Some of our nation's greatest historical offerings are located in regions that receive little media coverage when compared with places like Virginia, Washington, D.C., Boston or the great American West. Macon, Georgia, is once such place. The National Register of Historic Places has designated an astounding number of buildings and artifacts in Macon -- roughly 5,500 within 11 different neighborhood districts, at last count. Despite the Deep South's deeply divided racial history, the United States' largest assortment of ancient African relics is here, as well as several structures left behind by early Native American settlers more than 10,000 years ago.

And right alongside that history, Macon continues to thrive economically as one of the Southeast's hot job markets. In contrast to larger Southeastern cities like Atlanta (approximately 85 miles away), however, Macon, a city of more than 125,000 residents, maintains a relatively small-town feel -- at least for now. The locals are friendly, the pace isn't frenetic, and the surrounding natural landscape remains untouched by developers. Although its economy is quiet diverse, Macon's strong point is in the aircraft manufacturing and aerospace support industries, a distinction that has earned the city the nickname "Aerospace Alley." Georgia's Museum of Aviation gives visitors perspective on the growth of this economic sector.

Macon has so many points of interest -- historic, scenic and otherwise -- that it's difficult to experience them all in a single visit. While most of us associate cherry blossom trees with Washington, D.C., and rightly so, Macon has been called the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World for its own wealth of these trees. In fact, each year, Macon presents the Cherry Blossom Festival, ranked among the nation's great festivals. For avid shoppers, the Macon Mall is the state's largest, with 1.6 million square feet of opportunities for spending money.

Among Macon's historic points of interest are the Grand Opera House, reminiscent of the great performing halls of Vienna or Paris. This palatial venue, constructed in 1884, is one of the South's largest. The Historic Douglass Theater is truly legendary because it was here that several of our greatest contributors to the music industry -- including Cab Calloway, Little Richard and Otis Redding -- performed; in fact, the great Otis Redding was "discovered" at Douglass Theater. Because this venue has fostered the development of a series of successful African-American recording artists, Douglass Theater was converted into a museum of sorts in early 1997, when, some 20 years after its doors were shut, the City of Macon restored the theater and reopened it as a state-of-the-art performance hall and movie theater to teach visitors about African-Americans' contributions to the arts, particularly in theater and film. In addition to serving an educational role during the daytime, Douglass Theater presents live music and theater performances in the evenings.

A trip to Macon is a treat for anyone who enjoys historic architecture. As the number of National Register designations attests, Macon has taken great pains to preserve its 19th century estates, including plantation-style residences, English Tudor and Italian and Greek revival structures. To appreciate them all, it's best to arrange a walking tour, either guided or self-led; contact the chamber of commerce or convention and visitors bureau for more details. During your tour, you'll see such sights as the Cannonball House and Confederate Museum, struck by a cannonball fired by Federal troops in 1864, 11 years after it was built. The home assumed historic significance because it was the only home in Macon to fall victim to a cannonball attack. Cannonball House has been restored and filled with furnishings characteristic of the period in which it was attacked. Hay House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is an 18,000 square-foot tribute to the Old South. This stunning Italian Renaissance-style mansion, built in the mid-1800s, has been dubbed "The Palace of the South," and with good reason. A camera is definite must.

As Douglass Theater suggests, Macon has a rich history in music. And that history extends beyond blues and jazz into such trailblazers as Little Richard, who made his mark on rock and roll; Lena Horne; the Allman Brothers; REM; and the great James Brown. Both men are joined by their fellow musical native Georgians in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. A visit here will take you through Georgia's varied musical history, from blues, jazz and big band music to rock and roll to country music (let's not forget we're in the South). The museum also includes a replica of a small Georgian town, where you can visit a Gospel Chapel, Rhythm & Blues Revue, County Cafe, Coca-Cola Drugstore, Jazz & Swing Club and other popular musical meeting places characteristic of American -- and particularly Georgian -- music history. To pay tribute to its musical roots, Macon hosts the annual Cherry Jubilee fall festival. A state with a longtime devotion to sports at every level (from high school through professional levels), Georgia has another hall of fame: the Sports Hall of Fame. A series of interactive exhibits educate visitors on such legends as Hank Aaron and Fran Tarkenton.

Macon's residential real estate market is keeping pace with its growing job market, and asking prices remain below those in other metropolitan regions of the country. A search of listed properties reveals how varied Macon's residential real estate market is in terms of price. Newcomers can literally find everything from a two-bedroom home priced well below $100,000 to a sprawling estate for more than $1 million. Given the nature of Macon's economy -- with its high rate of job growth and the steady arrival of relocating businesses -- the city has plenty of larger homes with large price tags (although a similar home found elsewhere in the United States is likely to cost you far more than in Macon), and there's no shortage of relcocating families and individuals who are ready to buy them. On the other hand, a home priced in the mid-$100s will often bring you plenty of square footage, including three or four bedrooms, and of course, that wooded scenery for which Macon is known.

Look for Macon on the map as the Southeast continues its upward climb in terms of hot job growth. As other, larger cities in this region continue to fill up and face the inevitable problems of overcrowding and excessive traffic, Macon will soon find itself even more in demand. Asking prices which are set reasonably now may begin to climb, and in the process, this city with such a rich and diverse history is likely to experience another boost to its local economy: tourism.

Published: October 9, 2000

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