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The point was that there is segregation in Atlanta. The suburbs of Atlanta are pretty diverse, but the city in particular is very segregated. I don't even see why you would want to debate that being that the majority of larger cities are segregated. Everyone knows this.
I agree with the above. The poster posting about Chicago must not have gone to many places there. I am not from there nor do I pretend to know the areas outside of where my in-laws and friends live, but I do have a cousin in law who lives on the northside and she has a lot of black neighbors. Both she and her husband are professors and PhDs. I also think that you may be speaking of northern suburbs. I have never been to the northern suburbs in Chicago but I know that they are not very diverse in regards to black residents.
Chicago does have a much larger population of black professionals than Atlanta as well. Practically everyone in my husband's family are well above middle income and I always joke with him when we lived in Atlanta the majority of his friends are what I called "loser friends" meaning they were not in a very solid financial place and many were what I would consider "sketchy" and I figured he just liked to hang out with these types of people for some reason. I was afraid to meet one of his Chicago friends and when one came to visit his mom who lives in metro Atlanta, I was shocked due to this guy being the director of a major non-profit organization in Chicago, was very highly educated and was just an all around great guy, very contradictory to his friends in Atlanta, and I know that that is on him, but his friends in Chicago, many of whom who I have met now, are all doing very well financially, many own their own businesses, they have higher level government and corporate careers, about 4 are firefighters also making over 6 figures who own real estate they rent. And all these people grew up in the Roseland/West Pullman area of Chicago's south side. They all like to party and hang out like my husband too. He said he couldn't find many (he had one) non-sketchy Atlanta cohorts who were gainfully employed who liked to do the sorts of things he likes to do on weekends.
There is segregation in every major city with a significant black population.ye if you compare that to most Southern metro's its less.
Cities like Dallas and Houston are to but its not as bad because they have significant Hispanic populations.
I spend most of my time in Midtown and i see blacks EVERYWHERE.So no I don"t get it.
Ckimbro even posted CENSUS numbers showing that what you say has no merit.
Once you reach $24,000 you have less blacks in Chicago making less in every bracket up $150,000 and those are raw numbers not percentages.
How do you explain that?
I routinely read some of the society magazines whenever i would be stationed in a large city.
Atlanta I see black executives and movers and shakers right next to the whites.i look In Dallas-Ft.Worth and its just white ad >rarely anyone of color.Even in NYC its the Manhattan old money crowd
San Francisco ditto.But hey this anecdotal so let's stick k to facts.
Ant, what I understand (numerous articles have discussed this) is that blacks are leaving many northern cities and heading back south ...to many southern cities. The cost of living is much, much lower (as I'm sure you are aware), the weather is much, much better (no to very little snow/ice and frigid, sub-zero temps). Basically, the same reasons there has been an influx of people to Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas, Charlottex Nashville over the past decade or two...whites and blacks are moving south, actually, in large numbers. Or have you missed the numerous posts daily/weekly that explain this as the basis for moving south from north. With blacks, what I also undrrstand is that there is also some interest in going back south in general. Decades ago (think 20s, 40s) there were migration patterns from north to south (and in the southwest, from southwest to west). Many families are returning south now. Check it out. All the major southern cities are growing, and by transplants of all races, and most if not all of the northern cities are losing those transplants to the south.
I am glad your Dad is making more money but this is just an anecdotal story, right? I do know of one elderly, retired African-American man who sold his home in Cali at 300k profit and decided to move to Georgia to be closer to his family and bc Georgia was a place in which he and his wife could buy a home outright with the 300k and retire comfortably. This is one of my colleagues's Dad actually. He would have never been able to do that in a more expensive locale (not the type of home he wanted). Point being ppl move to places for many reason. But cost of living, weather and proximity to family are biggies...for all races.
I am not saying opportunity is not great in Atlanta. What I am saying is don't operate under the allusion that people are not doing well elsewhere also just bc people (again, of all races) are moving to the south (any one of the major southern cities).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant131531
Compare the percentages of the metro and its a different story. There's a reason blacks are leaving Chicago altogether and why Atlanta gained an enormous amount of blacks in 2 decades. It's not coincidence. If Chicago was so great to blacks why are they leaving? My parents left Southern California for the reason that they heard opportunity for blacks in Atlanta was great. Now my dad is making 250k .
Considering the original thread title here, which is "Does Atlanta have the worst big city downtown in the South", I think that the back & forth discussion of Atlanta vs. Chicago is off topic, especially since it has almost completely taken over the content of the thread. Also, at 45 pages, it has become interminably long & run it's course.
Perhaps the discussion can be picked up in a new thread in the more appropriate City vs. City area of the forum by members who wish to carry the conversation further.
Regarding Atlanta's downtown as compared to other Southern downtowns, that subject has been completely pushed out of the realm of discussion here. Perhaps the op would like to weigh in & reinvigorate that specific topic.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
2,535 posts, read 3,281,063 times
Reputation: 1483
Quote:
Originally Posted by atler8
Considering the original thread title here, which is "Does Atlanta have the worst big city downtown in the South", I think that the back & forth discussion of Atlanta vs. Chicago is off topic, especially since it has almost completely taken over the content of the thread. Also, at 45 pages, it has become interminably long & run it's course.
Perhaps the discussion can be picked up in a new thread in the more appropriate City vs. City area of the forum by members who wish to carry the conversation further.
Regarding Atlanta's downtown as compared to other Southern downtowns, that subject has been completely pushed out of the realm of discussion here. Perhaps the op would like to weigh in & reinvigorate that specific topic.
