James_September-October_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 57
hile technically
part of the Atlanta
metropolitan area,
Bartow County is
about an hour away from Atlanta— just at the edge of that metro
designation. While the area has
grown tremendously over the last
couple decades in percentage
terms— more than doubling its
population since 1990— the area
can still feel open for the estimated 120,000 that now call it home.
Situated nearly exactly in the
middle of Atlanta and Chattanooga, Bartow County features both
historic downtowns and also some
of the state’s top natural wonders,
such as Red Top Mountain State
Park and Lake Allatoona.
Matt Santini has been mayor
of Cartersville since 2008, and a
resident of the Bartow County seat
for more than 30 years. Taking the
reins in the middle of the Great Recession made for a tough first few
years but the community has seen
great success since then.
LAKE ALLATOONA
“While our community has seen
plenty of growth since I took office
in 2008, we have grown at a much
more manageable pace than the
surrounding counties in the metro
area. The housing market collapsed
shortly after becoming mayor, and
I remember the challenges of those
years when we weren’t investing in
capital projects nor were we able to
give salary increases,” said Santini.
“Fortunately, Cartersville has been
a fantastic community with strong
leadership long before I took office.
More importantly, the city is filled
with talented and dedicated professionals who care about making our
city a wonderful place. They are
the “secret sauce” to the quality of
life that our residents enjoy.”
Bartow County is home to a
number of major employers, several
of which are household names like
Anheuser-Busch, Shaw Industries
(Bartow not being too far from the
“Carpet Capital of the World” Dalton a few miles up Interstate 75),
and Toyo Tire North America. With
that solid foundation, and the connection to Atlanta and Chattanooga in either direction, the county is
primed for continued growth in the
future, a great situation for community leaders but also presenting a
planning challenge for those who
cherish the historic downtowns
and sense of community that drew
so many there in the first place.
“While we continue to be a
place where new people are coming every day, the two aspects that
must be preserved is our hometown feel and sense of community.
We are a community of faith with
several churches and nonprofit organizations working together to fill
any need that arises,” Santini told
this writer. “We rally to take care
of a neighbor that needs help. We
smile and say hello to each other
on the streets or in the stores, and
we welcome anyone who wants to
come to our community and be a
part of us in helping to make Cartersville a great place.”
S E PT E M B E R/O C TO BER 2026
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