Georgia 2nd Tier Cities, Why ALL THE HATE? (Atlanta, Columbus: shopping center, statistics)

[Columbuskidd92]

Augusta has never been good at bring new people into the city. It seems like everyone enjoy living in the metro area. The city pop should be way higher. Same goes for Columbus.

[nortonguy]

Below you can see how the different economies are growing... Remember the NSA, Plant Vogtle, Starbucks, GHSU/ASU combining together, additional Medical District growth, Bridgestone expansion, Starbucks plant, Rockwood plant, etc are just started... Compare to metros like Huntsville which is on the downside of major projects compared to previous years..

2007 GDP
1. Chattanooga 20,654
2. Huntsville 18,325
3. Augusta 17,678
4. Mobile 14,775
5. Savannah 12,984
6. Columubs 10,943

2010 GDP
1. Chattanooga 21,211
2. Huntsville 20,900
3. Augusta 19,199
4. Mobile 15,835
5. Savannah 12,933
6. Columbus 11,877

Change btw 2007-2010
1. Huntsville 2575
2. Augusta 1521
3. Mobile 1060
4. Columbus 934
5. Chattanooga 557
6. Savanah -51

http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/2011b/pdf/gdp_metro0211b.pdf

Originally Posted by Columbuskidd92

Augusta has never been good at bring new people into the city. It seems like everyone enjoy living in the metro area. The city pop should be way higher. Same goes for Columbus.

Well the population of Richmond County is right around Durham, Savannah, etc and other peer cities.. The population of Richmond County, and especially the urban core will grow alot faster this decade.... With the Walmart neighborhood Market/other businesses coming to 15th street next year in the Medical District... People are starting to move back into the urban core of the city(CBD, Medical District, Inner City)....

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by dpatt.marine1

UAB and Emory? Have you seen the medical community in Augusta, and according to your records tourist only come one week out of the year, but they are building a new convention center downtown. Your perspective of Augusta is extremely flawed, have you ever been to Augusta?

Yea, UAB and Emory are more well known and better. Not once have I thought of going to Augusta for anything medical and I am in the medical field. People think UAB and Emory first I promise. And yes I have been to Augusta.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by River_Dawg

Greenville is a top tiers city in Carolina passing Columbia (Capital) and Charleston (Coastal).

Columbia and Charleston have larger city and MSA populations than Greenville; they also have higher metro GDPs, more highly educated residents, higher per capita and household incomes, faster growth rates, etc. Greenville just has a larger CSA because it also includes Spartanburg and Anderson. But all three MSAs are more or less on the same level.

[tckr83]

What city did Aimee Copeland go to for treatment of her necrotizing fasciitis? And wasn't she was injured west of Atlanta and received treatment initially in Atlanta I believe... Where did Travis Barker (drummer) and his friends go for treatment after their plane crash in Columbia, SC? In both cases among others, that would be Augusta.

It depends on what the patients needs are as to where they go. Augusta's burn center is top notch, their neurology is big and is going to get bigger at Eisenhower Hospital with the military in the next few years (big rumor I've heard from those in the military/wounded warrior that I'm waiting to see come to fruition) and their cardiovascular and children's medical center are no slouch either. I'll add that Augusta is also home to a Level-1 shock trauma ICU center, which aren't exactly "standard" units for a hospital/city.

Augusta's medical field struggles only in the name value of the city it calls home, it's doing just fine outside of that and growing in leaps and bounds... especially after the merger of MCG/Augusta State, the construction of the medical commons begins and construction starts on the research/development park next to the river downtown on the land set aside for it. Funding for the school is going to jump up according to Gov. Deal who supports it's merger whole-heartedly as the states premier public medical university. Athletics for the merged university will jump up to D-1, student dorms will be built downtown and the vibe of the city will change. Everything I have mentioned is "green-lighted" for being built... it's not if, but when.

If you're in the medical field such as you say, you should know about the Joseph M. Still burn center. The medical sector in Augusta is very big and very good for a city its size... not bragging, it just is what it is.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by nortonguy

Like what? The downtown area of Chattanooga is nicer, but the metro area doesn't offer all these great things compared to Augusta..

There's a huge billboard on I-20 in Augusta which features the skyline of Columbia, SC with the quote 'Famously Hot'..

Columbia has 'more to offer' than all of those cities mentioned, and still took the time to advertise in Augusta....

That has more to do with convenience and proximity. Columbia also advertises along I-77 just outside of Charlotte, again, for convenience and proximity.

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

All of those cities are better known, have more diverse economies, etc. It is not a knock on Augusta, but it simply isn't on that level...

Chattanooga, Mobile, and Huntsville all have their strong points but it's not worlds of difference between them and Augusta. Chattanooga and Mobile have their geographical locations going for them, and Huntsville is completely reliant on federal dollars. All of these metros are more or less in the same tier. Huntsville is only grouped with them because of the largesse of the federal government in maintaining its economy.

Originally Posted by Columbus1984

Yea, UAB and Emory are more well known and better. Not once have I thought of going to Augusta for anything medical and I am in the medical field. People think UAB and Emory first I promise. And yes I have been to Augusta.

Again, it's more of an issue of proximity and convenience; Birmingham and Atlanta are simply closer for you. Augusta's sphere of influence medically is parts of Georgia and SC; where I grew up in SC, Augusta was just as much of an option for medical treatment as Charleston and Columbia were. But GHSU's specialty is really its burn center. People are transported there from a pretty wide area to be treated for burns.

[tckr83]

Mutiny... spot on. +1

All three are nice cities and I really don't see how anyone could go wrong living in either 3 of the cities mentioned in South Carolina... It just depends on if you're a mountain person, a beach person or a college person.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by tckr83

Mutiny... spot on. +1

All three are nice cities and I really don't see how anyone could go wrong living in either 3 of the cities mentioned in South Carolina... It just depends on if you're a mountain person, a beach person or a college person.

Yeah, they all compliment each other pretty nicely.

[tckr83]

Doctor's hospital off of I-2O has Joseph M. Still burn center... its claim to fame.

GHSU deals primarily with its shock-trauma ICU, children's medical center, its new cancer research center and obviously teaching...

[cdw1084]

Originally Posted by nortonguy

I could understand maybe Greenville, Charleston, Greensboro, & Knoxville, but Mobile, Huntsville, and Chattanooga???

How are Mobile, Huntsville, or Chattanooga much further ahead than Augusta or Savannah?? The metro population of Augusta is larger than all three of the cities...

Nortonguy...I know you are homer but please..... Huntsville and Chattanooga both felt like they're ahead of Augusta in my opinion. So if you're going off of the largest metro how could you say maybe for Greenville, Greensboro and Charleston when they're metros are bigger than Augusta?