When will Atlanta peak (suburbs, average, east coast)

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Atlanta is not in the top 5 most important cities and I can guarantee you that; it dosen't even have the highest GDP in the south (That belongs to Houston). Your putting ATL on a level that it isn't even on yet, it has big competition in the south including Miami,Dallas, and Houston. Each are all growing very fast and very important cities. People will say these cities aren't southern but the media and the rest of the world thinks differently.

So you're defining 'importance' in terms of GDP? That seems a little narrow. Can you provide a little more info on why you think that?

If what has just been suggested before your post is true and Atlanta plays a unique role in the Southeast region (among the states of the former Confederacy) for certain historical-developmental reasons, then it will continue to grow for quite some time to come. Perhaps Houston and Miami (which itself is part of a larger Latin American 'league' of cities, one could almost say) will also continue growing, but Atlanta's role in the region is probably unique and more or less invulnerable to decline for some time to come.

Besides, you seem to be viewing "South" in narrowly geographical or cartological terms, which is probably a mistake. As has just been discussed (I reccommend you read through the whole thread before your post again more carefully) the South is not primarily a geographical entity but a cultural one that has been shaped by its unique history. Miami is not part of that history, nor Houston.

Remember, the topic of the thread is whether Atlanta has peaked, not necessarily its role vis-a-vis various other significant cities also located in the Southern half of the country.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Atlanta is not in the top 5 most important cities and I can guarantee you that; it dosen't even have the highest GDP in the south (That belongs to Houston). Your putting ATL on a level that it isn't even on yet, it has big competition in the south including Miami,Dallas, and Houston. Each are all growing very fast and very important cities. People will say these cities aren't southern but the media and the rest of the world thinks differently.

...and Dallas and Houston are in "Texas" which is not a part of the "country" of the American South.

Texas is its own "country"...with a unique/common history, heritage, culture, cuisine, dialect/language accent, etc...with influences from the American South (as well as Mexico, the Midwest, Spain, the desert Southwest, and mountain West).

...and Miami is in "South Florida," which is distinct from the American South (but it has been influenced by the American South, Cuba, the Caribbean, other Latin America, the U.S. North+Midwest, etc.).

Like WilliamM said, you need to read through the entire thread before posting.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by aries4118

...and Dallas and Houston are in "Texas" which is not a part of the "country" of the American South.

Texas is its own "country"...with a unique/common history, heritage, culture, cuisine, dialect/language accent, etc...with influences from the American South (as well as Mexico, the Midwest, Spain, the desert Southwest, and mountain West).

...and Miami is in "South Florida," which is distinct from the American South (but it has been influenced by the American South, Cuba, the Caribbean, other Latin America, the U.S. North+Midwest, etc.).

Like WilliamM said, you need to read through the entire thread before posting.

I did and you stated that Atlanta was one of the top 5 most important cities in America, which is wrong. Houston is a southern city and has lot of influence in the south. Like I said, you guys may not accept the cities as southern, but the media and the rest of the world does.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Houston is a southern city and has lot of influence in the south. Like I said, you guys may not accept the cities as southern, but the media and the rest of the world does.

I can guarantee you that outlets like the Times of London, Guardian newspaper, or any other major foreign paper, like the NY Times here in the states, do NOT view Miami as in the same cultural cultural category as Atlanta. I defy you to find any journalist or media outlet who thinks that Miami is a "Southern" city. And as was just pointed out, Houston, though it might be viewed in the popular mind as Southern, is also different. Any observer with any knowledge of American history and culture knows better.

[atlantaATL]

I Grew up In Miami and We we taught that it was the South i always considered Myself living in the South and so do most people from Miami ( the nickname was called the Bottom) SO Miami is the South

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

I can guarantee you that outlets like the Times of London, Guardian newspaper, or any other major foreign paper, like the NY Times here in the states, do NOT view Miami as in the same cultural cultural category as Atlanta. I defy you to find any journalist or media outlet who thinks that Miami is a "Southern" city. And as was just pointed out, Houston, though it might be viewed in the popular mind as Southern, is also different. Any observer with any knowledge of American history and culture knows better.

