The town of Chatsworth, in Murray County, about an hour and a half north of Atlanta and six hours from the closest ocean, isn’t exactly where you’d expect to find a port. But it is home to the Appalachian Regional Port, a bustling rail hub that connects directly to the Port of Savannah that has become one of the fastest-growing and most important logistics hubs in the Southeast. The inland terminal moved 3,876 containers in November, a new record and nearly 1,000 more units than the same month last year. Each of the seven outbound and seven inbound trains per week eliminate 710 roundtrip truck miles, majorly reducing highway congestion and emissions through Metro Atlanta. And the inland port is also a major job creator; according to an economic impact study by the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, port-supported employment across Northwest Georgia increased by 14 percent or more than 5,600 jobs between fiscal year 2023 and FY2024.
If you have something from your neck of the woods you’d like to share, please email it to phickey@jamesmagazinega.com
