City of Hartwell Named Downtown of the Year for 2023

A coveted honor has been bestowed on the City of Hartwell.

This week, Hartwell was named the Community Transformation/Downtown of the Year by the Georgia Downtown Association at their annual conference in Canton, Georgia.

Since 1999, the Georgia Downtown Association has been working to connect Georgia communities across the State.

The GDA membership includes downtown professionals in Georgia as well as city officials, corporations, students, and vendors who share the goal of revitalizing and stabilizing downtowns in Georgia.

Accepting the award this week was Hartwell Mayor Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with DDA Executive Director Jason Ford, and City Manager Jon Herschell.

The award is given for outstanding achievement in transforming traditional downtowns in Georgia. Johnson said the past and current transformations that have occurred in Hartwell led to the city receiving the award.

On his Facebook page, Mayor Brandon Johnson congratulated the many volunteers, organizations, business owners, and leadership instrumental in the town receiving the award.

And he pointed out that in just a few years, Downtown Hartwell has transformed itself into a top-tier destination.

Among the achievements Johnson points to are the revitalization of Railroad Street and the train depot, the renovation of Depot Street, and over 20 new businesses that have located in the downtown area in the past few years.

Hartwell has been a Georgia Main Street City since 1997.