Suwanee, Irresistible Place to Live
Where Korean Festival becomes a tradition as a must-see festival
Staff Writer
kim@kheraldatl.com
In the 2012 National Citizens Survey, conducted in November, Suwanee residents placed the City of Suwanee among the top 10 performing communities in 32 of 117 questions addressed. For the third consecutive year, residents have rated the city highly, generally above and often much above ratings received from residents in some 500 other jurisdictions across the country.
In particular, residents’ responses made Suwanee, which commits to maintaining a high-quality of life for its approximately 16,000 residents, #1 in four areas: City Parks; Preservation of Natural Areas; Availability of Affordable Quality Child Care; and Land Use, Planning and Zoning.
“Planning is ongoing for reconstruction of Buford Highway as a context-sensitive roadway,” said Mayor Jimmy Burnette. “Buford Highway will be enhanced to accommodate additional modes of transportation, having an enormous impact on downtown Suwanee.”
He stated that the city is currently in the design process for Brushy Creek Trail, a new half-mile trail along Brushy Creek from Suwanee Dam to Stonecypher Road with an adjacent spur through PlayTown Suwanee to Main Street, including improvements to the Peachtree Industrial-Suwanee Dam intersection.
Suwanee Gateway, the commercial area around the I-85 interchange, has long been an improvement priority for city officials. And during the city’s 20/20 strategic vision discussions, city residents also pegged it as the top goal for planning, and how the residents want the city to grow.
As part of its ongoing, long term efforts to improve the Suwanee Gateway, the City of Suwanee purchased the former May Queen Hotel, which has been closed for a year for safety reasons.
“This purchase, said Mayor Jimmy Burnette, “represents one more step in the City of Suwanee’s efforts to improve the Suwanee Gateway where investment should be occurring. Small plazas are being constructed and abundant landscaping is being installed. We’re extremely optimistic about the future of the Suwanee Gateway.”
City Parks are a huge selling point to make the City of Suwanee as a possible place to live in: Suwanee Creek Park, Sims Lake Park, George Pierce Park and more.
“Suwanee Town Center Park really provides a sense of community and opportunities for shared experiences,” said Chris Lee, a Korean resident of Suwanee for 5 years. “Where The Korean Festival has become a tradition as a must-see festival in the local, helping the local residents understand Korean Things”
The Korean Festival takes place at Suwanee Town Center annually in fall with lots of entertainment, food, and activities for family and friends while building awareness of metro Atlanta’s vibrant Korean American community. The last fest included an assortment of vendors such as Morning Glory, Mega Mart, White Windmill Bakery and Cafe, and H Mart. Center stage played host to many performances featuring traditional Korean dancing, taekwondo, exhibitions, samulnori(traditional Korean drum performance), singing and K-pop performances alongside a couple of renditions of “Gangnam Style,” to which the entire audience danced along.
“The Korean Festival, said Mayor Jimmy Burnette, “It is a big weekend for the City of Suwanee, bringing a positive image to the city in presence for two days. We need to have a voice, and the big fest helps local residents understand what the city is about.”
He hoped that the Korean second and third generation could get more involved in what the city is working to continue to make Suwanee an irresistible place to live, work, and play, figuring out “what the magic answer is” for enhanced interaction with one another.
“The Korean Festival, that’s the step,” he underscored.
The City of Suwanee
Address: 330 Town Center Avenue, Suwanee, GA 30024
Phone: 770-945-8996
5th Annual Korean Festival
Date: October 19, 2013 – October 20, 2013
Venue: Suwanee Town Center Park
Address: Buford Hwy at Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Suwanee, GA 30024
Times: 10am
Admission: Free
Phone: 770-263-1888
▲Suwanee City Hall.
▲Mayor Jimmy Burnette talks about huge selling points of the City of Suwanee and The Korean Festival 2013.
▲Mayor Jimmy Burnette discussing planning and developing the city with an employee.
▲Mayor Jimmy Burnette
▲The Korean Festival 2012.
Kherald in Atlanta 
Leave a comment