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I just ran up on this article by Forbes on twitter about the top 10 most impoverished cities in America with Albany being ranked 4th and Macon 7th. I was not really surprised about Albany, as things are very bad here with our local economy!
As far as Macon goes, there are two ways to explain this blatant error by Forbes.
1. This is obviously a misprint. Clearly Macon belongs on the ten most ideal cities list. Some people live in complete safety in Macon. And some people make decent money in Macon... just read any thread on this board regarding Macon. The people at Forbes should not be looking at the bad side of town (approx. 75%) when creating these lists.
2. The people at Forbes have it in for Macon. They certainly have not considered the edges of Macon in their findings. For some unknown reason the folks at Forbes hate Macon, because had they actually been to Macon they would have seen the paradise that Macon is.
(This post brought to you by the relentless defenders of Macon. Like an Ostrich with its head in the sand... if you do not look, it ain't there.)
Quote:
I was not really surprised about Albany, as things are very bad here with our local economy!
I have only been to Albany a hand full of times and always was curious about the place. For its size it has a relatively new mall and growth area, a pretty cool looking convention center, a pretty big hospital, a good sized airport and the Marine Logistics Base. For what appears to be crossroads city it seemed to pretty stable. But one does not have to travel far off the main roads to see impoverish areas. Was this an agricultural hub at one time? Was this city an industrial center in the past? I never could figure that out.
I have only been to Albany a hand full of times and always was curious about the place. For its size it has a relatively new mall and growth area, a pretty cool looking convention center, a pretty big hospital, a good sized airport and the Marine Logistics Base. For what appears to be crossroads city it seemed to pretty stable. But one does not have to travel far off the main roads to see impoverish areas. Was this an agricultural hub at one time? Was this city an industrial center in the past? I never could figure that out.
I don't pretend to know much about Albany and I've never visited, but just from reading a little bit about the city...Albany was a distribution hub mainly for South Georgia cotton, first by way of steamboats on the Flint River and later by way of railroad.
Apparently there is/was a decent amount of industry located in Albany...Miller Brewing Company, Procter & Gamble, Cooper Tire & Rubber, Georgia-Pacific, etc. I think that the frequent flooding of the Flint River over the years has somewhat crippled Albany's economy.
I've never understood the harsh criticism of Macon. I've only been there once, but I found it to be a very beautiful and historic city that is often overlooked and totally overshadowed by nearby Atlanta. Of course, I have no idea what it's like to live there, but it certainly was a nice place to visit.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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lol Bulldawgfan....your post indicates that "Macon defenders" seem to think that Macon is an utopia where nothing goes wrong, the streets are golden, and angels fly around playing trumpets.
Generally speaking, I dont see any Macon supporters/residents making these claims. We admit that Macon has several problems. The only thing we say is that Macon is not as "bad" as some others and yourself would have people to believe. We then proceed to post positives about the city. What's wrong with that?
Macon is like a larger version of Albany.
They both have some good and bad qualities.
If the crime, poverty and urban blight in either one of these cities is too much for a person to bear, then that would also be the case for that person in the other city, as you would see the same.
I dont understand how a person can take Albany, name all the positives they can about the place, then downplay the exact same "poverty and crime" that they constantly complain about with Macon.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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I dont think it is right to paint cities with broad strokes.
2 people can have 2 completely different experiences within the same city based on their individual preferences, lines of work, daily routine and location of residence within the city.
While Macon is a city with problems, it IS possible to live INSIDE of Macon, and be able to reside in a safe neighborhood, with great neighbors, and enjoy nice things like some of our nicer restaurants, newer shopping areas, historic sites/museums, parks and clubs/bars/nightspots.
This is NOT to ignore the problems that we OBVIOUSLY do have in various parts of town, but it's just to let people know that, hey, you can live inside of Macon and still live safely and enjoy yourself as well.
I tend to dismiss these Forbes "10 Best/Worst" surveys, as they've got no rhyme or reason- you can be number 1 in a list one year, and vanish completely from the top 100 the next- how can that be? Even though the lists are somewhat suspect, being on a "10 Worst" list like this one certainly can have a bad effect on your town.
I dont think it is right to paint cities with broad strokes.
