What’s great about living in Macon? There’s plenty, residents say
Macon didn’t make it to the top in the 2019 Niche poll of the 100 best places to live in Georgia based on housing, health, education and other categories.
But not being listed hasn’t stopped some people who live here from showing some love for their town.
What people think about a community matters to those who already live here and those who may be thinking about moving here.
Opinions about a city’s quality of living are important because people will pick a place to live before finding work in the city, according to Josh Rogers, NewTown Macon president and CEO.
“We know that three-quarters of millennials actually pick a place to live before they have a job to do,” Rogers said. “So the infrastructure we have to build to be successful economic developers now is almost entirely around quality of life and a place that people want to live.”
The Telegraph figured one of the best ways to find out how locals feel about Macon was to ask them. So we did.
We talked to residents last week on the sidewalks outside a local downtown coffeehouse.
Q. What are some of the things you love about Macon?
Elizabeth Smith, lived here two years
“Macon is starting to have more of a big city feel, and it’s still a small town. So that’s one thing I like about it. And, another thing I like about it is that some of the stuff that goes on here, you’re not going to find it anywhere else like the Cherry Blossom Festival. Stuff like that kinda makes it a little unique.”
Chandler Wagoner, lived here 30 years
“The size and the density is not that bad. Most of the time, you can actually get where you want to go. It’s not ‘everybody’s on two roads’ which is Warner Robins, and it’s not insanity which is Atlanta. So the population density is just about right. It has good suburbs for the most part as well as a good quality of life for residential living.”
Angel Alicea, lived here 16 years
“To some people, it might not seem that there is a lot to do, but if you’ve been here long enough, you know the right places to go. So, it’s kinda homey.”
What are some of the fun things you enjoy doing in the Macon area?
Kristin Fryer, lived here “her whole life”
“I like going to the Rookery, the ambiance of it and just walking around downtown at night. It’s fun. They have a lot of activities and places to go now that they put some money downtown with the new lofts and everything. There are a lot of new places to go to.”
Nancy Scott Malcor , lived here 27 years
“I love playing tennis and the John Drew Smith Tennis Center, and I love coming downtown to see some shows.”
Lance Simon, lived here one year
“I like going for hikes around some of the state parks, and hanging out downtown and taking my dog, Kennedy, to the dog park.”
Poll results
Some of the same trends about living here were spotted in our informal online poll that we asked people to take.
Of those that responded, most had lived here at least 10 years or for all of their lives, so more than likely they know their way around Macon and should be good judges of what makes Macon a good place to live.
The top two reasons they gave for rating Macon as a great place to live were lifestyle/attractions and its location.
Some of their favorites things to do included getting out to enjoy nature, the festivals, other events and attractions.
Dining out also made it to the top of the list of fun things to do in Macon.