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I do think that Atlanta (proper) has a predominant Black culture, but it's rather unique in that it is roughly equal parts celebrity, middle class professional/entreprenurial, and working class with the middle class professional/entreprenurial element having the most overlap with "mainstream" culture. Obviously it's preferable if the Black working class were instead mostly solidly middle class or better, but as it stands, Atlanta is going to give you a pretty well-rounded Black American experience in its various facets which is an important type of diversity in and of itself.
I think its only feels predominate because the mainstream is so ordinary.We wae in a Western country and its something we are just used to.Atlanta is too corporate for it to feel be overshadowed by anything else thats not to say the presence of black culture isnt strong .It is but is just doesnt feel like its predominate as the cities I mentioned before like Baltimore and Detroit feel so overwhelmingly black.I see Atlanta like Philly.Depending on where you are in Philly you see the black culture but overwhelmingly there is no mistaking irs a American city with a string black culture and not a black city with a American culture
Seattle has a better economy (though Atlanta is strong, too), no state income tax, is somewhat safer in the inner cuty (although you can find plenty of safe, clean Atlanta suburbs, so that doesn't matter), and is a day trip away from skiing and the best Chinese food outside of Asia in Vancouver, Canada. Seattle arguably has a bigger skyline and much more rail transit in the works.
Everything else--weather, scenery, history, food--all go to Atlanta. Yes, even food. Haven't tried the Asian food in either, but Atlanta seems to have decent Korean BBQ while Seattle's Asian food is massively underwhelming, especially given its relatively large Asian population. The only thing that scares me about Atlanta weather is the flooding and Seattle tornadoes or hurricanes. I'd take the heat and humidity over an overly mild PNW summer. Also, winter in Atlanta may not be sunny but Seattle winters are even gloomier.
I know Seattle has lots of evergreens and hills but Atlanta's hills and Atlanta's greenery appeal far more to me. Atlanta has more trees losing their leaves in the fall, which I'm sure adds to the four seasons feel, though I've only been to Atlanta in the winter.
Bellevue is nice but it's not a fair fight with Buckhead. Buckhead is Beverly Hills and Bellevue combined.
I haven't been to the Cascades or North Georgia, but I'm sure that even if youre an outdoors person Atlanta would be no slouch for its proximity to North Georgia. I did go to Stone Mountain, and that sculpture blew my mind away. Not aware of any nature park as monumental as Stone Mountain. Vancouver does have Stanley Park and Grouse Grind... But that's Vancouver, not Seattle.
And don't underestimate the BeltLine! It's incredibly packed with pedestrians and hip new markets. A streetcar along the BeltLine is in the works
Portland would be jealous.
I guess it's personal preference. Weather wise I have to go with Seattle. I stay away from cities with oppressively hot and humid summers. I like cities with a traditional vibrant downtown with great retail, restaurants, markets, cultural amenities and nightlife and plenty of people living in its core. I like a city around major bodies of water for beach activities, boating, picking up sea shells or catching a ferry to one of the islands. I like a city where I can see snowcapped mountains as high as 14,000+ feet. I've been to Atlanta on occassion and it's a fun city. Did all the touristy stuff. Had great food. Did the Morehouse/Howard homecoming a few times. But out of these two cities Seattle is more to my liking. And also Buckhead is beautiful but honestly it is not Beverly Hills and Bellevue combined.
I guess it's personal preference. Weather wise I have to go with Seattle. I stay away from cities with oppressively hot and humid summers. I like cities with a traditional vibrant downtown with great retail, restaurants, markets, cultural amenities and nightlife and plenty of people living in its core. I like a city around major bodies of water for beach activities, boating, picking up sea shells or catching a ferry to one of the islands. I like a city where I can see snowcapped mountains as high as 14,000+ feet. I've been to Atlanta on occassion and it's a fun city. Did all the touristy stuff. Had great food. Did the Morehouse/Howard homecoming a few times. But out of these two cities Seattle is more to my liking. And also Buckhead is beautiful but honestly it is not Beverly Hills and Bellevue combined.
How's Buckhead not Beverly Hills and Bellevue combined? It's an edge city with lots of high rises like Bellevue. It's a ritzy shopping district like Beverly Hills.
Buckhead and Midtown are plenty vibrant, too. Tons of high rise condos there, and a heavy rail corridor running through them.
And does Seattle have anything like the BeltLine?
Don't get me wrong, I grew up on the West Coast and enjoy the ocean, but I don't see much point in going to an ocean with cold water. And I like skiing and mountains but I also like the rolling Piedmont foothills and even coastal flat plains.
The Burke Gilman Trail would be Seattle's closest Beltline equivalent. The part from Fremont to the UW in particular is extremely busy. You can get probably 30 miles into the suburbs on the same busy, active trail...around the top of Lake Washington and back south to Downtown Redmond and Marymoor Park.
