Originally Posted by Inman Parker
1) Is Atlanta's current building boom really even historical for Atlanta standards? I guess it depends on how you define "current building boom". In reality, the boom hasnt really stopped, it was just slowed by the recession. If we are talking about big picture, yes, Atlanta's boom is very historic. The population of the city has more than doubled since 1990. It takes a while for infrastructure to catch up to a boom like that, especially in a city as poorly laid out as Atlanta.
2) Is the job market really that robust in Atlanta? Depends on what you are comparing it to. Compared to NYC, Chicago, SF? no. Compared to Cincinnati, Nashville, Charlotte, etc? yes. Atlanta has one of the highest number of fortune 500's in the country. By far, the largest hub of legal, accounting and consulting jobs in the SE. Their financial sector is the second largest in the SE behind Charlotte, which has the second largest in the country.
3) Is there a crime problem in Atlanta? yes, I dont think anyone could deny that Atlanta is a dangerous city. It always has been and is safer now that it was 15 years ago. It nowhere near where it needs to be but it is getting there.
4) Is there an education problem, and is there a chance this could translate into local attitudes and mentalities? In Atlanta in general? no. You have to realize that fewer than 50% of the population is from here. Your idea of an "Atlantan" is really just a very new mix of people from all over. This is a big, diverse and very young city which is impossible to blanket like that. Are there extremes in Atlanta (and really Georgia overall)? yes, there is a large population of lower income citizens with an extreme education problem, worst than other places. The cause of that is debatable for sure and not isolated to Atlanta alone. Really, you could see this trend in most of the south and are many things that have caused this.
5) Is it possible that Tech students aren't as bad of neighbors as they are made out to be? Is it possible that Tech students have provided the impetus for the Westside and for Tech Square? Is it possible, Scania, that I never said MOST of Midtown should comprise of students?? But that more students should be welcome in Midtown in student housing? (especially if it might reduce highway noise for some Plaza residents, put more decent people on the sidewalks, and raise land values overall?) I have no idea if Tech students will make good neighbors, but cant you sympathize with someone that is nervous about a mid-rise building full of college kids living next door? It not that complicated. There is a stigma of college kids being a little bit more rowdy, true or not, than the average professional.
What exactly do you expect the city of Atlanta to do to keep the graduates of local universities in the city? Most Emory kids of from out of state, often out of the region, and choose to go closer to home after school. Ga Tech is one of the best technical universities in the world. Some kids stay here and many others pursue opportunities all over the world. Atlanta is without question the largest jobs hub in the SE region. If a student wants to stay in the southeast, they will most likely stay here. If they dont, there is nothing the city can do to change that.
Does Atlanta have problems? yes, lots of them, particularly crime. Is it getting better? yes, believe it or not, it is. These things take time. Particularly in Atlanta's case where a large portion of the city was abandoned by a portion of the population in the 50's and 60's. Think about what I said above. The population has approximately doubled since 1990. We're talking almost 3 million new people. That is completely insane. HUGE population boom. Infrastructure and culturally the city hasnt settled yet. In a sense, this city is still just building its framework. It not fair to compare an already built house (NYC, San Fran, Chicago, Boston) to one that is just now taking shape.
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