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I am an Atlanta native, but, praise Jesus, have never been a victim of a crime. That said, most crime EVERYWHERE, is not random, or can be avoided by simply being "smart" about not leaving things visible on your front porch or in your car.
Yes, keep praying your items don't get stolen, I'm sure that will help even though robbery is 2X higher in Atlanta then Seattle.
I am an Atlanta native, but, praise Jesus, have never been a victim of a crime. That said, most crime EVERYWHERE, is not random, or can be avoided by simply being "smart" about not leaving things visible on your front porch or in your car.
Victim shaming and platitudes do not change the crime rate of either city.
If your experiences are your reality, Metro Atlanta is very diverse: I now live In the Lake Spivey community in Clayton County (southside suburb) While my neighborhood trends slightly White, over 1/3 of my neighbors and from EVERY ethnic group from Black to Hispanic (both Puerto Rican and Mexican) and some Asian families. Before, when I lived a few miles further north toward Atlanta in Morrow, Georgia, most of my neighbors were older "empty nester" White and Black couples while most families with school aged children were Asian (Vietnames and Thai). I believe Morrow may be close to 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 is terms of ethnic groups between Blacks, Asians, and Whites also with a sizable Hispanic population. From MY EXPERIENCES, Atlanta is a very diverse place, and to the other lovely poster, I SHALL continue praying for my safety and that of my family, friends, and church members, but thanks for the reminder. ;0)
Me too, I want to visit both. And yeah I heard exactly that from multiple people. But I was still very impressed with Seattle. I'm kind of a west coast newbie, as I've explored the heck out of everywhere in the east and midwest, but it's been difficult to get out there. But now I have a little more ability to.
I mean, I don't disagree, but I'll just say that my personal experience was so positive. (And, yeah, I'm a white guy, fairly privleged and from the north suburbs, so by all means take that into account.)
Atlanta has diversity on paper, but yet for the most part it just feels so segregated. Each group kind of has their places and their areas. Seattle felt the opposite, a completely integrated feel everywhere I went. To me, it felt that way. Literally everywhere I would see a few people of every kind, including plenty of black and Latino, all mixed up. Asian was definitely more prominent than ATL, but it's not like everyone was Asian.
My plane ride experience home the other day was a perfect example of this contrast, in a nutshell. I walked from the apartment to the Capitol Hill train station, had a comfortable and pleasant ride to SeaTac, and it was completely diverse on their train, including at least some people that looked and talked like me, that seemed like similar type of people as me, with similar lives and backgrounds. And just a lot of regular folks, including some black folks.
So then when I get home (which was at night, but not that late), I'm basically the only non-black person waiting for the train or riding the train. A few people seemed disturbed, or homeless, or sketchy, or really rude and loud and annoying and etc. Some people were professional, but most seemed like fast food workers. Yet I know that a lot of white people were on that plane, it was actually mostly white. So they all went in their cars to their sheltered white world, and the African American community has their own world (MARTA and the south side and etc). I just felt out of place, as if I was not welcome or really meant to be there, because of who I am. I dunno how to explain it. I'm not saying anything negative about anyone, not at all, I'm just doubting Atlanta's supposed diversity. It's a very tribal diversity, at best. It's not an integrated diversity. Including barely speaking the same language. Black southern urban english vs white suburban english... it's so different, that a lot of people can barely even understand each other, not they ever even interact. And most of Atlanta proper and its transit system seems more like a black city, where white folks are just not supposed to ever go. I buck that trend all the time, but still, I always get that vibe.
Anyway, just my passing thoughts on it. If Seattle had been all white, I would have called that a negative. I don't want to be in a place like that or live in a place like that. I loved the true diversity of it.
Now... admittedly, maybe it's because all the racial diversity was probably pretty wealthy, and upstanding and well-off and healthy people and etc. So honestly maybe that is a part of it.
I am pro-gentrification, I guess out of my own selfishness.
Well, I found a ton of interesting and a ton of culture. But yes, it's difficult for an area to be both "real" and also affordable for working class people. Near impossible, I guess. But this is the dilemma everywhere, and it's certainly true for Atlanta also, particularly recent Midtown and intown neighborhoods.
Howell Mill... it's creative, interesting, and it's expensive. I mean... you only get like a 5 minute window where a formerly rough run down area becomes creative and interesting, before it becomes expensive and desirable. Artists/millenials have to be basically nomads, riding that wave into new frontier neighborhoods.
