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By "more suburban" I assume you mean that more of metro Atlanta's population is outside of the city limits? Charlotte has to be the least urban/dense core city of a major metropolitan area east of the Mississippi even after accounting for the scope of its municipal boundaries.
I don't doubt that Atlanta has more in common with Charlotte than it does Columbia, but that's not what the OP is inquiring about. He was wondering if Charlotte was more of a mini-Atlanta or a big Columbia. I think it's an interesting question because many on this forum over the years have argued whether Philadelphia is a mini-NYC or a big Baltimore. I'm sure we've entertained other "Is X city a bigger or smaller version of Y and Z cities" over the years.
Charlotte may be larger than Columbia and have more going on overall, but it feels a big step down from Atlanta in terms of pace and verve. It's a more noticeable gap, IMO, than going from NYC to Philly. I understand that Charlotte and Columbia are different cities (aren't all cities?), but it's hard to believe that two cities less than 100 miles apart are THAT different. Now if we were talking about Charleston or Savannah, I could see how one would say they are way different given their age, location and history, but I would imagine most non-Southerners would put cities like Greenville, Columbia, Augusta and Charlotte all into the same general category notwithstanding some things that are unique to those places.
I think that is what he meant. I had to reread that part. As Mutiny stated, Charlotte has more in common with Greenville than Columbia. Charlotte looks and feels very different than Columbia even though they are less than 100 miles apart. I have to disagree with the non-southerners comment. I know many non-southerners who know that Charlotte is in an entirely different category than the cities you mentioned.
I know many non-southerners who know that Charlotte is in an entirely different category than the cities you mentioned.
Size-wise, sure. You could say the same about NYC and Philly with the former being approximately 6 times as large. I think most people, however, would put them in the same general category as older Northeastern cities. Likewise, I think most people would group several Southern cities into the same category as being fundamentally similar.
I concur with the earlier Augusta/ Raleigh/ Columbia when I think about the look and feel of the three cities, BUT I can honestly attest to the fact that I have NEVER thought about their similarities before it was stated here.
Size-wise, sure. You could say the same about NYC and Philly with the former being approximately 6 times as large. I think most people, however, would put them in the same general category as older Northeastern cities. Likewise, I think most people would group several Southern cities into the same category as being fundamentally similar.
Charlotte and Atlanta definitely have more commonalities with each other than many other cities in the South, primarily due to proximity. Much like Philly and NYC, one city is an order of magnitude larger. Both Charlotte and Atlanta share I-85, Nascar, progressive growth, and what I call "big city" kuntry Black. Major difference is that Atlanta is a state capitol with core HBCU schools that fueled the African American growth...spawning into the Black Mecca of the South. Although Charlotte has a significant African American population, it lacked the large collegiate influence from both Black and White universities that create a certain flavor and character about the city/metro.
Other than Atlanta being bigger and busier, much of the regional culture, etc is quite similar.
Columbia is totally different from the progressive standpoint, it shares that regional culture but by no means does it project the aspirations or arrogance of Atlanta or Charlotte.
Charlotte and Atlanta definitely have more commonalities with each other than many other cities in the South, primarily due to proximity. Much like Philly and NYC, one city is an order of magnitude larger. Both Charlotte and Atlanta share I-85, Nascar, progressive growth, and what I call "big city" kuntry Black. Major difference is that Atlanta is a state capitol with core HBCU schools that fueled the African American growth...spawning into the Black Mecca of the South. Although Charlotte has a significant African American population, it lacked the large collegiate influence from both Black and White universities that create a certain flavor and character about the city/metro.
Other than Atlanta being bigger and busier, much of the regional culture, etc is quite similar.
Columbia is totally different from the progressive standpoint, it shares that regional culture but by no means does it project the aspirations or arrogance of Atlanta or Charlotte.
An interstate? How does an interstate make two cities any more similar to each other?
