February 2018, the City of Milton acquired the former Milton Country Club (FMCC) - an expansive former golf course and club near the center of Milton. That purchase spurred extensive efforts involving citizens, elected officials and City staff to envision and execute how the public can utilize the property safely and effectively.

Those efforts led to the creation of a Master Plan for the former Milton Country Club. That document - which you can review by clicking here - outlines the official vision for the property. The Mayor, City Council and City staff have been working since then to implement the plan, including finalizing details and pushing forward with work.

The City has also striven to update citizens - especially those who live in near the property -- about key developments.

The former Milton Country Club can be accessed at 1785 Dinsmore Road. It is divided into two parts: the "active" component (for recreation programs and with facilities) and the "passive" (which is more natural and does not have development).

History:

One of the most distinguishing features of the former Milton Country Club is Chicken Creek. Local historians believe this creek was named not after any feathered animals but an Indian family using the last name of Chicken. Native Americans likely from the Cherokee tribe with the name Chicken lived near Chicken Creek and Cooper Sandy Creek flow into the Little River, just east of what’s now the Arnold Mill Road/Highway 140 bridge.

It is believed that during the 1830s (and most likely earlier) members of the Chicken family lived on both sides of Little River. Records show that five Chickens traded at James Dorris’ store roughly 200 yards west of the present-day Crabapple Chase/Heritage Walk/Crabapple Road roundabout between 1835-1838; there are no indications of such sales involving Indians past 1838. … That’s the year the federal government forced thousands of Native Americans to leave their homeland in the Southeast and move to the Great Plains in what became known as the “Trail of Tears.”

The site of the former Milton Country Club has its own history. For years, it served as the Milton branch of the Alpharetta Country Club. Around 2017, it became the Milton Country Club – a name it would only carry for a year, after the City of Milton’s purchase of the property using parts of the voter-approved $25 million greenspace bond.