THOMASTON, Ga. — Nestled in Georgia’s so-called golden triangle of three major cities — Atlanta, Columbus, and Macon — this city of 10,000 is facing what some might call an enviable problem. Thomaston has experienced major economic growth in recent years, with 47 new businesses opening since 2023 and a $40 million expansion at Upson Regional Medical Center.
The downside? Demand for housing is putting pressure on an already tight market.
To address this challenge, Thomaston city leaders teamed up with Georgia Tech’s Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR), part of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), to conduct a comprehensive housing study. By combining quantitative analysis with a people-centric approach, CEDR helped the city understand not just the numbers but the human stories behind them.
Between 2015 and 2025, housing prices increased by 164%, and more than half of Thomaston’s renters now spend more than 50% of their income on housing. At the same time, historic patterns of disinvestment and socioeconomic disparity continue to leave their mark on the city, especially in neighborhoods such as East Thomaston.
To get a more complete picture of Thomaston’s concerns and goals, CEDR supplemented data with outreach to residents, a hands-on approach that Grace Barrett, an associate project manager who led the project, said was intentional.
“We did significant community engagement on this project,” Barrett explained, citing CEDR’s presence at local events like the Christmas Lane Market and the Upson-Lee High School career fair. “It helped us go beyond the typical data and really understand what people in the community are experiencing.”
One stated focus of the project, said Taylor Smith, Thomaston’s economic development director, was “to bring some real perspective around the costs to purchase a home in 2026.” To that end, CEDR modeled real-world scenarios, including down payments, interest rates, and property taxes.
According to Smith, those results bridged a comprehension gap among city residents. “This data helped educate some of our seniors and legacy homeowners on the reality that young professionals face when trying to enter the housing market,” he said.
The study’s recommendations included redevelopment of historic mill sites, zoning updates that support small-lot and infill housing, and the creation of strategic partnerships to expand options for workforce housing. In addition to providing the city with a roadmap for its future, CEDR’s findings also confirmed what many residents already knew.
“While the results were not surprising, they did offer validity into the ongoing efforts to address these challenges,” Smith said. “By directly aligning the city’s ongoing efforts with the communities’ actual needs, we can better serve those that want to take their next step in the housing cycle.”
The report outlines a practical playbook for what comes next, with high-impact “Thomaston Tactics” for immediate execution. In fact, according to Barrett, the city has already applied for grants using some of the data that CEDR provided.
“The CEDR Team was phenomenal to work with,” said Smith. “They took the time to visit Thomaston and connect one-on-one with area residents. Their willingness to take a deep dive look at the data offered insight into the specific socioeconomics of Thomaston.”
The full assessment is available to the public. Click here to download the complete case study.