Rural lifestyle in Carroll County near the Alabama border
Less than 20 miles from the Alabama border, Mount Zion is a city of nearly 2,000 people in Carroll County, west Georgia. Originally known as Turkey Creek Mills, when it was initially settled, due to its large population of wild turkeys, it was renamed Mount Zion after the local Methodist Episcopal Church. Today, the community offers a rural lifestyle about 10 miles outside Carrollton, the county seat of Carroll County, about 10 miles away. Draws to the city include an active community center, new construction properties and proximity to the John Tanner State Park. “We like to say we’re the best kept secret in Carroll County,” says Mount Zion’s Library Manager and Community Center Director Vicki Sizemore, who's lived in Mount Zion for 20 years. “It just feels like a family-oriented community. You feel a part of something, not just a citizen in a small city.”
New subdivisions in Mount Zion
Roads curve throughout Mount Zion under the shade of towering, old-growth trees. Buyers here can find ranch styles, bungalows and Colonial Revivals on multiple acres of land. Developers have started construction of new subdivisions with Craftsman builds. "The development hasn’t affected day-to-day life, there's just more people in the area,” Sizemore says. Most homes sell from around $250,000 to around $400,000, and properties average 47 days on the market, slightly slower than the national average. Mount Zion’s CAP Index Crime Score is 2 out of 10, rating lower than the national average of 4.
The path through highly rated Carroll County Schools
Mount Zion is part of Carroll County Schools, which rates as an A on Niche and serves nearly 16,000 students in West Georgia. Students may start at Mount Zion Elementary, which scores an A-minus, advance to the B-plus-rated Mount Zion Middle and Mount Zion High. The high school earns a B and offers dual enrollment opportunities with local colleges, West Georgia Technical College and the University of West Georgia.
Wide range of outdoor activities available at John Tanner Park
Spanning 138 acres, John Tanner State Park brings people from far and wide to the area. Tanner Lake's sandy shoreline, fishing spots and boat access points make it a vacation destination for some. The park accommodates overnight guests with campsites and a group lodge that can hold as many as 40, with outdoor amenities and waterfront views. Mount Zion Parks and Recreation department offers multiple sports leagues, including baseball, football and cheerleading for its residents. Mount Zion Park hosts the leagues on its many sports fields.
A drive into Carrollton for weekly groceries
The West Georgia Flea Market in the area has fresh produce, but also a wide range of other goods from furniture to retro video games. While there is a Dollar General in Mount Zion, residents have to travel about10 miles into Carrollton or Breman for shopping and dining. "That's what people want here, that slower pace of life," Sizemore says. Carrollton has chain stores like Ingels and Home Depot, but its walkable town square is a community gathering space with places to eat like the Brown Dog Eatery. Breman, 7 miles north, provides more food options like Hitchin Post 55 with live music on most weekends.
Weekly events at the Mount Zion Community Center
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Mount Zion Community Center offers chair yoga and bingo and followed by lunch and an event on Wednesdays. “We do get great participation, especially when you consider the size of our area,” Sizemore says. The community center and local library share a building, and the Mount Zion Public Library offers a seven-week summer reading program for children and adults. The program has weekly events and incentives. The city puts on larger events for the community, including a nighttime Christmas Parade and a Fourth of July Festival, that features a craft fair and concludes with a fireworks show.
Carroll Connection, on-demand public transportation
Carroll Connection provides on-demand public transit for county residents who need a ride to medical appointments, the bank, and the community center, among other places. Interstate 20 is 8 miles north of the city, and is a connector to Atlanta, 50 miles east. I-20 is also the highway to Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport, about 57 miles away. U.S. Route 27 runs right through Mount Zion and is the roadway to Carrollton. Less than 10 miles away, Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton is a 181-bed acute care hospital that serves the locals in west Georgia and east Alabama.
Written By
Andrew Phillips
Photography Contributed By
Greg Riegler
