Why are Dallas and Hiram called "country?" Arent they just typical sprawl you see in most of the metro? (Atlanta: 2015, home)

[ajjam]

I agree with newsboy it's deemed "country" bc of no direct interstate access!!

[Tarzanman]

Lack of access and relative amount of development and the zeitgeist not keeping up with the current reality.

[Southern Soul Bro]

I guess I can see what some of you guys are saying about the lack of interstate access, but when I get off at exit 44 on I-20, as I travel through Austell, Lithia Springs, Powder Springs and then Hiram, it seems like pretty consistent development as Thornton Rd transitions into Jimmy Lee Smith Pkwy. It still feels like it's part of the metro with no real disconnect, and Hiram still looks like typical suburban sprawl. IMO, It doesnt feel like it's any more or less disconnected from the core than McDonough, even though 75 goes through it.

Even though technically it's in the MSA, a real disconnect from the metro into the "country" is going into Butts County (Jackson, GA) south of Tanger Outlet on 75. I dont get that feel in Hiram.

[oldschoolChevy]

Culturally that side has always been the country side in the ATL metro. That's nothing that you could actually find data on, but if you're familiar with the city then I think you might agree. Douglas, Paulding, Cobb and even intown Westside ATL has a more suburban layout, more conservative politics and it's less diverse with not just ethnic groups but also transplants. I'm the only person in my family who was born here, and every last one of my cousins, aunts or uncles who has moved here ends up in Gwinnett or Dekalb, or eastside ITP like Emory or 4th Ward. And growing up on the westside I was the only one of my friends who didn't have parents that were from Atlanta, rural Georgia or Alabama. So basically what I'm saying is that the west metro is the countriest (is that a word?) side. Maybe because its closer to Alabama, maybe its because its not as diverse or maybe both. But it's not just the lack of interstate access in places like Hiram, its the overall culture of the area IMO

[Southern Soul Bro]

Originally Posted by oldschoolChevy

Culturally that side has always been the country side in the ATL metro. That's nothing that you could actually find data on, but if you're familiar with the city then I think you might agree. Douglas, Paulding, Cobb and even intown Westside ATL has a more suburban layout, more conservative politics and it's less diverse with not just ethnic groups but also transplants. I'm the only person in my family who was born here, and every last one of my cousins, aunts or uncles who has moved here ends up in Gwinnett or Dekalb, or eastside ITP like Emory or 4th Ward. And growing up on the westside I was the only one of my friends who didn't have parents that were from Atlanta, rural Georgia or Alabama. So basically what I'm saying is that the west metro is the countriest (is that a word?) side. Maybe because its closer to Alabama, maybe its because its not as diverse or maybe both. But it's not just the lack of interstate access in places like Hiram, its the overall culture of the area IMO

I'm still lost and need it broken down more specifically, my dude. This is what I mean. I know there are parts of the metro ATL more urban than Hiram or Dallas, but what necessarily makes somewhere like Conyers or McDonough any less "country" than those places? It just doesnt feel much different when I'm in these places. I know Paulding County as a whole is less diverse than many parts of the metro, but Hiram itself has a sizeable proportion and when I'm n the stores there, it's no shortage of minorities. It looks like that same strip mall galore suburbia I see in Conyers or McDonough, IMO.

Dont many parts of the Eastern Metro like Rockdale/Newton and Southern Metro like Henry/Clayton share the same history of being less diverse and more rural in the past?

[oobanks]

I wouldn't think too deep about it, every metro Atlanta county has some rural county areas, Including Fulton and Dekalb Counties and have farm animals, horses, etc. some where in the county. The five Core counties are the most dense and built up, especially ITP. Anything outside the I-285 belt way is subject to be called country, especially the exurban counties like Paulding, they are subject to go from suburban to rural real quick, nice subdivisions then farm land, box shopping centers then rural look again, just the way it is. These areas are new to development and some have only been added to the metro since the 90's and wouldn't be surprised if more are added in the future due to commuting patterns. It's part of the reason metro Atlanta is so big. You need to keep in mind, you are still in the south and in Georgia so overall it's country, especially OTP.One thing I can say, inspite demographics and being largely white, I tend to see the most black-white interracial relationships in these areas. Have lived in the area on the west side of Atlanta for years, Douglas, Paulding, etc. have children in the school system so very familiar with it

[primaltech]

Paulding has about 150,000 people, which puts it almost in the top 10 out of 159 counties. So it's definitely not the rural countryside. It's in the outer suburban/exurban ring of the Metropolitan Atlanta area.

