What makes a railroad town?

We may not think of towns as railroad towns anymore. But like so many communities, Smyrna, Georgia, was a railroad town just a few years ago.

Based on my remarks to the Smyrna Rotary Club on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

SMYRNA, Georgia — I’ve been working my way across Georgia, trying to define what makes a railroad town.

I’m not sure most people in Smyrna today — or many cities — would define their city as a railroad town. But like so many communities, Smyrna was a railroad town just a few years ago.

Even as civilization has developed throughout this area and obliterated many of the remnants of the past, the stories are there for anyone who looks. Some days, it’s hard to believe that both Atlanta and Smyrna were once great railroad towns.