Economic Development

Fannin County offers a highly accessible location 90 miles north of Atlanta, Work Ready certified workforce, attractive facility and site options, excellent education and workforce training programs, advanced telecommunications and competitive incentives.

The Fannin County Development Authority (FCDA) is the primary agency responsible for bringing new businesses and jobs to Fannin County. If you are considering moving or opening a business in Blue Ridge, McCaysville, Morganton or unincorporated areas of the county, full information is available on the FCDA website at Fannin Development Authority. 

Highly Accessible Location

Fannin County is located 90 miles north of Atlanta via I-575 and Highway 515, only 1½ hours from midtown Atlanta and 2 hours from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. The county is on the Tennessee-North Carolina line, 1½ hours from Chattanooga and 2½ hours from Asheville. 

Available, Trainable, Loyal Workforce

Fannin County’s available, trainable and loyal workforce is one of the area’s greatest strengths. The county was recently certified as a Georgia Work Ready Community. Located on the Georgia/Tennessee/North Carolina line, the regional workforce actually contains workers from three states. According to the Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) Blue Ridge office, Fannin County’s labor force is approximately 96,211 and includes Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, Cherokee County, N.C., Polk County Tenn, Lumpkin, Dawson and Murray, Ga. 

Attractive Site & Facility Options

The Fannin County Development Authority (FCDA) offers attractive location options, including the Blue Ridge Industries facility, with 10,000 feet of space ready for light industrial, office or distribution use. FCDA is also currently offering a 20,000 SF shell speculative facility expandable to 40,000 square SF. Site options include a five-acre site, also in the Blue Ridge Industrial Park, and a second option of up to 11 acres site on Highway 5 in McCaysville. Each site has advanced telecommunication infrastructure to support the needs of a shared service center or small manufacturing company.

Excellent Workforce Development Programs

Fannin County has two excellent technical colleges, North Georgia Technical College in Blairsville and Chattahoochee Tech in Jasper; along with a new satellite campus of North Georgia College. These colleges have economic development programs to assist with training employees and develop curriculum for future staffing needs. The technical colleges also assist with the state’s nationally recognized Quick Start training, which is provided as an incentive by the State of Georgia. 

Advanced Telecommunication Support

The county stands well-positioned to provide the level of connectivity, reliability, and overlap necessary to allow a small manufacturing company or shared service center client not only to survive, but also to thrive in this vibrant North Georgia community. The area has excellent telecommunications companies offering multiple overlapping high speed fiber optic networks. 

Competitive Incentives

FCDA and the State of Georgia are committed to supporting the needs of prospects considering Fannin County as a business location or expansion, and wish to provide the necessary resources and business environment to help a company grow and thrive. There are numerous cost savings that can be offered by the State of Georgia and in partnership with FCDA. Such incentives include the Job Tax Credit, Quick Start training, and discretionary funding on a case-by-case basis. 

To learn more about Fannin County, call the Fannin County Development Authority at 706-632-4450 or visit the website at www.fannindevelopment.com.