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Here's an impressive/ interesting fact about Metro Atlanta. We are the second-largest inland metropolis in the United States. Only a little bit behind Dallas. All the rest of the large cities are along the coasts or in the case of Chicago, on a great lake.
And I've always considered Atlanta a more important/major city than Dallas. Certainly in terms of national infrastructure. The #1 airport and all. And I believe we have taller and more skyscrapers.
Deep inland, yes easily...
Houston is "near" a coast, so I'm not sure if you're considering that or not. If Houston is considered inland however, it's still larger in population in both MSA (6.7 Million where Atlanta is 5.8 Million) and CSA (7 Million where Atlanta is between 6.5 and 6.8 Million -- Houston is fricken huge, driving through it takes about 2 hours without traffic..but Atlanta feels more refreshing overall.)
Another question is, can one consider Chicago to be a coastal city? I know its off Lake Michigan, but do they consider that a coast city? I guess...yes because you cannot say that Chicago is landlocked.
Those two aside Atlanta is definitely unique in the sense that its a very large metro for a landlocked city..
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Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll
aries puts it best in saying that outlying communities like Gainesville, Cartersville, White and Adairsville are exurbs and that outlying communities like Flowery Branch and Emerson are outer suburbs.
Though, one cannot emphasize enough how important an exurban community like Gainesville (and an exurban jurisdiction like Hall County) is to the greater Atlanta metropolitan region as a whole.
Because of its prime location on the shores of metro Atlanta's primary water source, Lake Lanier, and because of its location roughly part way between the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northeast Georgia mountains, Gainesville serves as a very important gateway between the more socially and culturally conservative and more rural Northeast Georgia Mountains region and the more socially and culturally progressive and cosmopolitan Atlanta metropolitan area.
Because of its status as a very important gateway between the rural Northeast Georgia Mountains region and the heavily-developed Atlanta metropolitan area, Gainesville has become a very important hub of industrial, economic and political activity for Northeast Georgia.
Gainesville's unique location and unique status as a gateway between urban/suburban metro Atlanta and the outer-exurban and rural Northeast Georgia Mountains region has made Gainesville a strong (if not dominant) player that seems to punch well above its weight in metro Atlanta, Georgia and Southeastern U.S. political circles.
As I have noted before, Gainesville is a very powerful exurban city that seems to exercise an outsized influence over metro Atlanta and Georgia politics.
Gainesville definitely is not your typical exurban bedroom community.
Even though they may not officially be located within the 29-county area of the Atlanta MSA, outlying exurban cities like Gainesville and Athens are definitely key and important parts of the metro Atlanta universe.
If one is driving south on a major roadway like Georgia 365 (U.S. Highway 23) from the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Western North Carolina (and Northeast Georgia and Eastern Tennessee) and heading towards Atlanta, Gainesville is basically where the rural Northeast Georgia Mountains region ends and where metro Atlanta begins for all its intents and purposes.
Even though it is not officially part of the 29-county Atlanta MSA, Gainesville is basically part of the 'sprawling' greater North Atlanta metropolitan development pattern... Which is probably one major reason why the Gainesville/Hall County MSA is part of the 39-county Atlanta CSA.
This brings up questions.
The GA-365 Corridor / U.S. 23 corridors. Are there any instances where it is preferred to use them over I-85 when traveling to Atlanta? After Gainesville it heads off into the mountains and eventually into N.C before meeting I-40 near Asheville NC. Does it see alot of freight use?
Another question is.. if either GA-400 or GA-365 were to be converted into an interstate that traveled directly to Asheville NC, would it have any positive impact on the metro?
Gainesville is it's own city with it's own metro. It is not part of Atlanta. Distance isn't the most significant factor in determining whether an area is in a metro or not.
The GA-365 Corridor / U.S. 23 corridors. Are there any instances where it is preferred to use them over I-85 when traveling to Atlanta?
If one is traveling to the Atlanta metro area from areas like the extremely popular tourist attractions and visitor magnets like Great Smoky Mountains National Park (in southwestern North Carolina and southeastern Tennessee); Cherokee, North Carolina (which is the site of a popular gambling casino on the reservation of the Eastern Cherokee Indians); the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville tourist/resort area of southeastern Tennessee, and even from points like Maggie Valley, Waynesville and Lake Junaluska in western North Carolina, etc, the I-985/GA 365/US 23 (US 441/US 74) corridor would be the preferred option.
The I-985/GA 365/US 23 (US 441/US 74) corridor also would be the preferred option for motorists traveling between Northeast metro Atlanta and a location like Western Carolina University in Cullowhee in the mountains of Southwestern North Carolina.
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Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
After Gainesville it heads off into the mountains and eventually into N.C before meeting I-40 near Asheville NC. Does it see alot of freight use?
That I-985/GA 365/US 23/US 441/US 74 corridor obviously does not get as much freight use north of Gainesville as it does south of Gainesville, but the GA 365/US 23/US 441/US 74 corridor does get a good amount of use by freight trucks making trips to and from businesses and points of importance in Northeast Georgia, Southwestern North Carolina and Southeastern Tennessee.
Though, if one is traveling directly between closer-in points in metro Atlanta (below the I-85/I-985 junction in Northeast metro Atlanta) and Asheville, North Carolina, I-85 northbound to I-185 northbound to US 25 northbound to I-26 westbound OR I-85 northbound to I-26 westbound are better and more direct routes.
The I-85/I-26 route is particularly a better option for freight trucks when traveling between points like Atlanta and Asheville, NC and vice-versa because of the relatively sharp curves, the relatively steep grades and the often wet pavement of the winding, hilly and mountainous US 23/US 441/US 64/US 74 route through Southwestern North Carolina.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
Another question is.. if either GA-400 or GA-365 were to be converted into an interstate that traveled directly to Asheville NC, would it have any positive impact on the metro?
