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Im having to spend a few weeks during the week in Midtown Atlanta before I do the same in Detroit in the coming months. This is the most time Ive spent here in about 6-7 years. My honest observations are that, Dallas and Atlanta remind me a lot of each other and Houston doesn't remind me of Atlanta at all.
Interesting, I thought Atlanta and Houston seemed similar. Atlanta goes N-S from downtown to Buckhead and Houston E-W from downtown to Uptown. Both Buckhead and Uptown are super affluent too. Then all the nice suburbs are on the north side of Atlanta and mostly on the west side of Houston… There are obviously big differences too, but they seem more similar to each other than any other city in that mid-7 figure population range.
Interesting, I thought Atlanta and Houston seemed similar. Atlanta goes N-S from downtown to Buckhead and Houston E-W from downtown to Uptown. Both Buckhead and Uptown are super affluent too. Then all the nice suburbs are on the north side of Atlanta and mostly on the west side of Houston… There are obviously big differences too, but they seem more similar to each other than any other city in that mid-7 figure population range.
They have some similarities but on a deeper level there’s a lot of differences between the two.
1) Houston feels a bit more chaotic and disorganized due to the no zoning thing. There are some benefits of this (in Montrose, for example, I could walk to areas on side streets that have restaurants, small shops, etc. whereas that was uncommon in Atlanta, where you had to walk to a more Main Street of the neighborhood). There are also some obvious cons (Atlanta looks much more cohesive overall and can connect neighborhoods better due to it being zoned. Houston also cannot up zone an area and mandate that dense urban growth happen in a particular area like Atlanta did with Midtown).
2) Atlanta’s core is more pedestrian friendly and urban but less dense overall. Atlanta makes it easier to walk to places in relation to Houston. While obviously there are walkable places in Houston, Atlanta has a wider range of them. Houston has a denser core than Atlanta but more things like street reconstruction and sidewalk widening needs to happen to make the density turn into an advantage. Houston is built more like a Western city with wider arterials whereas Atlanta is built more like an Eastern looking city with smaller streets.
3) Houston is significantly more diverse than Atlanta overall and this is apparent in the core as well. As someone who is neither white or black, I felt much more at place in Houston than Atlanta, which can feel very white or black in the city core (except GT). I also felt that there was more multicultural representation in Houston’s core as well rather than just more racial diversity. Houston’s core is also much more integrated as well.
4) MARTA is a true heavy rail system and METRO cannot compare on the rail front. On the flip side, bus coverage and bus frequencies favor Houston. Still overall I give public transit to Atlanta.
5) Houston’s core is more well off than Atlanta’s. AASB posted the numbers a while ago and there is a gap in Houston’s favor until the 8 mile radius mark (which would be too big to be considered core for either). Combine this with the fact that Atlanta is actually slightly more expensive than Houston and it seems like there is more money in Houstonian’s pockets in the core than in Atlanta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by As Above So Below...
2 Mile Radius from City Center
Atlanta
Population: 104,145
46.6% Black
36.3% White
7.2% Asian
5.3% Hispanic
Median Household Income: $82,046
Houston
Population: 84,430
39.8% White
26.6% Hispanic
21.7% Black
7.5% Asian
Median Household Income: $98,078
5 Mile Radius from City Center
Houston
Population: 431,557
36.7% Hispanic
34.6% White
18.3% Black
7.0% Asian
Median Household Income: $99,914
Atlanta
Population: 355,747
43.2% Black
42.1% White
5.9% Hispanic
5.0% Asian
Median Household Income: $89,039
[
6) There is no Beltline or Midtown Atlanta equivalent in Houston. Atlanta started the urbanization game before Houston did and as of today Houston does not have an area that can equate to these two.
7) This is more my opinion but I think Houston has a stronger cultural and culinary scene in its core. Things like museums, symphony, theatre, arts, and restaurant scenes are just better in central Houston from my experience.
8) Atlanta’s core seems to have a bigger LGBTQ+ scene than Houston’s. It is one of the most welcoming cities for that community in the country. Houston obviously has a decent scene too but the scene in Atlanta is larger.
Both of these cores are improving a ton imo and I think there was a time where they were both very similar but as they grow I feel they get more and more different by the day. I enjoy both cities a lot though and have many years of experience living in both.
I get where AASB said Atlanta is more like Dallas since pretty much everything I said about Atlanta in relation to Houston could said about Dallas in relation to Houston too.
They have some similarities but on a deeper level there’s a lot of differences between the two.
1) Houston feels a bit more chaotic and disorganized due to the no zoning thing. There are some benefits of this (in Montrose, for example, I could walk to areas on side streets that have restaurants, small shops, etc. whereas that was uncommon in Atlanta, where you had to walk to a more Main Street of the neighborhood). There are also some obvious cons (Atlanta looks much more cohesive overall and can connect neighborhoods better due to it being zoned. Houston also cannot up zone an area and mandate that dense urban growth happen in a particular area like Atlanta did with Midtown).
