The NY Times: Stars Flock to Atlanta--Reshaping a Center of Black Culture (Montgomery: live in, restaurants)

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

It's So Cold in the D - YouTube

This is Detroits history

LOL

not really...more like:



Selected of God Choir - Lose Yourself (Official Music Video) - YouTube

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by SLIMMACKEY

...my bad...lol...That was funny...that was a refreshing laugh from an otherwise tense debate. But my man Dwele is from Detroit and he is live!...

People from Detroit shouldn't not even be allowed to give opinions of other cities

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

This is understating it a bit, no? Washington, DC attracts more blacks with advanced degrees than Atlanta. There are very few places in that town where you can get a job with only a Bachelor's Degree. So DC is not only drawing in a larger pool of educated blacks, it's drawing in more educated blacks than Atlanta.

My point was not relating to the specifics of the educated populace of DC but on the more varied Black populace moving to Atlanta.

At any rate, I think your original point about a "renaissance" happening down here based on pop culture trends has been sufficiently refuted.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

I would be a liar and a fool if I did not recognize that gaining almost 2 million people, since I last lived there, has not resulted in any new construction. I visited Atlanta about 5 years ago.....and there were a lot of new things to see. However.......I just was not impressed. Places that impress me are places with a lot of natural amenities, like waterfront, lake shore, mountains and natural beauty. I did like the rolling hills and tall skinny trees in the area....however. I am just being honest.......Atlanta just does not impress me.....not its "blackness" or anything else. That does not mean that I would not live there again or I would not be happy there.....its just a place that I could take it or leave it.....nothing special.

My point in listing the progress that Atlanta has made since you left was to demonstrate to you that this is a substantially different city now than when you lived here. Whether you're impressed or not is on you, but you absolutely cannot say that it is the same.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

I visited Atlanta about 5 years ago.....and there were a lot of new things to see. However.......I just was not impressed. Places that impress me are places with a lot of natural amenities, like waterfront, lake shore, mountains and natural beauty. I did like the rolling hills and tall skinny trees in the area....however. I am just being honest.......Atlanta just does not impress me.....

It's a valid criticism. Atlanta can build all the tall buildings it wants but it can never manufacture a waterfront.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

I've not lived in DC, but have visited quite often. While in some arenas, such as those directly related to DC being the seat of federal government, there are obviously going to be scales of difference involved, that hardly means that the two cities are "very different." To me, "very different" is Phoenix and Boston where the local economies, demographics, built environment, weather, etc. are practically yin and yang. There's a lot of overlap between Atlanta and DC, with DC coming ahead in matters dependent on the heavy government presence and Atlanta coming ahead in matters relating to corporate presence and logistics.

I meant "very different" with respect to the professional network. DC is a mix and mingle town. Everyone is very Type-A. The life's blood of the city is relationships and networking. It's rumored, for example, that more political deals have been made on the back pews of Metropolitan A.M.E. Church than in the halls of the Capitol. Restaurants like the Palm, Kinkead's and Old Ebbitt Grille are famous for being the preferred destinations of politicos. If you sit in there long enough, you'll see anyone from James Carville to Nancy Pelosi.

In Atlanta, people aren't as Type-A, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It's a much more carefree city than DC; people are more or less working to live. The tradeoff, though, is that the city does not feel quite as "happening" as DC. People in DC kinda have this attitude like, "I'm doing big sh*t." But then the downside to that is that the city draws a disproportionate number of ruthless, power-hungry sociopaths. No city can have it all, right?

[tonygeorgia]

Originally Posted by arjay57

It's a valid criticism. Atlanta can build all the tall buildings it wants but it can never manufacture a waterfront.

They can never manufacture our hills and trees

[SLIMMACKEY]

Originally Posted by arjay57

It's a valid criticism. Atlanta can build all the tall buildings it wants but it can never manufacture a waterfront.

Just curious, how much of Atlanta have you guys seen? Where I own at is North ATL...I am 30 minutes from a new mutimillion dollar racetrack for cars and bikes(Yes)..as well as 45 minutes from the mountains...45 minutes from the city of ATL?? Mountains?? Racetracks?? There is a lake although I do not frequent it much....I say this to say that there are natural elements not far.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

My point was not relating to the specifics of the educated populace of DC but on the more varied Black populace moving to Atlanta.

I understood your point clearly.

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

At any rate, I think your original point about a "renaissance" happening down here based on pop culture trends has been sufficiently refuted.

With what?

[nyanti]

To further take what BajanYankee stated the difference between New York, D.C. and Atlanta generally speaking is the mentality of the people. My father is Liberian and my mother is from Mississippi. Both sides of the family strive for academic perfection. The family members at the top of the professional ladder who have the go getter mentality migrate to New York and D.C. While the family members who want to settle down and are not that career driven settle down in places like Atlanta, Charlotte and Texas. What i've come to realize is that certain cities attract certain people. The top tier of African American thinkers and intellectuals for better or worse have been attracted to government, law and policy. Which better city to make your bones in than D.C. Add in the military with their IT and logistical contracts and the opportunities in the large media presence in the city, D.C. becomes one of the it cities for Black A-types. And all the talk about government dependence holding back D.C.'s private sector I think it's the opposite. Look at Black Enterprise industrial/service 100 list. Almost every year Black companies in the D.C. area are no less than 25% of the total companies. New York is the number one A-type city period. From fashion, advertisement, finance, media and everything in between New York is the it city. So although you may have a large percentage of underclass Blacks in New York compared to D.C. and Atlanta the A-type Blacks in business and other fields almost even it out. Plus the fact that New York's Black population doubles D.C. and Atlanta. Not trying to drag Atlanta through the mud but it's a B-class city for professionals. Why would anyone go to Atlanta for fashion or acting over L.A. and New York unless they were trying to recreate their career and return to those cities or just got sick of the rat race and wanted to settle for steady work. The facts are the facts, there are just certain cities that you have to go through to be at the top of your field.