In your opinion, what is the most overrated city in Georgia and why? (Atlanta: house, neighborhoods)

[seussie]

Athens, GA. It's dingy, most of the food (there are exceptions) appeals to the low-quality tastebuds of college students, it loses more people than it gains so daily stuff becomes mundane real quick. The thing keeping it alive if anything are sports and a cute tiny little music scene.

[SonySegaTendo617]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

Yep. There were a few influential folks who managed to keep Rome off the interstate system. I have heard it said that what Rome needed was a few expensive funerals.

A connector from Rome to I 75 was quashed by the Rollins family. A different (undoubtedly more expensive route) appears to be in the works.

https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com...6e63d902f.html

I wish this new plan, the best of luck. Rome could probably benefit, from a better east to west connection to I-75. I'm now wondering, was I-75 originally proposed to pass through Rome, but got rerouted well east of there on the final plan that was approved for the routing of I-75 decades ago? I've sometimes heard of certain interstates that got very rerouted from their original planned route. Like IIRC, I-85 was originally going to run through Gainesville, and not just what was only built as I-985.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by seussie

Athens, GA. It's dingy, most of the food (there are exceptions) appeals to the low-quality tastebuds of college students, it loses more people than it gains so daily stuff becomes mundane real quick. The thing keeping it alive if anything are sports and a cute tiny little music scene.

Lol, the thing that really keeps Athens “alive” is the fact that it is home to the generally popular and beloved flagship campus of Georgia’s state university system (UGA).

Which UGA not only keeps Athens “alive” but also perennially keeps Athens as one of the most prosperous and thriving city/metros in the state of Georgia along with Atlanta, Savannah, Columbus, Gainesville, Warner Robins and even Augusta.

Being the site of the state university system’s flagship campus that is located only about a little over 70 miles from Downtown Atlanta has enabled Athens to virtually tap almost directly into the explosive growth and prosperity of the Atlanta metropolitan area as a very large chunk of UGA’s student population comes from nearby metro Atlanta.

Gainesville is another outlying metro that has been able to tap directly into the explosive growth and prosperity of metro Atlanta because Gainesville is located only about a little over 50 miles from Downtown Atlanta and is located on the shores of metro Atlanta’s largest and primary water source in Lake Lanier.

[seussie]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Lol, the thing that really keeps Athens “alive” is the fact that it is home to the generally popular and beloved flagship campus of Georgia’s state university system (UGA).

Which UGA not only keeps Athens “alive” but also perennially keeps Athens as one of the most prosperous and thriving city/metros in the state of Georgia along with Atlanta, Savannah, Columbus, Gainesville, Warner Robins and even Augusta.

Being the site of the state university system’s flagship campus that is located only about a little over 70 miles from Downtown Atlanta has enabled Athens to virtually tap almost directly into the explosive growth and prosperity of the Atlanta metropolitan area as a very large chunk of UGA’s student population comes from nearby metro Atlanta.

Yeah, Athens would not have what little vibrancy it has now without UGA sports. It is also a typical problem for towns to be so attached to their university system, as that typically means businesses that thrive are in the service industry (and therefore lower wages); only cities that expand their economic offerings can keep diverse professional profiles. Athens does not outside its hospital and some very few IT jobs. So if you're a student or young adult or someone who likes sports, Athens is banging. But it's totally overrated. I mean, the median income is around $40K. I'm not going to expand it to county perspective like you, I'm only focused on the city.

[masonbauknight]

Originally Posted by seussie

Athens, GA. It's dingy, most of the food (there are exceptions) appeals to the low-quality tastebuds of college students, it loses more people than it gains so daily stuff becomes mundane real quick. The thing keeping it alive if anything are sports and a cute tiny little music scene.

Not a word of that is true. OK: one thing is half true, that college towns have food that caters mostly to college kids' palates, which can be limited. Otherwise? Athens is growing, and (unlike several other larger cities in the state) its city and metro populations grow every year according the US Census. And while college towns do have a transient population -- one of the reasons I don't live in one or would ever wish to retire in one, as some people do -- Athens isn't losing people. It's one of the most dynamic towns in the state. And while the music scene there is quite notable, the university's huge campus is the center of things.

