There are some things Rome does bigger and better than anyone else. See some of the records Rome holds!
Berry College – World’s Largest College Campus
Berry College
At around 27,000 acres, this private four-year college is a jewel of northwest Georgia; it’s no wonder that everyone falls in love when they visit!
Marshall Forest – Only virgin forest in the U.S, within city limits
Marshall Forest Braille Trail
Once part of the Cherokee Nation’s lands, Marshall Forest covers 301 acres of pine-hardwood forest in Floyd County, near Rome in northwest Georgia. The site is one of the last remaining stands of old-growth forest in the Ridge and Valley Province, a geographical corridor that runs from Pennsylvania to Alabama.
Most Diverse River Ecosystem in the Nation
Paddle on the River
Draining more than 5,000 square miles of land, the Upper Coosa River Basin ranges from Southeastern Tennessee and North Central Georgia to Weiss Dam in Northeast Alabama and holds an incredible array of aquatic species. Rome’s three rivers (Oostanaula, Etowah and Coosa) are home to the most biologically diverse flora and fauna in America. Explore more.
Rome Tennis Center at Berry College – Largest hard court facility in the nation
Rome Tennis Center at Berry College
Boasting 60 hard courts and with expansive views of the surrounding mountains. This facility will turn you into a tennis enthusiast if you aren’t already. As USTA Director Gordon Smith has said “You can count on one hand, the amount of tennis facilities that come close to the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.”
Second Largest Broad Street in Georgia
Broad Street
Broad Street is the second widest main street in the state. The trees which once lined the middle of Broad Street to provide shade for the horses were put back during the Streetscape Project in the 1980″s. Most of the building facades have been restored and only add to the beauty downtown. To appreciate the beauty of Broad Street, look up to see the tops of the buildings, the spires, the gargoyles and other adornments that make this street unique.
Downtown Rome – Largest Victorian-era district in Georgia
Rome City Skyline – William Graves
Born out of the rebirth of our city after it was burned down during the Civil War, many of the homes and churches, especially downtown and in the Between the Rivers District have a rich history, reminiscent of days long past.
Old Mill – World’s Largest Overshot Water Wheel
Old Mill at Berry College – Gail Johnson
Constructed in 1930, the Old Mill boasts an iron hub which had originally been of service at Hermitage, an early manufacturing community near the Shannon village between Rome and Calhoun, Georgia, and was a gift to Berry from The Republic Mining (bauxite) and Manufacturing Company. Henry Ford had the hub moved to Berry where the wheel was rebuilt. The wooden overshot waterwheel, considered one of the largest in the world at 42 feet in diameter, was constructed by student workers.
DeSoto Theatre – First in the South Built for Movies with Sound
Historic DeSoto Theatre – John Daniel
The building’s exterior and Georgian interior stylishly housed a number of recent movie palace innovations. Designed as a “talkie” theatre, it the first venue in the South to be designed and built for sound pictures.The DeSoto was completed at a cost of $110,000 and opened in August of 1929. At that time, the theatre seated well over 1000 patrons, making it one of the seven largest movie venues in Georgia at the time. The theatre was an instant success and the pride of Rome. The DeSoto was one of the main sources of entertainment for Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama for the next fifty years. In 1982, The DeSoto closed as a movie theatre, but soon reopened as the venue for Rome’s local theatre group. Now seating 498 patrons, the Rome Little Theatre has staged dozens of plays in the 23 years it owned the DeSoto, and the theatre is one of the venues for the annual Rome International Film Festival.
So fun! thank you!
What an amazing pictorial article! Shared it so all of my FB friends know what I have been bragging about!
Wanted you to know I enjoyed your lovely photos, especially Berry and Broad Street, taken with a new perspective, and the accompanying information. Somehow I had missed the information that trees had originally been in the center of broad as a shade for horses! I love bits of history like that.
Well done Nic! Keep up the good work.
Love the history of Rome.
So proud of our history and proud to be a Roman!
So proud of my hometown! I was there last weekend for my son’s wedding and couldn’t have been more impressed with the care given the important historical district, the wonderful hospitality shown by the people of Rome, and the feeling of being safe as you walked around. I moved away 45 years ago!
Great information about our town. I learned some new facts about Rome and will now incorporate this info as I enjoy exploring Rome with my 7 year old great grandson. His favorite thing to do is learn the history of Rome, GA. Thanks for your help.
We love spreading the word on our great town! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome
Love this series of articles about Rome. My family is from Rome. Would love to continue to receive more articles.
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What a great story about a great town!
Love my home town have lived here all my 60something years.Remember a lot of the businesses ,bridges, old buildings, drive-ins, etc….downtown that are no longer there would not want to live anywhere else.thanks for sharing the memories.