What is the history of Mount Airy, Georgia?
The town of Mount Airy was founded on March 3, 1874. It began primarily as summer retreat for the wealthy families from Atlanta and Savannah. There was once a grand motel called the Monterrey where the current City Hall stands. Many wealthy families fleeing the hot dangerous summers to the south came to the hotel. The summers to the south were dangerous due to the large populations of Malaria carrying mosquitos. Mount Airy was a popular tourist destination with many families eventually establishing homes in the area. Mount Airy is bordered to the south by the Chattahoochee National Forest. A grand white columned home on Seventh Street was once the home of Baseball legend Ty Cobb. Cobb lived in the home for some time after his retirement. The home still stands as a private residence. It is on the national registery of historic sites. Mount Airy is also the hometown of the nation’s longest serving elected state official, Tommy Irvin. Irvin is Georgia’s Agriculture Commissioner. Source: <
