5,505,161 (Atlanta, Columbus, Savannah: real estate market, condos, credit)

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

So if it's really 5,522,942, then that's over 80k growth....that's seem to be more right. 68k seemed oddly low.

Actually, Morgan County lost 46 people between 2012 and 2013, so if it's part of the Atlanta metropolitan area now, then that reduces the growth from +68,559 to +68,513.

Originally Posted by Ant131531

This is why I think the true size of the Atlanta metro is more like 4.6 million. I rarely see Morgan tags flocking into Atlanta every morning. I don't see how that is apart of the Atlanta metro...that's literally like 40 miles East of downtown. Sprawlanta strikes again.

Morgan County is probably included now because at least 25% of all employed residents commute to Walton County or Newton County.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Columbuskidd92

Meanwhile South Georgia starting to [look] like a third [world] country.

That's a good point.

The same thing that is happening to Georgia (where almost all of the population growth and economic growth is in one major metropolitan region in metro Atlanta and North Georgia), is what happened to large states like Illinois, New York and California in years past when the large major metro regions in those states grew explosively and took all of the economic and political clout away from the sparsely-populated rural portions of those states.

In states like Illinois, New York and California, the entire economic and political structures of those states are focused on their one or two large major urban areas (like Chicago in IL; NYC in NY; and LA and SF in CA) while the rest of those states often get completely ignored because of the overwhelmingly uneven population distribution in those urban-dominated states.

In decades past when metro Atlanta was much smaller and Georgia was predominantly rural and agricultural, South Georgia held much political and cultural sway over the state of Georgia.

Because most of Georgia's population lived in smaller cities, towns and rural areas outside of the Atlanta region, rural South Georgia dominated the state's political and cultural scenes.

Now that most of Georgia's population appears to increasingly live within the urban, suburban and exurban areas of the Atlanta region, the rural and agricultural issues that would have dominated the state's political and cultural scenes have now taken a back seat to metro Atlanta's urban, suburban and exurban issues in a political scene now increasingly dominated by Atlanta's powerful Northern suburbs.

[demonta4]

Well, looks like traffic improved in my county.

[atler8]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

So if it's really 5,522,942, then that's over 80k growth....that's seem to be more right. 68k seemed oddly low.

Adding Morgan County does not add in 17,000 in growth for the metro area it's simply a new inclusion of Morgan County's 17,000 residents into the metro population statistics. That latest year to year growth total of 68,000 is not altered by the physical redefinition of the metro area that added Morgan County.
And just because you personally rarely see Morgan County plates in central Atlanta doesn't mean that they are not commuting into the eastern metro or other areas. It's the commuting relationship that defines the metro MSA & CSA areas.
I get confused here a lot by your expressed opinions as to your priorities for Atlanta given that you alternate between wanting mega fast growth in metro Atlanta like that in Houston which would lead to more "Sprawlanta" as you just recently referred to Atlanta (& I think that Houston's sprawl is hardly anything Atlanta should want to emulate!) & yet you rag on the lack of walkable urban core areas here.
Which is it supposed to be?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

That's amazing. Georgia really needs to focus on helping other cities like Columbus and Savannah grow. Georgia's 2nd tier cities have grown but nothing like they should IMO. Glad to see Columbus at #2 in the state though!

Originally Posted by waronxmas

How exactly would Georgia do that? People move where they want.

That's a really good point by Columbus1984 that Georgia's 2nd-tier cities have not grown much in relation to Atlanta.

Though it should be noted that a second-tier metro area like Savannah has benefitted greatly from Atlanta's growth because of Savannah's status as a major international seaport.

It should also be noted that other second-tier metro areas like Columbus and Augusta (and to a lesser extent Warner Robins and Valdosta) have cutout great economic and population growth niches for themselves as cities adjacent to major military bases.

waronxmas also has a really good point that it would be difficult for state officials to guide population growth to smaller cities and metros areas outside of Atlanta because people are free to choose to move to where they want to move to.

Right now most people moving to Georgia (like in other large states with very-large and dominating major metro areas) want to move to metro Atlanta because of the unique economic and cultural opportunities that are available in a very-large metro area that may not necessarily be available in smaller metro areas in other parts of the state.

Though one way that state officials MIGHT be able to helping smaller cities and metro areas grow outside of metro Atlanta is with investments in upgrades to transportation infrastructure like continued upgrades to the state's road network and the implementation of high-speed (or higher-speed) passenger rail transit links between Atlanta and outlying smaller metro areas around the state.

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

Gwinnett clearly will be Georgia's most populous county one day.

Gwinnett County already is home to Georgia's largest school system which is expected to have an enrollment of about 173,000 students next fall.

[cdw1084]

Originally Posted by Ant131531

The Atlanta urban area is only 4.6 million and Houston's isn't much bigger. If I was from another country and had to guess Atlanta's metro population from being in the city core and seeing how big is skyline was, I'd guess 4-5 million.

A foreigner could also think NY has 30 million people but at the end of the day we don't determine how metropolitan areas are defined.

[isawooty]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Somebody needs to tell the Darlington ...

That figure rightfully includes Hall County.

[isawooty]

Originally Posted by Columbuskidd92

Meanwhile South Georgia starting to like a third would country.

Not all of South Georgia. Some of those cities are alive and well.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by atler8

So?
After living in metro Atlanta for 35 years, growth for the sake of it & the comensurate bragging rights does little for me anymore. What's the point of super fast growth if one has quality of life issues pegged as more of a personal priority?
I'm not worried about or ashamed for the area if it slows noticeably in growth. Count it as sort of an opportunity for metro Atlanta to take a long-overdue "breather" to hopefully concentrate on improving the infrastructure (given Georgia's anti-tax climate, that 's a big if!) & continuing to improve the core of the City of Atlanta.
How fast Houston or Dallas grows barely registers on my scale of import.

I sympathize, but in general for most of us across the metro.... the more we go, the more value our land and homes have.

If we don't grow it is a sign we have grown less desirable and will have declining property values, whereas if we grow we will have increasing property values and more room for redevelopment projects to try to make some communities nicer.

[atler8]

I understand your point cwkimbro but with a still rapid, but yet noticeably slower growth, metro Atlanta is still on pace to add at least several hundred thousand residents during this decade. In my view, that is certainly adequate.
While not perhaps the standout boomtown grower that it's been in the past it's yet not the end of the world for metro Atlanta, as in your concern for property values. There is a point after all of diminishing returns when there is simply too much growth.
As for property values needing to be fueled & propped up by rapid growth there is really no absolute linkage between the two factors & there are many exceptions. Metro Boston for example is a slow to modest grower in population yet it's property values are pretty much out of sight on the average as compared to the average price found in metro Atlanta. Boston is considered a high tech center, a financial center as well as an educational hub of the first class order.
There is no corresponding threat to their vibrant housing market because of their slower growth rate.