Information on Griffin GA? (Atlanta, Newnan: gated, living in, vs.)

[Shortman]

I wanted some information about Griffin GA. I considered Griffin a poetential place to live in the future and want to know about the area. I know its a good hour away from Atlanta, and I have heard both good and bad things.

Can anyone give me any information about Griffin? Like what it's like? The good, the bad? Being in a biracial relationship, would it be ok to live in Griffin?

[tikigod311]

griffin is a unique place. I like the downtown area quite a bit. There is a very respectable pizza place there, slices. It is very historic in the downtown area and will get better with time. Now, on the other side of the tracks, literally, ts a whole different story. There is a SIZEABLE ghetto in griffin. It takes a large section of the eastern part of town. Many sections are easily on par with some of Atlanta's worst ghettos.

And while there are plenty of great folks in griffin, it is known, rightfully so IMO, to have a large redneck / white trash population. NOTICEABLY LARGE.

Textile and manufacturing were the bread and butter of this town. In many ways it was it's own place, independent of metro Atlanta. With these industries gone and the ever growing boundaries of the metro, it is becoming more of a suburb.

Drive around and check it out. There are places I would like to live in, but there are more that I would avoid. As far as biracial relationships, I doubt that is a problem. But in my mind, the only places I could think of in Georgia where that would be a problem is the mountains.

[Saintmarks]

Lived in Griffin as a small child and while it has been decades, we still have family and friend connections there.

What Tiki describes above is replicated many, many times over in decent sized towns and small cities all across the south. You will find "ghetto" areas in towns like this that are vestiges of the segregated south, when whites lived on one side of the "tracks" and blacks on the other. I am now in suburban DFW, in McKinney TX, which mirrors Griffin in many ways (maybe a little closer to the central city, so Newnan might be a better comparison as this area has suburbanized more than Griffin has). The vestiges of segregation are still evident here, east of the north/south railroad line is the former all black zone, still considered very "ghettoish" to the suburban new comers.

I do have a beef with Tiki's comments above. I am getting increasingly tired of how easy it is for people on this site to use derogatory terms like "redneck" and "white trash." I wonder why it is ok to demean a large segment of the population and it not be seen as offensive as comparative derogatory terms directed toward minorities. I feel it is often times used by newcomers to the region as a put down of someone who is southern and non-urban.

My memories of Griffin are wonderful. It was a great place to grow up as a child. We moved to a much more rural area because of the family situation when I was 8. For the remainder of my youth, I yearned to go back to Griffin. I have been back to visit of course several times in ensuing years, my eldest brother graduated from Griffin High and married a local girl, her family is still in the area, so news from there still filters over to me. Sorry my personal interaction isn't more in depth or up to date, but I love Griffin.

[berkeleylake]

Griffin is very typical small-town living in Central Georgia IMHO. If you like small town living and don't mind the long drive to Atlanta, over an hour during rush hour for sure.

I never lived there, but had a few relatives and friends who have lived there. Yes, you will find one side of town somewhat affluent and the rest of the areas hit or miss. It has a decent downtown square, that has had some of it revitalized and fixed up. Most big box store shopping isn't too far away, either close to McDonough or along Highway 19/41.

Most everyone I knew enjoyed living there, but it depends on what you like. If you are a big city type, you may not like it. Definitely give Griffin a visit, it is work seeking out in person.

When it comes to racial harmony, I think most people there get along fine. Nothing different really to tell about Griffin vs. any other older town in middle Georgia.

If you do a search on Griffin for both the Georgia and Atlanta forum, you will find some more threads with other information that will probably be useful to you. Start here and take a look around: //www.city-data.com/forum/search.php

[tikigod311]

Saint Marks
I know there are plenty of good folks in Griffin, I have lived close to it for over 15 years. But to discount the large population of rednecks / WT in that town would be a doing a disservice to someone considering the town. Its not everybody who lives there, but there are a lot of people that fit that description in living in and around Griffin.

The ghetto is not stereotypical of a town the size of Griffin. It is quite large and intimidating. I have been to worst areas of Atlanta, I don't mind being the only white person in a business. But many parts of the east side of Griffin I would not consider safe. There are generations of ghetto established there. It is a way of life that permeates a large section of Griffin.

To the OP, please go drive around the town. You will find that there are plenty of great areas to live in. Just be aware of the areas to avoid. I would live in certain parts of town in a heartbeat.

[geos123]

I was writing my classwork which was asking if Graffin has ghettos residences. I read all your responses and it was super helpful in understanding residential segregation and felt like urban renewal could be good to improve the health conditions and general well-being of the ghetto residences. Your responses also helped me curate a post on my blog yourhealthcare.co.ke