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Atlanta is EVERYTHING Birmingham could have been. Georgia is EVERYTHING Alabama and Mississippi could have been.Georgia is more liberal than most southern red states.
Yet, it can't even graduate more students then Alabama and Mississippi rofl. It's funny how Georgians can rag on those two states, but has a worse education system then those two.
Also, Atlanta isn't "very liberal". San Francisco is very liberal. Portland and Seattle is very liberal. Atlanta is moderate surrounding by a sea of red and that sea of red directly affects the city of Atlanta.
Yet, it can't even graduate more students then Alabama and Mississippi rofl. It's funny how Georgians can rag on those two states, but has a worse education system then those two.
I don't understand ant,because people like you are coming from all over the U.S.A for an education in Georgia. Oh don't tell me,it's because of HOPE.
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Also, Atlanta isn't "very liberal". San Francisco is very liberal. Portland and Seattle is very liberal. Atlanta is moderate surrounding by a sea of red and that sea of red directly affects the city of Atlanta.
I said GEORGIA not Atlanta! Atlanta being liberal got them a major airport,while it was offer to stubborn Birmingham first.
Yes, there are huge historic differences between MN and GA. Obviously. That would explain my reaction after I moved down here. I also realize that some of the core beliefs down here are very deeply ingrained into natives of all colors and creeds, just as my own beliefs are probably ingrained into me.
rc, I wonder if you didn't just wind up in a very conservative part of town. There are areas here where a Minnesotan would fit in perfectly.
Yet, it can't even graduate more students then Alabama and Mississippi rofl. It's funny how Georgians can rag on those two states, but has a worse education system then them.
How does having a low graduation rate relate to bad schools? The reason more kids can't graduate on time in Georgia is because of a higher minority population AND tougher curriculum standards. In fact, Georgia's K-12 curriculum was ranked 7th best in the nation earlier this year.
I'm beginning to see why it's so hard to get anything done in Atlanta.
Man, it hurts, but sometimes the truth hurts.
I don't understand spending so much energy defending home against people that don't like it here. So, they don't like it. So what. So, they may accuse Atlanta of being things it may SEEM to be but is not simply because of their own ignorances OR just that they haven't experienced what they were looking for. Oh well, their loss. So what. They'll either leave when they're ready, do something to make a positive change for our city OR get used to it... Shouldn't be a reason to be so insulted in a forum that is SUPPOSED to be a place to address a problem.
BUT, one thing I know is that when we get into such a bull headed state that we refuse to hear out the criticisms of the people that come to Atlanta and don't like it for this or that reason, we stifle ourselves from making progress...
Positivity NEEDS negativity for balance.
If a person comes in my face and tries talking bad about my city, okay THEN we have a problem.
BUT, If we are SUPPOSED to be discussing that Georgia Brand needs a makeover, SHOULD go something like this:
Someone says GA sucks (whether they are from GA or just a visitor. But if we're talking BRANDING then that VISITOR'S opinion is DEFINITELY the much more valuable perspective)...
Okay, no problem, but WHY?
Then THEY express why they think GA sucks. And then I take that into consideration. IS that something that needs to change? Maybe it is. How is it done better elsewhere? Okay, then can we also do that here in Atlanta? If not, why not? If so, lets get it done. Bam... Their negativity is turned into constructive criticism to produce a positive outcome.
Instead, what I'm seeing here is: Someone says GA sucks. We respond - "Obviously you know nothing about GA" and they go, "I don't care about why it is the way it is. That way it is still sucks and could be better." And we get offended and rather than throw out ideas of how it could be better, we say "*********, you're an idiot. It's fine the way it is and you just don't know what you're talking about." As if Atlanta/Georgia is the only place with hidden goods.
This is a key problem to building healthy discussions and is influencing immature conversations.
You're view of what is happening is a bit off, IMO.
Most of the people in here discussing the overall pro-Atlanta side right now are very active in the forums and have been for years. They often discuss the negative aspects of our city and what to do about them with many different opinions. I'm actually hard pressed to find one of them I have always agreed with and always disagreed with (or completely butted heads with) over various issues in the past.
The problem is whenever anyone comes in and is overwhelmingly 100% completely negative, makes claims they don't care about the areas history, doesn't accept of the arguments of what we already have that is positive, or resorts to saying "sucks" then the conversation is a non-starter. It already isn't and won't be healthy.
You can't have a good conversation about branding without examining and acknowledging the root of what we are -right now- and what our history was, what is good about it, who likes it, and how to communicate it to outsiders. That is a discussion on branding.
