Business Climate
About Hart County | Strategic Location | Pro Business Environment
Regional Focus | Industrial Development | Entrepreneuer Friendly
ABOUT HART COUNTY
Located on beautiful Lake Hartwell, along the rapidly growing I-85 business corridor in northeast Georgia; Hart County is only 1.5 hours from Atlanta and approximately 1-hour from the Greenville/Spartanburg area. Hart County is rapidly growing and has the natural and human resources to fit any business.
STRATEGIC LOCATION
Located approximately 90 miles northeast of Atlanta along Interstate I-85, Hart County is situated in the heart of the rapidly developing I-85 Growth Corridor between Atlanta, GA, Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, and Charlotte, NC. Our community is within a 1.5 hours drive from Atlanta, 1 hour from Greenville/Spartanburg, and 3 hours from Charlotte, NC. All other major southeastern cities are accessible on major U.S. highways within a day's drive. The area is also accessible to regional, national & international airports, world class shipping ports in both Charleston and Savannah, and national rail transportation networks via our short line, Hartwell Railroad, to CSX and Norfolk Southern. >Click on the map to the left to enlarge.
PRO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Hart County’s aggressive, pro-business leadership have developed and executed long-term strategies that provide area businesses with significant opportunities to benefit from being in the southeast’s fastest growing industrial corridor. Some of these strategies include:
• Interstate I-85 Industrial Land Development Gateway Industrial Park Phase I and Gateway Phase II provide Hart County with over 1-mile of Road Frontage on Interstate I-85 at Exit #177
• Business Infrastructure Expansion by Hart County’s Road Dept., Hart County Sewer & Water Authority and City of Hartwell’s Gas Department guarantees services readily available for new businesses.
• Airport Expansion – The Franklin/Hart Airport, located just 15 minutes from Downtown Hartwell, has over 5,000 ft of runway, which can accommodate most corporate jets.
• School System Expansion – Hart County has recently constructed two new elementary schools and doubled the size of the Hart County High School, including the addition of a 700 seat fine arts center.
• Business Strategy Implemented while reaching the enviable position of having “The Lowest” Unincorporated County Millage in Georgia
o County Millage – 4.40
o School Syste - 13.25
o State - 0.25 Total Millage 17.85
REGIONAL FOCUS
Hart County leaders have long recognized the importance of regional cooperation with our neighbors. The Joint Development Authority of Franklin, Hart, and Stephens Counties exemplifies our regional approach, and has resulted in significant development along Interstate I-85. Gateway Industrial Park, a fully developed 150-acre industrial park was completed in 2005. Within weeks of completing the industrial park’s infrastructure, the Joint Development Authority had already received its first new industry. From that date forward, industrial development has flourished in the Tri-county area, yielding outstanding results for all the surrounding communities.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
ENTREPRENEUER FRIENDLY
Hart County is the 18th community in Georgia and the first in Northeast Georgia to receive the designation “Entrepreneur Friendly Community.” An entrepreneur friendly community actively supports small business development through guidelines and strategies that build an environment conducive to business growth. “The Hartwell Downtown Development Authority and the Hart County Chamber of Commerce have chosen this entrepreneur focus because we want the community to know there are now local support programs and tools readily available to help ensure business retention and growth,” said Pat Fritz, Downtown Development Authority director. Click here to learn more about Hartwell’s Downtown Development Authority.
