Bibb County is the center of Georgia. Geographically, it lies between the mountains of the north and the cotton fields of the south. Spiritually, it’s situated between the bustle of Atlanta and the serenity of a front porch in some rural hamlet.
Bibb County is easy to reach and easy to relate to. People have been settling there and finding inspiration for thousands of years. The county’s original inhabitants produced some of America’s first pottery. Archeologists found the country’s oldest earthen pots here, dating from 2,500 B.C. In fact, Bibb County has sustained human life for more than 12,000 years. The centuries-old mounds and prehistoric artifacts found at the Ocmulgee National Monument testify to Bibb County’s enduring appeal.
Bibb is a county of firsts. In 1834, the Monroe Railroad began building one of the first railroads in the South, covering the 25 miles between Macon and Forsyth. And in 1836 Macon’s Georgia Female College, now Wesleyan College, opened as the first institution established as a college for women.
In the 1920s, when air travel seemed an uncertain venture, the first commercial airplane cotton crop-dusting experiments took place here and that enterprise later became Delta Airlines. And it’s hard to imagine what rock ’n’ roll and soul music would be like without the famous musicians who started their careers right here: “Little Richard” Penniman, James Brown, Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band. The county was named for William Wyatt Bibb, who lived in Elbert County and served as a U.S. representative, a U.S. senator and the first governor of Alabama. Macon, the city destined to become the urban hub of the Midstate, was founded in 1823. The name honors Nathaniel Macon, a U.S. senator from North Carolina. The city quickly grew, thriving on the burgeoning cotton trade. Master builders and architects were drawn to the area, creating many of the homes that remain hallmarks of Macon’s antebellum days. Among those, Hay House, the Cannonball House and the Sidney Lanier Cottage have been restored and remain open for public tours.
Unlike so many cities in the South, Macon escaped major destruction during the Civil War. Although one Union projectile did fall there: a cannonball. It hit a porch column of one Mulberry Street home, now named The Cannonball House. Macon served as the temporary seat of Georgia’s legislature in early 1865, following Gen. William Sherman’s sack of the official capital of Milledgeville. Macon has worked hard to preserve its unique and valuable history. Through the efforts of the Historic Macon Foundation, 5,500 structures and 11 districts have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three historic neighborhoods near Mercer University — Huguenin Heights, Tattnall Square Heights and Beall’s Hill — have been revitalized, offering a mix of new and renovated housing near the campus. An innovative effort spearheaded by Mercer, the College Hill Corridor, is revitalizing the path between the college and Macon’s downtown to attract more residents and businesses and to encourage students to stay in Macon. With a recent grant of $5 million from the Knight Foundation, this project promises to bring new energy and growth to the core of Macon.
Georgia’s musical heritage is on display in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The downtown museum was opened in 1996 and has memorabilia related to Georgia stars such as Ray Charles, Johnny Mercer, Trisha Yearwood, Lena Horne and R.E.M. For Georgia sports fans, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame houses educational and interactive exhibits honoring heroes such as home-run hitter Hank Aaron and football legend Fran Tarkenton. Across the street from the halls of fame is the Georgia Children’s Museum, which offers a variety of activities for children, including science experiments, art projects and theater. Rounding out Macon’s Museum District is the Tubman African American Museum with exhibitions of art and historical subjects. The Tubman is currently constructing a 49,000-square-foot facility across the street from the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Civic leaders have taken a big step in tapping downtown Macon’s tourism potential by building a 220-room hotel adjacent to the Macon Coliseum and the Wilson Convention Center. The Macon Marriott City Center hotel is scheduled to open in fall 2009.
The Museum of Arts and Sciences fills a niche in Macon’s museum lineup with rotating fine art exhibits, a mini-zoo, a planetarium and the Discovery House, a three-story children’s activity section. Macon’s historic downtown is experiencing an entrepreneurial burst. NewTown Macon, a nonprofit community development corporation, has put momentum behind restoration and growth with new restaurants, shops and music venues springing up. After being closed for 31 years, the Capitol Theatre was renovated and re-opened as Cox Capitol Theatre in January 2006. The theater boasts a lighted retro-marquee and an in-house restaurant that serves up food during classic movies and live performances. It also hosts an annual film festival.
New to downtown are Lemongrass Thai Bistro, La Dolce Vita coffee shop, The Greek Corner Deli and an expansion for Market City Café, famous for its banana pudding. Each March Macon becomes a flurry of pink blossoms as thousands of Yoshino cherry trees burst into bloom. For 10 days visitors and local residents celebrate the beauty of the city during the Cherry Blossom Festival. An estimated 700,000 people take part in the festival each year, enjoying hot-air balloon shows, carnival rides, arts and crafts, parades, concerts and tours. With more than 300,000 cherry trees, Macon has been named the cherry blossom capital of the world. For athletes and outdoorsmen, Bibb County has numerous recreational facilities, including the beaches and campgrounds at Lake Tobesofkee, six public pools, seven golf courses, two public tennis facilities and dozens of playgrounds. One of the more popular additions to the park system is the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail, a paved path on the banks of the Ocmulgee River in downtown Macon. Currently, the trail covers nine miles, with plans to extend it to a total of 22 miles. Recently trail supporters helped open Amerson Water Works Park, a 180-acre expanse on a bend in the Ocmulgee. Open only on weekends for now, the park offers a canoe ramp, bicycling and picnicking.
Macon and Bibb County’s strategic location in the heart of Georgia at the intersection of I-16 and I-75 and proximity to the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, make it an attractive location for businesses requiring efficient distribution. Within the last three years, Bibb County has experienced growth in the logistics industry with Bass Pro Shops building a 450,000-square-foot distribution center and a 125,000-square-foot retail center; Sara Lee Corporation constructing a 214,000-square-foot facility for distributing frozen and refrigerated meat and bakery products to the Southeast market; and MBM Foodservices locating an $8 million, 91,000-square-foot refrigerated distribution center.
In addition to distribution and logistics, Bibb County also offers competitive advantages for aerospace, shared services, automotive suppliers, food processing, and advanced manufacturing. Recently, Japan-based Nichiha USA opened a $100 million manufacturing plant on 60 acres in the Airport South Industrial Park, producing fiber cement panels for the residential and commercial market. This is the company’s first manufacturing plant in the United States. Korean tire manufacturer, Kumho Tire Co. Inc., is building its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Bibb County. The $240 million, 1-million-square-foot manufacturing plant is being constructed on 151 acres in the Sofkee Industrial Park.
On the retail side, while the economy has slowed some projects, the retail market continues to expand. The Shoppes at River Crossing 750,000-square-foot lifestyle center continues to add stores and restaurants with new auto dealers also locating in the area. The Bass Road and Zebulon Road corridors have seen new shops and restaurants recently with additional projects planned. While the Macon Mall is undergoing changes, the Target/Best Buy-anchored center on Eisenhower Parkway continues to see healthy activity.
