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Location: Augusta, GA ''The fastest rising city in the southeast''
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ant131531
Maybe people here aren't realizing that the talented workforce that currently lives in and around Atlanta don't want to live in other Georgia cities? People have to remember a lot of the workforce Atlanta has is coming in from other parts of the country...why would someone from California or New York want to live in Augusta, Macon or Columbus? Those are quintessential southern towns and people don't have favorable views of the South outside of the very large metros areas like Atlanta, Miami, Houston, and Dallas and the smaller charming cities of Savannah, Charleston, or NOLA.
There's a prime reason why business and talent gravitates to certain cities in this country in large numbers. You can't just force jobs onto to other cities. It doesn't work that way. Atlanta became the primate city of not only Georgia, but of the entire Southeastern region. That's why to this day, it still generates by far the highest amount of jobs in the Southeast. It became the center of almost every industry in the state.
It's simply too late for the other midsize Georgia cities apart from Savannah, but even Savannah doesn't grow all that fast...it's still mostly a tourist city with a decent port.
You can't force GE to put 400 IT jobs in Augusta...where would the talent come from? Would talent from other parts of the country to want live, work, and play in Augusta over Atlanta? You have to think about these things.
It's not as simple as "We need to put more investment into other parts of the state." How would you invest in other parts of states? Take the tax money that's coming from the Atlanta metro and give it to rural areas when Atlanta right now is collapsing under it's own weight when it comes to traffic and infrastructure problems? People leaving rural areas is not a new phenomenon. This has been going on now for over 100 years...
I do agree that many people who prefer to live in large cities don't want to live in Augusta. However, many people want to live in smaller cities with less crime, traffic, and the majority of amenities found in larger cities...
The Cyber Command is moving from Maryland to Augusta. The decision wouldn't have been made if they didn't believe a majority of residents living in the DMV could withstand Augusta.
The state of Georgia can't expect rapid growth when they don't support rapid growth. The plans for I-3 between Augusta/Savannah and I-16 connecting Augusta, Macon, and Columbus are still on the table collecting dust.
I do agree that many people who prefer to live in large cities don't want to live in Augusta. However, many people want to live in smaller cities with less crime, traffic, and the majority of amenities found in larger cities...
The Cyber Command is moving from Maryland to Augusta. The decision wouldn't have been made if they didn't believe a majority of residents living in the DMV could withstand Augusta.
The state of Georgia can't expect rapid growth when they don't support rapid growth. The plans for I-3 between Augusta/Savannah and I-16 connecting Augusta, Macon, and Columbus are still on the table collecting dust.
That's a pretty impressive collection of jobs moving into Augusta. That's a good thing. It shows that Atlanta doesn't hog EVERYTHING. Most of Georgia's major metros are growing. The media image of booming Atlanta and stagnant everywhere else isn't really accurate. Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, and Warner-Robins had significant population growth last decade. That isn't always the case with states with one dominant metro. Buffalo used to be a major American city. It stagnated while New York City didn't. Buffalo has not grown appreciably in 50 years. There are just some things you cannot do. Some areas seemingly are destined to remain poor. Look at West Virginia or rural Kentucky. They have been unable to escape rural poverty and migration for GENERATIONS. The rural South, the rural Midwest, the rural everywhere is struggling.
PS I've always been partial to the town of Hephzibah near Augusta. Bewitched fans will know.
The Augusta regions has always had very good large employers from the Savannah River Plant in Jackson, Kimberly Clark, and Columbia Nitrogen. I love those beautiful homes on the riverfront. I've always wonder why no show boats trip to Savannah on the river.
Its more so of "Where does the CEO wife want to live?" She is moving from California or NYC. Does she want to move to Atlanta, Macon or Camilla, GA?
Well you guys are thinking way too big for a small city.Of course CEOs may not want to live in a small city.
A plant manager of a huge manufacturing plant?
You got Gulfstream in Savannah and Boeing in Charleston.
JCB has a plant in the Savannah area and then they moved their international headquarters their.
You seem to be focused quite literally on business office commuters doing super commutes. That is the wrong way of looking at it.
You can see this happen in Europe very heavily and I have actually been a part of it.
Many factories and isolated industries spring up in mid-size cities away from, but close by major financial cities. Operating costs and living costs are lower, but there had to be a high degree of interconnectivity. It isn't that a guy is commuting into the big city every day, its that there are people that need to be one place 3 or 4 days a week and in the other place 1 or 2 days a week.
The outlying industries still depend on business dealings with the financial center to operate.
It isn't simply about setting up long commutes, it is about how to get different areas economies to interact better and more efficiently.
Alternatively, I would also consider far off business travelers. The cheaper it is for a South Koren firm to fly in to Atlanta and get to a close by city, the more likely they are to spread out and take advantage of cheaper land/operating costs found in smaller cities. I happen to fall in this group quite a bit when I go to other places.
A great recipe for our state and the American South.
Not going to copy and paste all the appropriate posts above, but will dive in on the subject with this thought.