But we'd kill for a similar trail closer to the CBD. Myrtle Edwards Park along the north part of Elliott Bay is useful but not in the middle of things. You can get close to Downtown using the I-90 trail to the north end of Beacon Hill or Rainier Avenue. (One of my typical summer weekend bike rides involves heading out this way, going through Redmond, and coming back on the Burke Gilman.)
I think its only feels predominate because the mainstream is so ordinary.We wae in a Western country and its something we are just used to.Atlanta is too corporate for it to feel be overshadowed by anything else thats not to say the presence of black culture isnt strong .It is but is just doesnt feel like its predominate as the cities I mentioned before like Baltimore and Detroit feel so overwhelmingly black.I see Atlanta like Philly.Depending on where you are in Philly you see the black culture but overwhelmingly there is no mistaking irs a American city with a string black culture and not a black city with a American culture
Atlanta doesn't feel overwhelmingly corporate. I would say that's true of a place like Tyson's Corner, but not Atlanta overall. The part of the city with the strongest corporate feel to me would be Buckhead, but the presence of the malls play a big roll there also. Downtown and Midtown have other populations there that mix in with the office element to a large degree. And Black culture is the most American of cultures so I guess we can agree to somewhat disagree on that point. I can see the comparison with Philly though.
I haven't been to the Cascades or North Georgia, but I'm sure that even if youre an outdoors person Atlanta would be no slouch for its proximity to North Georgia. I did go to Stone Mountain, and that sculpture blew my mind away. Not aware of any nature park as monumental as Stone Mountain. Vancouver does have Stanley Park and Grouse Grind... But that's Vancouver, not Seattle.
The Blueridge area and The Cascades, for me their comparison ends after 'Mountain Ranges'. The cascades contain some of the tallest mountains in the country (namely Mnt Raineer, St.Helen), snow capped and visible throughout the entire metro of Seattle. The Cascades are more pronounced so to speak where as the Blue Ridge is apart of the more gentle flowing Appalachian chain. It is also not visible until you travel about 40 miles north of Atlanta. However Georgia does have a better selection of localities nearby or within the mountains such as Helen and Dahlonegga. Seattle remains consistently suburban right onto the foothills of the Cascades given their proximity where as Atlanta has more unique establishments around the mountains.
As for Bellevue vs Buckhead, while they share similarities, Seattle as a whole isnt a image conscious metro but more so reserved so it's easy to see why the trendy novelities of Beverely Hills do not exist there, however; becareful not to assume that this also means that it does not carry similar levels of capital. Seattle tends to be deceiving in this area.
The Blueridge area and The Cascades, for me their comparison ends after 'Mountain Ranges'. The cascades contain some of the tallest mountains in the country (namely Mnt Raineer, St.Helen), snow capped and visible throughout the entire metro of Seattle. The Cascades are more pronounced so to speak where as the Blue Ridge is apart of the more gentle flowing Appalachian chain. It is also not visible until you travel about 40 miles north of Atlanta. However Georgia does have a better selection of localities nearby or within the mountains such as Helen and Dahlonegga. Seattle remains consistently suburban right onto the foothills of the Cascades given their proximity where as Atlanta has more unique establishments around the mountains.
As for Bellevue vs Buckhead, while they share similarities, Seattle as a whole isnt a image conscious metro but more so reserved so it's easy to see why the trendy novelities of Beverely Hills do not exist there, however; becareful not to assume that this also means that it does not carry similar levels of capital. Seattle tends to be deceiving in this area.
Seems like Seattle wealthy would be more obsessed with the latest technology rather than the newest car or largest house. The smug/bro culture is in contrast with Atlanta's more flashy culture.
Seems like Seattle wealthy would be more obsessed with the latest technology rather than the newest car or largest house. The smug/bro culture is in contrast with Atlanta's more flashy culture.
Many of the wealthy in Seattle will approach you in Blue Jean's and a T-Shirt. You would never know they were making 7 figures just by seeing them. Not to mention the Asian culture in general is not fascinated by who drives the hottest car or owns the biggest house so they can be a bit deceptive.
Bellevue btw does have some Mansions along Lake Washington but Buckhead does a better job by miles in this arena.
I guess it's personal preference. Weather wise I have to go with Seattle. I stay away from cities with oppressively hot and humid summers. I like cities with a traditional vibrant downtown with great retail, restaurants, markets, cultural amenities and nightlife and plenty of people living in its core. I like a city around major bodies of water for beach activities, boating, picking up sea shells or catching a ferry to one of the islands. I like a city where I can see snowcapped mountains as high as 14,000+ feet. I've been to Atlanta on occassion and it's a fun city. Did all the touristy stuff. Had great food. Did the Morehouse/Howard homecoming a few times. But out of these two cities Seattle is more to my liking. And also Buckhead is beautiful but honestly it is not Beverly Hills and Bellevue combined.