[boo radley]

Sandy Springs. Its nothing but a string of strip malls and traffic. No centralized town center for a "city" with over 100,000 people. (6th largest in Georgia I believe)

[ArmyBrat619]

Definitely Disgusta. People have an unrealistic perception of the city based on what they see on The Masters golf coverage. Here's a clue. There is a reason they never show any of the city on tv outside the golf course. Bland suburban sprawl. A shell of a downtown. High crime. Just an ugly depressing town with a heavy lingering stench in the air. Even the main entry to the golf course, Washington Rd, is a post apocalyptic scene of zombie meth heads.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by ArmyBrat619

Augusta. It hosts a prestigious annual sporting event that most cities would be envious to have. Yet it's underwhelming and lackluster in most every respect. I think people who come for the Masters are expecting something special. The course and tournament most definitely is but the city itself is kind of dumpy. Even the parts of town right outside the course are kind of dumpy looking

Originally Posted by ArmyBrat619

Most overrated? I would say that would have to be Augusta. Only because it hosts The Masters every year. Because of this a lot of people probably expect it to be something it is not. If your impression of Augusta is what you see from The Masters TV coverage you might expect some elegant genteel southern setting like Charleston or Savannah. But the reality is a very beautiful golf in a very mediocre medium sized city marred by poverty and urban blight and predominated by bland suburban sprawl. Atlanta would be my second most overrated but I think most people kinda know what to expect with Atlanta. Most underrated city in Georgia I believe is Athens.

Originally Posted by ArmyBrat619

Definitely Disgusta. People have an unrealistic perception of the city based on what they see on The Masters golf coverage. Here's a clue. There is a reason they never show any of the city on tv outside the golf course. Bland suburban sprawl. A shell of a downtown. High crime. Just an ugly depressing town with a heavy lingering stench in the air. Even the main entry to the golf course, Washington Rd, is a post apocalyptic scene of zombie meth heads.

You gonna do this every month or every other month as long as this thread exists?

And your contempt for a city hardly makes it overrated.

[Soujouner]

We moved to Augusta and we love it here. South Augusta is where most the crime is and has a gritty feel. That’s where I work. Also, they get the brunt of the foul smell from the dog food plant and other plants that are there, but west Augusta is very pretty and the down town is quaint surrounded by many nice homes and sidewalks with many mature trees. Washington Road is your typical main road loaded with never ending stores, strip malls, dealerships, fast food, bars and grills, restaurants, Walmarts, Home Depot’s grocery stores, and so on that stretches from National Hills all the way past Evans. Every major town has these stretches and there is nothing eye appealing to it. As you get closer to Evans Washington Road gets a little less busy and is newer and cleaner looking. I lived 30 minutes north of NYC, I grew up and Long Island in Suffolk county, lived outside of Scranton Pennsylvania, lived in Winchester Va, and Hilo Hawaii before moving here. My wife is a middle school teacher in Columbia county and I’m retired NYPD. Augusta has been a perfect fit for us. The summers are hot, but other than that, the weather is perfect. There is no winter here imo. Been down to Savannah and that is a beautiful town, very nice downtown.

[midgeorgiaman]

Originally Posted by Soujouner

We moved to Augusta and we love it here. South Augusta is where most the crime is and has a gritty feel. That’s where I work. Also, they get the brunt of the foul smell from the dog food plant and other plants that are there, but west Augusta is very pretty and the down town is quaint surrounded by many nice homes and sidewalks with many mature trees. Washington Road is your typical main road loaded with never ending stores, strip malls, dealerships, fast food, bars and grills, restaurants, Walmarts, Home Depot’s grocery stores, and so on that stretches from National Hills all the way past Evans. Every major town has these stretches and there is nothing eye appealing to it. As you get closer to Evans Washington Road gets a little less busy and is newer and cleaner looking. I lived 30 minutes north of NYC, I grew up and Long Island in Suffolk county, lived outside of Scranton Pennsylvania, lived in Winchester Va, and Hilo Hawaii before moving here. My wife is a middle school teacher in Columbia county and I’m retired NYPD. Augusta has been a perfect fit for us. The summers are hot, but other than that, the weather is perfect. There is no winter here imo. Been down to Savannah and that is a beautiful town, very nice downtown.

A lot of good points here. I think much of Georgia outside of metro Atlanta and the coast doesn't get enough credit for a possible ideal retirement location for many. The cost of housing is lower away from Atlanta and the coast allowing one's retirement dollars to stretch further. Augusta, Macon, and Columbus all have some cultural draws and accessible healthcare options. My mother moved here and lives off just Social Security in a paid off home--something that would have been impossible in Virginia. Everyone's situation is different, but there are good options here for many.