Now if we want to develop that further to how our city can grow with branding and build differently, we still need acknowledge the previous, but we also need to grow in a way that will stay true to our branding. In many of our threads the past several years we have had candid discussions about negative points, but I have also learned there are few people that come to the forum every year and they are 100% negative no matter what and things blow up into arguments. These people are typically bull headed in trying to argue everything is completely bad, because we don't fit a very narrowly defined mold of what they see as good. The discussion is never healthy and is often immature at points. A great majority of the time it is people in their late teens/early 20s. I fully admit I was just like it myself.
You guys had people blow up you, both in mature and immature ways, but it was asked for too.
Long-story short negativity for balance doesn't work if the people being negative can't acknowledge what is positive and what we have to work with too and what our history is. Only then can you narrow down to the specific negative details, so we can discuss how to bring the positives out more or put the positives in a better position to brand. That is the root of why it comes across so insulting to people. All the arguments/discussions of what we are and the positive sides of that have been largely ignored. There is a difference between negative comments with realizations or reactions to positive ones and comments from someone that is 100% negative with no acknowledgment of positives... It is a collision course for unhealthy dialogue. It also doesn't into - Bam - constructive criticism, especially for the purposes of creating branding. We have to work with what we got and what we are are or people will see it as superficial at best.
I also have to go after some of this European talk. I travel extensively. All of my work is 100% international travel. I didn't just do a semester or two abroad or some vacation trips and I haven't only traveled to Europe. I also have to work with a wide variety of people from different places.
Truth is most Europeans are fairly different from one another as-is. They are also ripe with their own shortcomings, their own pros and cons and many of them differ widely from region to region. We really shouldn't lump together as a group too much. They are far more progressive than us in some ways, but they are also far less progressive than us in others. There are differences to where we and various European countries put their money and where they don't. Those differences create a whole slew of pros and cons.
Many of the Italians I work around aren't very worldy themselves actually. Italy has very well traveled first world areas and some not-so traveled in poorer shape second world areas. Compared to Northern Europe (and parts of Northern Italy) many don't know or accept English as a European international language across the whole populace. There is also a knowledge difference among different people in Italy of the world. Just like their would be right here in the U.S. and the state of Georgia as you go to different people in different regions. You will find people who are very knowledgeable and worldly and you will find people who really only know about the region they are from. They aren't that different.
Now I'm not saying I don't care what Europeans or Italians think, but I'm a bit tired of the barometer of limited experiences in a particular country makes Europeans not like us or know about us. I have had no problem finding people aware of Atlanta most places I travel and that is not to say everyone has either. So when a few people tell me about the limited people they know from place XYZ... I'm all the sudden less concerned.
It would be nice if atlanta was more liberal, but at the same time atlanta is what it is today because it was cheap. That is the only way sunbelt cities could compete with more established places like ny, boston, or chicago. How else do you attract business if you are trying to compete with great cities like that? So generally speaking, the atlanta area as a whole reflects that conservative mentality. The goal now should be about smart growth and this is where i wish politics would stay home. It seems most solutions that address growth or transportation are shot down because it's a threat to freedom if a problem is collectively addressed. This is what annoys me the most. A lot around here thinks the gov. is 100% always evil and they are incapable of doing anything good for the community.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,083,811 times
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Originally Posted by arjay57
rc, I wonder if you didn't just wind up in a very conservative part of town. There are areas here where a Minnesotan would fit in perfectly.
Actually, this area of southeastern Cobb is actually pretty moderate, and Cobb County itself seems to be very well run to me. Many of the more conservative people I've run into are folks who grew up in places like Stockbridge or Carollton, and much of my overall impression of Georgia comes from state politics, not from my local area. East Cobb is waaaay on the other side of 75.
I know a lot of liberal folks here in the metro, believe me. But I've also seen Governor Perdue and Governor Deal in action, and I still don't understand why Barnes wasn't elected. He had some promise. I also like Mayor Reed, FWIW.
Last edited by rcsteiner; 12-27-2012 at 10:28 PM..
Excellent post...especially this part. Rep to you sir.
There isn't anything unique about Atlanta. There isn't much historic architecture...you can find Victorians in many other cities in the south and even in the North...I don't find neighborhoods like VaHi unique. Maybe unique to Atlanta lol, but not unique in the south. Birmingham has more unique architecture then Atlanta does. We definitely know that Savannah does...no contest here...their historic district blows Atlanta out of the water.
And even if VaHi was unique, what can you actually do in the neighborhood? Just drive around and see some SFH? That's it. How about more neighborhoods like Little 5 points that are walkable and interesting? That's what Atlanta should have had more of, but single family homes were just more important here
I took a little holidays break but now I'm back.
First off density doesn't make a neighborhood more unigue. Second most of Atlanta core is walkable, do know what's unwalkable is? Third again most of Atlanta core neighborhoods are historic and are listed with the National Register of Historic Places.
Also you seem to be having a hard time understanding most of the Midwestern cities have a similar age or not much older than Atlanta. Atlanta is not Charlotte or even Las Vegas. The industrial revolution era created Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Birmingham, and what case to boom. Those southern cities were smaller counter to the northern ones.
