What keeps Atlanta from reaching LA, Chicago, or NYC levels?

[Tuckerman]

[QUOTE=Steely Dan;7959277]in chicago's case, you absolutely have the stereotypical city-hating, blood-red suburban conservative types, but specifically ]

you are so right. Even when I lived in Chicago city some decades ago (55th & Blackstone) my conservative relatives were afraid to visit me. My Chicago born relatives gradually moved further and further out (some were full of pride that they never went into the city- though my brother worked in the Loop). Kept moving further and further out towards Iowa. The pattern over the years has been a little different with Atlanta, but some north western and northern suburbs remain in denial the the primary reason for their existence is the growth of Atlanta. Politically the closer in suburbs are becoming more Democratic and the Dekalb suburbs vote heavily Democratic.