King_9.5,
I have read your last two posts and really have no idea what you are trying to say. Are you disagreeing with the Forbes report in the opening post? Or are you just trying to give me a hard time? If it is the former, you really should try to be a bit more clear. If it is the later, well, you are probably breaking a TOS by either not following the original post or by singling out a member and not the content of their post. Perhaps both.
At any rate, here is a quote from your post that I altered just a bit. Do you see how ridiculous this comment looks with just two words changed?
While Bagdad is a city with problems, it IS possible to live INSIDE of Bagdad, and be able to reside in a safe neighborhood, with great neighbors, and enjoy nice things like some of our nicer restaurants, newer shopping areas, historic sites/museums, parks and clubs/bars/nightspots.
Lets throw out the City-Data crime stats. Lets throw out the Forbes list in the original post. Lets go ahead and throw out the FBI data and anything else that portrays Macon in a negative way. In other words, lets be the Chamber of Commerce. Are you, in good conscience, going to 'paint' a false picture for any potential visitors to Macon? Are you going to lie when you know Macon sits on or near the bottom of the second tier cities in regards to crime/safety? Really?
That has been my position all along. Some new growth and a shiny new mall does not erase the problems that really exist. No one ever said these problems do not exist in other places. No one said that these problems only exist in Macon. And yet every Macon defender I can remember has used these type of deflection responses towards anyone with an opposing opinion. Every piece of data, every type of list and every newspaper headline has been met with deflection. The newspaper headline (an example) "Gunfire in Macon" has been met with ' Well, there was a shooting in Augusta too'. Pure deflection. I have seen the City-Data crime index beat to death because it is 'skewed'. The FBI data is wrong because of a lack of annexation or some other flawed reason. Sooner or later a normal person would come to the conclusion that Macon is in fact the least safe second tier city in the state.
Now you guys have your own section to promote your city. May God have mercy on those uninformed visitors you coax to Macon. I really hope for their sake that the crime stats are skewed.
Thanx DeaconJ for the insight on Albany. I have seen the brewery and I have seen some abandoned factories. I have also worked at a pharmaceutical plant down there that I think has since closed it's doors. As previously mentioned, I was not sure what was the driving force that brought a good many of people to the area. I suspected agriculture.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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LOL......so now Macon is comparable to "Baghdad"...???
All I'm saying is that some people go to the extremes....they "paint a picture" of a place being COMPLETELY bad or COMPLETELY heaven.
I just dont like when people, such as yourself, only pop up to tell one side of the story.
To say that Macon is 100% wonderful or 100% horrible, is FALSE.
If someone were to only talk about how "good" Macon is and they do not list any negatives, you are quick to point out that the person is "falsely" portraying Macon (which would be correct)
but by that same token, you do the EXACT same thing in the opposite direction, you portray Macon ONLY in a negative light. That is ALSO not the complete truth. How do you have any room to talk when the way you portray Macon is just as false???
Again, I didnt deny anything. We all know Macon is one of the "rougher" areas of georgia, I just simply state that we also have some nice things going for us too.
I accept, admit and will tell you the negatives of Macon...AS WELL as the positive, lol why is that you feel there is a BIG problem with listing the positive AND the negatives about this city??? Does it bother you that Macon DOES have some nice/safe areas within the city limits?? Are you denying this? It's as if you WISH harm to the city. Shame.
Here is a line I borrowed from this sites own description of itself
"If you ever need to research any city, zip code, or neighborhood for any reason, from considering a move there to just checking where somebody you know is staying, this is the site for you."
Given that line, I think I would want any potential visitors to be aware that the crime level in Macon is rather high. If they do not experience anything negative perhaps they will be pleasantly surprised. On the other side of the coin, claiming that the city gets a bad rap, claiming that the crime stats are some how skewed, stating that Macon is no worse that any other second tier city in Georgia is, firstly, not true. And secondly, does not prepare any potential visitors for what happens in Macon pretty much on a daily basis. Personally, I would rather warn of a potential problem than make no mention of it and hope for the best.
I see this information (and opinions) somewhat like insurance... I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
(Only you could make the leap that I was comparing Macon to Bagdad)
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