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Awards And Honors

  • 2024, GoFundMe - #7 Most Generous Cities 
  • 2024, Georgia Business Journal - Sandy Springs Farmers Market, Best of Georgia; Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center; Best of Georgia; Sparkle Sandy Springs, Best of Georgia Regional Winner
  • 2024, TimeOut - #4 Best Christmas Cities in the USA
  • 2024, Georgia Tree Council - Outstanding Urban Arboriculture Grand Award 
  • 2024, Travel + Leisure - # 3 Best Places to Retire in Georgia
  • 2024, Esri User Conference - Special Achievement in GIS Award
  • 2024, Niche - #9 Top 10 Best Cities to Retire in America 
  • 2024, Niche - #14 Best Cities to Live in America
  • 2024, Niche - #16 Best Places to Raise a Family in America
  • 2024, Insurance Services Office (ISO) - Public Protection Classification (PPC) of 1 
  • 2023, Smart Asset - #10 Top Cities Millennials are Moving to 
  • 2023, Georgia Business Journal - Sandy Springs Farmers Market, Best of Georgia 
  • 2022, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global Ratings - AAA Credit Rating 
  • 2021, Appen Newspapers, Best Performing Arts/Theatre, Best of Perimeter
  • 2021, City Named Bee City USA 
  • 2021, RetailMeNot - #15 Best Cities to Work from Home
  • 2021,Niche - #19 Best Places to Live in the US
  • 2021,Tree City USA and Tree City in the World designation by Arbor Day Foundation
  • 2021, Porch - #13 - Youngest Cities in America (as a combine DMA with Atlanta and Alpharetta)
  • 2021, MoneyGeek - #19 - Safest Cities in America
  • 2021, MoneyGeek - #8 - Best Cities for Black Women to Financially Flourish
  • 2021, OverHeardConferenceCalls - #5 - Best Cities for Black Owned Businesses
  • 2021, Filterby.com - Cities Where People Are Prepared to Work From Home
  • 2020, Georgia Recreation and Parks Association, Marketing for a Single Event | Sparkle Sandy Springs & COVID Signage campaign
  • 2020, Southeast Tourism Association - Top 20 Festivals and Events around the Southeast - Sparkle Sandy Springs
  • 2020, Georgia Department of Community Affairs - PlanFirst, Statewide Distinction
  • 2020, Home Snacks - #3 -Top Ten Cities to Live in Georgia
  • 2020, Money Inc. - #16 - 20 Safest Cities
  • 2020, Safewise - #21 - 50 Safest Cities in Georgia
  • 24/7 Wall St - #12 - Top 20 Cheap Cities People are Moving to
  • 2020, RetailMeNot, #15 - Best Cities for Working From Home
  • 2019, WalletHub - 2nd most Diverse Midsize City in America
  • 2019, Niche - 23rd Best City to Live in the U.S. 
  • 2019, Niche - #22 Best Cities for Young Professionals
  • 2019, Niche - #19 Best Cities for Retirees
  • 2018, Value Penguin - #5 Best City for Young Families
  • 2018,Livability.com -  #4 Top Cities For Recent College Grads
  • 2018, International Festivals & Events Association - Bronze, Best Parade - Lantern Parade
  • 2018, Kids Out & About.com - #2 Best Park
  • 2016, Sandy Springs, combined with Atlanta and Roswell, ranks 9th for STEM Employment Growth and 18th among metro areas for STEM professionals.
  • 2015,Money.com ranks the metropolitan area of Sandy Springs, Atlanta and Roswell as the second Best City in the U.S. For Millennials.
  • 2015, Value Penguin ranks Sandy Springs among the top ten (#9) for Safest Places in Georgia among big cities.
  • 2015, Sandy Springs ranked 36 among the top 100 Best Places to Live as determined by Livability.com.
  • 2014, Red Tricycle names Morgan Falls Overlook Park as one of Atlanta’s ten best.
  • 2014, Atlanta Magazine names Abernathy Greenway Best New Park.
  • 2014, Ranked number 1 by Credit Donkey for the Best City to Retire in Georgia.
  • 2014, Ranked 36 by City Biz as Most Livable Mid-Sized Cities in the U.S.
  • 2014, Ranked number 2 by Nerdwallet for Best Small Cities for Working Women.
  • 2014, Ranked number 8 by Nerdwallet for Cities On The Rise in Georgia (based on population growth, employment growth and income growth).
  • 2014, Ranked 33 in the SafeWise Report: The 50 Safest Cities in Georgia.
  • 2014, Sandy Springs ranked 4th by Motley Fool as one of the five best cities for early retirement
  • 2013, Ranked number 8 by Nerdwallet for The Best Places in Georgia for Job Seekers (based on these questions: Is the city growing? Is it affordable to live in the city comfortably? Are most people employed).
  • 2013, Kiplinger rated Sandy Springs as the 4thBest City in the Country for Early Retirement.
  • 2012, The Chattahoochee River was designated as the country’s first National Water Trail. Twenty-two miles of the Chattahoochee River shoreline fall within Sandy Springs, part of which is in the National Parks Service.
  • 2012, CNN Money rated Sandy Springs as the 7th best place in the country for the Rich & Single.
  • 2011, Morgan Falls Overlook Park received the Keep Georgia Beautiful Award for New Park Development.   
  • 2011, The City receives the American Heart Association “Mission Award” for a forward-thinking outlook in identifying new ways to help educate community on CPR.
  • 2010, Sandy Springs named Runner Up in the Pioneer Institute’s Better Government Competition.
  • 2010, Sandy Springs named a Government Trailblazer by the Center for Civic Innovation.
  • 2010, Sandy Springs named a Heart Safe Community by International Association of Fire Chiefs.
  • 2010, Sandy Springs receives the National Council for Public Private Partnerships, Innovations Award.
  • 2010, Money Magazine ranked Sandy Springs as the 9th wealthiest community in the country 
  • 2010, Sandy Springs ranked 4th in CNN / Money’s list of Best Places to Live. The City was also named by Forbes as one of America’s Top 25 Towns to Live Well.
  • The City was named a Crown Community on two separate occasions – 1) Start up of Sandy Springs Fire Rescue (2007) and 2) Heart Safe Sandy Springs Initiatives aimed at increasing cardiac arrest survival rates (2010) – by American City and County. 
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Event Information

Sparkle Sandy Springs

Sunday, December 8
Sparkle Sandy Springs is the City's annual holiday celebration with an award-winning night-time parade! City Springs District is transformed into a winter wonderland with larger-than-life inflatables, snow machines, twinkling holiday houses, and more!
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