Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hear some whispers in the background that the same energy that brought the Olympics, Bank of America Tower (Tallest building outside New York and Chicago) and even Marta (well beyond its time for a city its size and significance) has simmered down to a tiny flame.
While I personally don't believe it's true, the recession has been a major test for the city that has yet to be concluded. Others are watching to see if and how the city and state navigates through these hard times and if it can figure a way out.
On one hand I see where the city is adapting and going after new industries like in film and tv production, but other areas it seems too far behind and not serious enough like Biotech, schools, water and transportation.
There have been talks in the right direction of passing legislation like lower business and personal taxes, and the transportation tax to stay competitive, but it's only talk at this point.
At the least Georgia is aware of its problems and its surroundings and has poked at the issues (that is rarer than you think for states).
Who knows the city well enough and what do you say to those who think that Atlanta has lost its thunder? Can Atlanta still make fast moves?
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,485 posts, read 14,987,215 times
Reputation: 7328
Short answer:
No.
Long answer:
This recession has been rough for Atlanta. Our unemployment rate has been stuck on stupid for several years now. Housing starts and highrise construction have come to a near standstill as well as the seemingly never ending suburban sprawl that occurred OTP for 30 breakneck years (that's not really a bad thing IMHO). Every municipality has had struggles with meeting budgets.
But despite all of these negatives, the Atlanta "spirit" remains. What does that mean exactly though?
For one, when a city experiences a long recession the usual thing that happens is that city freaks out and tries to stop the bleeding as best the can. Everything comes to a standstill. What has Atlanta done?
-Continued work on the Beltline project with one key park, O4W, being constructed and completed during the recession
-Lead the charge on the landmark $6 billion+ regional transportation initiative
-Worked with Porsche to build a new HQ and test track on the grounds of the shuttered Ford factory on the Southside
-Taking advantage of the generous tax incentives offered by the state for film production, lured Screengems to build a new movie studio on old the Lakewood Fairgrounds. One of many wins in Atlanta's growing prominence as a film making hub.
-Began working with Prince Charles' Foundation for the Built Environment to redevelop Vine City
I can keep going listing different projects and initiatives that have been either continued or initiated during this recession, but any of the above things even during normal economic times would be huge undertakings. The fact that this city still has the juevos to even attempted one of them in the midst of economic hardship that defines the "Atlanta Spirit".
I also think it is extremely short sighted to think that Atlanta's previous accomplishments weren't conceived of in tough times or just plain didn't make sense. The expansion that led to Hartsfield-Jackson becoming the busiest airport in the world (and cost $500 million) was started in the late 70s, in the middle of a deep recession. The bid for the Olympics was began in the late 80s during the height of another tough recession. But it isn't the economic times that defines the "Atlanta Spirit", rather it is the goal the citizens and civic leaders have to do something really crazy things (like put on an Olympics) and go long on the hope that it will pan out.
It also says something about this city's spirit that just a few years of bad economic times (think things are rough now, the Great Depression lasted for over a decade) that we get antsy at the very idea of a bunch of stuff going on (even though we have a lot of stuff going on of a brand new variety). I have a feeling though when we look back 20 or 30 years from now, we'll see these years as when the best ideas for Atlanta's future were started.
Not to call you out (since you said you don't believe it's gone) but why must we have one of these "Atlanta is over" threads so often? I guess it's the American way to pounce on the popular kid who has everything going for them once they slip up a little.
This recession has been rough for Atlanta. Our unemployment rate has been stuck on stupid for several years now. Housing starts and highrise construction have come to a near standstill as well as the seemingly never ending suburban sprawl that occurred OTP for 30 breakneck years (that's not really a bad thing IMHO). Every municipality has had struggles with meeting budgets.
But despite all of these negatives, the Atlanta "spirit" remains. What does that mean exactly though?
For one, when a city experiences a long recession the usual thing that happens is that city freaks out and tries to stop the bleeding as best the can. Everything comes to a standstill. What has Atlanta done?
-Continued work on the Beltline project with one key park, O4W, being constructed and completed during the recession
-Lead the charge on the landmark $6 billion+ regional transportation initiative
-Worked with Porsche to build a new HQ and test track on the grounds of the shuttered Ford factory on the Southside
-Taking advantage of the generous tax incentives offered by the state for film production, lured Screengems to build a new movie studio on old the Lakewood Fairgrounds. One of many wins in Atlanta's growing prominence as a film making hub.
-Began working with Prince Charles' Foundation for the Built Environment to redevelop Vine City
I can keep going listing different projects and initiatives that have been either continued or initiated during this recession, but any of the above things even during normal economic times would be huge undertakings. The fact that this city still has the juevos to even attempted one of them in the midst of economic hardship that defines the "Atlanta Spirit".
I also think it is extremely short sighted to think that Atlanta's previous accomplishments weren't conceived of in tough times or just plain didn't make sense. The expansion that led to Hartsfield-Jackson becoming the busiest airport in the world (and cost $500 million) was started in the late 70s, in the middle of a deep recession. The bid for the Olympics was began in the late 80s during the height of another tough recession. But it isn't the economic times that defines the "Atlanta Spirit", rather it is the goal the citizens and civic leaders have to do something really crazy things (like put on an Olympics) and go long on the hope that it will pan out.
