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I can remember visiting Opryland as a child and it seemed off not seeing any Black families the whole visit. The Music City branding has always seemed non inclusive to flat out racist. Nashville did it to itself and it is nothing new. On the flip side, I personally know of three Black millionaires under 35 who started in Nashville who have ties to HBCUs and are Nashville natives. I see both sides of the coin.
With Atlanta, I can remember riding down 75 for the first time and seeing all of the construction with Blacks and Whites working on the freeways. I can remember the Georgia Pacific tower being built and the number of professional Blacks carrying briefcases and wearing expensive suits. Not to mention Rich's downtown. Back then Downtown Atlanta had a serious buzz to it. That was the first time I saw an articulated bus and thought it was the coolest thing. I remember buying a poster that said Atlanta The City That's Too Busy To Hate. I thought I wanted to live there one day. I really loved the city back then. Every year we visited, I would notice something exciting and new about the city. Something happened after the Olympics and it seemed that so many other cities started making progress that Atlanta made 20 years earlier. Atlanta became a no big deal to me.
I personally try not to look at tourists areas when visiting a city nor do I draw a conclusion about a city by its downtown. I honestly see stereotyping in every city I visit. Keep an open mind.
Last edited by mjtinmemphis; 09-27-2023 at 11:50 AM..
As someone who was born and raised in Nashville that now lives in Atlanta I can say Nashville definitely gets stereotyped more. Even being here in Atlanta when I tell people I’m from Nashville they ask “are there black people there”? Of course, a lot of this had to do with the way the city has marketed itself as the country music capital for the past century. Most people aren’t aware of the rich black legacy that exists there, not to the extent of your traditional chocolate cites i.e. Atlanta, DC, Philly etc.
A few Nashville black history facts:
Most don’t know Nashville has the most HBCU’s out of any city outside of Atlanta.
The Nashville sit ins were significant in jump starting the civil rights movement.
Jefferson St. was one of the premier black areas in the south and where Jimmy Hendrix got his start.
Many well known black figures got their education in Nashville(too many to list all) some being, WEB Dubois, Ida B Wells, Oprah to name a few.
Although Nashville isn’t well known to be diverse but as mentioned by the OP is quite a bit diverse, especially in the southern and south eastern parts of the city and suburbs with a significant Hispanic, Asian(specifically Laotians and Thai,) and Middle Easterners.
So yes, both cities are stereotyped but Nashville definitely is the more of the two though.
As someone who was born and raised in Nashville that now lives in Atlanta I can say Nashville definitely gets stereotyped more. Even being here in Atlanta when I tell people I’m from Nashville they ask “are there black people there”? Of course, a lot of this had to do with the way the city has marketed itself as the country music capital for the past century. Most people aren’t aware of the rich black legacy that exists there, not to the extent of your traditional chocolate cites i.e. Atlanta, DC, Philly etc.
A few Nashville black history facts:
Most don’t know Nashville has the most HBCU’s out of any city outside of Atlanta.
The Nashville sit ins were significant in jump starting the civil rights movement.
Jefferson St. was one of the premier black areas in the south and where Jimmy Hendrix got his start.
Many well known black figures got their education in Nashville(too many to list all) some being, WEB Dubois, Ida B Wells, Oprah to name a few.
Although Nashville isn’t we’ll known to be diverse but as mentioned by the OP is quite a bit diverse, especially in the southern and south eastern parts of the city and suburbs with a significant Hispanic, Asian(specifically Laotians and Thai,) and Middle Easterners.
So yes, both cities are stereotyped but Nashville definitely is the more of the two though most is self inflicted.
Yeah, Nashville is way more stereotyped than Atlanta. Its largely because it wears the Country Capital thing on its sleeve and that is only popular among white Americans.
As someone who was born and raised in Nashville that now lives in Atlanta I can say Nashville definitely gets stereotyped more. Even being here in Atlanta when I tell people I’m from Nashville they ask “are there black people there”? Of course, a lot of this had to do with the way the city has marketed itself as the country music capital for the past century. Most people aren’t aware of the rich black legacy that exists there, not to the extent of your traditional chocolate cites i.e. Atlanta, DC, Philly etc
Well, doesn't help that Memphis takes that image of "Heavily black metro area full of hoods and high crime area" in TN...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc
Traffic for Atlanta is rumoured terrible, and it is very much true. Some of the worst in the US. Atlanta does not have a "right-sized/frequently used" subway/rail system, and it shows.
Some of that "horrible traffic" image also came from the fact that Downtown Connector right in the heart of Atlanta is a gridlock during rush hour.
(Yes, I know northern part of 285 is often just as bad in terms of traffic).
Anyway, I agree with others about the "cultural image" - people often just think of Atlanta = rapper, Nashville = Country music, and the racial connotation of that.
Atlanta is much bigger and it gets stereotyped more as a result. Atlanta is the capital of the South metaphorically in almost all senses. It represents the urban South better than any other city in the U.S.
Atlanta is much bigger and it gets stereotyped more as a result. Atlanta is the capital of the South metaphorically in almost all senses. It represents the urban South better than any other city in the U.S.
I rather visit Nashville but live in Atlanta. Nashville is a pretty hot tourist destination, I don't hear Atlanta in the tourist talks much. Feels like theres way more for a visitor in Nashville than Atlanta.
I rather visit Nashville but live in Atlanta. Nashville is a pretty hot tourist destination, I don't hear Atlanta in the tourist talks much. Feels like theres way more for a visitor in Nashville than Atlanta.
This is a stereotype and it works in Nashvilles favor. Looking at the list of amenities I see something totally different.
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