Mostly overcast days are a preference rarely preferred as far as weather. Atlanta is no where near as humid as some other Southern cities.Atlanta si more like DC in the Summer.The hottest months are Aug/Sept but its only really hot 4 months out of the year.The rest of the time like now,has been beautiful weather. Its a crazy notion that Atlanta is just hot and humid all year unlike Seattle which is consistently gloomy. Who wants to go to a beach picking sea shells in gloomy weather?Im sure its appealing to some but Im not going to Seattle for the beach when if Im going out West I can go to a warmer state with a
beach and better weather
A person moves to Seattle for that outdoors great quality of life in a vibrant urban setting.
Is definitely more of a lifestyle city for those seeking that in a city but also with access great outdoors in a beautiful surrounding.
Atlanta is more of a lifestyle city in the sense that it has an image of fun,entertainment and affordability.
The music industry has long been an aspect of that but now its the film and tv industry.. Pair that with the huge conventions,championship. sports and facilities that are among the best in the world.and yes the weather,its just more to the liking of those who want that balance.
People will scoff but Atlanta feels a lot like LA.I meet so many people coming here from other states to try there hand at acting or music.
There is this culture that formed with hip hop and now its even more with the flim and TV industry.Seattle for iyt being so expensive is a very low key place.Its not a good thing but Atlanta is a city for going to be seen.
Seattle unfortunately is unattainable for many and wont get better but worse.Seattle is inundated with people who with deep pockets many are from out of the country. That adds to an international feel but its pushing those natives away from their own hometown. Or at least father out of the core
Yes you get what you pay for but the many people who can afford it but dont want to pay it will reach a point where cities like Atlanta offer a better balance.Its not just about cost but what are the vast majority fo people willing to pay for the amenities that are being offered.If it were just about cost,more people would move to cities like Chicago .Where will Seattle grow as its running out of room?
I dont think Buckhead is comparable to Bellevue at all but Beverly Hills for sure.
Probably more compatible to Dunwoody .Buckhead has more similar amenities to BH than Bellevue which simply doesnt compare as well to ether in the metrics of upscale living.
Im not talking about raw numbers but things like shopping and entertainment. Buckhead functions more like a city than a suburb .Not its density.Obviously Bellevue is more dense. it now) as an obvious ode to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. True or not,there is a reason it gets called the "Beverly Hills of the South" everywhere.Not just CD. It is what it is.
You can obviously look at Buckhead Atlanta development(whatever they are calling it)as obvious nod to BH.
Nightlife and entertainment is just better overall than Bellevue. Chastain Park Amphitheater is top notch in its offerings.The bars and club district is something most city cores dont have themselves. Ive heard things about nightlife in Atlanta from people who dont live in the city.Its well known.
Atlanta is not suppose to be as beautiful as Seattle's location but Atlanta is hands down a more attractive city. The trees and landscaping ,architectural diversity, the historic neighborhoods and even the weather along with the types of creative industries of film and music adds and element of excitement despite ts lesser urbanity than Seattle ,still somehow makes Atlanta a more exciting city to be in even though its not as developed or functional
Look at the fastest growing cities of Dallas and Phoenix.
PHX doenst have anywhere near the industry or corporate power and is certainly far less urban than Atlanta but its a city people still move to in droves.Its weather and outdoors are drivers whereas Seattle's is the outdoors and industry.
Dallas is more similar to Atlanta but has less of an outdoors appeal with a bigger economy.
Atlanta has reached a turning point where its density is the norm rather than in the past which was an after thought. It actually is a city you can walk multiple blocks of dense urban development. The downtown areas with be the biggest and most significant change the city will see as its bones were already solid but had lack of growth. If current trends continue ,I see the downtown within 10 years being what people envision a downtown to be of a major city. Its almost there.
It doesnt have to be a urban as Seattle downtown but just more urban than it is. Its design is a blend of the old and the new.I like this because the city can and is growing in a manner that meet the needs of modern society.Newer dwellings that compliment existing architecture instead of drab designs that look like the last building.
Newer streets and sidewalks wide enough for more outdoor dining and better street capes with greenery under days that have lots of sunshine.
People will scoff but Atlanta feels a lot like LA.I meet so many people coming here from other states to try there hand at acting or music.
There is this culture that formed with hip hop and now its even more with the flim and TV industry.Seattle for iyt being so expensive is a very low key place.Its not a good thing but Atlanta is a city for going to be seen.
I have a lot of concerns about Seattle...COL, earthquake risk, etc., but I would choose Seattle.
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