Atlanta:"Boston of the South?" (Newton: colleges, suburbs)
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Well first off I did not mean this to be a them versus Raleigh.I just wanted to know why Atlanta area does not capitalize on this important segment of it economy like the two cities I mention seemed to be doing.
However,Like the previous poster said "on a per capita basis" it would be Raleigh.So what does that mean exactly as it pertains to higher education and research?I know 50.1% of the people in Raleigh have a Bachelors or higher vs Atlanta at 42.4% .Of course it makes sense because Atlanta has a more diversified economy.That said, education and research are also a major part of the economy also in Atlanta.So why cannot it be as big?
I was about to say the same thing. Raleigh-Durham may have fewer colleges and expenditures on research than Atlanta. But that is because Atlanta is like 4 times bigger than the entire Triangle metro. I can pretty much guarantee you that on a per-capita level, the Triangle is most like Boston in regards to higher education and research. The Raleigh-Durham area is all about education, medicine and research. It's a huge part of the culture and economy there, and you feel it in it's atmosphere.
And as far as urban layout, density and history goes, Charleston SC takes the cake for "Boston of the South".
I think of Atlanta more as the "Chicago of the South".
If Raleigh would be more like the "Boston of the South",then would its economy reflect that more?So why would Raleigh be that as opposed to Atlanta?(the Boston of the South).Atlanta has more high tech jobs,and federal grants than Raleigh.Please explain.
The question asked on HOW it should MARKET the area such as those areas market themselves.NOT LITERALLY.I hope Atlanta WILL NEVER become Boston either.(at least just some of it economic components)
That was not a dig at Boston.I meant that Atlanta should retain much of it character of its own.Atlanta should not aspire to be any city other than itself.Only aspects that are positive and can add to the already existing value of the city from other cities should be considered.Got it?
Like another poster mentioned, Atlanta can probably be best described as a "Chicago of the South" economically - more of a jack of all trades/master of none. Greater Boston is world renowned for its universities/research institutions and hospitals. (MIT, Harvard, MGH, etc.) Also there are many major companies in the area that are direct (and often long-standing) off-shoots of high-tech or biotech research occuring at these institutions.
Having lived in both areas, I have always felt that there is a more visible intellectual population in the Boston area as compared to Atlanta.
The Atlanta area can feel somewhat similar to parts of New Jersey (I'm talking about sections of Edison and environs) if anything but nothing like the Boston area.
That was not a dig at Boston.I meant that Atlanta should retain much of it character of its own.Atlanta should not aspire to be any city other than itself.Only aspects that are positive and can add to the already existing value of the city from other cities should be considered.Got it?
Like another poster mentioned, Atlanta can probably be best described as a "Chicago of the South" economically - more of a jack of all trades/master of none. Greater Boston is world renowned for its universities/research institutions and hospitals. (MIT, Harvard, MGH, etc.) Also there are many major companies in the area that are direct (and often long-standing) off-shoots of high-tech or biotech research occuring at these institutions.
Having lived in both areas, I have always felt that there is a more visible intellectual population in the Boston area as compared to Atlanta.
The Atlanta area can feel somewhat similar to parts of New Jersey (I'm talking about sections of Edison and environs) if anything but nothing like the Boston area.
This was not meant to be a comparison to Boston.Boston obviously blows away almost every city in the U.S.out of the water when you are talking overall quality.Boston was used ONLY to say that Atlanta ranks highly also as a center of higher education in the U.S. but more so in the South.I used those cities to describe what people may or may not know about what Atlanta has to offer.In many categories according to the data that I provided,Atlanta ranks between as high 4th to no lower than 8th in most categories.Boston in many of those areas does not even rank number one.Which is actually a surprise to many.Again its not just quality but a combination of both.If you take that into consideration then its not such an "unusual" pairing.
If Atlanta does not feel like it has more visible intellectual populace,a lot of that has to do with Geography.Boston is a denser, but a much smaller city area wise than Atlanta,so stupid is pretty evenly divided around the city(yes I did say that).I'm joking but the layout of the city does make a difference just like the history does.Yet depending on the circles and the area of Atlanta you live in,you will also see more of what you speak of.
Atlanta has one of the highest educated work forces in the U.S.It actually ranks higher than Boston when it comes to educational attainment with people having a Bachelors or higher. City, in order of education rank
Percent of population with college degree or higher
I wasn't just referring to the Boston city proper. Surrounding towns and suburbs (Cambridge, parts of Somerville nowasdays), Brookline, Newton, (which are all city-like by Atlanta standards, probably moreso) as well as upscale towns outside 128, have a large number of highly-educated people.
Just having a bachelor's degree doesn't mean much anymore. It depends on the field and the aptitude, as to one conducts themselves. A B.S. in drinking is just that, imo. Everyone and his sister can lay claim to holding a bachelors in something or the other. Keep in mind that the Boston area has a lot of older people and residents whose families have been there for generations, so the percentage of people with bachelors' degrees is lower.
In the Boston suburbs, the list of high-tech and bio-tech firms is very large - to name a few - MIT Lincoln Lab, MITRE, Raytheon, EMC, Analog Devices, Genzyme, Branches of many pharmaceutical companies, etc.
This necessarily leads to a greater number of HIGHLY-SKILLED people in the greater Boston area as opposed to Atlanta. I am well aware that the Atlanta area is home to GT, GTRI, Emory, CDC, a LM division, an IBM divsion, a GE divison etc. However, as a percentage of the total population, I would bet that the Boston area has a larger highly-skilled and intellectual population. I think that Atlanta attracts a lot of $50k millionaire types from all over the country and this is what fuels a lot of the population growth here.
In the Boston suburbs, the list of high-tech and bio-tech firms is very large - to name a few - MIT Lincoln Lab, MITRE, Raytheon, EMC, Analog Devices, Genzyme, Branches of many pharmaceutical companies, etc.
This necessarily leads to a greater number of HIGHLY-SKILLED people in the greater Boston area as opposed to Atlanta.
I agree with this statement. Being in high tech and having lived in the Boston area for many years (and having worked with all the organizations mentioned in a professional capacity), I was surprised at the contrast when we moved back here a couple of years ago. Back in the 1980s when I lived in Atlanta the first time, there was a greater concentration of high tech, and maybe it was just my perception, but when I moved to the Boston area in 1992 the Atlanta area still had the advantage. That has definitely changed.
The Boston area used to have DEC (became Compaq and later HP) and not much else besides Polaroid and Raytheon, but starting in the early 1990s the "computer commute" on the top end of 128 and the biotechs in Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Waltham have really taken things to the next level.
I would also agree that the Boston area has a large number of pseudo-intellectual types that are either affiliated with the vast number of colleges in the area, or are just left leaning in their politics and gravitate to that mindset. The social and political climate in Boston is nothing like Atlanta, and in many ways that's a great thing.
I'd like to also add that Atlanta probably will become a big player (commercially) in the future in specialized high-tech fields as a result of startups spawned from GT, but this will take time of course. However, also in the future, the Atlanta area will have a significantly larger population than that of the Boston area. A lot of the growth will come from people seeking a "cheap big city" or a "mecca" of some sorts. So as a result, the Boston area will be a smaller, but more specialized and highly-skilled metro area than Atlanta, even more so than it is today. The exodus of blue collar types and less-skilled types to the "cheaper and warmer" hot spots will continue.
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The Raleigh-Durham area is all about education, medicine and research. It's a huge part of the culture and economy there, and you feel it in it's atmosphere.