I don't know do you think the building has to brick to be historic or what?
Atkins Park District
Periods of significance
1900-1924; 1925-1949
Significant year
1912
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 103
Non-contributing buildings: 7
Non-contributing structures: 4 LandmarkHunter.com | Atkins Park District
Adair Park Historic District
Periods of significance
1875-1899; 1900-1924; 1925-1949
Significant years
1892; 1902
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 431
Contributing sites: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 59 LandmarkHunter.com | Adair Park Historic District
Cabbagetown District
Period of significance
1875-1899
Significant year
1881
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 357
Contributing structures: 5
Non-contributing buildings: 43
Non-contributing sites: 56
Period of significance
1925-1949
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 353
Contributing structures: 1
Contributing sites: 3
Non-contributing buildings: 113
Grant Park Historic District
Periods of significance
1900-1924; 1875-1899; 1850-1874; 1925-1949
Significant year
1858
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 1070
Contributing structures: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 30 LandmarkHunter.com | Grant Park Historic District
Midtown Historic District
Periods of significance
1875-1899; 1900-1924; 1925-1949
Significant years
1885; 1900; 1924
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 722
Contributing structures: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 168
Non-contributing sites: 47 LandmarkHunter.com | Midtown Historic District
Mozley Park Historic District
Periods of significance
1950-1974; 1925-1949; 1900-1924
Significant years
1907; 1949
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 477
Non-contributing buildings: 154
Non-contributing sites: 32 LandmarkHunter.com | Mozley Park Historic District
Oakland City Historic District
Periods of significance
1850-1874; 1875-1899; 1900-1924; 1925-1949; 1950-1974
Significant years
1867; 1890; 1894
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 1435
Contributing structures: 1
Contributing sites: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 551
Non-contributing sites: 1 LandmarkHunter.com | Oakland City Historic District
Periods of significance
1875-1899; 1900-1924; 1925-1949; 1950-1974
Significant years
1883; 1902; 1922
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 792
Non-contributing buildings: 436
Reynoldstown Historic District
Periods of significance
1850-1874; 1875-1899; 1900-1924; 1925-1949; 1950-1974
Significant years
1865; 1870; 1905
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 544
Contributing structures: 2
Non-contributing buildings: 135 LandmarkHunter.com | Reynoldstown Historic District
Periods of significance
1875-1899; 1900-1924; 1925-1949; 1950-1974
Significant years
1899; 1904; 1909
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 1676
Contributing structures: 1
Contributing sites: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 382 LandmarkHunter.com | Virginia--Highland Historic District
West End Historic District
Periods of significance
1925-1949; 1900-1924; 1875-1899; 1850-1874
Significant years
; 1868; 1894
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 776
Contributing sites: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 151 LandmarkHunter.com | West End Historic District
Washington Park Historic District
Periods of significance
1900-1924; 1925-1949
Significant years
1919; 1922; 1955
Number of properties
Contributing buildings: 445
Contributing sites: 1
Non-contributing buildings: 85 LandmarkHunter.com | Washington Park Historic District
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant131531
It's really sad even for Atlanta that it honestly has almost no urban neighborhoods outside of Downtown and Midtown. And almost all of the urban neighborhoods that do exist aren't connected to the main CBD...you either drive or take transit...you can't simply walk straight there.
I'm just hoping O4W and West Midtown really jump off in the next decade or so...it would extremely improve Atlanta urban core. Those are urban neighborhoods that have potential.
See by your own definition most of the Midwest is not urban. Most of the midwestern cities are dominated by single family houses. Most American cities in general are dominated by single family houses. You making it seem like most American cities are looking like Europe. The only cities that are wall to wall is the northeast and nearly SF.
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Overall these cities are more urban than Atlanta but that's not my point I'm trying highlight is a double standard. How could someone say these Midwestern neighborhoods or cities are urban and walkable then turn around and say Atlanta core is suburban.
How does having a low graduation rate relate to bad schools? The reason more kids can't graduate on time in Georgia is because of a higher minority population AND tougher curriculum standards. In fact, Georgia's K-12 curriculum was ranked 7th best in the nation earlier this year.
So yeah, let's water down our schools and make them easier so more kids can graduate!
(Reality is ... If you can't graduate from high school in Georgia, you're either not trying or an idiot -- or both.)
So you're blaming blacks and hispanics for low graduation rates? Yet, states like NC, TN, MS, and AL have high minority populations and did better then Georgia.
Yes, it's easy to blame it on the minority. Typical conservative.
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That would explain my reaction after I moved down here. I also realize that some of the core beliefs down here are very deeply ingrained into natives of all colors and creeds, just as my own beliefs are probably ingrained into me.