It also says something about this city's spirit that just a few years of bad economic times (think things are rough now, the Great Depression lasted for over a decade) that we get antsy at the very idea of a bunch of stuff going on (even though we have a lot of stuff going on of a brand new variety). I have a feeling though when we look back 20 or 30 years from now, we'll see these years as when the best ideas for Atlanta's future were started.
Not to call you out (since you said you don't believe it's gone) but why must we have one of these "Atlanta is over" threads so often? I guess it's the American way to pounce on the popular kid who has everything going for them once they slip up a little.
I contemplated that before posting but I guess I wanted to get strong responses. Many people are thinking it so I thought it should be addressed "out in the open", instead of lingering in the background.
I really like the City though, just seems like everyone I talk to and some things I read react like its going to be the next Detroit and I can't fathom why it would be that bad.
None of the major corporations have left and are doing well, some are expanding
It still has the busiest airport in the world and opened a new international terminal
it has low taxes (and is working on making them lower)
it's still luring companies
It's trying to urbanize with every project in the city is zero lot line and urban form.
The crime rate is dropping and its homicide rate is lower than many other major cities.
It made a lot of building accomplishments during the boom
its even moving deeper into film production
As far as transportation, if the bill ever passes I always think that Atlanta always seems to be close to D.C. in this regard despite its nations capital advantage.
Beltline for example seems to be further along than the Purple Line in D.C. area (a mass transit line that goes east to west along a circumference outside the city proper, very similar to Beltline but only 2/3s of the distance officially ).
D.C. is building its first street car in a long time on H street while Atlanta is building its own in downtown.
No city booms forever. Just look at history. It takes things like the beltline and all of the developments to maintain a functional city. Look at how many cities have similar initiatives that are not on par with atlanta. If atlanta wants to be world class than this is what it takes.
This is not a bash atlanta post its just the way I see things.
I read a while ago that the job creation in metro Atlanta in the first part of this century was vastly disproportionately low compared to the millions of new residents. Also, the jobs that were created tended to be in the lower tax brackets. I think that has led to the extended recession here in comparison to other places.
short answer: No, but we attracted alot of newcomers without the same passion in the process.
I think you're on to something, I personally would never move to a place I didn't like. You can find a job in any city why would you move to a place you don't care for?
Better yet try to shape it into the place you left. NJ/NY transplants are notorious for that.
With regard to how bad we were hit by the recession, it seems like we were definitely among the worst, but there has been a major geographic component to the recession that has been little-discussed. Check out this map from Metro Monitor, which ranks cities based on their performance over the last few years, weighing most heavily on the last year:
10 of the 20 weakest metros are in a contiguous eight-state area, running from Arkansas to Virginia. No metro in that eight-state region is doing better than the middle-20 metros, and only two cities (Nashville and Chattanooga) are even at that level.
For whatever reason, that south has just gotten walloped by the recession. Since we're the dominant city in the region, we get all the press. But it seems to be horrible everywhere you look--the Carolinas, Alabama, and Mississippi only seem marginally different in their situation compared to Georgia, despite there being dramatic differences in how the economies are composed and the amount of real-estate-bubble stuff that was going on between them.
So I think it's tempting for people to say "Wow, this city seemed to be doing so fantastically and now they are in doldrums; what are they doing wrong?" But when you look at it in regional context, it's clear that city leadership/traffic/crime/whatever can't explain everything about why Atlanta is suffering. There's clearly more at play than just local issues.
With regard to how bad we were hit by the recession, it seems like we were definitely among the worst, but there has been a major geographic component to the recession that has been little-discussed. Check out this map from Metro Monitor, which ranks cities based on their performance over the last few years, weighing most heavily on the last year:
10 of the 20 weakest metros are in a contiguous eight-state area, running from Arkansas to Virginia. No metro in that eight-state region is doing better than the middle-20 metros, and only two cities (Nashville and Chattanooga) are even at that level.
For whatever reason, that south has just gotten walloped by the recession. Since we're the dominant city in the region, we get all the press. But it seems to be horrible everywhere you look--the Carolinas, Alabama, and Mississippi only seem marginally different in their situation compared to Georgia, despite there being dramatic differences in how the economies are composed and the amount of real-estate-bubble stuff that was going on between them.
So I think it's tempting for people to say "Wow, this city seemed to be doing so fantastically and now they are in doldrums; what are they doing wrong?" But when you look at it in regional context, it's clear that city leadership/traffic/crime/whatever can't explain everything about why Atlanta is suffering. There's clearly more at play than just local issues.
The map is misleading as well, some people might think that all those metros in the Strongest 20 or Second Strongest 20 tiers are better off than the Weakest 20, Second Weakest 20 or middle of the pack. The data also maybe a bit out-of-date
Atlanta for example has a lower unemployment rate than Miami, Charlotte, LA and Las Vegas the last time I checked but a quick glance at the map makes it seems like its doing worst than those two.
Atlanta has pretty much succeeded in accomplishing everything it has set out to do. But it's an empty feeling when success doesn't satisfy. Atlanta has lots of stuff but not much character and soul.
That and the housing bust.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
