SYLACAUGA — Sylacauga was named as one of the Best 200 Towns for Fishing and Hunting in America by Outdoor Life Magazine.“Once again this shows that we have a great quality of life in Sylacauga,” said Joe Richardson, Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce president. “We have a lot of reasons to be thankful. It certainly helps us both in recruiting retirees and people who want to come here to work in industries. Sylacauga being named one of the best 100 places for young people, and now one of the top 200 places to for hunting and fishing according to Outdoor Life, shows the diversity of the things we have here.”
Sporting opportunities weren’t the only reason Sylacauga was ranked as No. 150 on the list. The quality of life in the city played a major factor as well.
According to the “Paradise Found” article in Outdoor Life’s April issue, representatives for the magazine visited every population center in the United States with more than 4,000 people and gathered data on the overall quality of life offered there.
“Some of the factors we considered were the growth rate of the local economy, the unemployment rate, the degree of taxation, the time it takes to commute to work, the crime rate, housing prices, median household income and even the variety of cultural opportunities within easy driving distance,” the article states.
The quality of life was 40 percent of the town’s score. The other 60 percent was for sporting opportunities in each town, including fishing and hunting opportunities offered, the trophy quality of the sporting opportunities, proximity to land, the restrictiveness of the gun laws and whether fishing and hunting is good year-round.
Dr. Ted Spears, chairman of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce’s Retiree and Tourism Recruitment Committee, said this is the first time the city has been recognized by the magazine, but he doesn’t want it to be the last.
“We’re just thrilled to be ranked in the magazine,” he said. “The city has been working on developing a campground with picnic areas and hiking trails at Lake Howard. By the time they get finished, Sylacauga will probably be listed in the top 100 or even the top 50 cities for hunting and fishing. Coosa River is another good fishing area. We’re right on the edge of the Talladega National Forest.”
Spears said the ranking will attract more people to Sylacauga.
“We think this will be a boom to the Sylacauga area,” he said. “It will help draw people here because fishing and hunting is big. We believe in the idea of rising water lifts all boats. This ranking will not only help Sylacauga, but all of Talladega County. Last year, tourism brought $9.3 billion to the state of Alabama. That was a growth from the $8.5 billion from year before.”
Outdoor Life Magazine is a national publication that serves as a source for hunting and fishing adventures.
