Community Focus: Life In Paulding County

From the Paulding County Economic Development website at pauldingdevelopment.org

Paulding has evolved greatly from its history as a farming, milling, and tanning community. Today’s residents appreciate its excellent schools, plentiful dining and retail, and outstanding recreation. Our county is a sure bet for those who want a new start with room to grow. We are a warm community with endless potential, and a mere 45 minutes away from the thriving metropolis of Atlanta.

Paulding County is known for its extensive opportunities for recreation and enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Our diverse environment offers an ideal playground no matter what kind of experience you prefer. In addition to our parks, trails and forest, those seeking a more refined outdoor lifestyle can enjoy golf, swimming and tennis.

Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area (WMA)

The WMA property covers more than 26,000 acres and consists of both state-owned land and land leased from private owners. It offers opportunities for hunting deer, bear, turkey and small game, and it contains one of the southernmost trout fishing opportunities at Raccoon Creek. Recreational uses include camping, hiking, picnicking, canoeing, bird watching and pre-season scouting.

Parks

Paulding County has over 1,000 acres of parkland, including one of the best-preserved civil war battlefields in the nation. Between its city and county-owned properties, our parks have amenities like playgrounds, picnic areas and ball courts, as well as natural resources like lakes, walking paths and mountain biking trails. Paulding has several parks with athletic fields, restrooms and concessions, perfect for youth sports like basketball, tennis, volleyball and soccer.

Silver Comet Trail

The Silver Comet Trail is a paved 61.5-mile trail that runs from Smyrna in Cobb County to central Alabama. There, it connects to the 33-mile Chief Ladiga Trail, forming the longest length of multi-use trail in the country.

The Silver Comet Trail was built over the abandoned tracks for Seaboard Air Line Railroad, whose Silver Comet passenger train ran from 1947-1969. Today, the Silver Comet Trail integrates that history into the surrounding scenery, beautiful communities and modern trailside services. It has become a popular destination for walking, biking and horseback riding, generating nearly 2 million users and $100 million for the region each year.

The Paulding County section of the Silver Comet Trail is 20 miles long and travels through Hiram, Dallas and remote areas in the Paulding Wildlife Management Area. Visitors can access it from the trailheads at the Hiram Caboose, Paulding Chamber of Commerce, Tara Drummond Park, Rambo Road Nursery and Coot’s Lake, which is just inside Polk County.

To the west, trail users can connect to Rockmart’s historic downtown and Riverwalk Park, in addition to Cedartown and the State Line Gateway section of the trail. And to the east, exciting plans are in place to build a trail extension—the Silver Comet Connector. It will integrate into existing trails in Cobb and Fulton Counties and connect the eastern end of the Silver Comet Trail in Smyrna to downtown Atlanta and the Atlanta Beltline.