Northside Bias (Atlanta, College Park, Perry: houses, safe area, college)

[demonta4]

Whenever someone thinks about Atlanta they rarely think of anything south of I20. This includes those who visit and those that live on the northside. It’s not hidden that many have a northside bias when speaking about the city, dismissing anything good that exists on the southern end. Now that there is a big film presence, and development has returned in full force in formally neglected counties, when will Atlantians finally take this side of the city seriously?

[LTCM]

The Southside will be taken serious when it's finally safe to go there.

[demonta4]

Originally Posted by LTCM

The Southside will be taken serious when it's finally safe to go there.

How is it currently not safe? I’ve never understood this notion, there’s nothing more dangerous about the southside. I’m wondering if the people saying that have never lived anywhere that wasn’t extremely wealthy.

[citidata18]

The reality is, for people who feel being near the Blue Ridge Mountains and/or Lake Lanier are non-negotiable, the Southside will never be able to compete for them as far as being taken seriously. There's nothing the Southside can do about those things.

Another reason the Northside is more highly sought -after is because they have a disproportionately higher concentration of finance / tech / engineering jobs. The plethora of warehouses being built along I-85 and I-75 that only generate low skilled/low-paying jobs do nothing for young and older educated professionals who like to job hop or fear for their job security.

The Southside's best bet would be to aggressively go after companies that will create a ton of white collar / high-paying jobs. Attracting places like CTCA as well as developments like Aerotropolis (Porsche) is a start, but collectively it will have to get even more aggressive in attracting these higher-quality employers if it wants to see more higher-quality growth/investment like the Northside.

[seussie]

I don't think that way when I think of Atlanta. But quite frankly, I don't take anyone seriously if they don't know or have not experienced an entirety of the city's area. Otherwise I'd have to be the person to challenge people's malformed misconceptions about an area they obviously don't care enough about to gather their own facts. I prefer the feel of downtown and east/west under 20. Always have. And I am warming up to the westside the buckles along 20.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by demonta4

when will Atlantians finally take this side of the city seriously?

What's an "Atlantian?"

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by LTCM

The Southside will be taken serious when it's finally safe to go there.

What an ignorant, blanket statement.

There are plenty of safe areas in the south metro, just as there are plenty of rough areas in the north metro.

[Atlwarrior]

That’s not true. For starts Hartsfield, Chick Fil Lay Headquarters, Delta Airlines Hq., Porsche NA Hq., World Changers (television ministry reaches billions and advertisers College Park), Tyler Perry Studios, Woodward Academy, Kipps, etc. promotes a great image of the South Metro.

[Atlwarrior]

It’s really been no secret since the White Flight that started in the 1960 and 70’s, but the trend is changing.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by demonta4

Whenever someone thinks about Atlanta they rarely think of anything south of I20. This includes those who visit and those that live on the northside. It’s not hidden that many have a northside bias when speaking about the city, dismissing anything good that exists on the southern end. Now that there is a big film presence, and development has returned in full force in formally neglected counties, when will Atlantians finally take this side of the city seriously?

The exploding presence of the TV/Film Production industry throughout parts of the Southern Crescent is already causing notoriously Northside-oriented metro Atlantans to take the Southside more seriously.

Originally Posted by citidata18

The reality is, for people who feel being near the Blue Ridge Mountains and/or Lake Lanier are non-negotiable, the Southside will never be able to compete for them as far as being taken seriously. There's nothing the Southside can do about those things.

Another reason the Northside is more highly sought -after is because they have a disproportionately higher concentration of finance / tech / engineering jobs. The plethora of warehouses being built along I-85 and I-75 that only generate low skilled/low-paying jobs do nothing for young and older educated professionals who like to job hop or fear for their job security.

The Southside's best bet would be to aggressively go after companies that will create a ton of white collar / high-paying jobs. Attracting places like CTCA as well as developments like Aerotropolis (Porsche) is a start, but collectively it will have to get even more aggressive in attracting these higher-quality employers if it wants to see more higher-quality growth/investment like the Northside.

These are excellent points and comments, and, as evidenced in Atlwarrior's comments, the Southside is already aggressively going after the types of high-paying jobs that you mention using its status as the site of the world's busiest airport at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the main lure to attract the increased amount of industry.

...Which is something that must be noted... That Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (the busiest airport on the planet) is the ultimate equalizer of sorts for the historically-overlooked Southside to better compete against the type of Northside domination that has long been a feature of life during Atlanta's existence as one of the nation's largest and most important major metropolitan areas.

Because of geographical factors (like citidata18 mentioned) like the Blue Ridge Mountains and lakes Lanier and Allatoona on the Northside, the Southside likely will not ever be able to completely overcome the developmental imbalance that it has with the Northside, but the Airport undoubtedly helps the Southside to be much more wholly viable from an economic development standpoint than it might otherwise be without the presence of the Airport there.