Snellville, Ga. - After months of research and interviews with district residents, business owners and community leaders, the Highway 78 Community Improvement District board has elected to rechristen the area "Evermore" in an effort to align itself more closely with the vision for the district.

The CID based its decision to rename the area after market research data revealed highly negative connotations with the Highway 78/Stone Mountain Highway road.
 

"The renaming is an effort to distance ourselves from negativity and place the focus on the good being done for this community," said Brett Harrell, Executive Director of the Evermore Community Improvement District. "We're creating an identity that respects those who laid the foundation for this district so many years ago, and combines with our focus on the future."

The name Evermore was based on the legends of the people of the area. Historical records indicate that despite the decline of the railroad industry in the area, a boll weevil epidemic that destroyed the cash crop, and the Great Depression, the community survived because of the love and commitment of its citizens who chose to remain.

"The name Evermore allows all the neighborhoods and communities to keep their identities, yet become part of something bigger," said Jimmy Norton, Evermore CID board member. "It combines the history of the area with the future while allowing the assets of the existing community to shine through."

The Evermore Community Improvement District spans the seven-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 78 which links Snellville to Stone Mountain. The work of the CID stretches deep into the district as it challenges to revitalize communities through Livable Center Initiatives and other green space plans.

Established in 2003, Evermore was Gwinnett's first Community Improvement District. Since then, the CID has been responsible for the addition of 2,500 hours of police patrol, removal of tons of trash, and working cooperatively with the city and government on project funding and transportation improvement plans. Property values in the district have increased an average of 20 percent since its creation; the CID is projecting a continuing increase in property values as major projects are continually implemented.

"We're doing more than just road repair," said Evermore CID board member Forrest Adair. "Evermore Community Improvement District is building upon a community that is already ripe with opportunity for residents and businesses."

"We're building a destination, not just repairing a road."
 

Evermore Community Improvement District
The Evermore CID is an association of property owners along U.S. 78 in Gwinnett County that voluntarily tax themselves in order to recreate their community as a great place to live, work and shop. The CID seeks to establish a vibrant, upscale destination, improve business development opportunities, and enhance property values by developing and promoting coordinated transportation and community character improvements to benefit property owners, business owners, and residents along the Hwy. 78 corridor.