Milton, Georgia
The City of Milton, GA, was officially incorporated under the authority granted by an election referendum held on July 18, 2006, and Milton’s city government began operating on November 14th of that same year. Local residents decided to have a city government in order to preserve their rural lifestyle and avoid becoming an urbanized city. By taking political control away from Fulton County and centralizing it within Milton’s city government, the residents were able to maintain a maximum amount of decision making authority inside their own community. People who live in Milton care about keeping their community the way it is because they like it the way it is. The City of Milton’s official vision statement is, “Milton is a distinctive community embracing small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing our rural character.”
81% of Milton consists of residentially zoned land and open countryside
According to the City of Milton’s Comprehensive Plan, Milton encompasses 25,054 acres of primarily rural land and 81% of it is zoned for residential use or public enjoyment. Travel through Milton by car is limited to 2-lane country roads that lead through picturesque, pastoral valleys and over verdant, forested hills to small residential nodes with clusters of custom built homes. Many residential developments are self contained communities with amenities for residents such as swimming pools, clubhouses, playgrounds, horse stables and private golf courses. Many other residential developments consist of smaller clusters of homes with relatively large properties. These are typically found on small side roads leading off the main roads.
Milton exemplifies an elegant, luxurious and relaxed Southern lifestyle
The style of hospitality and graciousness that have always been a traditional part of Southern history are still an integral part of daily life in Milton. People socialize with their neighborhood friends. Their children attend the same schools and play together with each other. Many residents of Milton are horse owners who also own stables and it is very common to see groups of people riding horses together through Milton’s residential neighborhoods. Golf is also a very popular sport with Milton’s residents. There are several excellent championship level golf courses located within 5 miles of Milton, and socializing at the golf clubhouses is another way that people who live in Milton have fun, meet other people and make new friends.
Retail businesses are located within several relatively small commercial zones that account for 19% of Milton’s total area. Within these shopping centers, residents have quick and easy access to national retail chain stores in addition to many unique shopping boutiques, specialty clothing stores, antique stores, novelty gift shops, intriguing restaurants and food stores. A wide variety of restaurants are also available to choose from in nearby Alpharetta, Roswell and Historic Crabapple, and many thousands more restaurants are located throughout the Atlanta Metropolitan Area within 30 miles of Milton. Milton’s convenient location just off Route 400 makes it an ideal choice for people who prefer rural country style living but also want to be able to travel only 20 miles to conduct business at the source of Georgia’s thriving economy in downtown Atlanta where the financial trade markets, many major corporate headquarters and most of the official state government bureaus are centered.