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Crazy Virgo, those stats are for Boston proper, not Boston metro. But yes, Boston is 25% black. (Source: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed)
However, the entire metro area is only 5% Black (Source: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed)
I don't know of many parks that simply close at a certain time. Certain functions not allowed (e.g. basketball or tennis courts locked), sure, but closed off (e.g. gated off)? No... not unless it's privately owned. I've paraded around many city parks (not just in Boston) late at night (past 1am) and never had any issues, nor were there any signs posted warning that the park was closed.
I don't know, go to the websites of various public parks and you'll find operating hours. Read a sign as you walk into a public park and you'll usually find a closing time. some parks have gates, and others are randomly patroled by police or park officials.
Or maybe I'm just making it up - you obviously don't seem to believe me...and I don't care one way or another. Public parks DO have specified hours of operation, but you can believe whatever you want.
Absolutely! This is sort of the point I'm trying to make. I enjoy the differences between both cities. I simply happen to prefer the opposite of what you prefer (e.g. the wall-to-wall homes of Boston). It doesn't mean Boston is necessarily better at all. Different strokes for different folks.
The problem is that some seem to be trying to make the argument that Atlanta has similar density to Boston and it's simply not true. While Atlanta has POCKETS of density, it doesn't have them in nearly the same consistency as Boston does nor does it have it over the same size area. Some like this, others don't... but regardless of how one feels about this fact, Boston has a lot more density than Atlanta.
I'm not trying to argue that Boston's a better city than Atlanta, but having spent time in both, Boston (to me) FEELS much larger. It has more density, is more compact, has a higher population in a smaller area, has a higher population over the entire metropolitan area, has a more expansive transit system, etc. To me, Boston feels like the larger city (in part because it is).
YOU may not be trying to argue that and you may be making a valid point...but others here aren't you. Some of the tired, stereotypical comments in these threads are just getting old.
Again, no one is saying that the two cities are of equal density. My only point is that Atlanta isn't "too spread out" or "full of parking lots" or any of that nonsense. There are several dense/compact areas of the city.
Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Forest Hills/Franklin Park, Lynn, Chelsea, Cambridge, Lawrence, Lowell, Everett, Medford, and Somerville now qualify as the same area?
I understand what you're saying, because the stereotype is that Boston is all white people, but it's not necessarily true. I will admit that our metro is one of the most (if not the most) predominantly white areas of the country. However it's not because blacks and other races are shunned.
I'm often surprised by the amount of caribbean accents I hear in the city.
Also, having more black people doesn't necessarily make a city more diverse. From my desk looking around the office, the population within my group is as follows: 6 white American males (including myself), 2 white American females, 1 French female, 2 Asian American males, 1 Asian American female, 1 Chinese girl, 1 Indian girl, 1 New Zealander, 1 Russian male, 1 Greek female, 1 African American female. I'd say that's some decent diversity.
The only one of those areas Ive been to is Lynn, and that isnt in Boston proper and neither is it all black, but if you are counting suburbs then Boston really isnt anymore diverse than Atlanta. Bottom line Boston is diverse as most major cities are, but there aren't allot of blacks in Boston. And why do you keep bringing up the "we're not racist in Boston" line up over and over? I never said anything about that, remember those were your words, not mine. Like I said I didnt really spend allot of time in Boston, but out of all the cites Ive been to, Boston was the only one Ive been to where Ive been in the inner city and saw more white people than blacks or Hispanics. Nothing wrong with it, Im just telling you what I saw
What observations are laughable? I don't think it's laughable to observe that Atlanta has nowhere NEAR the density that Boston does. Nor do I think it's laughable to say that Atlanta is a sprawling city. Is it laughable for one to have an opinion on which city they like more? The core of Atlanta is nowhere NEAR as dense as Boston.
