Possible New Metro Atlanta Cities? (Sandy Springs, Roswell: renting, buying, school districts)

[David Alleyne]

Originally Posted by GF72

Personally, I think the whole metro should be within Atlanta city limits, which would be spread across a couple of counties. Central Fulton and Dekalb would be the central county, the northern suburbs would be another, the western suburbs another, the eastern suburbs another, and the southern suburbs another, and beyond that they can keep it the way it is. And the city itself could just be split into districts that correspond with the current locations (Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Perimeter, Alpharetta, Marietta, Cumberland, etc.).

I agree with you on the idea that the metro area should all be Atlanta. I already see places in Clayton and Henry describing itself as South Atlanta so the City should just make it official in my opinion. To me it seems that the northside's trying to become urban so why not hookup with the City (the suburban areas will always be there it's just that it'll be engirdled by more building). I doubt it'll happen though.

[Saintmarks]

The plethora of counties in Georgia is what has kept the cities from filling in the metro map. The county governments are stronger in Georgia and keep the cities at bay.

Out here in Dallas, the metro has little if no unincorporated county until you get at least 30 miles past the city center. Dallas has 1.2 million in the city limits, suburbs like Plano, Garland and Irving have over 200,000 and another half dozen or so with over 100,000 and I haven't included Fort Worth and Arlington. It has always perplexed me that Atlanta's map doesn't represent what is on the ground.

Even as a kid in the 70s I would take metro Atlanta maps and get colored pencils and incorporate places like Brookhaven, Scottdale, Belvedere, etc so the area looked better to me. That was back in the day when a metro map didn't go much past the perimeter. I always hated that the DeKalb towns were so tiny on the map. Avondale Estates was purple, Chamblee green and Doraville pink and I would help them grow as well. By the way, haven't I read some proposals for both Doraville and Chamblee to expand? What became of that?

The proposals here for Cobb County are fun to think about, but WAY too many towns. East Cobb (would rather see it called Johnson Ferry), Mableton and Vinings are the only areas with enough of a separate identity to be considered as cities, the rest of the county ought to be piecemealed (is that one word or two?) between the existing cities. As for the city of Atlanta expanding across the Chattahoochee into Cobb, two words: fat chance.

Before the incorporation of Sandy Springs, I always thought a good way for a larger central city would be to let North Fulton go and then combine the remainder of Fulton and DeKalb into one large Greater Atlanta and then divide that into burroughs of around 50 - 100,000 giving some local control, like Greater London did some decades back, maintaining the historical places like Decatur, Buckhead, Tucker, Dunwoody, etc.

This is a fun thread, always thought I was a strange bird wanting to redraw the Atlanta map. Its fun to find that there are other oddballs like me around.

As for Gwinett, well, I don't know. It all ought to be consolidated under Sprawl Hills or Cookie Cutter City or Nondescriptia or something. Sorry, Gwinnettians, your side of town was never my favorite.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

The plethora of counties in Georgia is what has kept the cities from filling in the metro map. The county governments are stronger in Georgia and keep the cities at bay.

Out here in Dallas, the metro has little if no unincorporated county until you get at least 30 miles past the city center. Dallas has 1.2 million in the city limits, suburbs like Plano, Garland and Irving have over 200,000 and another half dozen or so with over 100,000 and I haven't included Fort Worth and Arlington. It has always perplexed me that Atlanta's map doesn't represent what is on the ground.

Even as a kid in the 70s I would take metro Atlanta maps and get colored pencils and incorporate places like Brookhaven, Scottdale, Belvedere, etc so the area looked better to me. That was back in the day when a metro map didn't go much past the perimeter. I always hated that the DeKalb towns were so tiny on the map. Avondale Estates was purple, Chamblee green and Doraville pink and I would help them grow as well. By the way, haven't I read some proposals for both Doraville and Chamblee to expand? What became of that?

The proposals here for Cobb County are fun to think about, but WAY too many towns. East Cobb (would rather see it called Johnson Ferry), Mableton and Vinings are the only areas with enough of a separate identity to be considered as cities, the rest of the county ought to be piecemealed (is that one word or two?) between the existing cities. As for the city of Atlanta expanding across the Chattahoochee into Cobb, two words: fat chance.

