New Georgian town has bikers on its mind

People are born to be wild, or at least those who enjoy raucous parties, cheap beer and rock bands, should feel right at home in a new south Georgia town that has arisen in a cow pasture.

Known Angel City, the US$2 million, Western-style town will cater to bikers, a group that values freedom and tends to have more tattoos than taboos.

While one is expected to live there permanently, the 160 hectare site will host several events each year. Angel City's inaugural Iron Angels Rally & Music Festival will begin on Thursday at the site on the outskirts of Unadilla, a town of around 2,800 people about 160km south of Atlanta along Interstate 75.

Organizers they expect between 10,000 to 20,000 people to attend the rally, which will feature eight rock bands, some of the nation's top custom motorcycle builders, and the biker world's pinup models, the Iron Angels, a group of young women who make rally appearances and pose with custom motorcycles for an annual calendar. Anyone under age 18 won't be allowed in the rally.

Also planned are bike tours to the infamous Civil War prison at Andersonville and to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, each about 50km from the new biker town.

Angel City's builder, Unadilla contractor and longtime motorcyclist John Wayne Smith, said he wanted to create a biker haven -- where everyone appreciates a custom ride, a good time and beers will sell for as cheap as US$2 a bottle. He built it after one of his buddies, Marvin Jones, also of Unadilla, donated the land.

"I want people to have a good time," said Smith, 55. "And of course I wanted something in Georgia."

Angel City's main intersection is lined with four L-shaped, unpainted wooden buildings, containing booths for more than 50 vendors. There are larger rooms to accommodate restaurants and saloons, with swinging doors and chandeliers made from rusty horse shoes and wagon wheels. Tin roofs shade the wooden sidewalks. A bandstand stands nearby on the edge of a depression that forms a natural amphitheater.

During the rally, actors portraying gunslingers will have shootouts on the main street, Smith said. The Western theme was the logical choice, considering that his mother named him after the famous cowboy movie star.

With nearly 10 million motorcyclists in the US, the biker community pumps lots of cash into Sturgis, South Dakota, Daytona Beach, Florida, and other towns that host some of the US' leading motorcycle rallies, attracting upward of 500,000 enthusiasts each.

Smith, a partner in the Iron Angels calendar, said Angel City could also be used as a staging area for bikers heading to the major rallies in Daytona each year. They could haul their motorcycles to Angel City and then ride them the final 482km to Daytona.

His partner in the calendar, Lucas Foxx of Cody, Wyoming, has another vision for Unadilla and Angel City.

"Unadilla will be the Sturgis of the South," Foxx said. "That's our goal."

Smith he canvassed businesses in Unadilla and talked with neighboring property owners and found strong support for the Angel City project. He said the site will also be used for bluegrass festivals and possibly arts and crafts, antique car and recreational vehicle shows.

Unadilla Sidney Hughes said some residents expressed concern initially about heavier traffic, but generally everyone supports it. The town annexed the land so it could provide sewer services.

Bob Jeter, Dooly County's economic development director, said he plans to attend the rally, even though he doesn't own a motorcycle. Angel City could benefit surrounding towns, such as Perry and Cordele, more than Unadilla because they have more motels and restaurants, he said.