Sure, the area just Northwest of Woodruff Park (the area enclosed by Spring St., Marietta, Peachtree, and Andrew Young- Right near the Peachtree Center) in Atlanta has a few blocks that hold a vague resemblance to Boston's Financial District (a much smaller version of the Financial District though) with a blend of narrow streets, all to wall buildings, and highrises, but this is a TINY section of the city. However, if you walk outside of this area, there is very little density... I remember walking East from the Peachtree Center along Andrew Young International (I Believe) and you're instantly surrounded by tall buildings that are adjacent to massive surface parking lots.
It's NOT a knock on Atlanta, it's a simple observation. Boston has a LOT more density than Atlanta. Some prefer less density, that's fine.. but don't get defensive about Atlanta not having the density that Boston does. It doesn't make Atlanta any less great! Atlanta is home to MANY multinational corporations, excellent sports franchises and even hosted the Olympics... it's a great city, it's just not nearly as dense as Boston is.
I was speaking about the "parking lot, office tower, parking lot, office tower" comment and a several others, read several times, that are exaggerations if nothing else. I didn't even get into "comparisons" with Boston because I tend to realize historical reasons why cities are different. Props to Boston for its urbanity - I've never been, but it sounds very nice.
It's obvious to a lot of people who LIVE in Atlanta on the daily basis that some posters are parroting what they've heard/read on these forums, but have never lived here. In the REAL downtown Atlanta, parking is not as easy to find as it sounds (unless it's built into the building.) Unfortunately, this is not the "Atlanta" people tend to visit. They visit Buckhead, Midtown and "Downtown along Peachtree Street," even with that... it seems they stop going south around Andrew Young... i think that's where, according to some posts, it becomes "unsafe." IMO, it's where you begin to see some of the density and walkability people here seem to love so dearly. I agree with you to a degree - those areas are not HUGE areas of the city... but it's relative. The downtown area I speak of is bigger than most cities entire downtowns.
For the record, you'll never see me involved in the "who likes what city more" conversations. There are as many opinions are there are people. Some "comments" though - are very suspect and disputable.
Again, I have no beef with Boston and would love to visit.
The only one of those areas Ive been to is Lynn, and that isnt in Boston proper and neither is it all black, but if you are counting suburbs then Boston really isnt anymore diverse than Atlanta. Bottom line Boston is diverse as most major cities are, but there aren't allot of blacks in Boston. And why do you keep bringing up the "we're not racist in Boston" line up over and over? I never said anything about that, remember those were your words, not mine. Like I said I didnt really spend allot of time in Boston, but out of all the cites Ive been to, Boston was the only one Ive been to where Ive been in the inner city and saw more white people than blacks or Hispanics. Nothing wrong with it, Im just telling you what I saw
They're not all black, but not too many places are. I was just remarking they have decent black populations. They may not be apart of Boston proper, but they're extremely close to the city...the only two that would be inside Atlanta's 285 loop are Lawrence & Lowell.
I brought up the "we're not racist in Boston" line once, and that's because on sites like these I've always heard "Boston is racist, that's why there are no blacks." Sorry if it sounded like I was accusing you of calling us that.
Edit: Also, the point of bringing up the population of my group was to show that "white" isn't necessarily an accurate description since there are so many different cultures within a color. Just like black cultures include Jamaican, Haitian, Somalian, etc.
This thread has turned into a direct City v City thread in many ways instead of a "which city feels larger" haha
That's the thing that most people love about Atlanta...a city doesn't have to be consistently dense all the way through, and Atlanta offers both dense and less dense options. In-town residential areas aren't always stacked on top of each other...some are more dense, while others are single-family homes with small yards and off-street parking.
The photos posted of Atlanta earlier couldn't have been any worse when comparing density. I never tried to say that Atlanta is as dense as Boston - it isn't, and nobody wants it to be except people who are critical of Atlanta. But Atlanta more density than many people realize, not just in this thread but in others as well. Those people obviously haven't seen the dense sections of the city, or they wouldn't say things like "tower, parking lot", etc.:
Good point and even better pics. I think the first picture you posted in that list was the area I described in an earlier post as being similar to Boston's financial district. Lots of density and narrow streets there.