Culture dosen't matter ,it is located in the south.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

Culture dosen't matter ,it is located in the south.

Sounds like we're arguing about two separate things.

In some contexts, it's fine to lump cities like Houston, Atlanta, Miami, etc., together as being "Southern" (for ex. when planning connecting flights when traveling or something). But culture always rears its head, sometimes more than we'd like. And ultimately, I would argue, when people think of place they're thinking of it as a cultural category, not geographical.

I'll give you a classic example. I remember talking with some young women from California visiting Atlanta and I sensed it was their first visit. So as an 'experiment', rather than asking if this was their first visit to "the South" I purposely asked them "is this your first visit to the East" or "East Coast" or something similar. Instead of answering my question as formulated, they practically fell over themselves to say that it was their "first visit to the SOUTH!!!", and the way they said it showed how important that disctinction was to them.

The point is, in the popular mind "the South" is very very important. That is a CULTURAL category, my friend, not a geographical one.

In other words, if I had asked the women the same question in Miami, I would bet money they would never have said it was their first visit to the South (they would have said it was their first time visiting "Florida" or whatever). See what I mean?

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

Sounds like we're arguing about two separate things.

In some contexts, it's fine to lump cities like Houston, Atlanta, Miami, etc., together as being "Southern" (for ex. when planning connecting flights when traveling or something). But culture always rears its head, sometimes more than we'd like. And ultimately, I would argue, when people think of place they're thinking of it as a cultural category, not geographical.

I'll give you a classic example. I remember talking with some young women from California visiting Atlanta and I sensed it was their first visit. So as an 'experiment', rather than asking if this was their first visit to "the South" I purposely asked them "is this your first visit to the East" or "East Coast" or something similar. Instead of answering my question as formulated, they practically fell over themselves to say that it was their "first visit to the SOUTH!!!", and the way they said it showed how important that disctinction was to them.

The point is, in the popular mind "the South" is very very important. That is a CULTURAL category, my friend, not a geographical one.

In other words, if I had asked the women the same question in Miami, I would bet money they would never have said it was their first visit to the South (they would have said it was their first time visiting "Florida" or whatever). See what I mean?

no because Florida is still considered a southern state ,so that wouldn't make sense.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by jluke65780

no because Florida is still considered a southern state ,so that wouldn't make sense.

Wrong. Florida is NOT considered a southern state. At least not in its entirety.

Again, read my anecdote above carefully and think about it. Now do you really think it would make any sense to ask someone visiting, say, Miami: "so is this your first time in the South?"

I submit to you, NO ONE would ask that. For the simple reason that Miami is NOT the South. It's in the southern United States, but it is not the South.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by WilliamM

Sounds like we're arguing about two separate things.

In some contexts, it's fine to lump cities like Houston, Atlanta, Miami, etc., together as being "Southern" (for ex. when planning connecting flights when traveling or something). But culture always rears its head, sometimes more than we'd like. And ultimately, I would argue, when people think of place they're thinking of it as a cultural category, not geographical.

I'll give you a classic example. I remember talking with some young women from California visiting Atlanta and I sensed it was their first visit. So as an 'experiment', rather than asking if this was their first visit to "the South" I purposely asked them "is this your first visit to the East" or "East Coast" or something similar. Instead of answering my question as formulated, they practically fell over themselves to say that it was their "first visit to the SOUTH!!!", and the way they said it showed how important that disctinction was to them.

The point is, in the popular mind "the South" is very very important. That is a CULTURAL category, my friend, not a geographical one.

In other words, if I had asked the women the same question in Miami, I would bet money they would never have said it was their first visit to the South (they would have said it was their first time visiting "Florida" or whatever). See what I mean?

Yeah good point to make. Sure Atlanta is in the "East", but like you said the common public would say the South when asked where Atlanta is. They would say "the East" when asked where New York or Philadelphia was.