Page 23 - Carroll County NCG 2019
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Villa Rica Residents


              VILLA RICA                                                                                              Speaking of Carroll County . . .
        Population 15,345                                                                 Georgia’s First Gold Rush    4 Gold discovered in 1826
        Villa Rica is governed by a mayor and four council members who regulate and   4 Incorporated in 1881    “Villa Rica isn’t a city, it’s a village of people
        support the day-to-day operations and the city manager. The Villa Rica Police   4 Name means “rich village” to help promote the gold  in the truest sense of the word. People talk
        Department is an exceptional agency that holds a Georgia Association of Chiefs    4 Unique, interesting and historical downtown  and laugh and raise their families here. And
        of Police certification. The Carroll County Fire Department has one of its 13   4 Walking City           we are close enough to the City of Atlanta to
        stations on Old Highway 61 in Villa Rica.                                                                make it to major entertainment and shopping
                                                                  4 Active merchant association                  opportunities and yet a few miles from
                                                                  4 Recent commercial growth at two 1-20 access points  the country. I wouldn’t want to live
                                                                  4 Pine Mountain Gold Museum                    anywhere else but Carroll County.”
                                                                                                                  ~ Jeff Reese, Mayor, Villa Rica
                                                                         HISTORICAL HOT SPOT

                                                                  Wick's Tavern was built in 1830 and is the oldest commercial
                                                                   structure in West Georgia. It was originally a hub for local
                                                                   gold miners gathered during the 19th century. It was left
                                                                   behind when the Georgia-Pacific Railroad came through in
                                                                   1882, and homes and business were moved to present day
                                                                   Villa Rica. Over a hundred years later, in 1998, “Friends of
                                                                    Wick’s Tavern” raised the money to move the building to
          Wick's Tavern                                             downtown Villa Rica where it now serves as a museum.



      Carroll County Chamber of Commerce                                                                            www.carroll-ga.org | 770-832-2446  19
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