10 Things that must happed for Atlanta to be considered a "World City" (Alpharetta: rental, living in)

[Saintmarks]

Miami might make a run for King of the Caribbean or even King of Latin America. King of the South? Sixth or seventh place, maybe. Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, New Oleans and Nashville would slot in between Atlanta and Miami on my ballot.

[BringBackCobain]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

You hear negative things about Atlanta in places other than city-data? I've never heard the kinds of harsh comments and unfounded criticism about this city anywhere except on this forum. Whenever I've told someone I'm from Atlanta, it's all positive and they had a great time in Atlanta or they want to visit or whatever. Of course there is negativity in the media - but that is true for every city, not just Atlanta.

In my experience, the attitudes found on this site are very much not representative of real people.

I didn't encounter negativity until I went to UGA for undergrad. People were always saying terrible things about atlanta. I had many friends from houston, dallas (they were some of the worst), charlotte, nashville, athens, savannah, augusta and they would say "the only bad thing about UGA is you have to drive through a sh**hole (atl) to get here", or people would say that it was a bad place to raise a family, it has no soul, there is nothing to do (after all they saw was downtown), its ghetto, and so on. People really hated on it - of course that could be due to jealously. But nontheless it def. caught me off guard that some people could even try to debate that atlanta wasnt the capitol of the south. I hate to compare to Chicago again but if I was from Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, or Milwaukee and in college I met someone from Chicago, I would concede that thier city dominates the region, that it is the capitol of the midwest, and that it is probably the best city the region has to offer in terms of oppurtunity, fun, and prestige.

Of course when I met someone from birmingham or memphis they were usually really positive...

[bgNCATL]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

I didn't encounter negativity until I went to UGA for undergrad. People were always saying terrible things about atlanta. I had many friends from houston, dallas (they were some of the worst), charlotte, nashville, athens, savannah, augusta and they would say "the only bad thing about UGA is you have to drive through a sh**hole (atl) to get here", or people would say that it was a bad place to raise a family, it has no soul, there is nothing to do (after all they saw was downtown), its ghetto, and so on. People really hated on it - of course that could be due to jealously. But nontheless it def. caught me off guard that some people could even try to debate that atlanta wasnt the capitol of the south. I hate to compare to Chicago again but if I was from Cleveland, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, or Milwaukee and in college I met someone from Chicago, I would concede that thier city dominates the region, that it is the capitol of the midwest, and that it is probably the best city the region has to offer in terms of oppurtunity, fun, and prestige.

Of course when I met someone from birmingham or memphis they were usually really positive...

Trust me when I say it is Jealousy. This is what you get when your one of the hottest cities in the country. The fact that someone mentions that they hate to drive through a place proves this. I think they hate it because when they drive through, it makes them realize how small there cities are LOL(With the exception of Houston and Dallas).

I'm still trying to figure out how anybody from any of the cities mentioned could say there is nothing to do in Atlanta.

[mjtinmemphis]

How is someone jealous over Atlanta. That is really silly. I am not a fan of Atlanta but I do enjoy the city when I visit. Its a lot more exciting than Nashville or other places on that teir. I use to get into conversation with my family about how good their lives are in their city vs how bad it is in mine. That's silly. A place is a great place if that's where you want to be.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

LA, NYC, and Chicago are all much larger than Atlanta. .

For now

[mocca25]

Just driving the stetch of peachtree from downtown to Buckhead you can begin to see how massive this city is becomming. When all is completed and filled in Atl will def. start to fill like a chicago and LA.

[parle75]

I must say after reading some of the comments here that some have the wrong idea about Miami. I am a Miami native who enjoys ATL whenever I visit, but I've never known Miami to care so much being the "king" of anything, anywhere or anyone.

We're not pressed about being something we're not; not pressed about dominating a region; not pressed to become something bigger or better. Miami is what it is and it doesn't apologize for that. We're known for what we're known for and people can either take it or leave it. That's the Miami I know.

I don't know anyone who compares Miami to Atlanta or uses them in the same sentence. They are so different.

I actually don't want to live in Miami or ATL, lol, because there are other cities that are a better fit for me. But I think it's important to let Miami be Miami and let ATL be ATL. I do prefer Atlanta's friendliness over the cold attitudes here in Miami or South Florida in general. At least in ATL, people speak and ask you how you're doing and wait for the answer. Down here, not so much or at all. But that's how it is in South Florida.

