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Macon vs Warner Robins


Metroinspect.

Who's the best city  

37 members have voted

  1. 1. Who's the best city

    • Macon
      28
    • Warner Robins
      9


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I lived in WR from 89-90 and 92-95. I couldn't stand it there. There wasn't a whole lot to see or do. The Houston mall had just been replaced with the Galleria towards the end of my stay there, and was really the big excitement in town.

I don't remember any sort of 'downtown' there, but I suppose that has changed in the 10+ years since I left.

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  • 3 months later...

Ok.OK!!IENOUGH!! I grew up in Warner Robins until my senior year of High School(1988).I loved growing up there.I had a diverse group of friends from all over the world.My education was great.My quality of life was great.My Dad was a Dean at Ft.Valley State University.He was offered another position at college in Atlanta making at lot more,so we moved.I did not want to leave at all.15 years later during which i entered the Air Force.I have lived all over and have settled in Atlanta and bought a Newly constructed house in a transitional neighborhood where things are changing fast and im at ground zero.It is very true that W.R. is a big suburb,it is misleading to say that its reliant on Macon.I love what they have done to Macon nowadays and it is only getting better.However people don't realize that Robins AFB is the LARGEST Industrial Complex in Georgia AND employs more people than any other single source in Georgia.(Almost 20,000 people).I remember people driving from Atlanta everyday to work on the base.I also remember and hear that people from Macon have moved to Warner Robins because it is Suburbia-Like.Macon has lost population in the last 15years.From 2000-2005 its estimated that Macon has had a -2.9% drop in is population,but during that same period Warner Robins had a gain of 18.7% gain.Macon has been crippled over the years by its very high violent crime rate and horrible schools system.Its also a very segregated city as well.Old money Macon people are the power brokers that have in the past have held Macon back.I guess lately they realized some things had to change so now they are openiing up to more outsiders.The same can be said about W.R.,whose Mayor for the last 20years as been a staunch Warner Robins supporter as its own idenity for years.I bet if you ask people from W.R. where they are from, they will always say W.R. ,NEAR MACON;but NEVER ,MACON.If you ever have time to really drive through W.R.,especially the stretch that leads into PERRY.Beautiful subdivisions going up as fast as they are in North Macon.Warner Robins has MANSIONS AND MCMANSION"S to make ATLANTA AND BUCKHEAD blush.THere is a very strong civic pride that has always been there.THere is also a very stong entreprenural spirit there.It's SO EASY to set UP a business there.Most of my friends black and white were somewhat well off or downright rich,like the Wiggins family(EDDIE WIGGINS FORD>TOYOTA<ETC..).A better comparison than Atlanta to Marietta would more liken ATLANTA to ROSWELL.All that being said you would think i would vote W.R., but my vote goes Macon because of the history,architecture,and potential.Also because im a single male. If I were MARRIED with kids,hands down W.R. Waner Robins realizes that it will have to become more than it is and thats why i believe they are building an actual DOWNTOWN to give it more of an idenity.There leaders are very progressive. Remember that W.R. ONLY 60years old.However until those things are completed,I have to decide on the here and now.

