By almost any standard, Alpharetta is a remarkable community. While there are many things that make our city exceptional, one of the biggest things that most residents aren’t aware of is the extraordinary size of our daytime population.
Approximately 64,000 residents call Alpharetta home, but on an average weekday, our city attracts tens of thousands of people who work at local businesses and/or patronize our stores and restaurants. That daily influx brings our total number of people to over 120,000, creating one of the largest daytime population increases in Georgia. This great distinction presents unique blessings and challenges.
One of those blessings is that residents can enjoy an amazing selection of restaurants, entertainment venues, and other amenities that are often only available in much larger cities. Without the abundance of daily visitors, Alpharetta could never sustain Avalon or the great shopping and dining scene downtown, the entire North Point corridor, Ameris Bank Amphitheater, or any of the other great dining and entertainment options we enjoy.
The daily influx of visitors also allows us to reap tremendous financial benefits. Of all the cities in Georgia, Alpharetta has the third largest property tax digest; only Atlanta and Sandy Springs can boast a higher real estate value within their borders. Our $6.3 billion tax digest is greater than other cities with much larger populations, a sign of our success in attracting major office developments and commercial properties that account for more than 60% of Alpharetta’s property taxes. It also means homeowners pay much lower property tax bills than they would otherwise.
Of course, those blessings come with the challenge of traffic and the costs of providing necessary services to support a city with a substantial number of daily visitors. Fortunately, the tax base provides the financial resources to cover the costs of supporting such a unique city.
Over the last eight years, tax revenues have grown enough for the City of Alpharetta to spend more than ever before to widen roadways, pave streets, and invest in other ways to improve traffic flow and safety. And, over the next eight years, the City has plans for significant road and infrastructure projects on nearly every major road corridor in Alpharetta, with a total projected cost of over $200 million.
After decades of tremendous growth, the City finally has the funds to make much needed improvements through good financial planning and leveraging partnerships with the Georgia Department of Transportation, the North Fulton Community Improvement District, and many neighboring communities.
We are also investing more money than ever before to expand and improve public park spaces as well as to acquire and protect green spaces – both of which are very important to the quality of life of our residents. All these things are being done without raising taxes, thanks to the many workers and visitors who come to our city each day.
to your business!