Any cities that were different than you expected? Columbus, GA for me. (Needs replies from my younger crowd) (Atlanta: travel)

[King_X]

OK, before I continue I'd like people to stay open minded and realize people can have different angles of view regarding to a place based on exactly what they are looking for, so please don't come down too hard on me.

But, Columbus, Georgia was not ANYTHING like what I expected.
I'm from Macon, GA and we have fast traffic, busy/fast paced interstates, a large 2 floor mall w/ another one being built, and we have NICE hang outs for a young hip-hop crowd,

Macon, GA has 97,000 people, so moving to a city with 188,000+ people and less crime per capita (Columbus, GA) I was expecting bigger and better things in Columbus.

Boy was I in for a shock. First off, I like a faster pace, it just does something to me lol. Columbus has ABSOLUTELY NO fast pace about it. It has very poor Interstate Access. Eventually I am taking to the downtown of this great city of 188,000 and I just knew for certain it would have a beautiful skyline, but the truth of the matter is it doesn't even have one at all!!! Even we have a skyline in Macon.

As previously mentioned, in my city of 97,000 we have a large 2 floor mall and a new one being built. Surely this city of 188,000 has at least 2 nice sized malls. Columbus has 1 small 1 FLOOR mall. Thats crazy.

In my city of Macon we are a hub for shopping and entertainment in the area. Middle Georgia and even some people come from south Atlanta suburbs to club here. It's always energetic and filled with lots of people from lots of places in our larger hang outs for the hip hop crowd and the spot is pretty safe.

OK, considering Columbus is nearly twice as large in population, safer per capita and they have the same college scene as us (lots of smaller mixed environment schools, and 1 black college in the area) EXCEPT for the fact that they ALSO have one LARGE University (Auburn University). I'm expecting the URBAN night life to be way better than it is in Macon.

However, I was wrong again. The few places they do have are ghetto and trashy and they never have a decent crowd of women to talk to. UNLIKE Macon, people in the area don't even really go to Columbus to hang out. I know people from Tuskegee and Auburn, and for whatever hang outs they have there it's much better than driving to the lame spots in Columbus so they don't. When they do feel the need to go out of the area a bit they go over to Montgomery.

For the people in the area between Albany and Columbus, they'd rather hang out in Albany.

I came to the city expecting things to be much more urban than Macon and actually it feels LESS like a city.

You can't judge these cities just off raw population figures alone I see, but Columbus, Georgia just had to be the worst.

How many cities of 200,000 people, which happen to be the HUBS of that metro, can you tell me of that ONLY have 1 mall which is only 1 floor, interstate access that is only an EXTENSION of the main Interstate 40 miles away, and has NO skyline.

I figured that most of the people on here are middle aged or older and maybe you would like Columbus for whatever reason, but you have to admit it is not your typical city of almost 200,000 and its population is VERY misleading. Driving around most of Columbus' streets it felt no different than if I were in a MICROPOLITAN Georgia area like Milledgeville or Dublin.

Not much to do unless you are Military or Middle Aged and Older.

Anybody else been to Columbus, GA and felt this way?

[JLA]

I have not felt the way you have, the city is spread out not compact like Macon. There are two large Universities here not one (Columbus State and Auburn). No skyline, that's by design. We do not want a mixture of buildings that have no theme in our Downtown area. Macon has no sky line and the Downtown area is a ran down mix of building with no theme to them. The mall in Macon is a ghost town. The average age of the people in Columbus is younger than Macon's and the African American population is much more educated. Our High School graduation rate is much higher and more people here have college degrees. Hip-Hop? The progression of a city is not measured by the number of drinking establishment of the city, but by the educational level, job growth, recreational, civic and health care facilities. Currently Columbus is running circles around Macon. Our population and employment opportunities continues to grow and Macon is shrinking. Our shopping areas are much more diverse and we have more of them; unfortunately, for someone who has not been here long they might not know where they all are and will assume incorrectly that we have only one or two. By the way, neither Macon nor its Hip-Hop establishments are considered safe. If high crime or Hip-Hop are the measures you are using for success, then Macon wins. Interstate 75 runs through the middle of Macon and it can not profit from it, it's basically a place to drive through to get to Atlanta or Florida. Get off of the interstate and one will discover that the traffic is not generated by Macon, but by travelers going through Macon to get some place else. A better comparison would be Macon - Augusta or Macon - Albany, the only things Columbus and Macon have in common are that they both are in the state of GA and they both tend to vote Democratic. Macon reminds me of Columbus 30 years ago. Now this is just my opinion, it is based on my observations while visiting there on numerous occasions, reading the news paper, talking to friends who live there and have move from there. By the way, welcome to C-Town!

[King_X]

oh wow JLA...typical Columbus native response building up the city to be more than it is. The Columbus area has 1 major College..Auburn

lol ..If you're going to Consider "Columbus State" a major university then I guess Macon State and Mercer University are too.

I do not want to hear about your shopping areas considering that within a 15 mile radius we have the Large 2 floor Macon Mall, The Galleria in Warner Robins, AND we have another one being built right now.

Columbus only has the cheesy 1 floor mall across from CSU within 15 miles.

as for Macon not having a skyline ....you're blowing hot air....it may not be much, but it sure is nice for a city of our population and Columbus would die to have it.







and the Crime in Macon is no worse than it is in Columbus all concentrated in certain spots within both places.

