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Folks in the 'burbs can walk to some things (parks, recreational amenities) and aren't finding themselves in a traffic jam every time they hop in the car to run errands, and plenty of folks who live in the city still utilize their cars. When I lived in Roswell, I had pretty quick access to downtown Roswell, Big Creek Greenway, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, retail in Alpharetta, etc., plus I was much closer to my job at the time in Cumming than I would have been had I lived in the city. You seem to be disregarding the fact that not everyone works in the city and many people both live and work in the suburban areas where they live. And the parents of school-age children are more than likely aware of the cheating scandal in APS from a few years back as well as the overall ranking and such of schools.
Bingo. DC is one of the nation's most classically urban cities and living within the city itself has a certain cachet, even among Black transplants, which isn't the case for Atlanta. And although Atlanta isn't as cheap as it used to be, it's still noticeably cheaper than the major urban centers with a lot more choices for suburban living for Black folks who want to live in places with a sizable concentration of existing Black residents.
Yesterday, I was being a bit too heated on the city vs suburb thing, but this just isn't the experience of the vast majority of black suburbanites in Atlanta. I grew up in both Clayton and South Fulton and one of the main complaints I heard from my parents and many neighbors were the distance they have to travel to get anywhere, the lack of amenities like parks and recreation centers, and the massive amounts of traffic on roads like Tara Blvd and Camp Creek Pkwy. Wanting space and a backyard is okay and fine, but all of that comes with a cost (city living has different costs ofc). Suburbs being naturally spread apart means more of your life behind a wheel, less mobility for your children to explore (if there's nowhere to walk to then kids are very restricted to one subdivision), and higher car costs from the distances you have to travel. You can have a backyard in the city and bypass all of these negatives, though I do understand that city living comes with its own cons. But as far as the thread goes, I wouldn't rank one or the other as better. DC and Atlanta both have very strong black professional communities though DC caters more to the urban life and Atlanta to the suburban life.
I know what you are referring to, but there was another thread where I posted a bunch of zip codes from various states with similar information. I forgot which thread it was though.
DC is in my opinion. The DMV actually has top rated successful black neighborhoods. Atlanta for some reason does not. The professional crowd in DC also feels much more mature. Atlanta professional crowd has a big Hollywood act in its community.
Yeah I don't know how old your friend is but man is that super common with young 20 to early 30 year olds. And honestly this is starting to become a trend on youtube in any city. Not saying people don't have a right to complain about a city but it's the "I packed up my things and moved and now I regret it" crowd that kind of annoys me.
I think we're living in a age now where moving on a whim to a big city is pretty much dead. Not saying it can't work but with cost of living going up even pre-covid and the job market becoming more competitive it's a lot harder to have a good experience moving on impulse. But at the same time you have endless information on the internet before you make your move that should at least give you some insight to where your moving to. I'm also amazed at how many people move to a city before visiting a city. You should at least visit 2 to 3 times to really get a feel for the city. Visit a tourist the first time and the 2nd time visit as a local and you'll start to get your answer there.
My experience in Atlanta would have definitely been different had I not asked questions on CD, visit a couple of times and moved looking for a job. If all I went off on is what I saw on tv I probably would be let down and have a bad experience myself.
I don't know if this was the tourist in me talking but when I visited D.C. back in 2011 I enjoyed the city so much I was ready to move there. I know D.C. has changed a lot by then but I loved the urban vibe up there. Plus to me it felt like a eastcoast city with some southern vibes. Now it's definitely not as well rounded of a city for Atlanta. D.C. is not for everybody. I think the COL makes it a little less inviting than Atlanta but the urban enthusiast in me would sway more to D.C. if I could afford it.
To be fair, DC's urbanity is what has stopped me from even relocating back to the South and I've been here for pretty much 14 out of the last 16 years so pretty much the majority of my adult life. Basically, for the upwardly Black people, DC will probably work best. For the every day Black people to which it includes upwardly Black people, Atlanta works best. Like biscuit head said, it's easier to find your tribe in Atlanta. It's not that easy in DC.
Also, for those who are touting the incomes of black DC, it’s obvious that incomes must be higher to accommodate for the higher cost of living. Atlanta incomes aren’t bad for what the cost of living is in the metro.
The DMV actually has top rated successful black neighborhoods. Atlanta for some reason does not.
Are you referring to the highest income Black neighborhoods? If so, I covered that in an earlier post. The short of it is that Atlanta's Black population is a good bit larger and much more socioeconomically dispersed.
Quote:
The professional crowd in DC also feels much more mature. Atlanta professional crowd has a big Hollywood act in its community.
What does that mean? Having lived in both, while the professional crowd in DC has a more palpable bougie aura to it, aside from that they feel quite similar. I'm not sure what you're talking about with the "big Hollywood act" reference.
What does that mean? Having lived in both, while the professional crowd in DC has a more palpable bougie aura to it, aside from that they feel quite similar. I'm not sure what you're talking about with the "big Hollywood act" reference.
It seems some must be confused and think most "professionals" in Atlanta are into the entertainment industry or something. When Atlanta is a major hub for Black entrepreneur, Education etc. There are black professionals in every industry.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrooklynJo
DC is in my opinion. The DMV actually has top rated successful black neighborhoods. Atlanta for some reason does not. The professional crowd in DC also feels much more mature. Atlanta professional crowd has a big Hollywood act in its community.
Bingo. Doesn't mean that Atlanta does not have a mature "Black professional" crowd, because it exists. DC's just seems to be a notch up, and a bit more polished still today. Now if it's about Black Hollywood, or "new money" Blacks/entrepreneurs etc. then Atlanta wins that easily.
Quote:
Originally Posted by demonta4
Also, for those who are touting the incomes of black DC, it’s obvious that incomes must be higher to accommodate for the higher cost of living. Atlanta incomes aren’t bad for what the cost of living is in the metro.
It ain't just that. DC's Black professional "crowd" or population base has simply been a lot larger going back the past few decades. PG County has been a black fixture for 3 or more decades already and the wealthiest Black county in the nation that whole time. Suburban Atlanta's been on it's heels yes, but the wealth in the DMV area hit pretty strongly here late 70's, throughout the 80's, and early 90' among a pretty large group of Blacks migrating from DC to PG or other suburbs.
Last edited by the resident09; 02-12-2021 at 06:18 AM..
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