You should start with a comment ON TOPIC IN FULL... It never closed to the specific topic. But the Atlanta Downtown defenders are not posting and NO ONE HAS BROUGHT INTO THE THREAD ANOTHER SOUTHERN CITY??? YOU DID NOT EITHER.
My thought as to why...You Can't DC, because it really isn't a Southern city? Nashville.... well its downtown is Music City USA. New Orleans .... downtown with the French Quarter is a tourist Mecca in its own class. Texas cities are really the Southwest not South? BUT YOU COULD SAY SOUTH AND USE THEM? Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham. Can you compare one to Atlanta? Miami or others in Florida..... Who would win?? Others become smaller cities to compare downtowns?
I THINK THE OP SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED WHICH SOUTHERN CITIES HE REFERS TO AS BETTER DOWNTOWNS TO ATLANTA'S? Then others have a real start? Comparing to other similar size cities in the north didn't even come in? I posted to others comments on Chicago I didn't agree with. But it NEVER was a comparing Chicago's downtown to Atlanta's.
Would you care steeps to rephrase your first 2 sentences here so that I can understand your meaning & please refrain from using complete all cap sentences here? It's the equivalent of shouting.
I don't need to bring another Southern city into the conversation here for my point to be valid.
Atl. vs. Chicago is off the topic as I wrote earlier & perhaps the thread has outlived it's purpose.
Atl. vs. Chicago would be an appropriate new thread topic to be found in the City vs. City section of the forum.
Considering the original thread title here, which is "Does Atlanta have the worst big city downtown in the South", I think that the back & forth discussion of Atlanta vs. Chicago is off topic, especially since it has almost completely taken over the content of the thread. Also, at 45 pages, it has become interminably long & run it's course.
Perhaps the discussion can be picked up in a new thread in the more appropriate City vs. City area of the forum by members who wish to carry the conversation further.
Regarding Atlanta's downtown as compared to other Southern downtowns, that subject has been completely pushed out of the realm of discussion here. Perhaps the op would like to weigh in & reinvigorate that specific topic.
It is really difficult to compare Atlanta's downtown with those of other southern (and other places, too) cities. While what we around here call "downtown" is the historic downtown, Atlanta's true downtown is really a linear amalgamation of traditional downtown, midtown and Buckhead. It is my feeling that we don't truly have a "downtown," in the historic sense of that word. So, when I think of downtown, I think of an 8 or so mile stretch that runs along Peachtree.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
2,535 posts, read 3,281,063 times
Reputation: 1483
Quote:
Originally Posted by atler8
Would you care steeps to rephrase your first 2 sentences here so that I can understand your meaning & please refrain from using complete all cap sentences here? It's the equivalent of shouting.
I don't need to bring another Southern city into the conversation here for my point to be valid.
Atl. vs. Chicago is off the topic as I wrote earlier & perhaps the thread has outlived it's purpose.
Atl. vs. Chicago would be an appropriate new thread topic to be found in the City vs. City section of the forum.
A thread on Chicago's downtown vs. Atlanta? Is not practical. But on Segregation.... which city has more......perhaps? But I surely know Chicago wins both. I merely chose not to prove Chicago is still fairly segregated by neighborhoods as not to continue the argument here.
I posted a similar ... now thread can go back on topic post..... MANY post back after I added to Chicago comments. As not to have it said ..i kept it there.
Did not work. I therefore added more on others comments on Chicago. But I am NOT FAMILIAR enough with Atlanta to compare to other southern cities I was did not visit at all.
If you feel you DO NOT need to comment on topic in a thread, on A CITY YOU MAY BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH.... in a state you may live? It's surely YOUR choice, not to defend Atlanta's downtown? I merely commented about Chicago.... seeing it brought in. Having lived there and I post a lot on the city. I see you post a lot on Atlanta. BUT NOT IN PAGES I READ HERE?
So if you were offended I would ask YOU to take it on topic? I am Sorry. Now before I click post I see the thread MIGHT GO BACK ON TOPIC since others are posting now.... we should let it.
It is really difficult to compare Atlanta's downtown with those of other southern (and other places, too) cities. While what we around here call "downtown" is the historic downtown, Atlanta's true downtown is really a linear amalgamation of traditional downtown, midtown and Buckhead. It is my feeling that we don't truly have a "downtown," in the historic sense of that word. So, when I think of downtown, I think of an 8 or so mile stretch that runs along Peachtree.
I agree. It's kind of unfair when Atlanta gets singled out for its less than stellar downtown (it definitely is not an impressive downtown for a city its size) when it's not the true center of the city like other more traditional downtowns in the U.S.
As for Chicago - if I'm not mistaken, there's no actual "downtown." When people talk about downtown Chicago, they're refering to an area that includes the Loop and the area north of the river (I forget what that submarket is called that includes the Magnificent Mile).
I don't know if Atlanta's downtown is the worst, but for a city of its supposed scale, it is lacking.
I like downtown Dallas better than downtown Atlanta. At ground level, downtown Dallas is more visuslly appealing to me, lots of big companies are there, it has more cultural offerings, more residential buildings and WAY less homeless people. I work in the heart of arts district in downtown Dallas and I haven't been panhandled not even once. It also has lots of dining options and has concert venues and a few nightclubs with others very near by. It also has more transit options.
Like Atlanta it doesn't have a lot of shopping but it does have a Neiman Marcus.
Last edited by Atlanta_BD; 01-14-2015 at 10:24 AM..
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