Welcome to Historic Roswell, a city that has preserved its small town character, while becoming the sixth largest city in Georgia.

You can experience Roswell’s history by visiting antebellum homes spared from Sherman’s torch, including Bulloch Hall and the Archibald Smith Plantation Home. To experience the natural environment that attracted Roswell’s founders from coastal Georgia, you can canoe down the Chattahoochee River or visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center. You can also enjoy the amenities of a growing city, including theater and orchestra performances at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, and Roswell’s many fine restaurants, shops and art galleries.

Families moving to Roswell will find quiet neighborhoods, tree-lined streets and the best recreational program for youth in the state of Georgia. Our city government is committed to the preservation of family neighborhoods, while promoting economic development in our commercial districts.

Whether you are a native or a newcomer, Roswell is the best place to come home to in the metropolitan Atlanta area.

            Roswell has changed a lot since I was a boy. When I was young, Roswell was a poor southern town with a population of 2,000, and nobody knew where Roswell was. This year Roswell’s population is 85,000, and we were recognized as the third best place to raise a family in the USA. We can thank growth for this achievement.

            Rowell grew because it was located on Georgia 400 near Atlanta and land was available and inexpensive. Roswell did little to encourage growth, but we were open to change and selective in which developments we allowed. By saying no to bad developments, we grew better as we grew bigger.

            Today what little land is available is very expensive, and 400 is clogged with traffic. Roswell’s population is growing at a rate of less than 1% a year. We can no longer rely upon growth to spur improvements to our City.

            Shopping centers and apartments built in Roswell thirty years ago are showing their age. If Roswell is to improve, we must find a way to redevelop these older properties. The Roswell City Council is currently considering several mixed-use projects. How these projects are developed will determine whether Roswell continues to improve. It is not clear what we should do, but it is clear that if we just say no, no improvements will be made. If we are to continue to grow better, we must be receptive to change and encourage good development. 

Photo taken by Ron Sherman on July 12, 2009.  GA 400 Bike Ride to benefit the Georgia Transplant Foundation.

1900 people work for the City of Roswell - only 550 are paid. The remaining 1,342 are volunteers.

In Roswell, volunteers do everything from saving lives by fighting fires to keeping the City beautiful by picking up litter. We reply on volunteers to make decisions on issues ranging from the design of commercial buildings to performances at our Cultural Arts Center. Volunteers greet our visitors and remove illegal yard signs from right-of-ways. Volunteers coach our children and teach our grandparents to use e-mail.

If not for volunteers, the cost of fire prevention in Roswell would increase our property taxes by $2-1/2 million.

Next time you see a Roswell volunteer, thank him for his services to his city and for the tax dollars he is saving you.

For more information on Roswell volunteer opportunities, see Roswell’s web page at www.roswellgov.com or call the Mayor’s Executive Assistant, Robyn Kenner, at 770-641-3727.

Mayor Jere Wood

How will the City of Roswell respond to the current economic crisis? It is clear that we should not do what the nation did in response to the 1929 stock market crash. History tells us that in 1929 people panicked, responding irrationally to widespread bad new and infectious fear, leading to a depression.

The City will not raise taxes. Fortunately, when times were good, the City wisely set aside money for a rainy day, so even though we expect tax revenues to fall, we will not have to raise taxes or go into debt. The City will look for ways to promote local businesses and to assist local charities. We will also look for ways to cut expenses, but we will not have to cut City services.

Some people argue that government should eliminate all but essential programs. I agree that government needs to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary programs, but my test is not whether or not a program is essential. If a program would make Roswell a better place to live, if its benefit to the community is substantially greater than its cost, and if it would not be done unless the City does it, then it has my support. A good example is the Roswell River Walk. This linear park makes Roswell a better place to live, its benefit to the community far exceeds its cost, and if not for the City government and public support, we would not have the River Walk.

Until the economy improves, I will not support any new programs for the City, but I will continue to support investments in the community that will make Roswell a better place to live, especially now that the economic crisis has driven down the cost of such projects.

July 13, 2009

It’s time for the City of Roswell to spruce up the primary gateway into our great city, the GA400/Holcomb Bridge Road Interchange. The City should have an entrance that makes those entering know they are in Roswell and are welcome here.

Virtually every subdivision in Roswell maintains an attractive entrance. The North Fulton Community Improvement District (CID) recently invested $700,000 on landscaping on Mansell Road to create a gateway to North Fulton. Georgia cities from Smyrna to Suwanee are beautifying the entrance to their cities. These neighborhoods, businessmen and elected officials recognize the importance of making a good first impression in marketing their communities.

Al Nash, Chairman of the Council for Quality Growth, Board Member with the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, and Roswell resident and businessman, came to me and said that if Roswell wants to fill vacant stores and improve property values in our city, we need to begin by dressing up our primary entrance, the GA400/Holcomb Bridge Road interchange.

At Al’s insistence I held two meetings. The first was attended by the owners of commercial property in the Holcomb Bridge Road Corridor, the second by representatives of homeowner associations and property owners. Roberto Paredes, a Roswell architect, presented a vision of what Roswell’s gateway could look like by landscaping the right-of-way, dressing up the bridge over GA400, and erecting architectural markers at each end of the bridge.  To see Roberto Paredes’ presentation go to Gateway to Roswell on Facebook. Everyone enthusiastically supported Al’s recommendation that we beautify Roswell’s gateway.

I will present Al’s gateway proposal at the next Community Development Committee meeting, Wednesday July 22 at 8:00 a.m. at City Hall and ask the Council to apply for a $50,000 GDOT grant available for beautification of state highways and to invest additional city funds to beautify Roswell’s Gateway. Brandon Beach, GDOT Board Member for our district, has promised to personally walk this application through the approval process.

Roswell is your City. If you believe we need to spruce up our gateway, please let the Council know by emailing them. For their e-mail addresses go to www.roswellgov.com or let them know in person at the July 22nd committee meeting.

Mayor Jere Wood

Mayor Jere Wood celebrated Jacque’s 20 years of museum programs with the City’s proclamation declaring June 26 as the Jacque Coxe Day.  We commend Jacque and all of her teachers for “teaching the minds and touching the hearts” of several hundred students since February 12, 1992.

Many thanks to Dan Carmody of Studio 7 Images in Roswell for taking these great photographs at my campaign announcement at City Hall Rotunda on June 26th.

My niece, Jere, who is expecting my sister’s first grandchild this year.

Jere, Judie, family, and friends at campaign announcement on June 26, 2009.

Roswell Elementary School - Mrs. Rushin’s Kindergarten - April 23, 1953

Roswell School - Mrs. Wells’ Third Grade Class - 1957-1958