U.S. cities in general need to step their game up and improve the quality of life because personally, there aren't many U.S. cities I want to live in. It makes me sad to look at a map of the United States and see very few places I want to live.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by parle75

I must say after reading some of the comments here that some have the wrong idea about Miami. I am a Miami native who enjoys ATL whenever I visit, but I've never known Miami to care so much being the "king" of anything, anywhere or anyone.

We're not pressed about being something we're not; not pressed about dominating a region; not pressed to become something bigger or better. Miami is what it is and it doesn't apologize for that. We're known for what we're known for and people can either take it or leave it. That's the Miami I know.

I don't know anyone who compares Miami to Atlanta or uses them in the same sentence. They are so different.

I actually don't want to live in Miami or ATL, lol, because there are other cities that are a better fit for me. But I think it's important to let Miami be Miami and let ATL be ATL. I do prefer Atlanta's friendliness over the cold attitudes here in Miami or South Florida in general. At least in ATL, people speak and ask you how you're doing and wait for the answer. Down here, not so much or at all. But that's how it is in South Florida.

U.S. cities in general need to step their game up and improve the quality of life because personally, there aren't many U.S. cities I want to live in. It makes me sad to look at a map of the United States and see very few places I want to live.

Hang around city-data a little longer...you'll find plenty who compare those and other cities - and who bad-mouth them as well. I agree, in real life there isn't much discussion about these things...or at least not in my world.

I'm not sure what has been said about Miami in this thread, so I can't really comment further on the subject...well, not without reading all 9 pages.

[DiderotsGhost]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Excuse me, but I used to live in McLean, VA. How can someone that lives in Fairfax County, VA make comments about how 'suburban' Atlanta is? LOL...rather like the pot calling the kettle black.
Every city in this country has a large suburban area encircling it...name one that doesn't.

Excuse me ... I didn't realize I was responsible for the suburban development of the DC Metro area. I've been an advocate of better urban planning, better public transportation, and sprawl-free cities for years.

Kind of hypocritical of you to blame me for the sprawl in a city I've lived in for one year. It would be like me blaming you for Atlanta's mess. And make no mistake about it ... Atlanta's sprawl is a mess. The people in this forum can be in denial about it, or they can do something to change it. Mostly I see the former.

The "Northeastern Elite" comment is laughable. I'm from Appalachia.


Actually, I don't think it's a surprise that someone like me would be the most opposed to the sprawl we've been building. I've had to live with nightmarish developments most of my life. I've had to deal with the pains of being a lower income person commuting from the sprawlburbs in Atlanta all the way downtown. I've had to deal with the pains of commuting all over the DC Metro area, which also has its share of sprawl. Every day, I come home exhausted because these terrible development patterns. Every time, I lose precious hours because of sprawl. Most of the large cities in the US share these problems; but undoubtedly, Atlanta is one of the worst. The good news is that it doesn't have to be --- and unlike many, I will work to change things for the better.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by JakilaTheHun

Excuse me ... I didn't realize I was responsible for the suburban development of the DC Metro area. I've been an advocate of better urban planning, better public transportation, and sprawl-free cities for years.

Kind of hypocritical of you to blame me for the sprawl in a city I've lived in for one year. It would be like me blaming you for Atlanta's mess. And make no mistake about it ... Atlanta's sprawl is a mess. The people in this forum can be in denial about it, or they can do something to change it. Mostly I see the former.

The "Northeastern Elite" comment is laughable. I'm from Appalachia.


Actually, I don't think it's a surprise that someone like me would be the most opposed to the sprawl we've been building. I've had to live with nightmarish developments most of my life. I've had to deal with the pains of being a lower income person commuting from the sprawlburbs in Atlanta all the way downtown. I've had to deal with the pains of commuting all over the DC Metro area, which also has its share of sprawl. Every day, I come home exhausted because these terrible development patterns. Every time, I lose precious hours because of sprawl. Most of the large cities in the US share these problems; but undoubtedly, Atlanta is one of the worst. The good news is that it doesn't have to be --- and unlike many, I will work to change things for the better.

I'm not 'blaming' you for anything...sheesh.
I just find it amusing that you're so quick to make comments about Atlanta being so 'suburban' as if it is in a class by itself in this regard...and you do so while sitting in a massive sea of Washington DC suburbia.
I really don't get why Atlanta gets this rep...the truth is that there is little difference between our city and most American cities on this score.