2) Atlanta’s core is more pedestrian friendly and urban but less dense overall. Atlanta makes it easier to walk to places in relation to Houston. While obviously there are walkable places in Houston, Atlanta has a wider range of them. Houston has a denser core than Atlanta but more things like street reconstruction and sidewalk widening needs to happen to make the density turn into an advantage. Houston is built more like a Western city with wider arterials whereas Atlanta is built more like an Eastern looking city with smaller streets.
3) Houston is significantly more diverse than Atlanta overall and this is apparent in the core as well. As someone who is neither white or black, I felt much more at place in Houston than Atlanta, which can feel very white or black in the city core (except GT). I also felt that there was more multicultural representation in Houston’s core as well rather than just more racial diversity. Houston’s core is also much more integrated as well.
4) MARTA is a true heavy rail system and METRO cannot compare on the rail front. On the flip side, bus coverage and bus frequencies favor Houston. Still overall I give public transit to Atlanta.
5) Houston’s core is more well off than Atlanta’s. AASB posted the numbers a while ago and there is a gap in Houston’s favor until the 8 mile radius mark (which would be too big to be considered core for either). Combine this with the fact that Atlanta is actually slightly more expensive than Houston and it seems like there is more money in Houstonian’s pockets in the core than in Atlanta.
6) There is no Beltline or Midtown Atlanta equivalent in Houston. Atlanta started the urbanization game before Houston did and as of today Houston does not have an area that can equate to these two.
7) This is more my opinion but I think Houston has a stronger cultural and culinary scene in its core. Things like museums, symphony, theatre, arts, and restaurant scenes are just better in central Houston from my experience.
8) Atlanta’s core seems to have a bigger LGBTQ+ scene than Houston’s. It is one of the most welcoming cities for that community in the country. Houston obviously has a decent scene too but the scene in Atlanta is larger.
Both of these cores are improving a ton imo and I think there was a time where they were both very similar but as they grow I feel they get more and more different by the day. I enjoy both cities a lot though and have many years of experience living in both.
I agree with everything that you typed here except for the usage of the population figures. While it may be true that more people in Houston live in an 8 mile radius, Atlanta still seems busier and more bustling in its core. I think that's because there's generally more shows, events, and outside activities going on in Atlanta.
Yet, the larger city definitely goes to Houston, no debate there.
I agree with everything that you typed here except for the usage of the population figures. While it may be true that more people in Houston live in an 8 mile radius, Atlanta still seems busier and more bustling in its core. I think that's because there's generally more shows, events, and outside activities going on in Atlanta.
Yet, the larger city definitely goes to Houston, no debate there.
I only used population figures to show that Houston’s core is more diverse and affluent than Atlanta’s. Houston still gives me a bigger city feel than Atlanta despite less events due to higher core densities but we’ve already kicked the can down that road. Atlanta feels a little more vibrant though but I think that’s mostly due to better pedestrian infrastructure.
I only used population figures to show that Houston’s core is more diverse and affluent than Atlanta’s. Houston still gives me a bigger city feel than Atlanta despite less events due to higher core densities but we’ve already kicked the can down that road. Atlanta feels a little more vibrant though but I think that’s mostly due to better pedestrian infrastructure.
Fair enough, but you all lost me with the diversity and affluent core numbers. I can't comprehend how those numbers relate to which city will be more urban by 2030. Again, I agree with you that Houston feels larger than Atlanta, as a city. However, regarding the cores, Atlanta's core feel bigger, but you're right, we've went over that a few times. Also, I believe that there's a moderate gap between Atlanta and Houston (core) regarding vibrancy. Atlanta is not a "little more" vibrant than Houston, in the core, that would be Dallas, if we are answering the OP.
Fair enough, but you all lost me with the diversity and affluent core numbers. I can't comprehend how those numbers relate to which city will be more urban by 2030. Again, I agree with you that Houston feels larger than Atlanta, as a city. However, regarding the cores, Atlanta's core feel bigger, but you're right, we've went over that a few times. Also, I believe that there's a moderate gap between Atlanta and Houston (core) regarding vibrancy. Atlanta is not a "little more" vibrant than Houston, in the core, that would be Dallas, if we are answering the OP.
Because Atlanta doesn't have much diversity in it's core besides black/white. Most of the other ethnicities live in Gwinnet, Dekalb, North Fulton and other areas well outside the city.
Because Atlanta doesn't have much diversity in it's core besides black/white. Most of the other ethnicities live in Gwinnet, Dekalb, North Fulton and other areas well outside the city.
This is not true at all.
Midtown Atlanta, for instance, is 12% black and 10% Asian.
According to your link, its 8% Asian and 10% black and 5% Hispanic. Its 74% White.
Not at all what I could consider diverse personally.
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