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AtlantaGreg, you are correct. You do know more than most about the areas of Atlanta and make no mistake about it I take your opinions very seriously. Actually I respect you very much! I appreciate your candor in speaking about race and I believe it is truly what's needed to clear the fog of racism and classism.
Therefore I really appreciate your comment that "Smyrna was not very long ago a very typical suburban community, and now has a huge increase in illegal immigrant and black residents." Nothing says typical like a non-black, non-immigrant neighborhood. Thank you for the candor. But with about 15,000 new residents moving into the Atlanta region each month and the black population declining for the first time in 40 years, I'm sure Smyrna can recover it's typical status.
By the way, this is not a hobby for me. I read these posts once or twice a week because I'm moving to Atlanta and doing a little fact finding before going there and your posts always standout because they are informative. Funny though, I've never felt the need to read and constantly post to the forum of the city I'm living in, unlike yourself. Guess this is your hobby. But thank you for the constructive criticism. I will take it and learn from them and read your posts with more acceptance to your experience of living in the ATL. I hope you take constructive criticism just as well. And please, do not become politcally correct on my account. I hate political correctness.
Funny though, I've never felt the need to read and constantly post to the forum of the city I'm living in, unlike yourself.
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To address the above: I see this forum as working like this... about half of the people who are posting here are moving to an area, and the other half are people who already live in that area. One asks what it's like to live there, the other answers what it's like to live there. Correct?
Atlanta is not Mayberry, USA. Atlanta is not a quiet beach community, or a lazy Southern farming town. Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the U.S., one of the most congested, and one that has one of the highest crime rates in the country as well. It is an "extreme" city in every sense of the word, and no one who is relocating here should make that decision lightly. Yes, there are many opportunities here, but there are many dangers as well, and when someone asks about the city, those who live here SHOULD step up and list the potential problems someone may face if they relocate here. There is nothing worse than making a life-changing decision to relocate to another part of the country, only to find out the city you moved to does not live up to the hype you hear from real estate agents about it - correct?
My reference to a "hobby" was the fact you indicated you went back to real all of my previous posts. To me, that's a waste of time. I don't do that. I live here. I have lived here 22 years. When I see a post of someone asking what conditions are like here, and it's slow at work and I'm browsing the forums, I post a reply. Simple as that. Professional head hunters, relocators, and real estate agents will paint very rosey and fluffed up images of Atlanta to those wanting to move (they do get commissions after all), and I balance that with the REALITY of living here, so people are informed of ALL aspects of living in the area before again, making that life changing decision.
So per the town topic, Powder Springs was once a small rural farming type town. It now has traffic, condos, and crime. It's certainly not the worst community in the metro area by far, but it's worth noting that it has suffered from some deterioration over the last few years, and my opinion stands: If someone wants to live in the Powder Springs area, you will find it DOES offer less of all the bad "stuff" that Atlanta proper has, but, you will want to avoid the subdivisions, sidewalked areas, and those near the shopping centers, and focus on neighborhoods that aren't part of any planned community.
i think the reality of living in metro Atlanta is overall positive. You are definitely entitled to your opinion and your right to say it on this forum, but why are you so jaded?
diddy, you ask this type of question from time to time from me.
My opinions are based on MY EXPERIENCES living in Atlanta for 22 years. If your experiences differ, hey, throw a party and more power to ya. I moved here in 1984 and have seen the area take a HUGE downhill dive regarding crime, traffic, sprawl, and air quality. If you see blooming roses in all of that, I really do envy you. I'm just pointing out the things SOME people who are about to make that life changing relocation decision may want to know about.
Thanks for the info on avoiding sub divisions etc. That's helpful to know.
