[Atlriser]

Your southern piedmont also leaves Macon, GA and Columbus, GA out of the statistics. Macon and Atlanta MSA's now touch geographically. While Macon has not had impressive growth rates for the past 40 years, the north end is DEFINITELY beginning to feel the 'pull' of Atlanta and construction is booming along the I-75/475 interstate corridor to Atlanta with office parks, retail, housing and such. (250,000 people now)

Columbus is more distant down I-85/185 but the metro area is only separated from Atlanta by 1 county. That county is about to explode with a Kia plant and all the related factories with an expected 10,000 new jobs over the next decade and be heavily linked to existing factories and distribution facilities in Atlanta and Montgomery along I-85. In addition, Columbus is adding around 40,000 new military personnel though consolidation of existing facilities in the midwest to Columbus over the next few years. They're tons of high tech positions relocating which are supposed to spur assosiciated industries. Also, some of the fastest growing counties in metro Atlanta are south along 85 leading to this part of the state. Columbus could well be swallowed into a greater Atlanta region in the not to distant future I'd bet. (I thing around 250,000 people today as well)

Sorry, maybe those southern dots on the map are Macon and Columbus....not sure.

Anyway, I think there is a true possibility that Chattanooga could become part of the Atlanta MSA in 2010. They now touch borders and the northern growth of Atlanta's suburbs is probably got influences from both metros thus linking them along the I-75 corridor as one mega area. If anything, Atlanta might steal some of the GA counties from Chattanooga if the growth continues along Atlanta's interstates as it has for 50 years so far.