Atlanta First in May 2014 to May 2015 Job growth, and First in forecasted job growth for 2015 to 2018 (Dallas: real estate, unemployment rate)

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

http://www.cushwakeatlanta.com/wp-co...nfographic.pdf

Atlanta finally beat Dallas with 3.4% job growth vs. Dallas's 3.2% job growth for May 2014 to May 2015.
Atlanta is also tied for first with Miami for forecasted job growth from 2015 to 2018 with 9.0% job growth. Dallas is only forecasted for 8.6%

[Ant131531]

If that job growth projection is true, 231k jobs generally equals a population growth of around 350k-400k or so. 400k/3 years = an average growth of around 133k a year.

So yeah, get ready for a lot more traffic in the coming years as the population growth really begins to ramp up.

[waronxmas]

It was only a matter of time. All of the doom and gloom projections that the Atlanta train had run out of steam weren't really based in fact at best, wishful thinking at worst.

Another thing that isn't being considered is the age distribution of the metro and it's demographic mix. We are hurtling towards a baby boom soon that should be pretty epic.

[atler8]

As Ant131531 noted , "...get ready for a lot more traffic..." Ugh.. more traffic...great!
Having seen the really ugly downside of various factors due to metro Atlanta's population surge from just around 2 million when I moved here to something like 5.5 million now, I find this new data nothing to be overjoyed over or to brag about. The concept of diminishing returns & a dip in the quality of life are more important factors for me now at this stage of my life.
Metro Atlanta & intown Atlanta traffic congestion has gotten considerably worse in the 5 years since I moved out of the city & have been commuting in and out from Jonesboro. Case in point: I just recently chose to ditch using GRTA's mass transit bus option & have instead taken to driving to a MARTA train station. As a result, I'm missing the horrible late afternoon mess on midtown streets that often had my bus clogged in gridlock. My shift over to driving & then riding the MARTA train has me spending an average of 45 minutes to 1 hour less in evening traffic going home.
More people & more congestion without commensurate state & local leadership on infrastrcuture improvements may well be the goose that kills the golden egg in this city.

[Ant131531]

I agree. Either expand the transit and I mean, very soon or Atlanta could be in a world of hurt soon. I just don't think the region as a whole has a vision.

[Happiness-is-close]

Job growth doesn't correlate strongly with population growth. Detroit has had decent job growth as well the last two years and it's population continues to dwindle.

[cdw1084]

Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close

Job growth doesn't correlate strongly with population growth. Detroit has had decent job growth as well the last two years and it's population continues to dwindle.

Comparing Atlanta and Detroit is apples and oranges...Detroit went bankrupt and has a bad reputation. Atlanta, on the other hand is seen as a destination for many and the economy in Atlanta is much more diverse which is why companies often relocate to Atlanta.

[Happiness-is-close]

Let's not start tooting Atlanta's economy too soon. Atlanta's economy is still in the dumps with a well above average unemployment rate.

[jpk1292000]

Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close

Let's not start tooting Atlanta's economy too soon. Atlanta's economy is still in the dumps with a well above average unemployment rate.

It is far from being "in the dumps"

[AtlantaIsHot]

Originally Posted by Happiness-is-close

Job growth doesn't correlate strongly with population growth. Detroit has had decent job growth as well the last two years and it's population continues to dwindle.

Detroit has not grown very much for the better part of 40 years. It has been a slow growth metro for a very long time and the city has plummeted since 1950 from almost 2,000,000 to 700,000 today. And Detroit doesn't create NEARLY as many jobs as the sunbelt cities do. Atlanta's population growth surges and slackens with job growth. It always has. Atlanta's population growth has continued strongly despite the economic decline and real estate collapse. Atlanta has remained one of the top 5 fastest growing major sized metros during the past 4 years. Detroit never enjoyed such advantages (and neither does any other northern metro save New York and maybe Boston).