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What's the love about? I've never been, have heard great things, have met some great people from that area, but I'm curious as to why many have it so high - some over NO and Nashville.
Because these things tend to divert into a "well the city sucks but the metro is nice" or vice versa, please consider the following in totality - the city and metro together:
Memphis, TN
Charlotte, NC
Atlanta, GA
New Orleans, LA
Birmingham, AL
Jackson, MS
Little Rock, AR
Nashville, TN
Columbia, SC
Raleigh, NC
Rank them based on your general perception /experience. Which are good, which are not good. Which are fun, which are boring. Which are entrenched, which are progressive. Just your overall feelings regarding these areas.
Atlanta
N.O.
Nashville
Charlotte
Raleigh
Memphis
Birmingham
Little Rock
Columbia
Jackson
Atlanta gets top billing because its the most mature in this list, IMO. One of the largest and most diverse economies in the country; diverse population with a large international draw and domestic migration, lending it a very multicultural flavor; amenities expected from one of the largest metros in the nation; an urban core that's becoming increasingly dense and urbane, with many vibrant neighborhoods throughout; bonus points for being a black and LBGTQ mecca. It needs to start addressing its infrastructure and transportation issues in a big way, however, if it wants to continue climbing.
New Orleans is a national treasure and truly unique. It's not without its economic and social problems, but its culture is immediately recognizable and pretty much unmatched as a party destination in the South. It's also well designed and liveable, especially for a southern city.
Nashville, like N.O., is a great party town and rising in stature. When I've been, I get a New South vibe but still feel like it retains the better aspects of southern culture. Great place.
Charlotte is nice enough. It may be cliche at this point, but it does feel like Atlanta, Jr., in a way. I think it's cleaner than Atlanta, though, and as someone else once said on this forum, not as gritty or lived in. It's a pleasant place and probably nice to live in, if a little dull.
Raleigh, I believe, is going to continue its climb to national importance, especially as tech continues to be a dominant industry. Definitely feels pretty progressive and it seems to have a lot of transplants. Good vibe, but like Charlotte, I find it a little dull.
The rest of the list is pretty blah to me. Birmingham continues to lose population and although its downtown is trying to make a resurgence, there isn't anything that would draw me to it. Memphis has soul, no doubt, but it's stagnant and probably not going to improve in any significant way anytime soon. I don't know much about Little Rock, but Columbia and Jackson feel like Old South capitals, which I don't find appealing at all.
The rest of the list is pretty blah to me. Birmingham continues to lose population and although its downtown is trying to make a resurgence, there isn't anything that would draw me to it. Memphis has soul, no doubt, but it's stagnant and probably not going to improve in any significant way anytime soon. I don't know much about Little Rock, but Columbia and Jackson feel like Old South capitals, which I don't find appealing at all.
Columbia feels quite different than Jackson to me in several ways and is certainly more progressive. And it was never as "Old South" as Jackson.
What's the love about? I've never been, have heard great things, have met some great people from that area, but I'm curious as to why many have it so high - some over NO and Nashville.
I took Raleigh over New Orleans and Nashville for living because the crime rate is A LOT lower, more Asian people and is closer to the ocean and major cities.
What's the love about? I've never been, have heard great things, have met some great people from that area, but I'm curious as to why many have it so high - some over NO and Nashville.
It's hard to answer for other people, but I love Raleigh too. It's progressive, clean, and growing by leaps and bounds. It's the state capital so it represents the entire state and so presents itself very well. Being one of the fastest growing cities in the US, a lot of people seem to agree.
Columbia is almost like a mini-Raleigh with a Deep South flair, although it's not Deep South in the same vein as Jackson, Montgomery, Memphis, etc. I like the direction Columbia is heading. Last time I visited, downtown seemed very nice. Seems like Charleston is receiving all the transplants, but I'd love to see Columbia grow because it's still a small city.
Columbia is more progressive than Jackson, it has a brighter future.
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