As an eight-year resident of Cave Spring, I am neither an old-timer nor a newcomer. We moved here in mid-2004 when I became the pastor of a local church. When I retired in mid-2008, we bought a nice, well-maintained home right in town, choosing to live in Cave Spring on an ongoing basis. We like the people, the mountain-like beauty of the surrounding ridges and valleys, and the many amenities the small town offers.
You get to know many people by name who work at city hall, the library, the bank, the churches, the schools, the post office, the doctor’s office, the pharmacies, the B&B’s, and the many good shops and restaurants. Is there gossip? Yup, because in a small community so many of us know each other. But that happens in Rome, too.
In terms of our city council, I don’t always agree with the decisions they make, but in the real world (local, state, and national), what else is new? I know the mayor and all but one of the people on the council, and usually trust them to make good decisions. And yes, I have mixed feelings about the recent decision, vetoed by the mayor, about how to enforce the alcohol ordinances.
Even in a small town, people’s viewpoints are not monolithic; squabbles can and do happen. But we do better than just muddle through. Change sometimes does come slowly to a place as steeped in history as Cave Spring, but it does come, and most of us welcome gently-paced change.
In my own experience, our city workers do a really good job. When there were water-supply issues to the house before and after the renovation of the system, the folks at the water department were responsive to fix them in a timely manner. The town’s maintenance workers do a great job of collecting garbage, doing brush pick-up and keeping the sides of our roads and ditches trimmed.
In my experience most who live here are friendly folks who respect each other. Many in town are highly-educated, thoughtful people. Many have incredible skills in the arts. As a friend suggested to me, Cave Spring could easily become (even more than it already is) a destination place like Mentone, Ala.
Cave Spring is a small community, but people work hard to provide abundant community opportunities such as the home-spun Fourth of July parade (and amazing fireworks) and Christmas parade, the Arts Festival, the Pig-Out BBQ, and musical presentations.
Yes, we are well-known for our great water, our home-town charm, our spring-fed swimming pool, the old (likely Cherokee) two-story log cabin, our good shops and places to eat, and our high-quality schools: Cave Spring Elementary and Georgia School for the Deaf (founded in the mid-1800’s).
Small town living is not for everyone, but we enjoy it here. It’s compact enough to walk most places in town (and I enjoy my morning walks on the new trail in Rolater Park; and we’ve noticed that a lot of other people use the trail throughout the day). Come spend a day or a lifetime in Cave Spring. You may find as I have that Cave Spring is not only a good place to visit, but also a fine pleasant place to live.
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