I noticed about as much homelessness as I do in Atlanta, but yeah, it was maybe a good bit more. And it was more visible due to the tent communities in the city.
I love and appreciate Atlanta most of the time, just not this week. I'm more frustrated than ever, right now. I think my love for Atlanta might now be permanently damaged. Like when I visited Chicago and Pittsburgh (both cities that I also really like), I still came home and appreciated a lot about Atlanta. But Seattle just blew me away, personally. To me at least, it really brought to the surface all the fundamental mistakes and problems of Atlanta, versus a place that's more like a really truly vibrant and actual city, that's in Atlanta's size and general tier as a city. It's what we might could or should be (minus all the great natural water features everywhere, which we'll unfortunately never have.)
I'm thankful for this little bit of increased clarity that I have now, having experienced just a glimpse of the PNW urban concept. Atlanta needs a lot of help and fundamental total changes. I don't mean this as a criticism but as a fact. I want it to happen because it's my home and I want to love and appreciate Atlanta.
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And most of Atlanta proper and its transit system seems more like a black city, where white folks are just not supposed to ever go. I buck that trend all the time, but still, I always get that vibe.
Seattle feels the same for blacks acept it feels more white and Asian. I just moved to Atlanta but lived here when was younger.It feels way more diverse than Seattle.Especially when you leave the core of Atlanta and go to counties like Gwinnett,N.Dekalb and Cobb https://censusreporter.org/profiles/...wa-metro-area/
Seattle is way more vibrant but the diversity and culture of things to do is so much more varied in Atlanta from what I can tell.
Sure there are a lots of blacks but one think that is overlooked about Atlanta black community is that it too is varied as the Asian culture is in Seattle.
There are large communities of people from the Caribbean and African countries including descendants of African Americans.
This is equally true for Hispanics.Puerto Ricans,Mexicans,Dominicans,etc are most representative of the Hispanic community in Atlanta.
You got Snohomish County @78% white,Pierce 74% white, Tacoma is actually much more diverse than Seattle but of course much poorer and more crime so you can take many of Atlanta counties in its metro but Seattle has no answer for the diversity in those areas of Atlanta's metro.
As far as Seattle being more of a "city". Yes without a doubt but its too dense and really the reason many people want to be there and also the reason they dont as its too expensive and getting worse.
Seattle will be like Hong Kong in 20 years.No thanks.
Amazon is building a second hedquarters in another city because they have absolutely no real room to grow in Seattle propper.Its 83sq mi vs Atlanta 138sq mi.
Atlanta Metro is much larger in population and area and more densely populated so to measure transits effectiveness of its much smaller land area that moves less people isnt very fair.
Seattle is truly beautiful but it smaller area has less interesting places than Atlanta.Roswell,Decatur,Serenbe,Peachtree City,Suwanee,Lawrenceville etc all have great downtown to explore and easier to take a cheap flight or drive to more places faster.
I think its easy to go sme place new and notice things done better but absolutely forget and discount all that the city you just left does well or better.
One of those things is Labor Day Weekend.In Seattle BEST weekend I dont think as many people and things to do occur like they do in Atlanta for that holiday.
I was absolutely blown away with the craziness of activity in Atlanta.
The other thing I find weird about Seattle is how quickly people will riot for some cause that has little to do with Seattle itself
Last edited by SenseSoCommon; 09-13-2017 at 01:12 AM..
While I will admit that Atlanta has some beautiful and charming neighborhoods, but I don't think I would ever want to live there.
Traffic is terrible and you have high crime, but yet most of the city and metro are pretty suburban. It's sorta the worst of both worlds in my opinion.
I can put up with congestion and crime if you are offering a package like Chicago of Philadelphia but not Atlanta which really is just an inferior Dallas or Houston in a nicer natural setting.
Seattle is absolutely beautiful, and you get a walk-able, safe, and transit friendly city for your money.
While I will admit that Atlanta has some beautiful and charming neighborhoods, but I don't think I would ever want to live there.
Traffic is terrible and you have high crime, but yet most of the city and metro are pretty suburban. It's sorta the worst of both worlds in my opinion.
I can put up with congestion and crime if you are offering a package like Chicago of Philadelphia but not Atlanta which really is just an inferior Dallas or Houston in a nicer natural setting.
Seattle is absolutely beautiful, and you get a walk-able, safe, and transit friendly city for your money.
Again most of Seattle is suburban also. Its 637people per sq mi vérsus 657 for Atlanta
"An inferior Dallas or Houston" Ñow i know you aren't serious/lol
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there goes your arguement.