Is Atlanta more "Southern" than Northern Virginia? (Washington: high school, college)

[creekviewcrazy]

JXU is correct, Canton is definitely the south.

[south-to-west]

In Atlanta, you will constantly see the contrast between old and new. In the Intown neighborhoods, you will see a lot of old houses built in the old Southern Craftsman style with huge porches and surrounded by oaks and magnolias. In the background, you will see tall, modern skyscrapers. This is especially noticeable in Inman Park and Ansley Park.

A lot of areas in the suburbs don't feel very southern because a lot of the housing is newer in newly built subdivisions. However, a lot of the old town centers out in the 'burbs have Southern character in terms of architecture and landscaping. Some suburban town centers that come to mind are Decatur, Marietta, Lawrenceville, Covington, McDonough and Newnan. Most, if not all, of these towns are the county seats of their respective counties and have their centers oriented around their courthouses, which are usually featured in a square. It's really cool.

Metro Atlanta has a lot of transplants from other regions, but the Southern roots and character of the area are very noticeable at times.

[JoyandSimon]

I work in Alexandria, VA and cannot stand it, hence my relocating to Atlanta. People in NoVa in my opinion are rude, and the cost of living is through the roof. You can't touch a "bad" condo for less than $300K, and there is no room to spread out. Think less character, more cookie cutter.

On the other hand, it is great for a career. My opinion is that it's a good career move, but if you value a good quality of life, you won't find it in NoVA if you want a relaxing atmosphere.

My boyfriend and I were hoping to move to Charlotte, NC before Atlanta, but my job prospects were not as strong (I am in the Environmental field) as in Atlanta. Charlotte has a great southern feel, and is certainly less crowded than Atlanta. It'd be my first choice

I hate to sound so down on NoVa, but living here changed me for the worse, and I am moving south to relax a little.

[FatElvisForever]

Originally Posted by silviodante

So if, for career reasons, I have to be in a major metro area, but I love the South and want to live in a Southern (culturally, not just geographically) environment, there really is no advantage in living in Atlanta over DC? If not, is there any major metro that is southern in character? Charlotte?

Columbia South Carolina is the last of the livable "larger" Southern cities. Sherman burned that place down, also... and they haven't forgiven!

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by FatElvisForever

Columbia South Carolina is the last of the livable "larger" Southern cities. Sherman burned that place down, also... and they haven't forgiven!

then I prefer whatever Atlanta is. 'LA of the East', 'Detroit of the South'...

'Conservative'. Not an area that seems to be 'growth-oriented'.

[FatElvisForever]

Charlotte is more of a redneck town than Atlanta. And it's those mountian rednecks that like to pick fights, not the mellow farmer types you find in Raleigh. Charlotte is the three "r's", Racing, Rednecks, and 'Rastlin. Besides all the bankers, there's not much else going on. Huge warehousing center thanks to I77 and I85. Boring place, morally conservative, lots of bible thumpers. I lived there for a long while, can't think of anything I really miss about the place. Worst BBQ town in North Carolina. One of a few major cities without a serious Law, Medical, or Business school. On the border of ACC / SEC territory, yet no major college sports in the city itself (UNCC, har har). Not the cultural or intellectual center of NC. The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill triangle is far more engaging of a place and compares more favorably versus Atlanta, if one had a choice of places to live.

[FatElvisForever]

Originally Posted by bhs119

then I prefer whatever Atlanta is. 'LA of the East', 'Detroit of the South'...

'Conservative'. Not an area that seems to be 'growth-oriented'.

Well.. the guy was looking for a "Southern" city, which Atlanta is not.

[GF72]

Originally Posted by bhs119

I cannot compare the two --never lived in No VA.

IMO, the 'tone' of metro Atlanta is 'Professional'/corporate, with many transplanted citizens.
You would need to visit places like Braselton, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Winder, Douglasville, Carrollton and Cartersville to name just a few 'exurbs'--within an hour or so of metro Atlanta, to compare/contrast the cultural differences. Georgia in general is not a wealthy state, etc.

(I was curious--googled for FYI on 'Northern VA')>>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Virginia

Excerpt:

'Northern Virginia (NoVA) is one of the wealthiest regions in the United States [1], consisting of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, counties and the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Together with Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland and West Virginia, it makes up the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country.'

sls

Depends on what part of Atlanta you are comparing to. That part of Virginia is very wealthy indeed, one of the top 5 wealthiest congressional districts in the US. However the congressional district that makes up the suburbs directly north of Atlanta (GA's 6th congressional district), aka the area between I-75 and I-85, is also one of the top 5 wealthiest districts in the US. So in that case, the two would be really similar. Then again, the rest of GA isn't quite so lucky.

(more specifically, that part of virginia, aka VA's District 11, is the #1 wealthiest area in the country, while the north atlanta suburbs, aka GA's District 6, is the #4 wealthiest area in the country... #2 and #3 are in New Jersey and California)

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by GF72

Depends on what part of Atlanta you are comparing to. That part of Virginia is very wealthy indeed, one of the top 5 wealthiest congressional districts in the US. However the congressional district that makes up the suburbs directly north of Atlanta (GA's 6th congressional district), aka the area between I-75 and I-85, is also one of the top 5 wealthiest districts in the US. So in that case, the two would be really similar. Then again, the rest of GA isn't quite so lucky.

(more specifically, that part of virginia, aka VA's District 11, is the #1 wealthiest area in the country, while the north atlanta suburbs, aka GA's District 6, is the #4 wealthiest area in the country... #2 and #3 are in New Jersey and California)

I suppose District 6 is Cobb County/Milton/Alpharetta/John's Creek?

NOVA includes Baltimore and DC--and District 6 would be bordered by ???Marietta/Smyrna on the west and ??Dawsonville/Gainesville on the east--considerable difference.

[GF72]

Originally Posted by bhs119

I suppose District 6 is Cobb County/Milton/Alpharetta/John's Creek?

NOVA includes Baltimore and DC--and District 6 would be bordered by ???Marietta/Smyrna on the west and ??Dawsonville/Gainesville on the east--considerable difference.

Virginia's 11th district is the #1 wealthiest area in the US, that only covers most of Fairfax County and half of Prince William County... just some of the suburbs. The rest of NoVa is not included... if you included all of Baltimore and DC it would be nowhere near #1.

As for District 6 in GA, it actually covers a larger area.... basically all of Cherokee County, a third of Cobb County(East Cobb, Vinings), the northern chunk of Fulton County (Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek), and the northern part of Dekalb County (Dunwoody and part of Chamblee and Doraville). However, no part of Gwinnett is included, so it does not go quite all the way to I-85.

So in actuality, GA's District 6 is larger than VA's District 11 in terms of area, and probably about the same in terms of population. But just note that only District 11 (just part of NoVa, and certainly not including any non-suburbs) is the super rich area, same in Atlanta with District 6, that's suburbs only.

Also, since when does NoVa include Baltimore and DC? NoVa just refers to the suburban counties, and then only a part of that is VA's 11th district.