Cities Chosen for 2003 "Heart & Soul" Bus Tour

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Posted: 10/21/2002, www.gmanet.com [offsite]

Twelve cities have been chosen to host the 2003 Georgia Cities Foundation's "Heart & Soul" Bus Tour April 22-25. The bus tour, now in its third year, will focus mostly on North Georgia cities.

The cities on the tour are Marietta, Smyrna, Covington, Madison, Washington, Lavonia, Dahlonega, Blue Ridge, Ellijay, Dalton, Canton and Duluth.

The tour brings state business leaders, politicians and philanthropic leaders to view some of the state's best downtowns and see how they affect the economy, culture and quality of life.

"The Heart & Soul Tour is a great way to show how vital downtowns are to the economy and to the way of life we appreciate here in Georgia," said GMA Executive Director Jim Higdon. "The Foundation's mission is to help cities revitalize their downtowns and the tour shows some of the state's most influential decision makers how that process works."

"The Foundation's goal is to help cities through successful public-private partnerships," said Georgia Cities Foundation President Mike Starr, "and we will show 12 very good examples of cities that have been successful in creating wonderful downtowns and vibrant communities through such partnerships."

The tour is part of an overall effort to educate and inform state leaders on the importance of successful downtown development and its role in supporting overall economic development efforts for regions and communities.

Georgia Cities Foundation is a non-profit subsidiary of the Georgia Municipal Association and was created to make Georgia's downtowns more livable and economically prosperous. Through public-private partnerships, the Foundation will facilitate the redevelopment and reuse of downtown areas throughout Georgia. The Foundation will provide funding for capital projects through a revolving loan program.