I think that somewhere along the line, we got off topic (I'm sure I'm at least partially to blame). You make an excellent point about people enjoying the mix of densities in Atlanta vs. the solid density in Boston (though many outlying areas in Boston are not as dense). In the end, which city someone prefers is dependent on the person. They're both great American cities. They're both very different cities and I'm glad to have both of them in my country.
There are haters of each city on this thread and I think any criticism or observation of a city usually spurs a bit of animosity from residents of said city. I think many of us up North have a lot of love for Atlanta and it's clear from responses here that many in Atlanta appreciate Boston as well.
These are two great, but very different cities. As a result, they're VERY hard to compare.
I haven't read the 1st page yet but Boston feels bigger to me!!!
Come on guys...Middlesex County has close to 1.5 million residents and Boston is not even within that county while Fulton County is just reaching 1 million residents. Now some of you guys are saying that it has a higher population because of it's size but it's only like 100 sq mi bigger, so Fulton County contains a large city so it should be larger but it's not. Addition to that Boston is a education and historic city and it is on a smaller amount of land than ATL but it still manges to be larger. Yes ATL does have 3 slylines within the city but they all seem way to new (if you understand what I'm saying)! Atlantas metro population is heavily based off of sprawl while in Boston there is a couple of urban centers (but has sprawl too)!!! I like that in Boston you don't really have to leave the city for to many things like the airport is within the city, higher educatin facilites are in the city, and etc. I usally say good things about both cities but i'm on my iPhone so it is a little hard for me to type. LOL
I haven't read the 1st page yet but Boston feels bigger to me!!!
Come on guys...Middlesex County has close to 1.5 million residents and Boston is not even within that county while Fulton County is just reaching 1 million residents. Now some of you guys are saying that it has a higher population because of it's size but it's only like 100 sq mi bigger, so Fulton County contains a large city so it should be larger but it's not. Addition to that Boston is a education and historic city and it is on a smaller amount of land than ATL but it still manges to be larger. Yes ATL does have 3 slylines within the city but they all seem way to new (if you understand what I'm saying)! Atlantas metro population is heavily based off of sprawl while in Boston there is a couple of urban centers (but has sprawl too)!!! I like that in Boston you don't really have to leave the city for to many things like the airport is within the city, higher educatin facilites are in the city, and etc. I usally say good things about both cities but i'm on my iPhone so it is a little hard for me to type. LOL
So I declare Boston larger
Boston you don't really have to leave the city for to many things like the airport is within the city, higher educatin facilites are in the city, and etc
That can be said About Atlanta there are 3 Hbcu schools in the city Ga tech and GA state or both in the city all are walking distance from downtown The atlanta doesnt sprawl until you reach outside 285. There are so many other countys to live in thats the reason why fulton is low you cant make people live in fulton if they dont want too too me boston looks larger but Atlanta feels larger to me. They both are different types of citys.that offer different things for different folks
Good point and even better pics. I think the first picture you posted in that list was the area I described in an earlier post as being similar to Boston's financial district. Lots of density and narrow streets there.
I think that somewhere along the line, we got off topic (I'm sure I'm at least partially to blame). You make an excellent point about people enjoying the mix of densities in Atlanta vs. the solid density in Boston (though many outlying areas in Boston are not as dense). In the end, which city someone prefers is dependent on the person. They're both great American cities. They're both very different cities and I'm glad to have both of them in my country.
There are haters of each city on this thread and I think any criticism or observation of a city usually spurs a bit of animosity from residents of said city. I think many of us up North have a lot of love for Atlanta and it's clear from responses here that many in Atlanta appreciate Boston as well.
These are two great, but very different cities. As a result, they're VERY hard to compare.
A thoughtful, diplomatic post...well said. I wish more replies in this forum were were like this, but unfortunately too many people make comments without any real knowledge or experience on the subject.
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