Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Dahlonega already is. Dawsonville has bled into Dahlonega to essentially make it all part of the metro
There's the Dawson Forest and that big ridge of hills that essentially go from Canton to Cleveland GA. Those won't be developed, it's the proverbial line in the red clay that's the northern edge of ATLs limit. Add to this that there's never gonna be a freeway that connects any of this cohesively, so that's kind of the northern extent to it all, at least to dense urban development.
I think the broader point is that this area SHOULDN'T be a mega region! Things like the Talladega National Forest should be expanded, not shrunk as the Appalachians and upper piedmont is one of the most biologically important and scenic areas of the US. There's this great chunk of the US just down a little lower, from Montgomery to Raleigh that's better suited for development, I'd like to see that part of the US get more focus.
This all being said, the Appalachians are pretty, but the Ozarks do have a bit of a leg up on them in regards to remoteness and pristineness as they don't have millions and millions of people living around them.
Anderson to Greenville is filling in, and so is Spartanburg to Gaffney, so really, the gaps between Atlanta and Charlotte are from Commerce to Anderson and Gaffney to Gastonia.
And even those gaps are getting filled in with the casino in Kings Mountain and the new-ish hospital in Lavonia, GA.
Quote:
Two reasons why Atlanta is not growing toward Augusta: 1) In a straight line, Atlanta is as far away from Augusta as Charlotte is. 2) I-20 passes through some of the poorest and least populous counties in Georgia, and those counties are losing population.
Well Covington and Social Circle are getting more economic development these days and I could see Madison and Lake Oconee attracting more development as well.
It won’t be a mega region, it will just be mega sprawl. It’s as meaningless as saying Charlotte is a bigger city than San Francisco. Which is true, by the way. It is a fact San Francisco is a smaller city and has less people than Charlotte. But in real life, it’s hard to feel like Charlotte and San Francisco are basically the same size.
I feel like that’s how an Atlanta-Charlotte-Raleigh mega region would be. Technically, fact that you wouldn’t know unless someone showed you some statistics on a paper.
In real life, your perception of a city isn't limited what's inside the central municipality, which is how that San Francisco point can be both true and absurdly wrong.
San Francisco’s built environment is unrivaled outside of NYC in this country. The metro is big, but it’s the city itself that gives the best impression of how large a city it is.
Location: Augusta, GA ''The fastest rising city in the southeast''
7,508 posts, read 15,101,643 times
Reputation: 955
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi
Two reasons why Atlanta is not growing toward Augusta: 1) In a straight line, Atlanta is as far away from Augusta as Charlotte is. 2) I-20 passes through some of the poorest and least populous counties in Georgia, and those counties are losing population.
Morgan, Greene, and Oconee, are growing. Oconee is booming for a county with 40K. Now Taliaferro with 1,500 and Warren at 5K are poor. Then you have Newton & Walton in Atlanta and Mcduffie in Augusta which are growing. I’m pretty sure Morgan, Greene, and definitely Oconee are definitely some of the better smaller counties. Greene County median income is almost $60K, Morgan $68K, and Oconee $95K.
Nashville just isn't in the same region as Atlanta, Charlotte, and the Triangle, and I don't think it ever will be. Not only do you have mountains in the way (either the Cumberland Plateau or Appalachia), but it's a good four hour drive from Atlanta. From Raleigh, driving to Nashville is practically as far as driving to New York. In general, there's a clear divide between the East Coast South (Carolinas, Georgia, etc.) and the interior Upper South (Tennessee, Kentucky, etc.). Atlanta and (obviously) Carolina cities fit in better with the East Coast South.
In fact, Tennessee cities are geographically isolated. There isn't another major city anywhere close to Nashville, at least one that is less than a two hour drive. I guess Huntsville is the closest? It'd be hard for Nashville to be located in any mega-region, much less one that includes Atlanta, Charlotte, etc.
In comparison, North Carolina's major cities are all located in (roughly) the same geographic region. For example, Durham to Greensboro is only an hour, and then Charlotte is a little over an hour past Greensboro. Between all of those cities are smaller cities such as Burlington, Salisbury, Concord, etc. It's divided between the Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte but it could be one giant metro.
Nashville just isn't in the same region as Atlanta, Charlotte, and the Triangle, and I don't think it ever will be. Not only do you have mountains in the way (either the Cumberland Plateau or Appalachia), but it's a good four hour drive from Atlanta. From Raleigh, driving to Nashville is practically as far as driving to New York. In general, there's a clear divide between the East Coast South (Carolinas, Georgia, etc.) and the interior Upper South (Tennessee, Kentucky, etc.). Atlanta and (obviously) Carolina cities fit in better with the East Coast South.
In fact, Tennessee cities are geographically isolated. There isn't another major city anywhere close to Nashville, at least one that is less than a two hour drive. I guess Huntsville is the closest? It'd be hard for Nashville to be located in any mega-region, much less one that includes Atlanta, Charlotte, etc.
In comparison, North Carolina's major cities are all located in (roughly) the same geographic region. For example, Durham to Greensboro is only an hour, and then Charlotte is a little over an hour past Greensboro. Between all of those cities are smaller cities such as Burlington, Salisbury, Concord, etc. It's divided between the Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte but it could be one giant metro.
I agree, most Tennessee cities like Nashville don’t necessarily fit into the piedmont region though both Charlotte and Nashville are about the same distance from Atlanta. As you mentioned, the biggest barrier are the mountains, which will prevent any further sprawl going west. However, I do believe a secondary region could connect Nashville to Huntsville and Memphis. Possibly Louisville as well since it’s only about two and a half hours north of Nashville.
Nashville just isn't in the same region as Atlanta, Charlotte, and the Triangle, and I don't think it ever will be. Not only do you have mountains in the way (either the Cumberland Plateau or Appalachia), but it's a good four hour drive from Atlanta. From Raleigh, driving to Nashville is practically as far as driving to New York. In general, there's a clear divide between the East Coast South (Carolinas, Georgia, etc.) and the interior Upper South (Tennessee, Kentucky, etc.). Atlanta and (obviously) Carolina cities fit in better with the East Coast South.
In fact, Tennessee cities are geographically isolated. There isn't another major city anywhere close to Nashville, at least one that is less than a two hour drive. I guess Huntsville is the closest? It'd be hard for Nashville to be located in any mega-region, much less one that includes Atlanta, Charlotte, etc.
In comparison, North Carolina's major cities are all located in (roughly) the same geographic region. For example, Durham to Greensboro is only an hour, and then Charlotte is a little over an hour past Greensboro. Between all of those cities are smaller cities such as Burlington, Salisbury, Concord, etc. It's divided between the Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte but it could be one giant metro.
I agree, most Tennessee cities like Nashville don’t necessarily fit into the piedmont region though both Charlotte and Nashville are about the same distance from Atlanta. As you mentioned, the biggest barrier are the mountains, which will prevent any further sprawl going west. However, I do believe a secondary region could potentially form connecting Nashville to Huntsville and possibly Birmingham. Maybe Louisville as well to round out the I-65 corridor since it’s only about two and a half hours north of Nashville.
Last edited by jkc2j; 05-26-2022 at 07:02 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
