Hey Georgia......welcome to REALITY (Atlanta: live in, bill, housing)

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Cold weather doesn't bother me. Most of Michigan may have problems, but GR is doing better than the rest of the state.

That's basically like saying that part of the Titanic hasn't started taking on water yet. Things are not as rosy in Grand Rapids as this guy would have you believe, trust me.

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by johnatl

Atlanta is way more diversified than your simplistic Housing/Real Estate economy label. Real estate is and has alway been a big part of the local economy, but it is by no means the driver in any way.

Phoenix, Las Vegas and Miami all fit the bill way more than Atlanta does.

Oh, and your pcitures are nice - but that looks like typical suburban Atlanta development.

Of course it is more complex than what I stated…..so is the Detroit economy. Atlanta is feeding off GROWTH. It creates/created current opportunity booms from speculation on future population growth. Consequently, jobs were created in commercial and residential construction, real estate and the like. The way it works is that a large subset of the current population was employed in creating commercial and residential structure and infrastructure for the future population and those jobs would not exist if there was no projected future population growth. However, when the financing for all this real estate speculation dried up……Atlanta was extremely hard hit. Because building structures and infrastructure for an expanding population is a sizable sector of the Atlanta economy, more so than in slow growth areas of the nation. That is simply a fact. Now that Atlanta is loosing jobs at a rapid clip, it cannot sustain the population growth, which will, in turn, slow the economy more.

Sure……this construction in Grand Rapids, 2 billion worth in the last 5 years downtown alone, might be suburban Atlanta like, but you are comparing an Area of 5 million people (Atlanta) with an area of 1.3 million people (greater Grand Rapids). Compared to Chicago, downtown Atlanta looks suburban as well.

[johnatl]

You had me until your last little snarky comment. Obviously you have never set foot in Atlanta if you think downtown looks suburban at all - comparison to Chicago notwithstanding.

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by johnatl

That's basically like saying that part of the Titanic hasn't started taking on water yet. Things are not as rosy in Grand Rapids as this guy would have you believe, trust me.

The unemployment rate in the Grand Rapids area is not rosy....and I never said that it was. Its about 7.7 percent...the same as Charlotte and Atlanta....round about. It also has population growth. You also have to realize that it is achieving this is a bad region of the nation. Running a 4 minute mile in very high altitudes is more impressive than running a 4 minute mile in low altitudes. Grand Rapids achieved this despite unions, warm weather like the south, low taxes and regulation like the south, without a major university(s) or a major airport things that businesses like. When it does get these things.....watch out.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by johnatl

That's basically like saying that part of the Titanic hasn't started taking on water yet. Things are not as rosy in Grand Rapids as this guy would have you believe, trust me.

No, I wouldn't call things "rosy" here, but it is a fact that West Michigan is doing (and has done) much better than the rest of the State for about a decade. Grand Rapids in particular, situated 150 miles from Detroit, never grew up from the automotive industry. It's economy is more diverse than even a lot of other Great Lakes cities.

It's no Southern boomtown like Atlanta or Charlotte, but we hold our own despite the perception of the rest of the State. Come check us out. The Lake Michigan shoreline is fantastic in the Summer!

(we actually don't have a very big union presence indenturedservant).

But isn't this the Georgia section?

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by johnatl

You had me until your last little snarky comment. Obviously you have never set foot in Atlanta if you think downtown looks suburban at all - comparison to Chicago notwithstanding.

Snarky begats snarky.....besides....it was never my goal to "have you". I went to school at Georgia State Univeristy for a year.....I been in every part of Atlanta. Have you been to Chicago? Atlanta downtown does not have density.....although it does have some impressive structures.....it cannot compare to Chicago and Chicago would be swollowed by NYC.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Snarky begats snarky.....besides....it was never my goal to "have you". I went to school at Georgia State Univeristy for a year.....I been in every part of Atlanta. Have you been to Chicago? Atlanta downtown does not have density.....although it does have some impressive structures.....it cannot compare to Chicago and Chicago would be swollowed by NYC.

I've been downtown Atlanta quite a few times and obviously Chicago a lot. Portman (the architect) ruined downtown Atlanta. It's just horrible, cold and bleak at the ground level for much of it. Chicago has one of the best downtowns in the U.S., besides maybe Washington D.C.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Snarky begats snarky.....besides....it was never my goal to "have you". I went to school at Georgia State Univeristy for a year.....I been in every part of Atlanta. Have you been to Chicago? Atlanta downtown does not have density.....although it does have some impressive structures.....it cannot compare to Chicago and Chicago would be swollowed by NYC.

Of course I have been to Chicago, many times in fact. I guess it makes a whole lot of sense to compare the two cities - right? And I really don't care if you went to GSU or not. To claim that downtown Atlanta doesn't have density is idiotic for someone who should know better.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by magellan

No, I wouldn't call things "rosy" here, but it is a fact that West Michigan is doing (and has done) much better than the rest of the State for about a decade. Grand Rapids in particular, situated 150 miles from Detroit, never grew up from the automotive industry. It's economy is more diverse than even a lot of other Great Lakes cities.

It's no Southern boomtown like Atlanta or Charlotte, but we hold our own despite the perception of the rest of the State. Come check us out. The Lake Michigan shoreline is fantastic in the Summer!

(we actually don't have a very big union presence indenturedservant).

But isn't this the Georgia section?

I know magellan, my other half is from there. I too love the shore from St. Joe south to the border.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by johnatl

I know magellan, my other half is from there. I too love the shore from St. Joe south to the border.

Wow, and that's not even the best part.