Philly draws comparisons to NYC, but it also draws comparisons to Baltimore. But whereas Philly is nearly equidistant to Baltimore and NYC, Charlotte is about 150 miles closer to Columbia, SC than it is to Atlanta, GA. It sort of begs the question of how the two cities can be so dissimilar given their proximity to each other. It seems to me that Columbia would be a smaller, less progressive version of Charlotte. Sure, Charlotte shares some more general commonalities with Atlanta, but overall, I think of Atlanta as "Hotlanta," a city full of buzz with a red hot singles scene, while Charlotte falls more into the category of "nice family town" along with Raleigh. Charlotte seems very low density, slow-paced and "woodsy" to me much like some of the other cities in the Carolinas.
I think this post sums up the difference between Atlanta and Charlotte.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarheelhombre
It all depends upon your personal taste and prior experience. People who think Charlotte is boring tend to have grown up or lived in densely populated megacities with 24/7 entertainment and amenities. They tend to think of exciting as a place where you can easily dine well at 1 am in the morning on a Wednesday, and find hordes of hipsters walking the sidewalks and in dive bars in multiple bustling parts of town. They want to be able to go out at 11 p.m. on a Thursday and feel like the night is still young and city is alive. They also tend to be cities with a very bohemian, hipster, and culturally progressive activist ethos. The "exciting places" tend to be places with huge numbers of visible single adults, college students, gays, foreign-born people, artists, intellectuals, and technies, the much-studied "creative class." Of course, many, many people do not need this type of environment to be fulfilled, but for a certain type of person, it is necessary.
An interstate? How does an interstate make two cities any more similar to each other?
Philly draws comparisons to NYC, but it also draws comparisons to Baltimore. But whereas Philly is nearly equidistant to Baltimore and NYC, Charlotte is about 150 miles closer to Columbia, SC than it is to Atlanta, GA. It sort of begs the question of how the two cities can be so dissimilar given their proximity to each other. It seems to me that Columbia would be a smaller, less progressive version of Charlotte. Sure, Charlotte shares some more general commonalities with Atlanta, but overall, I think of Atlanta as "Hotlanta," a city full of buzz with a red hot singles scene, while Charlotte falls more into the category of "nice family town" along with Raleigh. Charlotte seems very low density, slow-paced and "woodsy" to me much like some of the other cities in the Carolinas.
I'm assuming that we're using the term progressive in a non-ideological sense--in which case, Columbia is more of a smaller, less progressive version of Raleigh. It seems that geography matters a little more than distance in this case.
I'm assuming that we're using the term progressive in a non-ideological sense--in which case, Columbia is more of a smaller, less progressive version of Raleigh. It seems that geography matters a little more than distance in this case.
In what sense? The Fall Line?
Another way I think Charlotte is very different from Atlanta is the lack of identity and civic pride.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 08-09-2018 at 02:13 PM..
Yep. That location is part of the reason both are the (planned) capitals of their states for starters.
Quote:
Another way I think Charlotte is very different from Atlanta is the lack of identity and civic pride.
I can somewhat see where you're coming from with respect to identity, but civic pride? Atlanta and Charlotte are definitely cut from the same cloth there. They have very similar histories of boosterism and big city aspirations with civic pride playing a big role there.
Yep. That location is part of the reason both are the (planned) capitals of their states for starters.
I just wonder how much being a fall line city matters in a practical sense. Say, for example, Philadelphia being a fall line city along with Augusta, Richmond, Trenton, etc. Sure, it's a commonality, but it doesn't seem to be one of much consequence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
I can somewhat see where you're coming from with respect to identity, but civic pride? Atlanta and Charlotte are definitely cut from the same cloth there. They have very similar histories of boosterism and big city aspirations with civic pride playing a big role there.
I don't mean boosterism. Philly, for example, has civic pride in the sense that being a Philadelphian is a badge worn proudly on one's sleeve. I see that much more in Atlanta being the home of Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Mitchell, Outkast, etc.
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