Is Atlanta the most important city in the South?

[Docere]

Baltimore isn't NE proper either, and the Jewish population in DC is mostly due to internal migration not direct immigration.

[Quixote]

^ Which I never claimed. Baltimore is still situated north of DC, is it not?

[ATLMidcity]

Atlanta is more "influential" than the other 4 large southern metros IMHO because of its cultural heritage and NOW the rapidly shifting political landscape.

The 2020 census will reveal just how culturally diverse metro Atlanta has become. If you haven't visited the city in the past 3-5 years, you'd be shocked at how diverse the metro has become, and how infill development is stitching together a more cohesive city within the I-285 (perimeter) corridor. You can feel it even in the suburban counties ringing Fulton county. Even some of the smaller counties are majority-minority on the fringes of the larger counties.

The 2020 census will likely reveal that there are:
2,000,000+ African Americans
1,000,000+ Latinos
750,000+ AAPI residents
and an untold number of LGBTQ cohorts living in the metro.
The metro population is nearly majority-minority and will definitely be by 2025 and will likely trend bluer in future elections.
Like the saying goes "Once your team wins a Super Bowl, you will always think you can win again no matter how pitiful your team is going into the playoffs". - Author Unknown

Just my 2 cents...