Business
& Industry
Union General Hospital just celebrated
28 | VisitBlairsvilleGA.com | 877-745-5789
60 years, and was named
#2 “Top Medium-Sized Hospital in
Georgia” by Georgia Trend magazine.
Parent company Union General
Health System operates more
than 20 affiliates serving the local
area, including a dialysis center,
nursing home, wellness center
and several walk-in clinics.
Meeting the needs of employers,
leasing agents and others, Information
On Demand is a paperless,
web-based business that provides
background screenings, address
verification, e-verify and more.
The area’s hundreds of thousands
of visitors each year support
a robust tourism and hospitality
industry, with new restaurants,
boutiques and other retail stores
constantly being added. With
Downtown Blairsville at the heart
of this growth, the Blairsville
Downtown Development Authority
(VisitDowntownBlairsville.com)
navigates improvements with an
eye toward preservation and
revitalization.
Real estate sales and home
building are key contributors to the
local economy. Agriculture also
remains a strong basis for the area
economy, with the seasonal Union
County Farmers Market being a
local favorite. (A new entrance was
added to handle the demand.)
Fiber Optics
for the Future
Unlike other small communities,
you’ll find top-of-the-line broadband
here. Blue Ridge Mountain
Electric Membership Corporation
(BRMEMC) first offered internet
access in 2002, and began rolling
out fiber in 2006. It now has more
than 1,100 miles serving more than
7,800 members in North Georgia
and Western North Carolina, and
continues to invest heavily.
For example, new fiber optic
technology was recently installed
at Neel Gap. The link provides connectivity
to a weather station and
cameras atop the mountain, which
enables the County to gauge
weather and road conditions, and
Blairsville-Union County is
part of a 3,600-mile fiber
optic broadband network
from Atlanta through
the Georgia mountains. It
has also been designated
“Entrepreneur Friendly” by
the Georgia Department of
Economic Development.
continued on page 31
The Historic Courthouse
anchors the Town Square
in Downtown Blairsville.
/VisitBlairsvilleGA.com
/(VisitDowntownBlairsville.com
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