That's a really good question to which I would answer that it is very important to first off emphasize that it is extremely unlikely that roadways like Georgia 400 (U.S. Highway 19) and Georgia 365 would ever be converted into Interstate superhighways that traveled directly between Atlanta and Asheville.
That is because of the extreme environmental and political sensitivities of the areas that those two imagined Interstate superhighways would run through north of Atlanta in the Chattahoochee National Forest of the North Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains region and the Nantahala National Forest of the Southwestern North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains region... An area of the country (along with nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park) that locals and environmentalists are fiercely protective of.
Secondly, it should be noted that (while definitely not being anywhere near Interstate standard, particularly because of the relatively sharp curves and relatively steep grades) much of the entire I-985/GA 365/US 23/US 441/US 64/US 74 route (except for a 7.5-mile section of US 23-441 from north of Clayton, Georgia to the Georgia-North Carolina state line that is an undivided four-lane and undivided three-lane highway) between Northeast metro Atlanta and I-40 in Western North Carolina is a four-lane divided or five-lane undivided super-arterial highway... That includes the 25.5-mile section of the route between Dillsboro, NC and the I-40 junction that is the four-lane divided super-arterial highway known as the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway.
Third, just the mere presence of the Blue Ridge Mountains region of North Georgia, Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee (including the Chattahoochee and Nantahala national forests and Great Smoky Mountains National Park) north of Atlanta has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on and been immensely beneficial to the Atlanta metropolitan area/region as a whole without an Interstate-standard superhighway running through it between Atlanta and points like Asheville, North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee.
The presence of the foothills and ranges of the Blue Ridge Mountains region north of the city has been used to recruit and attract industry and generate increased economic activity to the area north of Atlanta to maximum effect.
The presence of the scenic and recreational exploits of the Blue Ridge Mountains region north of the city has been used as an exceedingly powerful tool for economic development, economic growth and economic expansion for the entire Atlanta metropolitan region.
The location of the Blue Ridge Mountains north of the city is a major reason why the Atlanta metropolitan area/region has experienced such extremely heavy growth on its north side. The reason why such economic development-generating manmade lakes like Allatoona and Lanier were built north of the city is because of the hilly-to-mountainous terrain of the area that was very favorable for reservoir development.
Gainesville is it's own city with it's own metro. It is not part of Atlanta. Distance isn't the most significant factor in determining whether an area is in a metro or not.
That is a great point that an outlying area like Gainesville is its own city with its own metropolitan area.
But even though Gainesville is its own city with its own metropolitan area, Gainesville is very much a key and crucial part of the greater Atlanta metropolitan region (the 39-county Atlanta CSA or Combined Statistical Area).
Gainesville most likely does not grow into the very powerful industrial, economic and political hub that it has become for Northeast Georgia without the presence of a direct Interstate superhighway link to Atlanta (by way of Interstates 985 and 85), without the presence of Lake Lanier (which is the primary water source for much of the Atlanta metropolitan area) and without the nearby presence of a city/metro of international influence in Atlanta.
Gainesville's stunning growth into an industrial, economic and political powerhouse for Northeast Georgia has been fueled directly by the stunning growth of the nearby Atlanta metropolitan area.
Without the presence of Lake Lanier (which was built by the federal government to supply water to the Atlanta metropolitan area) and without the presence of the Interstate 985 direct superhighway link to Atlanta, the Gainesville and Hall County community likely may not have been able to attract the industrial and commercial development that generated the revenues that have been used to fund the political campaigns and political movements that have made Gainesville a political powerhouse in Georgia politics.
tbh i like the 'urban area' definition. it doesn't get some commuters but it gives a good idea of what the size of the city is without including areas that haven't been urbanized yet. does anyone know what that number is?
tbh i like the 'urban area' definition. it doesn't get some commuters but it gives a good idea of what the size of the city is without including areas that haven't been urbanized yet. does anyone know what that number is?
Per the 2010 census, 4,515,419.
There aren't yearly estimates made for urban areas.
That is a great point that an outlying area like Gainesville is its own city with its own metropolitan area.
But even though Gainesville is its own city with its own metropolitan area, Gainesville is very much a key and crucial part of the greater Atlanta metropolitan region (the 39-county Atlanta CSA or Combined Statistical Area).
Gainesville most likely does not grow into the very powerful industrial, economic and political hub that it has become for Northeast Georgia without the presence of a direct Interstate superhighway link to Atlanta (by way of Interstates 985 and 85), without the presence of Lake Lanier (which is the primary water source for much of the Atlanta metropolitan area) and without the nearby presence of a city/metro of international influence in Atlanta.
Gainesville's stunning growth into an industrial, economic and political powerhouse for Northeast Georgia has been fueled directly by the stunning growth of the nearby Atlanta metropolitan area.
Without the presence of Lake Lanier (which was built by the federal government to supply water to the Atlanta metropolitan area) and without the presence of the Interstate 985 direct superhighway link to Atlanta, the Gainesville and Hall County community likely may not have been able to attract the industrial and commercial development that generated the revenues that have been used to fund the political campaigns and political movements that have made Gainesville a political powerhouse in Georgia politics.
Also, while Gainesville officially has its own MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), Gainesville apparently thinks of itself as being part of the Atlanta region so much so that one of its leading attractions (the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville Garden) has Atlanta in the name...
Also, while Gainesville officially has its own MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), Gainesville apparently thinks of itself as being part of the Atlanta region so much so that one of its leading attractions (the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville Garden) has Atlanta in the name...
but that's sort of like saying cartersville is in the atlanta metro because it has an atlanta bread company.
Cartersville *IS* in the Atlanta metro, as defined by the US Census
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