And no I didn't go back to read all of your posts. I scan the forum page for a Thread that fits my situation or area I'm interested in moving to then read it. I would estimate that 75% of the time you have posted something. So out of the sheer number of your posts and the frequency with which you post to different threads I have become very familiar with your opinions. Sometimes I don't read your posts because they all say literally the same thing. I'm not criticizing you just stating that you like to cover the same talking points over and over and over again. So no, I'm not stalking you. LOL. You're just hard to avoid.
Keep posting, atlantagreg30127 because I do learn some interesting things from you. I would have never thought of avoiding subdivisions with sidewalks. But it makes sense.
I am a person who works in Powder Springs--I work in a school in the area. Yes, the area is going through a demographic shift, but I find the main ones who can't deal with it are those who moved away from the closer Atlanta suburbs many years ago. Face it--Powder Springs is no longer Mayberry.
Yes we do have issues with some ignorant children, but trust and believe they are not only black children. There are white children right up in that mix. So please don't think that the issues are here simply because there are black children moving into the area.
My suggestion: Stay out of the Compton Elem. school district area. Powder Springs Elem, Varner, and Austell are great schools. Kemp (and the other school has escaped me at this moment) are great schools as well. And as far as McEachern...well...I predict that with the major influx of students who left McEachern for Hillgrove...McEachern may be a better pick....simply b/c they receive funds from the McEachern family that Hillgrove does not. Let me also add that McEachern made AYP this past school year so it's a pretty decent school.
Stay away from the Hopkins Road area. All other areas are ok.
Sometimes I don't read your posts because they all say literally the same thing. I'm not criticizing you just stating that you like to cover the same talking points over and over and over again. .
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Just FYI - the reason I do this is that traditionally, people tend to NOT look back for answers. Example - you'll see a "is Smyrna a nice place?" posting and two weeks later someone else will post the exact same question, rather than read the results from the first. I do sometimes repeat myself if I feel the person asking NEEDS to hear something and am fairly sure from the way they write they haven't bothered to find it in previous posts. They should read/research the forums more, but do not.
Yes we do have issues with some ignorant children, but trust and believe they are not only black children. There are white children right up in that mix. So please don't think that the issues are here simply because there are black children moving into the area.
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I never said that the problems were ONLY with problem black teens that have moved into the area. The problems have gotten worse since certain lower-class families have moved into the area. Teens are teens regardless of color and you will always have packs of teens who do things like knock over mailboxes, steal a bike from a yard, and things like that. Within the last year however, we're reading the blotter and I'm hearing from local officers about teens breaking into homes, breaking into cars, vandalizing homes, etc. We have now reached the point where just a few weeks ago, a group of teens were shooting a handgun into the air in what was once a very nice quiet residential neighborhood - and only blocks from there a bank was robbed a month ago, and one week after that there was a search in the same area for an escaped convict. This, in a neighborhood that until a year or so ago had stray dogs being the worst thing to worry about for years.
Most of the time the kids when caught ARE black teens, but as you say, this does not mean the problem only rests with them. There are white kids doing the same things - you do however, see these white kinds being the only white kid in a group of black kids walking down the street... the "hip hop white kid", so to speak. He's trying to be a "gangsta" (but only looks like a fool instead). Anyway - yes, those are here too. You have to remember, Atlanta has a much larger than normal percentage of black residents, so by sheer numbers, it stands to reason there are going to be larger numbers of black criminals. Go to Tuscon and it'll be Hispanic crooks, and go to Texas and it'll be rednecks.
I know it has been said before but I'll repeat - class and income are not related. I've known some low class people who make 6-digit incomes, and people who qualify for food stamps who are outstanding citizens. I grew up in West Virginia myself (one of the poorest states). The problem we're facing in this area lately is an influx of low CLASS people, regardless of their income.
I know parents who have kids in McEachern, and I would have to disagree however, that McEachern hasn't had its share of problems lately. Their kids have been telling them some pretty hairy stories of stuff going on there, and several of them are pulling their kids out and migrating northward to the new school district. These aren't things like kids fighting - we're talking about worse stuff. So while it's not exactly a prison school, it's no long considered by many to be in the same "outstanding" category it once was.
