Is Being a Black Mecca a positive or negative for Atlanta?

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by aloha jon

do you want to focus on race, religion, where your ancestors came from, etc or do you want to focus more on getting a good job, nice place to live, and make friends?

amen to that!!!!

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by Aloha jon

Do you want to focus on race, religion, where your ancestors came from, etc or do you want to focus more on getting a good job, nice place to live, and make friends?

Great shot of the park!

I second your post!

[US-Traveller]

Originally Posted by crisp444

I am white and I think that the "black mecca" title is good for the city: it spreads the word that Atlanta is an area with many black professionals, athletes, and famous people, and that attracts blacks aspiring to such a status throughout the country. I grew up in Miami, "the capital of Latin America," and I think the name is a good thing: it sends the message that professional people from all over the Americas have found success in Miami. If some people equate "the black mecca" with "the ghetto," that is their misfortune. I think it's great so many blacks have found success in Atlanta; honestly, you really don't see that in Miami. Where else in this country (besides parts of Prince Georges County, MD) do you see neighborhoods of luxury homes that are majority black? Not in many places.

There are many majority black areas that are affluent throughout the country. They aren't necessarily whole counties but certainly towns and enclaves. Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, California or Olympia Fields, Illinois, there are many.

[US-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ss20ts

Huh? I'm from the North. Upstate NY to be exact. I was NEVER told Atlanta was "nouveau rich" nor that it is "downright dangerous"! I'd also tell you that's all a crock.

I've been to Atlanta and I'll be back in June. Thanks for letting me know it's dangerous. I had no problems. Then again, I've been to NYC and Boston. If you've ever been in Greenwich Village in the park at night in the 90's, when you were 18, then you would know dangerous and scary and freaking weird!

Discouraged outside investment? Are you for real? 750 out of Fortune 1000 companies have an office based in the Atlanta Metro area. That's more than anywhere else in the US with the exception of maybe NYC.

I think many people who live in Atlanta or are from there will tell you that it is nouveau riche. There is nothing wrong with that, it is just new money. At one point every wealthy city was new money.

It is true that Atlanta has among the highest crime rates in the entire nation. That doesn't discourage people from moving there, but much of inner-city Atlanta is dangerous.

There isn't much investment going into Atlanta from outside of the southeast. Most of the investments in sectors like real estate are local, whereas in cities like New York, Chicago, Seattle, etc., people from across the US are/were investing.

[JHANE27]

I seriously think no matter how black people reside in Atlanta and anywhere else, the majority always seems to find problems in miniorites trying to better themselves. Has anyone looked at the history of Georgia, the Ivy league colleges in Atlanta and Georgia? Come on, this is such a idiotic poll for anyone to even have to ask for replies. Im an educated spanish woman that married to a black man. I would love to have my kids attend Spellman or Moorehouse college and even one their Tech colleges. To me Atlanta is like the black version of Hollywood or Beverly Hills, CA.. Since California pertains mostly to all the white actors and musicians. Atlanta does the same for all the black actors & musicians, including multi-million dollar black women and men. Same thing but, different colors.....As far as I'm concerned we'll be moving to Atlanta next year..to start own business and start a family. Because, if you have forgotten who's our President now...he's also black too (biracial for those that are technical termed..LOL)

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by US-Traveller

I think many people who live in Atlanta or are from there will tell you that it is nouveau riche. There is nothing wrong with that, it is just new money. At one point every wealthy city was new money.

It is true that Atlanta has among the highest crime rates in the entire nation. That doesn't discourage people from moving there, but much of inner-city Atlanta is dangerous.

There isn't much investment going into Atlanta from outside of the southeast. Most of the investments in sectors like real estate are local, whereas in cities like New York, Chicago, Seattle, etc., people from across the US are/were investing.

Your statement about investment being local mainly is not that true.Atlanta has lots of national and international companies that operate in Atlanta.Atlanta ranks in the world as one of the cities with the highest gdp.,and is projected to have the highest increase in millonaires just barely second after Dallas.You can't have things like this and only have local growth.If you said that about Birmingham ,then I might be inclined to agree with you.A lot of people who live in Atlanta do not actually live in the city itself.Their opinions are usually not entirelly valid.

Atlanta has crime but statistics don't always tell the whole truth. Atlanta is not mostly unsafe.No more so than many other large cities.

As far as nouveau riche,Atlanta has many old well to do black families.Many educated by it's many black institutions of higher learning.Auburn Ave at one time was the Harlem of the south.Black business flourished in that area.Martin Luther King J,and former Mayor Maynard Jackson were products of succesful black families.

[coolyfett]

Originally Posted by JHANE27

I seriously think no matter how black people reside in Atlanta and anywhere else, the majority always seems to find problems in miniorites trying to better themselves. Has anyone looked at the history of Georgia, the Ivy league colleges in Atlanta and Georgia? Come on, this is such a idiotic poll for anyone to even have to ask for replies. Im an educated spanish woman that married to a black man. I would love to have my kids attend Spellman or Moorehouse college and even one their Tech colleges. To me Atlanta is like the black version of Hollywood or Beverly Hills, CA.. Since California pertains mostly to all the white actors and musicians. Atlanta does the same for all the black actors & musicians, including multi-million dollar black women and men. Same thing but, different colors.....As far as I'm concerned we'll be moving to Atlanta next year..to start own business and start a family. Because, if you have forgotten who's our President now...he's also black too (biracial for those that are technical termed..LOL)

Sounds like a great plan.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by Aloha jon

Do you want to focus on race, religion, where your ancestors came from, etc or do you want to focus more on getting a good job, nice place to live, and make friends?

Believe it or not, the former has the ability to affect the latter.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by US-Traveller

There isn't much investment going into Atlanta from outside of the southeast. Most of the investments in sectors like real estate are local, whereas in cities like New York, Chicago, Seattle, etc., people from across the US are/were investing.

Give me some stats on this and not just anecdotal "evidence."

And at first you said "outside investment," now it's "investment outside of the Southeast." What's next, "investment only east of the Mississippi"? And I think it's a great thing that homegrown companies can grow to the point where they can make major investments in their own city. Isn't that how every global city got its start?