The Origin Story of Chattahoochee Hills Honoring Our Past and the Founders Who Helped Shape Our Future By: Laurie Searle (12/04/25)
Before Chattahoochee Hills ever appeared on a ballot, it existed as a patchwork of crossroads communities—Campbellton, Rivertown, Rico, Redwine, Goodes, and Friendship—held together by generations of Heritage Families. These early residents built the schools, churches, farms, and kinship networks that defined our landscape. Many of their descendants still live here today, carrying forward a rural heritage nearly 200 years old.
By the early 2000s, growth pressures began to threaten this unique character. Community members recognized the need for stronger protections, and early advocates such as Steve Nygren stepped up. His work with the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance helped create the Protective Overlay District adopted by Fulton County and introduced the first hamlet designed with smart-growth principles. His efforts laid essential groundwork for what would follow.
In 2006, residents formed the Chattahoochee Hills Organizing Committee to study the feasibility of incorporation. Tom Reed—new to the area but already deeply invested in its future—was nominated to lead their work. Over the next six months, more than 150 residents joined the effort. After extensive outreach and research, voters approved incorporation on June 19, 2007, with a resounding 84% yes vote. The new city was (initially) named Chattahoochee Hill Country.
The city’s first election saw 19 residents run for office. The inaugural leadership team included Councilmembers John Taylor, Carl Hattaway, David Hanson, Rodney Peek, and Faye Goodwin, with Don Hayes elected as the first mayor. While they tackled the challenge of building a new city government from scratch, Tom Reed kept civic engagement thriving by forming the Chatt Hills Civic Association and fostering strong community involvement.
Tom played a pivotal role in the city’s early achievements, including chairing the task force for the first Comprehensive Plan and leading the “Buy Our Parks Now!” campaign with the Chattahoochee Hill Country Conservancy. Together, they raised more than $228,000 to secure the city’s parklands.
Four years later, when the council voted to stagger election terms, Don Hayed stepped down from his role as mayor to run for a council seat. This opened the door for Tom Reed to run unopposed for mayor. He would go on to serve as mayor from 2012-2025, guiding Chattahoochee Hills with steady leadership and a commitment to preserving our rural character.
Today, Chattahoochee Hills stands as a testament to its origins—a rural city shaped by heritage families, strengthened by civic visionaries, and carried forward by leaders like Tom Reed, one of its Founders.
About this Album Originally created by Laurie Searle to commemorate the efforts of the Chatt Hills Organizing Committee, this album was copied as a retirement gift for Mayor Tom Reed in appreciation for his leadership as a founder of the city of Chattahoochee Hills.
Chattahoochee Hills is what it is today because people like Tom Reed believed it was worth fighting for. And because he showed us, year after year, that preserving a place is one of the greatest gifts a person can leave behind.
