Barnesville was the South's largest builder and distributor of horse-drawn buggies, carts, hearses, and wagons prior to the Civil War. The town celebrates this facet of its history each September with the weeklong Barnesville Buggy Days arts and crafts festival.
Barnesville is the county seat of Lamar County, a university with Gordon State College at its center and students, faculty and other college staffers accounting for a sizable chunk of the local economy
Barnesville was the South's largest builder and distributor of horse-drawn buggies, carts, hearses, and wagons prior to the Civil War. The town celebrates this facet of its history each September with the weeklong Barnesville Buggy Days arts and crafts festival.
Barnesville is the county seat of Lamar County, a university with Gordon State College at its center and students, faculty and other college staffers accounting for a sizable chunk of the local economy. The college economy is also reflected in the town's residents, with the median age of the population being 32 years old. College athletics play a huge rule in community gatherings and social events in Barnesville, but if catching a game isn't your thing, there is plenty to do in town. From the BBQ and Blues Festival to Buggy Days and the weekly farmer's market from May through October, it seems like the town itself is always giving its residents an excuse to get out of the house, meet the people in the community and have some fun.
From the older detached homes you'll find along Forsyth Street and Atlanta Street to the neighborhoods around Gordon State, downtown Barnesville and Aldora, you'll quickly see that each side of town has its own distinct look and feel when it comes to rental home options. It's a good idea to get to know a little bit about each section of town before you begin your apartment search in Barnesville. One thing working in your favor is that average rental prices here tend to be a lot less expensive than you'll find up the road in Atlanta. So what are the rental options? Just about everything you could hope for is on the menu.
A beautifully updated central downtown with apartment living and rolling country hills with large lots define Barnesville's aesthetics. Get to know the rental options in these neighborhoods and find a home for rent based on what side of town suits you best. It's all up to you!
Downtown: The neighborhoods around the intersection of Highway 36 and Forsyth Street make up the heart and center of Barnesville. The gems here are the apartments located above the stores on Mill Street -- these older units tend to have hardwood floors and quirky floor plans with unique charm and character you just won't find in a modern apartment building. You can rent a stand-alone house with a decent-sized yard in Villas on Forsyth or a newer townhouse at Town's Edge Landing.
Gordon State College area: There's one older apartment complex here called Piedmont Woods that has one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments for rent, but for the most part, this neighborhood has a lot of individual homes that are privately owner-occupied. Some owners of older, single-family homes do take on renters, and if you keep your eyes open every now and then you can find a studio apartment or cottage for rent behind someone's main house. Many of the homes that are for rent here are taken by students, so it's a good time to start your search for property rentals toward the end of the school year when rooms in larger houses, detached houses and apartments for rent open up.
Aldora: The western side of Barnesville is dominated by the massive 888,000-square-foot Aldora Mills Factory, which makes tire cords, and a lot of stand-alone houses that are privately owned. Powell Place has newer townhomes for rent, and there are some single-family homes for rent scattered throughout the countryside. There are lots of county government offices here and retail shopping at locations like Ingles Market, as well as Lamar County School of Fine Arts.
Atlanta Street and Highway 41: Getting away from the center of Barnesville, out towards Akin Lake, you find a lot of single-family homes for rent, as well as duplexes, a few apartments for rent and large, newer homes in planned neighborhoods that are mostly privately owned. For a change of pace, try eating at the Garden Patch Tea Room on the outskirts of town for yummy Asian food.
What else is there to do in Barnesville? For starters, take a stroll downtown along Mill Street and visit one of the many shops and restaurants. Grab a bite and something to drink with the locals at the Pastime Grill or a slice at American Pie Pizzeria. Check out the mural depicting Barnesville's past on the building behind the train station or go old school and rent a movie at The Movie Star. Take a drive and look at some of the beautiful old mansions around town or visit one of the many antique shops to find treasures you didn't know you needed! You could do a lot here in a day or two, but there's also enough to keep you entertained if you choose to settle here permanently.