Atlanta better enhance its network of trains to get around the region before a vast network of trains connect from points around the state. If I am in Augusta or Columbus and have a train to get to Atlanta and the places I want to go are not convenient to MARTA, I take my car. I don't want to get to Atlanta without sufficient transportation to get around.
Lived outside London two years. Never, ever, ever took the car into the city. By the time I would make it to the center and find parking, it would be time to head back out again. But took the train everytime as there was the Underground and Double Deckers to get you anywhere you wanted to go.
Atlanta has the bare bones for this, but I wouldn't take a train with what is. It would need to beef up substantially before I would not have my own set of wheels.
Maybe people here aren't realizing that the talented workforce that currently lives in and around Atlanta don't want to live in other Georgia cities? People have to remember a lot of the workforce Atlanta has is coming in from other parts of the country...why would someone from California or New York want to live in Augusta, Macon or Columbus? Those are quintessential southern towns and people don't have favorable views of the South outside of the very large metros areas like Atlanta, Miami, Houston, and Dallas and the smaller charming cities of Savannah, Charleston, or NOLA.
There's a prime reason why business and talent gravitates to certain cities in this country in large numbers. You can't just force jobs onto to other cities. It doesn't work that way. Atlanta became the primate city of not only Georgia, but of the entire Southeastern region. That's why to this day, it still generates by far the highest amount of jobs in the Southeast. It became the center of almost every industry in the state.
It's simply too late for the other midsize Georgia cities apart from Savannah, but even Savannah doesn't grow all that fast...it's still mostly a tourist city with a decent port.
You can't force GE to put 400 IT jobs in Augusta...where would the talent come from? Would talent from other parts of the country to want live, work, and play in Augusta over Atlanta? You have to think about these things.
It's not as simple as "We need to put more investment into other parts of the state." How would you invest in other parts of states? Take the tax money that's coming from the Atlanta metro and give it to rural areas when Atlanta right now is collapsing under it's own weight when it comes to traffic and infrastructure problems? People leaving rural areas is not a new phenomenon. This has been going on now for over 100 years...
These mid size cities can offer a lower cost of doing business and a lower cost of living for the quality of life they can potentially have.
I would argue it isn`t that we are trying to attract people from NY to Augusta by itself, rather I want to capture development that will be priced out of Atlanta in the future, but could still set up shop nearby within the financial hinterlands of Atlanta.
There is a reason the amount of industry inside 285 is extremely low, even though Atlanta started off as an industrial crossroads.
These mid size cities can offer a lower cost of doing business and a lower cost of living for the quality of life they can potentially have.
I would argue it isn`t that we are trying to attract people from NY to Augusta by itself, rather I want to capture development that will be priced out of Atlanta in the future, but could still set up shop nearby within the financial hinterlands of Atlanta.
There is a reason the amount of industry inside 285 is extremely low, even though Atlanta started off as an industrial crossroads.
Yeh just look at the Carolina's midsized cities like Greensboro,Greenville-Spartenburg,Colombia,High Point etc.All are doing well.So why cant Georgia cities do as well?
I see Augusta and Columbus with Bright futures of growth.
Savvanah will grow but its economy wont diversify as much but the ports will cause it to grow.
Savannah just hs to fix its crime problem and schools.Then no reason Savannah cant ever be a "Boston South" some day 100 years from now.lol
Maybe people here aren't realizing that the talented workforce that currently lives in and around Atlanta don't want to live in other Georgia cities? People have to remember a lot of the workforce Atlanta has is coming in from other parts of the country...why would someone from California or New York want to live in Augusta, Macon or Columbus? Those are quintessential southern towns and people don't have favorable views of the South outside of the very large metros areas like Atlanta, Miami, Houston, and Dallas and the smaller charming cities of Savannah, Charleston, or NOLA.
There's a prime reason why business and talent gravitates to certain cities in this country in large numbers. You can't just force jobs onto to other cities. It doesn't work that way. Atlanta became the primate city of not only Georgia, but of the entire Southeastern region. That's why to this day, it still generates by far the highest amount of jobs in the Southeast. It became the center of almost every industry in the state.
It's simply too late for the other midsize Georgia cities apart from Savannah, but even Savannah doesn't grow all that fast...it's still mostly a tourist city with a decent port.
You can't force GE to put 400 IT jobs in Augusta...where would the talent come from? Would talent from other parts of the country to want live, work, and play in Augusta over Atlanta? You have to think about these things.
It's not as simple as "We need to put more investment into other parts of the state." How would you invest in other parts of states? Take the tax money that's coming from the Atlanta metro and give it to rural areas when Atlanta right now is collapsing under it's own weight when it comes to traffic and infrastructure problems? People leaving rural areas is not a new phenomenon. This has been going on now for over 100 years...
I would strongly recommend you take in e a trip to Augusta.I really think its on the verge of a boom in the next 5 years.
Many midsize cities have corporate employers with offices there.Take Macon. GEICO Regional Headquarters has at around 6000 employees as of last year after they recently expanded to add 500 more.
Columbus has 3 major companies headquartered there.
AFLAC headquarter employees a lot also.
Synovus and TYSYS also huge companies
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