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Ok.OK!!IENOUGH!! I grew up in Warner Robins until my senior year of High School(1988).I loved growing up there.I had a diverse group of friends from all over the world.My education was great.My quality of life was great.My Dad was a Dean at Ft.Valley State University.He was offered another position at college in Atlanta making at lot more,so we moved.I did not want to leave at all.15 years later during which i entered the Air Force.I have lived all over and have settled in Atlanta and bought a Newly constructed house in a transitional neighborhood where things are changing fast and im at ground zero.It is very true that W.R. is a big suburb,it is misleading to say that its reliant on Macon.I love what they have done to Macon nowadays and it is only getting better.However people don't realize that Robins AFB is the LARGEST Industrial Complex in Georgia AND employs more people than any other single source in Georgia.(Almost 20,000 people).I remember people driving from Atlanta everyday to work on the base.I also remember and hear that people from Macon have moved to Warner Robins because it is Suburbia-Like.Macon has lost population in the last 15years.From 2000-2005 its estimated that Macon has had a -2.9% drop in is population,but during that same period Warner Robins had a gain of 18.7% gain.Macon has been crippled over the years by its very high violent crime rate and horrible schools system.Its also a very segregated city as well.Old money Macon people are the power brokers that have in the past have held Macon back.I guess lately they realized some things had to change so now they are openiing up to more outsiders.The same can be said about W.R.,whose Mayor for the last 20years as been a staunch Warner Robins supporter as its own idenity for years.I bet if you ask people from W.R. where they are from, they will always say W.R. ,NEAR MACON;but NEVER ,MACON.If you ever have time to really drive through W.R.,especially the stretch that leads into PERRY.Beautiful subdivisions going up as fast as they are in North Macon.Warner Robins has MANSIONS AND MCMANSION"S to make ATLANTA AND BUCKHEAD blush.THere is a very strong civic pride that has always been there.THere is also a very stong entreprenural spirit there.It's SO EASY to set UP a business there.Most of my friends black and white were somewhat well off or downright rich,like the Wiggins family(EDDIE WIGGINS FORD>TOYOTA<ETC..).A better comparison than Atlanta to Marietta would more liken ATLANTA to ROSWELL.All that being said you would think i would vote W.R., but my vote goes Macon because of the history,architecture,and potential.Also because im a single male. If I were MARRIED with kids,hands down W.R. Waner Robins realizes that it will have to become more than it is and thats why i believe they are building an actual DOWNTOWN to give it more of an idenity.There leaders are very progressive. Remember that W.R. ONLY 60years old.However until those things are completed,I have to decide on the here and now.
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I dont agree with everything you said but that was a great post. I just believe that WR is WAY to dependant on ONE employer. If the base goes, so does WR, There is no single entity in Macon that you can make the same statement for. North Macon is on its way to becoming a very exclusive area in terms of luxury living, shopping, and entertainment. There is no section in Ho. Co. like North Macon. Yes Macon proper has been shrinking for a while, but many fail to realize that Bibb County has been steadily growing. There are so many jobs in Macon, it will always be the economic engine of Middle Georgia, even if Houston surpasses Bibb's pop. And lastly WR doesnt even have a grid system so I dont see any "downtown" development going too far. Its hard enough to revitalize a DT. Its 10 times harder to build one from the ground up. WR is a nice place but i have to do so many things around Macon that there is no reason for me to move out there. I have a friend thats in that exact situation and is desperately tryin to get back to Macon. (well Bibb Co. atleast)
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I'VE ALWAYS AGREED THAT W.R. AND MACON SHOULD COORPORATE MORE AS THEY HAVE COMMON INTEREST.I AGREE THAT THE ECONOMY IS NOT DIVERSIFIED ENOUGH.mY POINT WAS THAT MACON NOR WARNER ROBINS COULD WITHSTAND THE BASE CLOSING.THE WHOLE MIDDLE GEORGIA AREA AND THEN SOME RELY MAINLY ON THE BASE.THE JOBS THAT ARE FUELING THE GROWTH IN NORTH MACON(BIBB COUNTY) ARE NOT BECAUSE OF MACON BUT ATLANTA'S GROWTH.HENRY COUNTY FOR EXAMPLE, HAS BEEN ONE OF THE TOP 10 FASTEST CROWING COUNTIES IN THE NATION CONTINUOSLY FOR THE LAST 10-15 YEARS.THERE ARE ALOT OF WAREHOUSE AND MANUFACTURING JOBS THERE AND MORE ANNOUNCED MOVING THERE.THESE BEDROOM COMMUNITIES OF ATLANTA NOW HAVE AND ARE BECOMMING MORE SELFSTAINING .PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE DOWNTOWN ATLANTA TO WORK AS MUCH AS THEY USE TO. SO NOW THEY CAN LIVE CLOSER TO WHERE THEY WORK.A LOT OF MANUFACTURING PLANTS HAVE CLOSED IN MACON OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. THE DEFICIT OF JOBS HAS HURT TREMENDOUSLY.I WOULD MOVE TO MACON AS A SINGLE MALE IF ONLY THERE WERE MORE JOBS,NIGHTLIFE OR LEAST A TRAIN TO ATLANTA EVERYDAY.AS FAR AS THE NEW DOWNTOWN,YOU DONT NEED A GRID SYSTEM IF YOU'RE STARTING IN A NEW AREA WITH VAST AMOUNTS OF EMPTY LAND ALREADY OWNED BY THE CITY.W.R. CITY LIMITS BEFORE 1997 WAS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR THE INTERSTATE.THE MAYOR HAS AGRESSIVELY PURCHASE SO MUCH LAND THAT W.R. CITY LIMITS ARE NOW IN PEACH COUNTY WHERE THE INTERSTATE.THE MODEL FOR A NEW CITY CAME FROM SMYRNA,GEORGIA'S VILLAGE GREEN CONCEPT.LIKE SMYRNA ,W.R. HAD NO REAL DEFINED DOWNTOWN SO THEY BUILT ONE FROM SCRATCH AND NOW THAT AREA IS BOOMING WITH NEW RETAIL AND UPSCALE HOUSING.TRUST ME W.R IS GROWING ALL OVER NOT JUST IN THE NORTH OR SOUTH.YOU MAY THINK IM BIASED BUT IVE SEEN THE MUCH OF TE NEWER PARTS AND THE HOUSING IS EQUAL TO OR SURPASSES THAT IN NORTH MACON(BIBB) BUY LUXURY AND I DARE SAY PERCENTAGE WISE AS WELL.BIBB COUNTY POP.GREW AT A RATE OF LESS THAN 1% BETWEEN 2000-2005.HOUSTON COUNTY GREW AT ALMOST 14%DURING THE SAME PERIOD.THE JOBLESS RATE IS ALSO VERY LOW I LOVE MACON AND I HOPE IT CAN ATTRACT MORE JOBS THERE ,BUT FOR NOW IT OWES ALOT TO ITS PROXIMITY TO ATLANTA MORE THAN WARNER ROBINS DOES TO MACON. THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN WARNER ROBINS IS 3.8%,IN MACON ITS 5.1%.JOB GROWTH IN BETWEEN 2000-2005 iN W.R. WAS AT 8.9% ;FOR MACON IT WAS AT 0.59% PERCENT DURING THE SAME YEARS MUST REPEAT THAT THE BASE IS WORTH MORETHAN 4 LARGE MAUFACTURING PLANTOR COMPANYS THERE .NORTHRUP-GRUMMAN,RAYTHEON, AND VARIOUS OTHER DEFENCE CONTRACTORS ARE IN WARNER ROBINS ROBINS.

