Atlanta's not a world class city[CL Article] (Dallas, Boston: land, rankings)

[atler8]

Yes, Chuck.. You are right on the money here.
And count me in as one who was charmed by the topographical features & variety of metro Atlanta among other attributes when I first visited the city.
As for there being "many cities" whose topography beat that found in metro Atlanta, for example please name one MAJOR city in the southeast w/ terrain that varies in elevation as much as it does within the COA city proper or one whose northern metro fringes are in actual mountain foothills.
In the southeast, only Birmingham comes anywhere close in the topography range & it's not "major".

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by chuckshere

There are many hilly, tree filled Atlanta neighborhoods all over the city. It's a feature that's available to people all over the city. It's not some landmark that people have to go and visit or see from a distance. It's their own neighborhoods. This is a feature that's attracted many to Atlanta.

Without the roads, you can't see any of those hills like you can in Seattle, Salt Lake, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Besides, there are plenty of places with trees. There are a lot of trees in Houston and a great variety, not all pine.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by atler8

Yes, Chuck.. You are right on the money here.
And count me in as one who was charmed by the topographical features & variety of metro Atlanta among other attributes when I first visited the city.
As for there being "many cities" whose topography beat that found in metro Atlanta, for example please name one MAJOR city in the southeast w/ terrain that varies in elevation as much as it does within the COA city proper or one whose northern metro fringes are in actual mountain foothills.
In the southeast, only Birmingham comes anywhere close in the topography range & it's not "major".

So what if it does? You can't take it in unless you drive or walk it.

[chuckshere]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

So what if it does? You can't take it in unless you drive or walk it.

I've described some features that many people like about Atlanta. It's been the top moving destination for the last four years, according to Penske. It's not to your taste, apparently, and that's fine. But, why is it a big issue for you? No one HAS to live in Atlanta, if they like some place else. And Atlanta is ranked an Alpha Minus world city by the Globalization and World Rankings Institute, who have made these rankings for many years. It's in the same category as Miami, Dublin, Barcelona, Boston, Vienna, and Zurich, among others. It's not in the same ranking as New York, London and Tokyo, but that doesn't mean it's not a world city.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by chuckshere

I've described some features that many people like about Atlanta. It's been the top moving destination for the last four years, according to Penske. It's not to your taste, apparently, and that's fine. But, why is it a big issue for you? No one HAS to live in Atlanta, if they like some place else. And Atlanta is ranked an Alpha Minus world city by the Globalization and World Rankings Institute, who have made these rankings for many years. It's in the same category as Miami, Dublin, Barcelona, Boston, Vienna, and Zurich, among others. It's not in the same ranking as New York, London and Tokyo, but that doesn't mean it's not a world city.

We've talked about that ranking system before. I think it's a bit suspect as I've seen wild swings in rankings of places over the years. London and New York are the top cities and are the standard by which all other places are measured.

Houston is also a top moving destination, and it's probably due to jobs more than anything else.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

There are a lot of trees in Houston and a great variety, not all pine.

That is literally the last phrase I would use to describe Houston.

Biodiversity of the metro as a whole is about as interesting as a desert.

[chuckshere]

That ranking system has Dallas and Atlanta as alpha minus and Houston as Beta plus. Is that what has you on Atlanta's case?

[jpk1292000]

Originally Posted by chuckshere

I don't know if this link has been posted here, but this is interesting. It's the alpha+, alpha, alpha- rankings that are done every few years by the Globalization and World Rankings Institute.
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/blog/...-gamma-cities/

This is a good list...agree with the ranking...

Many Atlanta naysayers on here (we know who they are) will argue that Atlanta doesn't come close to other American cities like Boston and Philadelphia in the Alpha- class that Atlanta appropriately belongs to because Atlanta's public transit and art museum isn't as good as Boston and Philadelphia's.

Of course, the compilers of this list realize that other aspects of a city contribute to its global ranking besides the two factors I mention above. These include:

Global connectivity through a world class airport
Number of fortune 1000 company headquarters (3rd in the country after NY and Chicago)
Medical research facilities
Hosting an Olympics
World class aquarium, botanical gardens, civil rights museums, history museum
Headquarters of major media company (Turner)
World class restaurants

[chuckshere]

I'm posting some street view images of some intown Atlanta neighborhoods. These aren't tourist postcard type pics, but these are regular streets. All of these are within 10 to 15 minutes of Downtown or Midtown. I'm addressing the discussion about topographical features and the statement someone made that all of the trees in Atlanta are pine trees. My view is that the quality of life and beauty in regular neighborhoods is a big plus. Actually, living in beautiful areas and not having to go to a tourist area to see the scenery is a feature of Atlanta.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by jpk1292000

This is a good list...agree with the ranking...

Many Atlanta naysayers on here (we know who they are) will argue that Atlanta doesn't come close to other American cities like Boston and Philadelphia in the Alpha- class that Atlanta appropriately belongs to because Atlanta's public transit and art museum isn't as good as Boston and Philadelphia's.

Of course, the compilers of this list realize that other aspects of a city contribute to its global ranking besides the two factors I mention above. These include:

Global connectivity through a world class airport
Number of fortune 1000 company headquarters (3rd in the country after NY and Chicago)
Medical research facilities
Hosting an Olympics
World class aquarium, botanical gardens, civil rights museums, history museum
Headquarters of major media company (Turner)
World class restaurants

You forgot one: only 75 miles to Sanford stadium!