If y'all in Paulding really want a freeway, work with Douglas and Cobb and raise the money and build a short spur off I-20 along the Thornton Rd corridor. It would only need to be a few miles long, out to Powder Springs or so.

Or heck, just build a few bridges and upgrade Thornton Rd/278 to a limited-access freeway. It already has 6 lanes.

Doing that would hugely boost Paulding's growth and economy, and general presence and status in the metro. After all, as the crow flies, Dallas is about as far away from Downtown Atlanta as Downtown Lawrenceville is.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Paulding has about 150,000 people, which puts it almost in the top 10 out of 159 counties. So it's definitely not the rural countryside. It's in the outer suburban/exurban ring of the Metropolitan Atlanta area.

If y'all in Paulding really want a freeway, work with Douglas and Cobb and raise the money and build a short spur off I-20 along the Thornton Rd corridor. It would only need to be a few miles long, out to Powder Springs or so.

Or heck, just build a few bridges and upgrade Thornton Rd/278 to a limited-access freeway. It already has 6 lanes.

Doing that would hugely boost Paulding's growth and economy, and general presence and status in the metro. After all, as the crow flies, Dallas is about as far away from Downtown Atlanta as Downtown Lawrenceville is.

I like this.

This could also become a future interstate or limited access highway that goes on to Rome to Huntsville and then finally on to Memphis.

It can connect at the southern end to Lakewood Freeway (Langford Parkway).

[oldschoolChevy]

Originally Posted by Southern Soul Bro

I'm still lost and need it broken down more specifically, my dude. This is what I mean. I know there are parts of the metro ATL more urban than Hiram or Dallas, but what necessarily makes somewhere like Conyers or McDonough any less "country" than those places? It just doesnt feel much different when I'm in these places. I know Paulding County as a whole is less diverse than many parts of the metro, but Hiram itself has a sizeable proportion and when I'm n the stores there, it's no shortage of minorities. It looks like that same strip mall galore suburbia I see in Conyers or McDonough, IMO.

Dont many parts of the Eastern Metro like Rockdale/Newton and Southern Metro like Henry/Clayton share the same history of being less diverse and more rural in the past?

I mean to break it down a little more you have to take a lot of different factors into account. First I would say you gotta look at how people move around in the metro. I think if you're from the westside you tend to move further west or south, now and back in the day. Same thing out east, If you're from Decatur you tend to move further east to a place like Rockdale or north to Gwinnett. And I don't think anyone would argue that the Northside gets more transplants than anywhere else, so of course the country wouldn't be as prevalent there, and it also has the most development so its not as insular as the westside/west metro can be either so you see different types of people more. Which also waters down the country. The Westside also doesn't have little enclaves like the ones out east-Emory, CDC, DT Decatur that could kinda bleed out and add a little touch of panache and water the country down some more. Add in the fact that a lot of the westside developed last, so you had areas like Riverside in NW that had people who were a generation at most away from Appalachia but east of downtown you had Cabbagetown who had people who were 100 years away from Appalachia, so more of the country had dropped. They were city people at that point. All these come into play when you go back to my first point about people moving further out as opposed to across town. This is how I look at it-Northside/North Metro and Eastside/East Metro are siblings and Westside/West Metro and Southside/South Metro are another set of siblings. Being a kid and going to College Park or CLayCo wasnt that much of switch culturally from my neck of the woods, it wasn't a big deal. Going to places like Stone Mountain to see my family it was definitely like "OK this is clearly the other side of town" and going to Norcross or Roswell was like going to a different state. May as well not even been in the same city


Its interesting because while I think the westside is more country than anywhere else, ITP West is probably the most street smart of any side now. And some guys from the west will try to throw their weight around on people from other sides, and I always bought that and went with it until I found out that pretty much up until the 80s, westside dudes were looked at as country. And it was because you had areas like Sweet Auburn on the other side that had been a thing for almost a century at that point, the westside is/was basically just the last of the Mohicans. And you can hear it in the accent of Black people from the westside. The drawl is A LOT thicke on the west. Its easier to pick up on in women, but I could pick a westside accent out a crowd easily. It actually sounds very similar to a Black Alabama accent. Which is also another reason why I think its more country over this way, and I'm not trying to be funny, this side is just closer to Alabama.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by aries4118

I like this.

This could also become a future interstate or limited access highway that goes on to Rome to Huntsville and then finally on to Memphis.

It can connect at the southern end to Lakewood Freeway (Langford Parkway).

Please, no more freeways.