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I think one reason Philly feels smaller is because you can drive through the Philly region without feeling like you're actually in the Philly region. Taking the Jersey turnpike doesn't feel like it is going through the Philly area. Atlanta seems to make its presence felt further out in all directions.
I hear you but this is not about which area has the most people jammed into a smaller footprint, this is about which MSA area feels larger (But I can see your point). 40 miles outside of Atlanta city limits you will find large highways with HOV lanes and traffic going into and away from the city. Our population is hidden by trees so many just assume there is really nothing but trees but exit the highway and you will see an abundance of cities and communities behind those trees. We have small counties in GA but there are a large number of people who travel from the exurbs of Atlanta to the city for work, the reason our MSA covers such a large swath of land. Atlanta is the economic power engine for not only GA but also the southeast. With that being said, our traffic, the huge highways, multiple skyline districts (Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Perimeter and Cumberland areas) and the far distance of suburbs from the city all make Atlanta feel larger. Traveling through the Philly area, everything was compact and tight. It felt like a large city but because everything was so close it did not feel as large or expansive as Atlanta does where everything is spread out for a larger distance. I Remember seeing a YouTube video of a guy traveling through Atlanta from Toronto and he stated that he didn’t realize how large and vast Atlanta is. He felt intimidated on the freeways here because of the traffic, speed, aggressiveness of the drivers and how large and vast the metro area is.
That's what I was touching on. Alpharetta, Kennesaw, Suwannee, Covington, etc; are all connected to the city. Atlanta's the big dog in that region there's no other states with cities nearby to compete. People in Chattanooga, or Knoxville and surrounding cities in the Eastern half of TN, "Have" to head to Atlanta or Nashville for more of an urban experience.... So most everything within at -least 60 miles is built around Atlanta so to speak. No pro sports teams, or large market media stations compete with it, nor any peer or larger cities for miles. Maybe Savannah or Charlotte, wherein you'll run into their metros within 30-45 minutes outside the city at any angle.
There's quite a few office buildings as well as neighborhoods and homes and apartment buildings not seen in Conshohocken from the shoulder. Once the foliage completely falls by early winter, they can be seen clearly, but like in the ATL area, they cannot be seen.
Atlanta feels like the larger region. You can be over an hour outside of Atlanta, and still 'feel' like you're in the Atlanta area. Also, there are multiple skylines in and around Atlanta that make it feel like a larger region. There seems to always be a feeling that something is going on in the Atlanta area that I haven't felt in other cities, not even NYC.
Since the mod deleted my post, I will post again.
This last sentence makes no sense to me, please elaborate?
You can drive an hour outside of the Manhattan and you are still in Queens. Not to mention New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mt Vernon, etc.
Not to mention New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, New Canaan, Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, Secaucus, etc.
You have dense congested development for hundreds of square miles. Atlanta doesn't come close to that.
The Atlanta metro area feels larger than other metro areas due to the its nature of being spread out and no planned development over time (like Philadelphia area). But a comparison to New York is silly.
Atlanta feels like the larger region. You can be over an hour outside of Atlanta, and still 'feel' like you're in the Atlanta area. Also, there are multiple skylines in and around Atlanta that make it feel like a larger region. There seems to always be a feeling that something is going on in the Atlanta area that I haven't felt in other cities, not even NYC.
Im going to assume you’re speaking about the suburbs outside the city limits? But even if you are I don’t think there’s anything in the Atlanta area that has something that can compete with Jersey City or Hoboken!
Also Atlanta is a city where people are trapped in cars. In my personal opinion cities with high foot traffic are cities that give me the vibe of something always going on.
This last sentence makes no sense to me, please elaborate?
You can drive an hour outside of the Manhattan and you are still in Queens. Not to mention New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mt Vernon, etc.
Not to mention New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, New Canaan, Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, Secaucus, etc.
You have dense congested development for hundreds of square miles. Atlanta doesn't come close to that.
The Atlanta metro area feels larger than other metro areas due to the its nature of being spread out and no planned development over time (like Philadelphia area). But a comparison to New York is silly.
Doesn't to me., but I think that because many so-called Atlantians (SP?) usually live in counties and towns 15-40 miles outside of the city still consider themselves as "Residents" in an odd but accepted way. Wherein Philadelphians usually only consider city limits as being Philly, and the farther out one resides is considered even more "Less Philly-Metro" especially when you're hitting the 30 mile mark.
There's just more of us jammed into smaller spaces in the city as well as outside of it.
Yea most cities go by that rule. Philly, DC, NYC, Boston etc. I remember before visiting Atlanta for the first time a few years ago I was under the impression that most people screaming The A lived in the city limits only to find out that most people especially the black folks live on the outside.
I do have family however who live in the Atlanta region and only say they live in Georgia rather than say they live in Atlanta.
Yea most cities go by that rule. Philly, DC, NYC, Boston etc. I remember before visiting Atlanta for the first time a few years ago I was under the impression that most people screaming The A lived in the city limits only to find out that most people especially the black folks live on the outside.
I do have family however who live in the Atlanta region and only say they live in Georgia rather than say they live in Atlanta.
Most Northern cities may go by that rule (especially major cities which sit on state lines and have built-up suburbs in neighboring states), but it's not really a thing in much of the South where city limits aren't major cultural divides. Nobody really pitches a fit when someone from a suburb of Charleston or Charlotte or Orlando or wherever says they are from the actual city. It's a regional thing, not something unique to Atlanta.
Im going to assume you’re speaking about the suburbs outside the city limits? But even if you are I don’t think there’s anything in the Atlanta area that has something that can compete with Jersey City or Hoboken!
Also Atlanta is a city where people are trapped in cars. In my personal opinion cities with high foot traffic are cities that give me the vibe of something always going on.
You actually hit the nail on the head. Cities where the people are "trapped in cars" seem to have more going on in my opinion because there are areas scattered across the city or region that could have something going on that you feel like you're missing out on. Cities with high foot traffic seem to have one huge entertaining/ business district, but after that, it's like "what else?"
Plus, Atlanta has a lot of celebrities having a lot of parties sorta helps give off the effect as well.
This last sentence makes no sense to me, please elaborate?
You can drive an hour outside of the Manhattan and you are still in Queens. Not to mention New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mt Vernon, etc.
Not to mention New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, New Canaan, Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, Secaucus, etc.
You have dense congested development for hundreds of square miles. Atlanta doesn't come close to that.
The Atlanta metro area feels larger than other metro areas due to the its nature of being spread out and no planned development over time (like Philadelphia area). But a comparison to New York is silly.
I said Atlanta feels like it has more going on. You can be anywhere in Atlanta and there is a feeling that something is going on in another part of the region. I think auto-centric places give off that effect more than traditional cities like you'd find in the Northeast. Certainly more so than Philly.
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