Before the incorporation of Sandy Springs, I always thought a good way for a larger central city would be to let North Fulton go and then combine the remainder of Fulton and DeKalb into one large Greater Atlanta and then divide that into burroughs of around 50 - 100,000 giving some local control, like Greater London did some decades back, maintaining the historical places like Decatur, Buckhead, Tucker, Dunwoody, etc.

This is a fun thread, always thought I was a strange bird wanting to redraw the Atlanta map. Its fun to find that there are other oddballs like me around.

As for Gwinett, well, I don't know. It all ought to be consolidated under Sprawl Hills or Cookie Cutter City or Nondescriptia or something. Sorry, Gwinnettians, your side of town was never my favorite.

You're definitely not a strange bird! Welcome to the club!

It would be cool for the "Strange Bird Atlanta Map Club" to get together and set this Metro area straight!

Youth map drawing? That was me...and still is.


(and Saintmarks...I have not proposed too many cities for Cobb County! )

[Saintmarks]

I guarantee you I could get my old footlocker at my mom's house and pull out at least a couple of 30+ year old metro atlanta maps where I have colored in most of Dekalb county, added a few more expressways and maybe added a few more subdivisions. The added subdivision parts are the only ones that have come true, lol

Except....I bet I do have Dunwoody colored in with boundaries that probably are close to what have been established.

[wxjay]

As a resident of Vinings, I do not want, in any shape or form, to be annexed by Atlanta and run by that incompetent government. I would much rather be my own city in Cobb County.

[GF72]

Why would you call East Cobb Johnson Ferry? That's like calling Buckhead or Vinings Paces Ferry....

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by GF72

Why would you call East Cobb Johnson Ferry? That's like calling Buckhead or Vinings Paces Ferry....

I could understand Johnson Ferry slightly since it is the "Main Street" of tony/fashionable/posh East Cobb (I use to get a kick out of those adjectives when I saw them in real estate advertisements in the late 80's and early 90's).

However, I do think a city or cities in East Cobb should not be called "East Cobb."

East Marietta, Mount Bethel, Woodlawn, Chattahoochee Plantation, Shallowford Heights, Shallowford Falls, Sandy Plains, Mountain View, Sweat Mountain, etc...these (and others) would definitely work.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

I guarantee you I could get my old footlocker at my mom's house and pull out at least a couple of 30+ year old metro atlanta maps where I have colored in most of Dekalb county, added a few more expressways and maybe added a few more subdivisions. The added subdivision parts are the only ones that have come true, lol

Except....I bet I do have Dunwoody colored in with boundaries that probably are close to what have been established.

What are your incorporation ideas for DeKalb County?

You go first...!

(It would be hard for me to do Gwinnett as well...however, I would incorporate and rename the Mountain Park/Parkview High area as North Stone Mountain...since Mountain Park already exists)

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by aries4118

What are your incorporation ideas for DeKalb County?

You go first...!

(It would be hard for me to do Gwinnett as well...however, I would incorporate and rename the Mountain Park/Parkview High area as North Stone Mountain...since Mountain Park already exists)

Tucker
Brookhaven
Druid Hills
North Druid Hills
North Decatur
Oak Grove
East Atlanta
Cedar Grove
Arabia Mountain

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Tucker
Brookhaven
Druid Hills
North Druid Hills
North Decatur
Oak Grove
East Atlanta
Cedar Grove
Arabia Mountain

This is a good list, has most of the well known names that have been around awhile.

I would add

Redan
Panola
Panthersville (I always liked that name!)

But I would like to see some of the established cities expand. Lithonia is SOOOO tiny compared to the area around it, same for Clarkston, Chamblee, Doraville, Stone Mountain, Avondale Estates. Let Pine Mountain stay its tiny little enclave.

Decatur ought to be a city of 50,000 minimum. It is older than Atlanta. Don't see the need for a North Decatur, It should all be Decatur. I am sure the areas north of Decatur proper are more desirable now, but if Decatur had the areas south, maybe they would gentrify and be the nicer areas I remember when I was a kid, like the Belvedere area.