I'm new to this forum, and I'm not well-versed in the posting, or the posters. I've been involved in a few other forums in the past, and it's quite apparent that some people seem to take them much, much too seriously.
The credibility of this Web site is based on the credibility of the posters. Naturally , some peoples' perceptions are different than others. Some people may harbor grudges against a city, or a state. Some people may portray a city or a state in a much too positive light. No two people think alike.
If people are considering relocation, certainly do not move to a region of the country based on information you read in this forum. One must remember that crime, smog, racial tensions, and traffic congestion are problems endemic to every large city.
Presently, our country has 300 million people, and in the year 2050 the demographics will be quite different--radically different. Whites will be in the minority, and Hispanics will be a major player. They're already a major player. Our previous youth-oriented society will be less so.
Yes, Atlanta in 2006, is different than the Atlanta in 1984--22 years ago. Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Diego-all cities in the Sun Belt are experiencing explosive growth. Explosive growth brings growing pains.
What Greg sees is a downhill trajectory for the city of Atlanta--more traffic, more racial tensions and more crime. According to him, it's a city of huge extremes. But, that can be said of almost every major city in the Sun Belt or the Rust Belt.
Atlanta has some big problems, but it's a great city. I think Greg is presenting a somewhat unfair representation of this fine city.
I'm new to this forum, and I'm not well-versed in the posting, or the posters.
If people are considering relocation, certainly do not move to a region of the country based on information you read in this forum.
Yes, Atlanta in 2006, is different than the Atlanta in 1984--22 years ago. Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Diego-all cities in the Sun Belt are experiencing explosive growth. Explosive growth brings growing pains.
What Greg sees is a downhill trajectory for the city of Atlanta--more traffic, more racial tensions and more crime. According to him, it's a city of huge extremes. But, that can be said of almost every major city in the Sun Belt or the Rust Belt.
Atlanta has some big problems, but it's a great city. I think Greg is presenting a somewhat unfair representation of this fine city.
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I'm not sure if the auto-url stuff is working right or not, so you may need to just copy/paste the URLs below (minus the brackets) in order to view the pages correctly. These are some very interesting articles about Atlanta:
First, I had mentioned in the past about some city leaders in other areas of the country visiting Atlanta not very long ago using it as a model of things NOT to do in their city planning. This is a PDF page FYI: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/w/wassmerr...20congested%22
A couple of articles about the Atlanta crime stats (as of the 2004 or so years - they only update them so often. one) Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed
An article from USA Today about Atlanta's sprawl, pollution, and traffic issues: Atlanta pollution going nowhere *** and in-particular a quote from that article which relates to your comment about how many other cities experience the same issues would be, (quote) "Los Angeles, Houston, Washington and other metro areas face similar congestion and pollution problems. What makes Atlanta unique, experts say, is that its dirty air is more directly related to vehicle emissions than almost any other city's."
So it is correct to say that someone should not move to (or avoid) a city simply based on individual's statements on this or any other forum. However some time spent researching articles on crime, sprawl, traffic, and other issues for any city will product some interesting results. All growing cities experience problems - not all of those cities experience the SAME levels of the same problems however, and the person moving to that area should research, evaluate, and study the particular issues that effect a particular city before making their decision to move there.
Unfair representation of Atlanta? No - only one that has (via varied articles) been observed by many others. There is no city in America where one can say that *EVERYTHING* is bad. Atlanta is a retail shopper's dream (if you like malls and shopping center shopping). Atlanta is in an AREA that affords one opportunities if you don't mind weekend trips (mountains to the north, coast to the south). The Atlanta airport is one of the busiest in the world so if you travel a lot that would be a plus - but there again are many things that aren't so nice, even some things that are NOT shared by "all growing cities". So read, research, and listen before moving.
Last edited by Yac; 01-09-2008 at 06:30 AM..
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