*Georgia’s January unemployment rate was 3.1 last month, the first drop in over a year after holding at 3.2 percent for each month during 2023. That’s is six-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate. Jobs were up 1,500 (0.1%) over the month and up by 51,200 (1.0%) over the year to 4,936,000.County-by-county figures will be released next week.
*Gainesville was one of two Georgia cities tapped by Southern Living as among the South’s Best Cities on the Rise in 2024. Alpharetta was the other. The magazine put together a reader-selected list of Southern cities with “excellent food scenes, cool downtown districts, natural beauty, thriving arts communities and that southern charm that’s hard to define.” Gainesville came in at #17. “Big draws to the small city are proximity to Lake Lanier and the boutique-filled downtown district, as well as a handful of new restaurants that have opened up in the past few years,” Southern Living wrote. Alpharetta placed #9. You can check out the full list here: The South’s Best Cities On The Rise 2024 (southernliving.com)