Georgia's most progressive cities poll

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

Apologies, WI -- I wasn't referring to your post but to others (and other GA threads) that want to make Atlanta suburbs into "Georgia cities". They're no more full-fledged cities than Martinez in metro Augusta, or Pooler in metro Savannah. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough.

That seems to be a gross oversimplification of matters to me. Martinez isn't even an actual city and Pooler's only identity is as a suburb of Savannah. Decatur, on the other hand, actually predates the city of Atlanta and still has its own identity within the larger metro area, complete with its own historic downtown, institutions, events, historic sites, etc. I can understand excluding Decatur from polls like these since it happens to be within Atlanta's orbit and doesn't anchor its own metro, but it's certainly not Atlanta's equivalent of Pooler or Martinez.

[masonbauknight]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

That seems to be a gross oversimplification of matters to me. Martinez isn't even an actual city and Pooler's only identity is as a suburb of Savannah. Decatur, on the other hand, actually predates the city of Atlanta and still has its own identity within the larger metro area, complete with its own historic downtown, institutions, events, historic sites, etc. I can understand excluding Decatur from polls like these since it happens to be within Atlanta's orbit and doesn't anchor its own metro, but it's certainly not Atlanta's equivalent of Pooler or Martinez.

Tell that to Poolerites -- they would dispute that. They will boast of their "separateness" from Savannah. But agreed, Decatur has an established history and character. (I visited it as a college student decades ago, and even then it had its own charms.) Lots of these venerable old suburbs -- Hoboken, NY, or Brookline, MA -- have a special vibe, but they're still (your expression) "in the orbit" of a large metro, with all its spillover effect. For both Hoboken and Decatur, rents were once cheap and the place was edgy but had a certain urbanity that attracted others. I still do hate seeing these special suburbs in the running with core cities in their state for "most progressive" or "most dynamic," etc. It's not a fair comparison, as the small city-suburb gets almost all of its "progressiveness" from the adjacent metropolis, and over time absorbs those dynamics.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

Tell that to Poolerites -- they would dispute that. They will boast of their "separateness" from Savannah. But agreed, Decatur has an established history and character. (I visited it as a college student decades ago, and even then it had its own charms.) Lots of these venerable old suburbs -- Hoboken, NY, or Brookline, MA -- have a special vibe, but they're still (your expression) "in the orbit" of a large metro, with all its spillover effect. For both Hoboken and Decatur, rents were once cheap and the place was edgy but had a certain urbanity that attracted others. I still do hate seeing these special suburbs in the running with core cities in their state for "most progressive" or "most dynamic," etc. It's not a fair comparison, as the small city-suburb gets almost all of its "progressiveness" from the adjacent metropolis, and over time absorbs those dynamics.

Well it's not the case here, but in some of those suburbs, the primary city is in a neighboring state so it's easy to see why they are included. This is particularly true in the Northeast. The pickings would be mighty slim if you were to apply this standard to NJ or CT, the two states you mentioned.

[masonbauknight]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Well it's not the case here, but in some of those suburbs, the primary city is in a neighboring state so it's easy to see why they are included. This is particularly true in the Northeast. The pickings would be mighty slim if you were to apply this standard to NJ or CT, the two states you mentioned.

I think it's a skewed and unfair yardstick to compare Athens to Sandy Springs or Decatur. "Core cities" should be considered in such a comparison of "progressive" or "dynamic" cities. These cities stand on their own, with their own economy, workforce, and population that aren't dependent on the economy, culture and social mores of a large metropolis. I think New York State cities would have to exclude Yonkers (right at the border with the Bronx -- I lived there once, and it's metro New York). You literally cross the street, and you're in New York City. "Core NY State cities" would include NYC, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, Utica, even Ithaca. Connecticut would be Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Darien, Waterford, perhaps Stamford, where most folks work/stay in Connecticut, though there is a commuter population to NYC.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by masonbauknight

I think it's a skewed and unfair yardstick to compare Athens to Sandy Springs or Decatur. "Core cities" should be considered in such a comparison of "progressive" or "dynamic" cities. These cities stand on their own, with their own economy, workforce, and population that aren't dependent on the economy, culture and social mores of a large metropolis. I think New York State cities would have to exclude Yonkers (right at the border with the Bronx -- I lived there once, and it's metro New York). You literally cross the street, and you're in New York City. "Core NY State cities" would include NYC, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, Utica, even Ithaca. Connecticut would be Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Darien, Waterford, perhaps Stamford, where most folks work/stay in Connecticut, though there is a commuter population to NYC.

Well it's not like EVERY suburb of a major city is progressive and what not. Decatur would be the only city worth mentioning in metro Atlanta. In states like CT and NJ, almost all of their major cities are suburbs/exurbs of NY or Philly, but given their histories, they still act as hubs in and of themselves. Same would apply for states like DE and NH. I may would agree with you about DC's suburbs in VA and MD though.

[Fountain-of-youth]

Columbus State University honored by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer


And they thought I was boosting the city.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth

Columbus State University honored by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer


And they thought I was boosting the city.

LOL you are. Practically any solidly performing college or university makes that list. My alma mater, a midsized public university in SC, makes the list every year and the city in which the school is located could hardly be called progressive. Georgia College ranked 28th on the list, higher than CSU; is Milledgeville suddenly progressive or more progressive than Columbus?

[Pemgin]

Major global cities and college towns dominated by large universities tend to be more progressive. Therefore it's Atlanta, followed by Athens. Savannah and Decatur (if we're considering it as its own thing) get honorable mention.