ROME, Ga. -- The Lowe's chain of home improvement stores is bringing a new 1.4 million square foot distribution center to Northwest Georgia.

Gov. Nathan Deal attended a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning in Rome. Brian Robinson said Lowe's is set to place a new distribution facility there that will eventually mean 600 new jobs for the area.

11Alive's Jobs Page: Jobs tools, opportunities 

The Deal administration called the announcement "the largest job-creation project for the state" since the governor took office in January.

ATLANTA -- With Georgia's unemployment rate remaining in double digits, 11Alive journalists are busy digging into three programs that promised to create jobs.

One of them is the federal stimulus program.

According to the state's Stimulus Accountability website, the federal government has granted Georgia approximately $3.2 billion in stimulus funds. Georgia's unemployment rate was around 8.8 percent just prior to the start of the stimulus program. Two years later, unemployment has risen to the current rate of 10.1 percent.

Where are the stimulus jobs?

In Paulding County, the stimulus program is getting mixed reviews.

Paulding County has received approximately $46 million in federal stimulus funds. The unemployment rate there was 6 percent in 2008 before the stimulus program. Unemployment in Paulding has risen to its current rate of 10.6 percent.

ATLANTA -- Thousands of jobseekers descended on the campus of Atlanta Metropolitan College on Atlanta's south side to attend a day-long job fair hosted by U.S. Representatives John Lewis and Hank Johnson.

Coca-Cola, Comcast and Gwinnett County Schools were among nearly 100 companies looking to hire at the fair at the fair, which ended at 5 p.m.

Traffic for the Congressional Black Caucus job fair stretched for blocks around the campus, and fire/rescue officials said at least eight people suffered from heat-related illnesses while waiting in line. 

People were not permitted to enter the campus for the job fair after about 2:30 p.m., according to the Atlanta Fire Department's Jolyon Bundridge.