Though I have heard Alaska is beautiful and would love to visit one day, apparently I don't need to go to Alaska for gold. I just need a decent metal detector and to drive cross county a bit. 
The Stockmar Gold Mine was never tapped out. Villa Rica, GAis a unique place in space and time. The land, people and events of Villa Rica’s history have combined to create a distinct heritage. This heritage is reflected in the built environment surrounding us daily. Villa Rica retains much of its historic character, defined by mid-nineteenth to midtwentieth century residential, commercial, and institutional buildings and archaeological sites. HISTORIC CONTEXT
Around 1826, farmers and gold miners began to settle on a ridge dividing the waters of the Tallapoosa River and Sweetwater Creek. The first gold miners to this area were from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. William Hix built a tavern and general supply store on what became Main Street. The settlement was called Hixtown. The city was incorporated in 1830. One mile south lay a tract of land known as Chevestown, owned by Allison Cheves. By 1832 Hixtown had over 2,000 residents, or 60% of young Carroll County’s population. 300 men were working in the mines. Gold lots were $500 per acre, compared to $2 per
acre for land elsewhere in the county. There were at least 19 active gold mines, including a number of English mining companies, the Southern States Mining Company, the Boston and Kennesaw Mines and the Klondyke Mines (Map 2).
In 1882 the Georgia-Pacific Railroad was extended through the area. Residents of Hixtown rolled houses and stores on logs pulled by horses to relocate near the railroad. New houses and businesses were also built in the area, and the residents of Hixtown and Chevestown decided to establish a new town along the railroad. Villa Rica, as the
new town was named, translates to “city of gold” in Spanish.