Georgia

Nine Hot New Rail-Trails in 2017

Posted 12/11/17 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin

Westside Trail | Photo by John Becker

Say hello to the newest batch of rail-trails! We’ve highlighted a few of these remarkable new pathways here—which are connecting people with each other and nature, providing new opportunities for physical activity and active transportation, and creating healthy thriving communities throughout the nation.

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Tampa Riverwalk, funded by a TIGER grant | Photo courtesy Matthew Paulson | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

How Funding for Trails Moves America: 5 Trails Funded by TIGER

Posted 08/22/17 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy | Tagged with Arkansas, Case Studies, District Of Columbia, Federal, Funding, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Trail Destinations

The federal TIGER program has funded more than $340 million in projects for trails, walking and biking to date—making it a powerful resource for those who want to create multimodal transportation choices in their communities for those who cannot or choose not to drive. Through the leveraging of additional federal, state, local and even private philanthropic sources, the highly competitive program (which also funds highway, freight rail, transit and maritime projects) promotes interplay between all levels of government and the private sector and strikes a good deal for federal transportation investments.

A view of the Statue of Liberty as seen from the High Line | Department of Agriculture | public domain

Five Rail-Trails for Marveling at National Monuments

Posted 06/01/17 by Suzanne Matyas in Trail Use | Tagged with California, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, New York, Tourism and Economic Development, Trail Destinations

There are countless special places in America, but only about 100 have been distinguished enough to be called national monuments. Scattered throughout the U.S., many of them have or are near trails—lucky for trail lovers! Here’s a short list of five rail-trails that’ll help you reach, explore and admire some of these incredible places.

Trails are a great place to spy a variety of beautiful birds, including the bald eagle! | Photo courtesy Boyd Dwyer | CC BY-SA 2.0

Nine Great Birding Rail-Trails to Crow About

Posted 05/15/17 by Suzanne Matyas in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Trail Destinations, Wild and Wonderful, Wisconsin

Whether you’re an avian aficionado, ornithologist, fan of fowl or simply a person who enjoys the subtle sight of a feather stretching across the wind, you’ll want to check out these nine great birding trails!

More and more cities across the country are interested in creating multimodal transportation options like those offered in Greenville, South Carolina. | Photo by Ian Curcio

Who Won the Race for Bike/Ped Funding on Nov. 8?

Posted 11/21/16 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with California, Funding, Georgia, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

During this year’s Nov. 8 election, the presidential race was the primary focus for many Americans; however, another story was also unfolding in communities across the country. As we take time to process all the results of the election during this “lame duck” time period, RTC wanted to address this story—which had positive implications for trails, biking and walking on both sides of the U.S.

Atlanta's Eastside Trail | Photo by Ryan Gravel

Transforming Atlanta

Posted 04/21/15 by Rebecca Serna in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Georgia, Success Stories, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Today, a decade and a half after Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel laid out a simple, elegant vision for Atlanta's former railroad tracks in his master’s thesis, it’s safe to say that the city is once again being shaped by the convergence of railroad tracks and development.

Photo courtesy Ed Yourdon via Flickr

Triumph on the Trails: How One Woman Reclaimed Her Health After Cancer

Posted 01/06/15 by Amy Kapp in Health and Wellness | Tagged with Georgia, Health and Active Living, Success Stories

We were pleased to learn of this recently published third video installment of “Life on the Atlanta BeltLine,” which outlines the story of Jenny—wife, mother of twins and courageous individual who regained her health on Atlanta’s Eastside Trail after recovering from breast cancer.

Photos © Rick Pruetz

The Profitable Tail of the Silver Comet Trail

Posted 05/07/14 by Rick Pruetz in America's Trails, Trail Use, Success Stories | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Georgia, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses

A 2013 study by the Northwest Georgia Regional Planning Commission recommends more than doubling the length of the Silver Comet Trail —at its “tail” end—with spurs to nearby commercial centers and longer extensions to Marietta, Rome and Atlanta’s growing bike-path network.

Photo © Tracie Sanchez

Inspiring Ideas: Meet the Woman Who Kick-Started the Georgia Trail Summit

Posted 03/20/14 by Tracie Sanchez in Building Trails | Tagged with Georgia, Local Organizing, Young Champions

On April 11-12, 2014, Georgia’s first trail summit in 15 years will convene in Athens. Trail groups from throughout the state will gather to share knowledge and further projects, with a goal of establishing a first-class trail network in Georgia. In this guest blog, Tracie Sanchez, organizer of the Georgia Trail Summit, talks about her inspiration for the event and how she turned the idea into a reality.

Photo © Christopher Martin/Atlanta Beltline Inc.

Georgia's Atlanta Beltline

Posted 03/01/14 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Georgia, Rail-with-Trail, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Spring is upon us, and perhaps no region is more thankful than the South, hit especially hard by an unusually brutal winter. Residents of The Big Peach are more than ready to head out on the Atlanta Beltline to soak up the warmer weather. In a city once known as Terminus, the BeltLine trail network is a re-envisioning of its railroad past for a new wave of pedestrian and bike-friendly urban design.

Photo © Gainesville Community Development Department

Former Rail Line in Georgia Now a Development Asset in Gainesville

Posted 05/25/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Georgia, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

It's been 140 years since a railway once propelled the tremendous growth of Mule Camp Springs--a small trading post in northern Georgia--into a city of thousands. Today, that same rail corridor is driving growth of a new kind in the city now known as Gainesville.