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When asked what Troup County’s biggest strength is, many LaGrange and Troup County leaders pointed to different parts of the community. However, many agreed that the area does a good job of providing a high quality of life for Troup County residents. A few even pointed to amenities that the area has that bring outsiders into the town to enjoy what it has to offer.

LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton said LaGrange’s economy is one of the city’s greatest strengths and is what helps the city sustain their current level of activity.

“We have a very vibrant economy. We have both small businesses and large manufacturers that are doing extremely well. That is what is helping to sustain our current level of activity,” Thornton said.

Thornton said this gives him hope as businesses continue to expand in LaGrange.

“It gives me a lot of hope for the future. The business community is in a growth mode. They’re expanding their businesses and so forth,” he said. “They’re looking to hire new people. There are a lot of new jobs coming to the community.”

Scott Malone, president of the LaGrange Economic Development, said having good jobs drives everything else for a community.

“Great jobs drive everything else. That’s the hardest part for communities to do. We have a rich tradition of having great jobs,” Malone said.

County Manager Eric Mosley said he believes LaGrange and Troup County’s location is another strength.

“We are well positioned because of where we are geographically. We are 45 minutes from Auburn, Columbus, Atlanta,” Mosley said.

“We have great CSX rail lines as well as intersecting corridors that intersect Troup County. Those provide great opportunities to attract a young, vibrant workforce.”

Mosley said the county is also easy to navigate for those residing in it and all amenities are not a long drive.

“I believe our transportation networks around Troup County make it very easy for someone to commute around the community. You can just about get to anywhere in the county in less than 20 minutes,” Mosley said.

Malone agreed with geography being a strength as he said West Point Lake is an amenity to both residents of the county and those who come to visit.

“It is a huge plus for us that we don’t take advantage of as fully as we should. It brings 3 million plus visitors a year to our community, huge exposure [for us],” Malone said.

“We have a high quality of life for folks that live on the lake. Then, the utility that it gives us, which is our water. As a community, we have permits to pull 22 million gallons of water per day.”

Thornton and Mosley both highlighted West Point Lake and other amenities as a strength of the community.

“We are fortunate to have amazing quality of life amenities, both on the parks and trails side of the house, as well as natural resources like West Point Lake. Also, [we have] a very dynamic arts community,” Thornton said.

“We’ve got a wonderful quality of life here in Troup County with great parks and great public venues like Sweetland, the art museum and symphony, as well as West Point Lake,” Mosley said.

Thornton highlighted infrastructure and said the city of LaGrange will see residential growth as a result of the quality of the town.

“We are blessed to have a very good high quality infrastructure, more specifically high quality utilities, water, sewer, [and] electric gas services,” Thornton said. “The next few years will result in some additional residential growth in the community. We’re already starting to see tremendous signs of more residential growth. That’s a good positive sign.”