Nestled in the south and home to the world’s most efficient airport, the fourth largest shipping port, one of the most expansive transportation infrastructures in the nation and named the best state in the nation to do business three years running, it is no wonder companies are flocking to Georgia. Our state’s pro-business climate and favorable business tax structure are among the top reasons our state is home to over 16,000 technology companies, 20 Fortune 500 headquarters and 440 Fortune 500 companies.
Today’s demand for competitive job markets and faster, more efficient work places has led Georgia to have over 500,000 fiber optic cable lines. The majority of these lines are laid in and around the metro Atlanta area, especially along the GA 400 corridor, between I-285 and Dawsonville. There are more than 900 technology companies located along this corridor, including financial technology companies responsible for 70 percent of all financial transactions in the United States. The city of Alpharetta has become known as the “Technology Hub of the South” because of this corridor.
The success of North Fulton’s technology industry has an economic impact of more than $113 billion in our state. The exponential growth in economic development spurred by our 21st century technological infrastructure led Georgia to be named one of the top ten states for high-tech job growth in 2015 by the TechAmerica Foundation.
In order for Atlanta to truly own the title of the “Silicon Valley of the South,” Georgia’s generous technological infrastructure needs to be expanded outward to include cities on the fringe of the metro area. Woodstock, in particular, is poised for growth. Aside from its proximity to the fiber optic cable network running along the GA 400 corridor, 40 percent of Cherokee County residents already possess a post-secondary degree. Additionally, approximately 79 percent of Cherokee County residents commute outside of the county for work. By making Woodstock an attractive area to investors, businesses will be met with a highly educated and skilled workforce, and employees’ commute times will be drastically reduced, easing congestion on our roads.
Not only are fiber cables helping bring business to our state, they are also enabling cities, like Alpharetta, to ease the burden of the traffic congestion caused by traffic signals. The fiber optic cable turns the traffic signals from ordinary signals that run on manual timer devices to ones that are connected to a mainframe computer that can be used to adjust the timing of the signals as traffic conditions warrant.
We have seen the enormous economic impact generated by Georgia’s ability to attract cutting-edge, high-tech businesses to the Atlanta area. In order to continue attracting investments, we must continue to expand our plentiful resources, to cities like Woodstock, to show potential investors why Georgia is the number one state in the nation to do business.
to your business!