In 1988, I was expecting my first child and living the good life down in Decatur near Agnes Scott College; well before it became cool to live there, as was reflected in the price of my house. 

In the meantime, it was becoming cool to live in the far northern suburbs located up 400. Thirty plus miles away from me in a land called Alpharetta, a place I'd only visited to ride horses on a huge farm where the Alpharetta campus of Georgia State University is now located, the local City Council had decreed a facelift, an enhancement of the downtown business aesthetic that was expected to transform the place. This facelift was known as the "colonial Williamsburg look".  Yes, City Council adopted architectural guidelines in May of 1988 that were meant to bring a uniform look to the then-booming development up and down Highway 9.  In fact, the previous year, 1987, had been the year of that riveting change to City Hall. It was in 1987 that Alpharetta remodeled City Hall with the Williamsburg look. 

This blog is in no way intended to muddle the good name of Williamsburg. I happen to stand alone among my friends in absolutely loving the Williamsburg look, both inside and outside. 

It's interesting to look back and see what issues were important to local politicians and when and how they played out. How do you think this played out?