I mean you're just blowing hot air. The mall in Macon is a ghost town?
lmao I have been to both the Macon Mall and Columbus Mall PLENTY of Saturday evenings within the past couple of months. Its clear to Macon draws a much larger crowd.

See...here is the difference between me and you. The things I mentioned about Columbus are opinions based off the truth.

Though you have said a COUPLE things true of Columbus, you had to mix in a bunch of BS that is not true at all to try and make your city feel superior.

[King_X]

and lmao@more people have college degree.....True...but

17.2% Macon
20.4% Columbus

I dont see that as such a HUGE difference. ESPECIALLY considering Columbus-Muscogee County is consolidated and Macon-Bibb is not.

If we were consolidated like Columbus-Muscogee then that would include North Bibb and South Bibb, areas which contain highly educated people...which would boost the rate.

Its funny when u mention these things such as education, poverty, age? You're acting like its such an astonishing difference in Columbus

Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2005: 19.6%

Muscogee County: 19.6%Georgia: 14.4%

(8.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 30.2% for Black residents)

Median age of residents in 2005: 34 years ols
(Males: 31 years old, Females: 36 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 39 years old, Black residents: 31 years old, American Indian residents: 54 years old, Asian residents: 38 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 25 years old, Other race residents: 22 years old)



Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2005: 24.0%

Bibb County: 24.0%Georgia: 14.4%

(9.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 36.6% for Black residents)

Median age of residents in 2005: 35 years ols
(Males: 33 years old, Females: 37 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 42 years old, Black residents: 29 years old, Asian residents: 38 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 24 years old)

Type of workers:

• Private wage or salary: 77%
• Government: 17%
• Self-employed, not incorporated: 5%
• Unpaid family work: 0%

Those are not great differences, and the things you bring up for the most part dont have anything to do with my topic

[King_X]

African American poverty is 30% in Columbus and 36% in Macon.....lmao@that makin Columbus MUCH more educated. I don't why you people put Columbus up so high. JLA you were even on a post comparing Columbus to ATLanta, give me a break.

[JLA]

OK?! But, the statistics say something totally different, check out the data and then respond with statistical data. I'll stick to the facts and not some conjured up ideal. Columbus State University has 7,600 students, and although I am a Auburn graduate, I do believe that Columbus State is a major college and so is Mercer, they both have some form of research going on, but not Macon State College, not enough PH D's yet. By the way, pretty post cards, except for that first photo, it's a bad shot. I implore you to think for a moment, if Columbus wanted a skyline, don't you think that they would build one. Total Systems and Synovous both have large buildings Downtown, AFLAC has several large buildings in East Columbus and is in the process of building another, in most cities those buildings would be sky scrapers, but they are not needed. Tall buildings are built when land is a premium, not when there is plenty of it. And what Corporate buildings have been built in Macon in the past 20 years? Other than retail what job growth does Macon have? When will you Maconites stop talking about Macon as if it is some sort of utopia. In the 70's and 80's the city was better than it is now. I for one am hoping Macon can turn its misfortunes around soon.

[King_X]

JLA, I think you are misunderstanding some things.

Macon DOES have a larger mall. Macon IS getting another one built now.
Columbus' 1 mall IS small

Macon DOES feel faster with our major interstates. Regardless if its our local traffic or not. I never claimed that it was.

Columbus DOES feel slower.

Macon's DOES actually have a skyline.
Columbus DOES not.

Macon DOES have deeper african american and musical heritage than Columbus. Thats for the Past and present

You see, what I've noticed is that several people from Columbus start to mention irrelevant things. The things that you are bringing up still DO NOT disprove what I'm saying.

for an example

Me: Macon has a skyline, Columbus does not
You: Well thats because our buildings are spread out.

lmao ok...but how does that make what I said not true?
Just face it...Columbus is probably the dullest HUB city in America that has nearly 200,000 people

IF you have a smaller mall (and soon to be less malls) and a smaller skyline than a city that is only HALF your size in Population. Then thats pretty sad.

Just stop exaggerating. If you're in Macon or in Columbus riding around. You have got to be out of your mind if you think someone would say wow Columbus looks so many light years ahead of Macon.

lol see you're putting words in my mouth in order to try to prove YOUR point. I've never said anything about how the city is ran or any of that. That's is irrelevant in regards to MY SPECIFIC TOPIC.

I simply said Macon feels and looks more urban than Columbus and that Columbus does not feel nearly as big as its population indicates. I mean it doesn't.

Do you understand? I'm not saying Macon is better than Columbus in every single thing. I'm not saying that OVERALL Macon has more going for it. I'm just saying that when it comes to the feel of the city and hang outs. Macon is better IF you're looking for a place with a more urban vibe.

[roamfree]

Been to Macon. There is nothing desirable there that would make me want to live there or hang there.

[JLA]

This post is going no where, break is given. Thanks for the statistics. :>

[King_X]

Originally Posted by roamfree

Been to Macon. There is nothing desirable there that would make me want to live there or hang there.

Well I wouldn't really want to move to any place in GA but Atlanta. However, if I couldn't move to Atlanta but still demanded to be in an urban environment I would choose Augusta, Savannah and Macon before Columbus. I just do not like a slow pace.