How will the City of Atlanta change if it keeps losing blacks? (living, price)

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

Yes but you are forgetting that what established the whole metro's reputation as a "black mecca" is the fact that the City of Atlanta was 66% black, run by a black mayor, and known for its "blackness". My statement was that if these three factors go away, it might not matter what the metro is, because Atlanta is the spokesperson for the whole region, and once it is no longer majority black, has a white/asian/hispanic mayor, it could change people's perceptions on a national level.

Of course I could be wrong...

... But the fact that you refuse to consider this possibility shows that YOU are the one in denial.

Having a black mayor really did help Atlanta's image back in the 70s, but now with a black president in the White House all of that is a mute point. Having a majority black population doesn't necessarily lead to a city becoming a "black mecca". If that was the case then you would see black folks moving to Detroit in droves nowadays. Trust me, Atlanta will always be a black mecca. Being a black mecca has nothing to do with the number of whites, Asians, or Hispanics, but rather with the historical ties that African Americans have to the area.

If Atlanta elected a white mayor, again it would greatly improve Atlanta's image as an open-minded city fulfilling King's dream. In fact, whites still win elections here for citywide offices. Cathy Woolard, a white lesbian, was elected president of the City Council 6 years ago.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by aries4118

The percentage of blacks in Metro Atlanta is increasing, Kurt...

It would be interesting to see numbers on that.

With 100,000 people per year coming into the metro over the last 20 years or more, there would be a lot of new non-black people to offset.

It could be possible, though.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

It would be interesting to see numbers on that.

With 100,000 people per year coming into the metro over the last 20 years or more, there would be a lot of new non-black people to offset.

It could be possible, though.

It's very small increases in black percentage. The influx of newcomers is still majority white...Atlanta's metro population (depending on which areas are included) is anywhere from 1/3 to close to 40% black (the best overall percentage in my opinion is 35%).

So, even if the percentage of newcomers is 60-64% white/non-black, this would cause the overall metro black percentage to slowly increase.

35% black for a metro area in the U.S means a very large black population.


Atlanta is definitely a black mecca...but is also a mecca for many other groups.

The plain fact is that Atlanta is the Capital of the American South.

[hokiehigh]

The Atlanta Regional Commission reports that in 2000, the white, non-Hispanic population of the 20-county Atlanta metro region formed 60 percent of the total population; by 2006, that had shrunk to 54 percent.

So, it seems the entire metro area is a magnet for African Americans, Hispanic and probably Asian growth. Caucasians are still moving to the area, but not at the rate of other groups.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

Having a black mayor really did help Atlanta's image back in the 70s, but now with a black president in the White House all of that is a mute point. Having a majority black population doesn't necessarily lead to a city becoming a "black mecca". If that was the case then you would see black folks moving to Detroit in droves nowadays. Trust me, Atlanta will always be a black mecca. Being a black mecca has nothing to do with the number of whites, Asians, or Hispanics, but rather with the historical ties that African Americans have to the area.

Atlanta is called a black mecca because many blacks are moving here, not because of historical ties. Not to be rude, but please look up the definition of a mecca. So, if blacks stop moving to Atlanta, its no longer a mecca. History has nothing to do with it.

Also, although history may influence black people's decision to move here, there is no way of knowing if it does. Another just as likely reason is that black people like to be in a city with a large number of blacks. So, when blacks saw that the city was majority black with a black mayor, they began to move here in the 1970s. This trend was noted, and Atlanta was branded as a "black mecca" by certain media.

But what if, for whatever reason, those same media say that Charlotte, or Dallas, etc., is the new black mecca, and Atlanta is "not the place" anymore. Would blacks keep moving here? What if those same places said Atlanta is more of an Asian Mecca than a black mecca? I think it would affect perceptions of the city.

Just because a place has ties to certain group historically does not mean that it will always be a "mecca" for that group. All I am doing is entertaining the idea that the demographic inversion of the city could alter people's perceptions of the whole region on a national level, black and white alike. After all, nothing lasts forever.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

Atlanta is called a black mecca because many blacks are moving here, not because of historical ties. Not to be rude, but please look up the definition of a mecca. So, if blacks stop moving to Atlanta, its no longer a mecca. History has nothing to do with it.

Also, although history may influence black people's decision to move here, there is no way of knowing if it does. Another just as likely reason is that black people like to be in a city with a large number of blacks. So, when blacks saw that the city was majority black with a black mayor, they began to move here in the 1970s. This trend was noted, and Atlanta was branded as a "black mecca" by certain media.

But what if, for whatever reason, those same media say that Charlotte, or Dallas, etc., is the new black mecca, and Atlanta is "not the place" anymore. Would blacks keep moving here? What if those same places said Atlanta is more of an Asian Mecca than a black mecca? I think it would affect perceptions of the city.

Just because a place has ties to certain group historically does not mean that it will always be a "mecca" for that group. All I am doing is entertaining the idea that the demographic inversion of the city could alter people's perceptions of the whole region on a national level, black and white alike. After all, nothing lasts forever.

Gee...who am I, a black transplant to Atlanta, to explain why blacks are moving here?

You really refuse to see why Atlanta is a black mecca. It is because of historical ties. I'm sorry if you can't understand that. It's not like we're the Borg out of Star Trek and automatically move to a place because of some telepathic mental signal drawing us to a critical mass of black people. Just like any other group of people, we choose where we live for certain reasons.

Look, you bring up an interesting topic and I can see some of your arguments. But don't be stubborn and refuse to listen to what others are saying on the topic. Several black posters on here have agreed with the fact that one of the major reasons why Atlanta is a black mecca is because of the strong historical ties that many African Americans have to the region.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

Having a black mayor really did help Atlanta's image back in the 70s, but now with a black president in the White House all of that is a mute point. Having a majority black population doesn't necessarily lead to a city becoming a "black mecca". If that was the case then you would see black folks moving to Detroit in droves nowadays. Trust me, Atlanta will always be a black mecca. Being a black mecca has nothing to do with the number of whites, Asians, or Hispanics, but rather with the historical ties that African Americans have to the area.

If Atlanta elected a white mayor, again it would greatly improve Atlanta's image as an open-minded city fulfilling King's dream. In fact, whites still win elections here for citywide offices. Cathy Woolard, a white lesbian, was elected president of the City Council 6 years ago.

So true about having a white mayor.Or Indian, Vietnamese,etc..

[jlgrimes11]

Well the main answer would be a loss of Black businesses in the city overtime. Not all would go away though. This would carry over into other events like less attendance at sports events or what not. At worst Atlanta could go through an identity crisis and might have even more of an issue attracting tourists like another forum mentioned.


I don't see too many Blacks leaving though.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

Atlanta is called a black mecca because many blacks are moving here, not because of historical ties. Not to be rude, but please look up the definition of a mecca. So, if blacks stop moving to Atlanta, its no longer a mecca. History has nothing to do with it.

History has a ton to do with it and accounts for a large part of Atlanta's popularity among African Americans that have chosen to move there over the past few decades. I know of no mecca for any group of people that doesn't have cultural institutions and traditions that have been sustained over time and help give that group a sense of identity in that particular locale, and Atlanta is certainly no exception here. Of course something could change where Blacks would stop moving there in droves and that would certainly call Atlanta's status as a Black mecca into question, but that doesn't exclude the role of history in Atlanta's present status as a Black mecca.

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

"Several black posters on here have agreed with the fact that one of the major reasons why Atlanta is a black mecca is because of the strong historical ties that many African Americans have to the region."

I agree with this as well..

Martin Luther King is all that need to be said