Atlanta becoming the next Los Angeles? (transplants, real estate, apartments)

[BJfrmNYATLSOCAL]

Ive noticed the rapid growth of Atlanta, from ten years to now it has changed dramatically. The suburban sprawl of both cities are the key factors. Do you see Atlanta in the nest 15 years becoming LA?

[BJfrmNYATLSOCAL]

This is what i see..

Atlanta currently has horrible traffic issues, especially on the Northside. Unlike LA, Atlanta doesnt have enough roads that are big enough to handle all the traffic.
There are alot of two way streets, one lane going one direction, the other going in another direction. And none of them seem to lead anywhere!
LA on the other hand has a vast road system without the freeways included, yet traffic is still horrible.
The plans for Atlanta(including the on/off Northern Arc/ 2nd Perimeter freeway) are up and coming and with that will bring more people becuse the see its more ways to live good in the suburbs and comute to work.

[King0fthehill]

LA is steadily densifying and urbanizing, and becoming more and more polarized along racial and socioeconomic lines, especially with continued gentrification and large-scale immigration.

To a certain degree, LA is remedying its (our) horrible traffic situation by investing billions into a mass transit system. Violent crime, too, has largely tapered off, and the city is nowhere as dangerous/unsafe as it was even 10 years ago. I'd vouch that LA proper and a few posh locales will fare relatively well compared to the majority of the suburbs, whose decay will probably be accelerated due to shoddy build quality and an influx of lower-income families priced out of LA itself.

If Atlanta is doing those things (i.e, the things LA is doing atm), then I'd say yes, Atlanta is becoming like LA, at least superficially (meaning these factors aren't all there is to the story).

[TurcoLoco]

Pardon me but isn't this thread more suitable for the Atlanta section of the forum?

[BJfrmNYATLSOCAL]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

LA is steadily densifying and urbanizing, and becoming more and more polarized along racial and socioeconomic lines, especially with continued gentrification and large-scale immigration.

To a certain degree, LA is remedying its (our) horrible traffic situation by investing billions into a mass transit system. Violent crime, too, has largely tapered off, and the city is nowhere as dangerous/unsafe as it was even 10 years ago. I'd vouch that LA proper and a few posh locales will fare relatively well compared to the majority of the suburbs, whose decay will probably be accelerated due to shoddy build quality and an influx of lower-income families priced out of LA itself.

If Atlanta is doing those things (i.e, the things LA is doing atm), then I'd say yes, Atlanta is becoming like LA, at least superficially (meaning these factors aren't all there is to the story).

Agreed, as is Atlanta, a city that when i first came to vist 10 years ago, was no where near what it is now. I call Atlanta the city in the trees because with all the urban and suburban development, there are huge amounts of people in those areas.
Now i cant agree with your point on mass transit as Atlanta has no real helpful plans for the traffic issues, there is a proposed light rail to mimic theyre beltway freeway 285 that will serve the communities inside of 285

Reason i say LA is because as with New York City, people dont move to these cities AS much as they did. The south has presented a better way of living that people are flocking to especially in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Miami.
The crime rate in Atlanta is on a steady increase and its repeating what happened in LA. Poor city dwellers are basically being taxed out to the suburbs, that were nice and safe are becoming crime ridden and quite dangerous especially on Atlantas westside.

[BJfrmNYATLSOCAL]

Originally Posted by TurcoLoco

Pardon me but isn't this thread more suitable for the Atlanta section of the forum?

My reason for putting in the LA section was to see if actual residents of LA that have experianced Atlantas rapid growth have any type of agreence with me. As many Los Angeleans make theyre way to Atlanta at some point.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by BJfrmNYATLSOCAL

My reason for putting in the LA section was to see if actual residents of LA that have experianced Atlantas rapid growth have any type of agreence with me. As many Los Angeleans make theyre way to Atlanta at some point.

I wouldn't put Atlanta any closer to being another L.A. than I would Dallas or Houston. Yes, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston are all growing and all are attracting many So Cal transplants, but they are very different as well. I do not think there will ever be another Los Angeles, nothing comes close.

Nita

[BJfrmNYATLSOCAL]

[quote=nmnita;14214319]I wouldn't put Atlanta any closer to being another L.A. than I would Dallas or Houston. Yes, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston are all growing and all are attracting many So Cal transplants, but they are very different as well. I do not think there will ever be another Los Angeles, nothing comes close.

Nita[/quote/]

Once you take away the beach, palm trees, all year good weather and Hollywood(which Atlanta is making its own with recent movie studios etc), what do you have?

[Brooklynlove]

Atlanta does have some superficial similarities to Los Angeles. It's more spread out than most cities, with mostly detached single family homes as opposed to high-rise apartments buildings. There's a lot of green, lots of trees, lot of park space. You really do need to have a car. And it has a similarly relaxed pace.

Also, Georgia has the friendliest tax policy for film studios in the country. As such, a growing number of movies and TV shows are being filmed in the Atlanta area. (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/03/22/story5.html?b=1269230400^3056061&page=1) And, (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/03/22/story5.html?b=1269230400^3056061&page=1).


Atlanta is, however, more compact than Los Angeles, with different demographics (Los Angeles is now close to 50% Latino, Atlanta is 56% African-American) and obviously very different cultural influences (Southern California versus the South). Also, Atlanta doesn't have a Mediterranean climate. It doesn't get as cold as the Northeast, but it definitely has all 4 seasons, and in the winter degrees can commonly dip down to the 20s and 30s. There's generally snowfall at least once a year. Walk around Atlanta in December, and you'll see people wearing long coats and hats. So, while I think Atlanta will definitely continue to become a more and more important city, I don't think that necessarily means becoming more similar to LA.

If you've lived in both (as I have), you'll notice the vibes and the general cultures are very different.

[SoCal35]

I see a similarity in the sprawling growth pattern...but that is more comparable to LA in say the 1950's. In addition, the City of LA has NEVER LOST population in the last 100 or so years. By contrast, Altanta (the City) lost population from 1970 to 1990.

Today the region is mostly built out with the mountains and sea making more suburban growth difficult. There are less natural boundaries to Atlanta's development.

Also, in real estate parlance, the City of Los Angeles has a very difficult "entitlements" process making it a relatively "supply-constrained" market where as in the Atlanta region you can build like crazy without much difficulty getting building permits. This correlates very well with real estate prices....where over the long run they rise in LA and in Atlanta they are more stagnant (or rise much more slowly).