants, bars, shops, outdoor entertainment and hiking trails, further supporting the local economy.

Cherokee County has also developed the LaunchPad Bootcamp series for emerging entrepreneurs. The free, four-week program guides participants through business ideation, market research, problem validation, product refinement and launch strategies. Participants in the LaunchPad Bootcamp have a chance to win up to $5,000 to further their business ideas.

A Green Community

Woodstock has been recognized as a Green Community by the Atlanta Regional Commission since 2010 and rose to Platinum in the Green Communities program in 2022 for its robust energy saving measures and innovative Sustainable Parking Ordinance. Adopted in 2015, Woodstock’s Sustainable Parking Ordinance sets a parking spot maximum for commercial developments with the option to exceed that maximum through sustainability measures, including providing electric vehicle charging stations, pervious pavement for stormwater mitigation or adding solar panels to their infrastructure. The ordinance aims to reduce wasteful land usage, as most parking lots in the U.S. have nearly eight times the parking spaces needed for the number of cars.

In an effort to make Woodstock a more walkable city and a greener place to live, the Mayor and City Council created a park and trail master plan in 2007. Over the course of ten months, a steering committee made up of residents, business owners and other interested parties met and developed the Greenprints Project master plan. The plan calls for a 60+ mile trail and open space network throughout the city and surrounding areas. The Mayor and City Council adopted the Greenprints Master project as part of the Comprehensive Town Plan 2030 in 2008. In that same year, the project was awarded the “Outstanding Greenspace Plan” by the Georgia Urban Forest Council.

Population: 36,198

Website: www.woodstockga.gov

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