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  • 5 months later...

I work between Macon & Columbus (and other areas) and am dismayed by the strong line between Macon & Warner Robins. There's alot more inter-community cooperation in Columbus and it's really paying off in growth. They don't have the benefit of all the Interstates Macon has and they're still outgrowing Macon. With all the growth now occuring in South Bibb, Byron, etc. the metro area coul continue to gel into a powerhouse if the leadership could get over it and cooperate.

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  • 3 months later...
I dont agree with everything you said but that was a great post. I just believe that WR is WAY to dependant on ONE employer. If the base goes, so does WR, There is no single entity in Macon that you can make the same statement for. North Macon is on its way to becoming a very exclusive area in terms of luxury living, shopping, and entertainment. There is no section in Ho. Co. like North Macon. Yes Macon proper has been shrinking for a while, but many fail to realize that Bibb County has been steadily growing. There are so many jobs in Macon, it will always be the economic engine of Middle Georgia, even if Houston surpasses Bibb's pop. And lastly WR doesnt even have a grid system so I dont see any "downtown" development going too far. Its hard enough to revitalize a DT. Its 10 times harder to build one from the ground up. WR is a nice place but i have to do so many things around Macon that there is no reason for me to move out there. I have a friend thats in that exact situation and is desperately tryin to get back to Macon. (well Bibb Co. atleast)
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