Hogansville is a small, close-knit town an hour from Atlanta
Hogansville is unsuspectingly and indescribably special. At least that's how local Realtor and broker Keisha Lemay of The Key to Closed frames it. "I always tell people, I have lived in a lot of places throughout my life, and my husband pulled me here kicking and screaming. Now you would have to pull me out kicking and screaming," Lemay says. She's sold homes across Hogansville since she moved there 10 years ago. "It's a feeling you get walking down Main Street; it's just a precious little town." She largely attributes this to its residents, a small population of just over 3,200 that tends to get to know one another. "It's something you can't put in words. Everyone says it." Hogansville's historic town center is small but growing, and residents strongly support its local businesses.
A mix of ranch-style homes and historic bungalows
Hogansville's housing varies widely. "There's a little something for everyone here," Lemay says. "Whether you want a historic home or a contemporary new build. You could also have a mill village house, because we used to have an old mill village." The community's oldest homes include late 19th and early 20th-century bungalows and cottages located primarily near the heart of town. Housing development continued well into the 20th century, including midcentury ranch styles and New Traditional homes that started to pop up toward the end of the 1900s. There's also a good mix of recently constructed homes; Jones Crossing is a small subdivision of contemporary colonials built in the early 2020s. Locals look outside of downtown for sizable land plots. "You can get three to five acres right outside of town," Lemay says. "But we have some lots in town that have an acre." The median housing price is around $275,000.
Hogansville's downtown features boutiques and a flashy, historic hotel
Over the railroad tracks and up a slight hill on East Main Street is Downtown Hogansville, and its historic buildings are worn but sturdy. They're kept alive with locally owned antique shops, candy stores and a few other small businesses. "For shopping, we still have some growing to do," Lemay says. "But it's coming in very quickly. There are some great boutiques in town." Lemay is a boutique owner herself, and her shop Keitra offers home goods, accessories and clothes. The warm bay windows of Born Again Antiques draw folks in for vintage finds, and Blue Train Books has a fully stocked selection of hardly-worn used reads.
It's hard for folks passing through downtown to miss the historic Grand Hotel, a town centerpiece. In addition to its individually designed rooms, the 1890 Victorian building is characterized by its ornate architecture, jazzy cocktail bar and first-story café. The hotel's cocktail bar, The 1890 Room, offers shareable plates and a specialty cocktail menu. "The bar makes you feel like you're stepping back in time," Lemay says. "It's a feeling you can't put into words." Grand Market and Café has sandwiches, fruit smoothies and boba milk tea. A short walk from the hotel is the Art Deco-style Historic Royal Theater, where fluorescent lights shine at night and movies play inside most Fridays and Saturdays. Locals have access to Family Dollar and Dollar General, but mainly head to Ingles Market just east of town for groceries. "We do have some people looking at adding another grocery store on the west," Lemay says.
Callaway High School features several student clubs
The Troup County School System scores an overall B-plus on Niche and serves just over 12,200 students. Hogansville Elementary School, located in the heart of the community, receives a B-minus. Callaway Middle School has a C-plus, and Callaway High has a B-minus. The high school features several student clubs and extracurricular activities, from the academic team and chess club to the history club and DECA.
Locals enjoy outdoor recreation by the water and on the local trail
Lake Jimmy Jackson Park is a local hub of outdoor recreation. It has a small, sandy beach where residents often take the kids to swim in the lake; a few buoys and attached rope mark the swimming area. Next to the beach is a concrete boat ramp and dock, where anglers typically hop in. The park also has a few pavilions with picnic tables. Lemay says locals also enjoy the outdoors by exploring the Hogansville Tower Trail, a paved path that cuts through town. It's the main route for the town's annual 5k, and Lemay says it's common to see people out walking. Residents also bring the kids to the town's small splash pad during the summer, which sits next to a playground.
Navigating Troup County
U.S. Route 29 bisects this car-dependent community, and Interstate 85 is accessible about 3 miles east of the town's center. LaGrange is about 15 miles southwest, and Newnan is around 20 miles northeast. Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, about 16 miles away, is one of the nearest medical facilities. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is 45 miles away, and downtown Atlanta is a 55-mile trip northeast.
Written By
Brennen Martin
