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I just read the Atlanta/Miami/Houston midtown debate and was wondering about a comparable LA neighborhood. LA has a Mid-City but not a “midtown”. Mid-City isn’t really the same type of neighborhood though. The most comparable LA neighborhood that keeps the spirit of the debate is probably Mid-Wilshire. It’s pretty close to the same size and population as Midtown ATL and is a cultural destination, and most importantly has “mid” in its name.
I know that LA is a much bigger city and that can be good or bad. Please try to focus just on the neighborhoods themselves. Which neighborhood do you prefer based on the categories below? Feel free to add any that are important to you.
Urban form
Private amenities (restaurants, shopping, entertainment, etc)
Public transportation
Quality of life
Available jobs
Public amenities (parks, museums, etc)
Housing/apartment availability
Affordability
Future growth
That area is super deceptive. I haven't ever been to Wilshire so I took my first guess going by Google Maps and it looks very suburban outside of one strip located along Wilshire Blvd which looks fairly urban. Midtown Atlanta looks and feels far more urban yet Wilshire has more than double the population and even population density:
It may have something to do with Wilshire having a stronger mix of residential and office space?
Midtown is mostly catered to office space anyway, along with GA-Tech campus life which makes it feel more urban on the ground, and it's also directly connected via MARTA rail. I didn't notice any rail transit in Wilshire. Overall despite the metrics, Midtown to me still comes off as a more urban area.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
That area is super deceptive. I haven't ever been to Wilshire so I took my first guess going by Google Maps and it looks very suburban outside of one strip located along Wilshire Blvd which looks fairly urban. Midtown Atlanta looks and feels far more urban yet Wilshire has more than double the population and even population density:
It may have something to do with Wilshire having a stronger mix of residential and office space?
I believe Midtown is mostly catered to office space anyway.. which makes it feel more urban on the ground, and it's also directly connected via MARTA rail. I didn't notice any rail transit in Wilshire.
Midtown is the primary true "big city" part of metro Atlanta, Mid-Wilshire is a commercial strip in the middle of Central LA SFH housing on both sides, it's literally a one block walk to SFH's. But it still is on a solid street grid, and surrounded by urban amenities. There's literally a rail expansion happening now running under Wilshire as we speak.
Everything to Midtown Atlanta except for food, and maybe a tie in public transit.
Piedmont Park>>>>> La Brea tar pits.
Mostly agree. Mid-Wilshire doesn’t have a subway station yet but two are under construction. Buses are way better in LA though, so I’d give that to LA.
Museums for Mid-Wilshire include LACMA, Peterson Automotive Museum, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and La Brea Tar Pits. The Pan Pacific Park isn’t Peidmont but LA is pretty strong here.
That area is super deceptive. I haven't ever been to Wilshire so I took my first guess going by Google Maps and it looks very suburban outside of one strip located along Wilshire Blvd which looks fairly urban. Midtown Atlanta looks and feels far more urban yet Wilshire has more than double the population and even population density:
Way too much. Look at my link for Mid-Wilshire to see the area that I mean. Or google mid-Wilshire Los Angeles in google maps.
Midtown is the primary true "big city" part of metro Atlanta, Mid-Wilshire is a commercial strip in the middle of Central LA SFH housing on both sides, it's literally a one block walk to SFH's. But it still is on a solid street grid, and surrounded by urban amenities. There's literally a rail expansion happening now running under Wilshire as we speak.
It’s a couple of strips but fair point. Midtown Atlanta also has single family homes, but over a smaller area. They look similar to the ones in LA but perhaps larger and nicer.
Way too much. Look at my link for Mid-Wilshire to see the area that I mean. Or google mid-Wilshire Los Angeles in google maps.
I did. The google maps between Mid-Wilshire and Area Vibes (where I got those figures from) came out to be the same area. Your link advises of a population density of aprox 14k PPSM, Area Vibes it at 19k PPSM. The latest figures in your link seem to be from 2008. In both cases, Area Vibes and Your Link advise that its the densest area in Los Angeles, and among the more dense areas in the country. It just doesn't visually seem that way though.
I did. The google maps between Mid-Wilshire and Area Vibes (where I got those figures from) came out to be the same area. Your link advises of a population density of aprox 14k PPSM, Area Vibes it at 19k PPSM. The latest figures in your link seem to be from 2008. In both cases, Area Vibes and Your Link advise that its the densest area in Los Angeles, and among the more dense areas in the country. It just doesn't visually seem that way though.
I doubt that it’s the same area because your link has a total population of 187,000 and mine is 47,000.
That area is super deceptive. I haven't ever been to Wilshire so I took my first guess going by Google Maps and it looks very suburban outside of one strip located along Wilshire Blvd which looks fairly urban. Midtown Atlanta looks and feels far more urban yet Wilshire has more than double the population and even population density:
It may have something to do with Wilshire having a stronger mix of residential and office space?
Midtown is mostly catered to office space anyway, along with GA-Tech campus life which makes it feel more urban on the ground, and it's also directly connected via MARTA rail. I didn't notice any rail transit in Wilshire. Overall despite the metrics, Midtown to me still comes off as a more urban area.
In the latest 2020 census tracts, there are two in midtown with a density of over 40,000 ppsm (and should be increasing as many apartments/condos are being constructed there right now).
Midtown Atlanta feels urban but Wilshire doesn't so I'm going to put my vote for Midtown.
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