Kia Motors brings optimism to a small town

The South Korean car manufacturer Kia plans to open a automobile factory in West Point, Georgia, by the end of the year. The city was quickly becoming a ghost town, until Kia made the anncouncement the City of West Point was the site chosen to make Kia's Sorento sport utility vehicle. Kia has hired 500 workers. By the time the factory opens, Kia hopes to hire 2,000 more. A smattering of Kia supply companies will eventually employ 7,500 additional workers.

The boon has already spurred economic growth -- and just plain excitement -- among residents, said Mayor Drew Ferguson. "The revitalization of the community is touching every aspect," Ferguson said. "We have infrastructure projects, new subdivisions going up, hotel professional services that are all needed to support the massive manufacturing. We jokingly call it Kia-ville,"

Korean restaurants and businesses are popping up everywhere. A Pizza Hut is now a Korean-BBQ, and Young's Garden has taken over a Southern favorite Kentucky Fried Chicken. Resident Christy Magbee said West Point is starting to feel like a melting pot. "You got the culture coming in. You don't have to travel to Atlanta anymore. It's starting to come here," she said.