Toccoa receives Georgia Trend Magazine, Georgia Municipal Association’s Visionary City Award

The City of Toccoa was recently recognized in Atlanta by Georgia Trend Magazine and Georgia Municipal Association as one of three medium sized cities in the state to receive the Visionary City Award.

According to Community Development Director Connie Tabor, the award was presented on January 22, by GMA CEO and Executive Director Larry Hanson and Georgia Trend Co-Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Ben Young.

Three cities each earned the award in three categories: small—those with a population under 4,999; medium—a population of 5,000 to 24,999; and large—populations 25,000 and over. Each city was recognized for actions and initiatives taken that increased civic engagement, created community partnerships and made people proud to call their city home.

Hanson says “The Visionary City Awards are an important annual acknowledgement of the innovative and inspiring work done by cities that helps lead our state forward.”

The City of Toccoa was recognized for the development of Lake Toccoa Recreational Park.

The bones for the idea of what would eventually become Lake Toccoa Recreational Park were formed with the establishment of the Community Facilities and Comprehensive Plans in the last 1960s.

But development stalled for 50 years, with substantial work not beginning until 2018.

Today, the park includes an ADA-accessible walking trail, a boathouse with paddle boats, two pavilions, fishing landings, a restaurant and more.

The other medium size cities awarded were Camilla and Norcross; the small cities are Sparks, Tybee Island, and Watkinsville; and the large cities are Valdosta, LaGrange, and Douglasville.

The Georgia Municipal Association is based in Atlanta and is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and consulting services to all of Georgia’s 537 cities.

For additional information regarding the Visionary City Award visit gacities.com.