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These days I would never consider moving to a city that is becoming "popular." If a city shows up on a "best" or "top city" list...I immediately scratch it off my list of places to move...I don't want to live in a area that it going to "bust its seams" due to rapid and "overnight growth."....I don't want to "go" where everyone else is "going" and end up feeling "packed in" like a "sardine."....Home prices shoot way up in popular cities and corporations rush in and open up "chain outlets" in every nook and cranny....Pretty soon the city becomes a "sea of asphalt" and ends up losing its "original personality."......This is why I stick with unpopular cities whenever I can to avoid the "gold rush" and "maddening crowds." How do you feel about it?
This is why I stick with unpopular cities whenever I can to avoid the "gold rush" and "maddening crowds." How do you feel about it?
You have to take into account what is "real" regarding popularity and what becomes rumor and speculation, too.
Atlanta was touted for many years as being the land of milk and honey for those seeking well paying jobs, the black community, well, pretty much was pushed on everyone. Then many come here and post, "this is it??". It's a large city much like any other - traffic, smog, crime... it did have a booming realty and construction industry that like all others went bust when the recession/depression hit. There are a handful of black colleges here, but many of the graduates leave the area when they finish school as well. It was simply a city that grew,grew,grew, but there's no magic milk and honey here.
The same "fluff" however, went on decades ago about New York City, and also L.A., etc... the "if you come here, you'll make it", whatever "it" is. And it will happen to other cities years from now. The truth is, obviously some cities are nicer to live in than others, but there's no magic spot.
Yes, if a city gains that popular mythology about it, it draws residents quickly, and that can create problems - using Atlanta again as an example of a metro population that grew from 2 million in 1984 to 5.2 million in 2010, causing various growth issues. If you want to be paranoid, you can worry about "popular" cities even being more of a target for future terrorist attacks or something too I guess. But you can't worry about all the things that might happen years or decades from now. Move where you want to if you want a decent sized city, not where you stradegize you should stay away from to avoid crowds and standard city issues. Otherwise, you're best suited for smaller cities with lower populations (which many people are).
That's also a pretty good way to avoid jobs, although I suppose it depends on what you do.
Thanks for writing....I know that a lot of people have to move "where the jobs are." And some people move to or near "popular" cities when they retire....I just wanted to raise some questions about what is involved in moving to "popular cities" and what some of the "pitfalls" might be.
These days I would never consider moving to a city that is becoming "popular." If a city shows up on a "best" or "top city" list...I immediately scratch it off my list of places to move...I don't want to live in a area that it going to "bust its seams" due to rapid and "overnight growth."....I don't want to "go" where everyone else is "going" and end up feeling "packed in" like a "sardine."....Home prices shoot way up in popular cities and corporations rush in and open up "chain outlets" in every nook and cranny....Pretty soon the city becomes a "sea of asphalt" and ends up losing its "original personality."......This is why I stick with unpopular cities whenever I can to avoid the "gold rush" and "maddening crowds." How do you feel about it?
This is why I don't like being sent to newer growth cities for work. They have been built up so much in the past 2 decades that they have no identity or anything that sets it apart from other cities. Too many chain restaurants and national retailers opposed to homegrown businesses.
atlantagreg30127....Interesting post...Thanks for the info about Atlanta. Sorry that the "hey-day" didn't last longer...I am probably biased and burnt-out when it comes to all of the hype about so-called "popular places" because I grew up in Southern CA....Through the years I watched newcomers pile into CA from all over the place and completely change the culture....to the point that I felt "squeezed out.".....Now the same thing is happening in Arizona and Nevada and to many other states as well.....This is what motivates me to pick "unpopular places" today....versus "following the herds" and rushing in to "steal" and "conquer" some new area.... to the point that a city is barely recognizable anymore.....I don't want to be popular or live in a popular area....I had my fill of this "stuff" when I lived in SO CA.....I am glad that I finally moved away from it. .....I am glad that I am more self-sufficient today and don't have to "put up with anything" for a job.... I hope the economy picks up so people can start to be more selective about where they live and where they work etc.
This is why I don't like being sent to newer growth cities for work. They have been built up so much in the past 2 decades that they have no identity or anything that sets it apart from other cities. Too many chain restaurants and national retailers opposed to homegrown businesses.
Amen....I totally agree with you. Thanks for posting.
Sounds like Atlanta has been the anti-Pittsburgh for the last few decades. The whole "if you move here, you'll make it" mantra stands in stark contrast to the "you won't make it unless you get out of here" mantra that's been hung around Pittsburgh's neck. Worse yet, such a perception is reinforced by movies -- movies! -- like Flashdance or All The Right Moves. (Never mind that those movies were made in 1983, and it's 2010 now.)
Cities are a lot like stocks: buy low and sell high. That means I'd sell places like Austin and Portland, and buy places like Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,758,476 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by westcoastbabe
I echo the original poster's sentiment.....Just look at Charlotte, NC....Prime example..
Got that right. You got Raleigh on the other side of that state for another example.
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