The Next "Ghettos" of Metro Atlanta? (Marietta, Smyrna: section 8, crime rate)

[Scraper Enthusiast]

What are the next ghettos of metro Atlanta. They don't have to become literal ghettos, but they do have to see some type of economic, racial, social, or cultural change.

Based on trends, what are they, in your opinion?

I'm sure that we can all say that there's more than a few, so let's hear them.

[thedudewiththeplan]

Hehe, thats easy, CLAYTON COUNTY!!! Just lost school accreditation, high crime rate (over 50 murders last year for a rate of about 18 per 100,000) and housing prices that are plummiting. Not to mention all of the section 8 housing that has sprouted up recently.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by thedudewiththeplan

Hehe, thats easy, CLAYTON COUNTY!!! Just lost school accreditation, high crime rate (over 50 murders last year for a rate of about 18 per 100,000) and housing prices that are plummiting. Not to mention all of the section 8 housing that has sprouted up recently.

Yes, Clayton County is a good candidate, but couldn't about half of the county already be considered "ghetto"?

[gt6974a]

I consider several parts of Cobb to have a high population of 'Ghetto' - like people.

[mrdkb]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

I consider several parts of Cobb to have a high population of 'Ghetto' - like people.

Where?

[atlantagreg30127]

I don't think in metro Atlanta that you can categorize an entire neighborhood as bad any longer - stuff is spread out here now and it's in pockets. You can go through a very bad area and POOF - you're in a section of million dollar homes, only to be back in a crack neighborhood six blocks later... even in the burbs.

When the city started tearing down the housing projects, various programs and vouchers started allowing folks to move wherever they wanted (as in, the burbs), so you no longer have nearly as many concentrated "bad" areas as before. You might have the crack mom with 6 teen gang members who moves into the nice West Cobb neighborhood, and a mile away another similar situation, etc. No more "stay out of this neighborhood" situations. It's more of a case of individual families coming in to a small neighborhood who half ruin it, but then at some point they get kicked out and are replaced by a good family, so that same area cleans up again. Or maybe not. It's really an up and down thing these days.

Stone Mountain and Norcross were once in the early 80s when I moved here considered to be *extremely* desireable areas to live in. Now they're halfway considered to be slums. Ten years from now they MIGHT be desireable again. West Cobb in some areas has taken a downward spiral, but in some of those, local police action are driving out the bad apples, too.

Atlanta is with few exceptions, impossible to predict what area will go bad, and what bad areas will turn good. You just have to take a gamble unless you want to shell out a couple of million dollars on West Paces or in North Alpharetta for a place.

Oh and um - I think it goes without saying that the title of the thread probably has about half a dozen moderators watching this thing like FLIES now folks - so let's try to keep the discussion civil, or it'll most likely go POOF in the wind, ok?

[Get out of my way]

Originally Posted by mrdkb

Where?

Downtown Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, and housing along hwy 41.

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by Get out of my way

Downtown Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, and housing along hwy 41.

Yep, parts of Kennesaw and parts of Acworth, as for Marietta it's almost anything along 41 and a few areas outside the square. I happen to live in one of the areas in Acworth, I'm getting out soon.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Yep, parts of Kennesaw and parts of Acworth, as for Marietta it's almost anything along 41 and a few areas outside the square. I happen to live in one of the areas in Acworth, I'm getting out soon.

The area of Acworth east of US 41 and west of I-75 has "gone down" quick, that's for sure. It's getting worse in the same vicinity of Kennesaw, too.

[Get out of my way]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Yep, parts of Kennesaw and parts of Acworth, as for Marietta it's almost anything along 41 and a few areas outside the square. I happen to live in one of the areas in Acworth, I'm getting out soon.

Originally Posted by Scraper Enthusiast

The area of Acworth east of US 41 and west of I-75 has "gone down" quick, that's for sure. It's getting worse in the same vicinity of Kennesaw, too.

Acworth, too? That's too bad I moved out of Acworth 6 years ago, but I lived in the suburbs. I knew that there were some rough looking areas in town, but I only drove through them once and never came in contact with them again.