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nwgeorgia

By nwgeorgia
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nwgeorgia Unincorporated Area

nwgeorgia

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Atlanta has been described as a stain spreading across a map of Georgia.

Gordon County is the only county between Atlanta and Chattanooga that is not a part of a designated MSA. Will it become part of Dalton-Whitfield County, or will Atlanta swallow it by 2010?

Chattanooga already claims Catoosa and Walker. Are we going to see a Chattlanta in the next 20 years. Most of The Chattanooga MSA growth is in its Georgia counties anyway.

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UrbanSoutherner Whistle-Stop

UrbanSoutherner

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I think just because urban areas may eventually be coincidental - that won't mean MSA / CSA are combined.  That would require a significant commuting change to occur.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with Teshadoh. Just because the metro counties touch does not mean they will merge into one area. For example, metro Augusta GA touches metro Columbia SC. That does not make that one region in any meaningful sense. Likewise, the Columbia SC CSA and the Greenville-Spartanburg SC CSA touch. The same for the Columbia SC CSA and the Charlotte NC CSA as well as the Greenville-Spartanburg SC CSA and the Charlotte NC CSA. With the Census Bureau using rather large geographical units (counties) to build MSAs and CSAs, there are tons of areas that touch, but that says nothing about any commuting between their cores (as Tashedoah points out, that is what matters--economic integration measured by commuting patterns). I just cannot see the required number of people commuting from Chattanooga to Atlanta's northern edge city areas--it's still just too far. Atlanta is not LA and will not be for a good while still (thankfully). Its mass is just not big enough to suck in a place that far away in the next several decades.

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UTCdude23 Unincorporated Area

UTCdude23

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I agree, the two cities are too far away at this point. The only way that they could be linked is if Gordon county becomes a bedroom community for both cities, with the commuting going either to Chattanooga or Atlanta. But as far as any cultural or economic integration between the two, that' won't happen unless there is a significant change, like the building of a high-speed train. However, I do find it interesting that I-75 stays 3 lanes each way from Chattanooga to Atlanta, which indicates that it is a heavily traveled route. Given 30 years, I think the areas will both continue to grow closer, but still be quite independent from one another. Who knows, maybe Chattanooga will be Georgia's 2nd biggest MSA :P

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UrbanSoutherner Whistle-Stop

UrbanSoutherner

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But as far as any cultural or economic integration between the two, that' won't happen unless there is a significant change, like the building of a high-speed train.  However, I do find it interesting that I-75 stays 3 lanes each way from Chattanooga to Atlanta, which indicates that it is a heavily traveled route.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree that a some sort of train could bring in some commuters from Chattanooga (or Athens or Macon or Columbus), but it does get complicated since Atlanta's employment centers are so spread out.

I-75 is also being tripled laned through south Georgia. I think it is also just a really busy interstate because of Florida traffic passing through Georgia. It is a major route for Midwesterners and Canadians getting to Florida.

Rome is another interesting case. I would say that it could become something of a suburb except that it does not have a good road connection to the metro area. It is too far off the interstates.

I actually think that Athens will be sucked into the Atlanta MSA or CSA before Rome, Dalton, or Chattanooga. Gainesville seems certain to become part of the MSA (it is already in the CSA). The suburban sprawl is creeping into Hall County.

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teshadoh Burg

teshadoh

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Gainesville is still surprisingly a strong economic center & thus Hall County has a strong in-commuting rate. I do agree eventually Gainesville will be overrun with Atlanta commuters, but not quite yet. As for Athens - I think it is likely in 2010 that the MSA joins Atlanta - Gainesville CSA, due to a string of development in Barrow County which connects the two urban areas.

What depends on the areas to the north & south joining Atlanta's MSA / CSA would be the leapfrogging trend of edge cities - if Cartersville to the north & the Henry / Butts county area turn to business centers, then it is a possibility that the MSA / CSA expands or erodes into neighboring MSA's.

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GA native_CFT Unincorporated Area

GA native_CFT

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This is incredible. I've lived in Atlanta all my life and I never thought that the Metro area could spread all the way to Chattanooga, and even to Macon. One of the message boards talk about how these two cities are starting to connect. if you ask me, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Macon, Columbus, and maybe even Birmingham will combine in the next 15 to 20 years to become one huge Megalopolis. I don't think Charlotte will combine because I don't think people will want to live in the Appalachians separating Charlotte and Atlanta. Atchatcolmacingham, sounds nice!

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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This is incredible. I've lived in Atlanta all my life and I never thought that the Metro area could spread all the way to Chattanooga, and even to Macon. One of the message boards talk about how these two cities are starting to connect. if you ask me, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Macon, Columbus, and maybe even Birmingham will combine in the next 15 to 20 years to become one huge Megalopolis. I don't think Charlotte will combine because I don't think people will want to live in the Appalachians separating Charlotte and Atlanta. Atchatcolmacingham, sounds nice!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its not the Appalachians that separates Atlanta and Charlotte. Its Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, which is just as sprawling as Atlanta, and could potentially provide the connection to Charlotte.

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DaltonGA Unincorporated Area

DaltonGA

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I know I'm bumping an old topic, but I would like to add the perspective of someone who lives in the region. Gordon County has a strong employment base and most Gordon Countians work in Gordon County. Dalton(Whitfield County and Murray County) is the next biggest commute area for Gordon Countians. The next largest group commutes to Rome in Floyd County. The fourth largest group commutes to the metro Atlanta counties of Bartow and Cobb. Chattanooga and Hamilton County is pretty far down the list. Calhoun is classified as micropolitan and will likely keep that classification in 2010. I doubt it joins the Atlanta or Dalton MSA's, but I think it will be added to the Atlanta CSA, particulary if the Rome MSA is added to the Atlanta CSA. This would create a significant commute into Atlanta CSA and their is a strong commute of workers from Rome into Calhoun already.

Dalton MSA gets a fairly large commute from Catoosa and Walker Counties in the Chattanooga MSA and from Cleveland, TN MSA. Cleveland is included in the Chattanooga CSA along with the Athens, TN micropolitan area. This is little commute from Dalton to the Chattanooga MSA, except for into Catoosa County, and very little into Cleveland. Murray has little commute into any of the Chattanooga MSA, but a fairly large commute into Gordon County and a small amount into the Cleveland MSA. This leaves Dalton difficult to peg, but since only commute patterns determine MSA and CSA inclusion and consolidation, Dalton will barely make it into the Chattanooga CSA. If radio and tv markets, retail markets and airport usage were a consideration, Dalton would have been part of the Chattanooga MSA years ago as those ties are stronger.

Regardless of how it ends up Gordon seems to be getting pulled in more directions than any county I can think of. Locals there are probably divided between the "I don't want anything to do wtih Atlanta" group and the "Being associated with Atlanta will be more prestigious" group. Gordon County will provide most of the employment for its workers for sometime to come as growth will create more local jobs in retail, medical, and education in particular.

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