Henry, Coweta, & Fayette counties Growth (Southside)

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Do you think that the Atlanta southside is finally catching up, or has it caught up to the northside in the sheer percentage or amount of new homes, growth, etc.?

Ten to Fifteen years ago, the southside was vastly under-populated, when compared to the northside. Henry County only had 60,000 people, and Fayette had roughly the same amount. Coweta was still a somewhat rural county. Clayton County offered the southside counties the only true form of suburbanism.

Yet, over the past fifteen years, the southside, at least in my opinion, has undergone a lot of transformation. Aside from the racial demographic changes of Clayton County (73% white-->25% white), the counties to the south have also seen phenomenal change. Many of the whites who once lived in Clayton county, coupled with a lot of residents who have moved to Henry, Fayette, and Coweta counties, have caused an explosion of growth throughout the southern metro. Henry County is closing in on the 200,000 population mark, and both Fayette and Coweta have toppled the 100,000 mark.

Housing and shopping developments have sprung up from the cities of McDonough and Stockbridge, even Locust Grove, on over to Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Sharpsburg, Newnan, and areas in between. The Southern Crescent has really exploded.

Given all this growth, what's your opinion of it, and has the southside caught up, or is it coming close to catching up with the amount of growth on the northside?

[teshadoh]

It hasn't caught up, it is catching up though. But I don't know how long it will take to 'catch up'. Despite the growth rates occuring in the southside - the northside still has even greater growth rates in many areas already well populated. I think we're still 50 years away from the possibility occuring.

[Newnan]

I live in Coweta which is a great county to live in. It's one of teh few places left in Metro Atlanta where you can find slow paced, southern rural areas close to the city, specifically in the Northeastern corner of the county (Madras, Palmetto Area) However, this may change. Growth has picked up in Coweta; not nearly as much as Henry, but it is still a heavy and steady influx of people (about 5,000 a year). However, It looks like the northside is still growing more. Woodstock in Cherokee is about the same distance away from Atlanta as NE Coweta is, yet Woodstock has had a lot more growth, as well as teh whole county.

The southern I-85 corrider also may not be growing as much because middle to upper class white families don't want to live in such proximity to towns like College Park and East Point in South Fulton, hopefully that will change. All of the southside in fact seems to be having a change in demographics. The heavily black areas in South Fullton and Clayton are starting to move into North Fayette, which has been a predominantly white county, and parts of Henry. Who knows how this will effect growth in the future. Overall, I'm not sure if the south side will ever catch up. It could if the Northside becomes too crowded, but if the jobs keep moving north in Metro Atlanta, people will continue to move up to Pickens,and Dawson counties and even further.

[ATLman1]

How far do you guys think the growth will go? Will it eventually stop at LaGrange or will it continue to go down and meet Columbus as Columbus moves north? I can see it happening one day because there is plenty of land and Hartsfield is only 1 hour and 15 mins from Columbus.

[LizellaJacket]

How far do you guys think the growth will go? Will it eventually stop at LaGrange or will it continue to go down and meet Columbus as Columbus moves north? I can see it happening one day because there is plenty of land and Hartsfield is only 1 hour and 15 mins from Columbus.

I can see the growth taking over all of Henry and moving into Butts. I just have a feeling that people will stop moving further South and start filling in areas in the Metro core.

[Metroinspect.]

Well i live in Spaulding County, home of Griffin, and I see that the growth of Atlanta has strecth below are county into Pike Co, where you see alot of houses popping up and a few stores, but Griffin getting alot of business and hoses

[socaguy]

How far do you guys think the growth will go? Will it eventually stop at LaGrange or will it continue to go down and meet Columbus as Columbus moves north? I can see it happening one day because there is plenty of land and Hartsfield is only 1 hour and 15 mins from Columbus.

God I would hope not....that would be nothing but pathetic sprawl. Instead of growing out, hopefully cities like College Park, Hapeville and East Point will start filling back in. Its already happening in some of the innre southern suburbs, with lovely older neighborhoods being gentrified. Atlanta doesnt need to grow any further away from itself. Although it looks nice from a distance, you dont want to become another Northside.

[Newnan]

Housing and shopping developments have sprung up from the cities of McDonough and Stockbridge, even Locust Grove, on over to Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Sharpsburg, Newnan, and areas in between. The Southern Crescent has really exploded.

I really like that idea of the southern crescent; and I'm proud to be a part of it.

[Newnan_Eric]

Housing and shopping developments have sprung up from the cities of McDonough and Stockbridge, even Locust Grove, on over to Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Sharpsburg, Newnan, and areas in between. The Southern Crescent has really exploded.

I really like that idea of the southern crescent; and I'm proud to be a part of it.

I don't mean to revive a thread that has all but finished, but I was out last week.

Yes, the Southside is growing rapidly and some areas are now experiencing some rather rapid development. That said, I agree with Brad that it will never quite catch up to the Northside. The main reason is that, as the Northside developed, the employment centers in Atlanta also moved Northward. The Smyrna/Marietta, Perimeter, Roswell/Alpharetta, and Gwinett areas all have strong employment centers. This makes it difficult for the Southside to attract residents. Yes, there are jobs intown and more companies are looking at the Southside of town, but a lot of jobs are along I-285's Northern arc and above.

Additionally, the recent spate of bad news has disproportionately hit the Southside of Atlanta (Delta's woes, Ft. Gillem closing, Ft. MacPherson closing, and Ford's Hapeville Plant closing). I believe that those job losses will take the wind out of the sails of the Southside a bit. I already know of many in Coweta that have been affected by Delta's situation.

I don't think that the growth will go all the way to LaGrange and Macon without some other employment draws. The resurgence of intown Atlanta will help. If West Point lands the Kia plant more growth could be headed that way. If Hapeville and the closed bases are redeveloped into employment centers, that could be huge.

Just my two cents.

[Scraper Enthusiast]

I don't mean to revive a thread that has all but finished, but I was out last week.

Yes, the Southside is growing rapidly and some areas are now experiencing some rather rapid development. That said, I agree with Brad that it will never quite catch up to the Northside. The main reason is that, as the Northside developed, the employment centers in Atlanta also moved Northward. The Smyrna/Marietta, Perimeter, Roswell/Alpharetta, and Gwinett areas all have strong employment centers. This makes it difficult for the Southside to attract residents. Yes, there are jobs intown and more companies are looking at the Southside of town, but a lot of jobs are along I-285's Northern arc and above.

Additionally, the recent spate of bad news has disproportionately hit the Southside of Atlanta (Delta's woes, Ft. Gillem closing, Ft. MacPherson closing, and Ford's Hapeville Plant closing). I believe that those job losses will take the wind out of the sails of the Southside a bit. I already know of many in Coweta that have been affected by Delta's situation.

I don't think that the growth will go all the way to LaGrange and Macon without some other employment draws. The resurgence of intown Atlanta will help. If West Point lands the Kia plant more growth could be headed that way. If Hapeville and the closed bases are redeveloped into employment centers, that could be huge.

Just my two cents.

Sure, the southside does not have the number of employment centers as the northside. However, neither did the northside once have those. While I agree that the southside is not going to catch up to the northside, in terms of population, for quite a good many years, my point of this thread was to point out that the southside is developing suburban areas in a similar fashion as the northside. I don't see much difference in the rate of developing suburbs in places like Henry and Coweta, as I do in Paulding, Cherokee, and Forsyth. Henry county is developing an excitement about it. I mean, this area is being totally transformed like none other on the southside, and the area is being targeted as a great place for young families.

[Newnan]

went to Serenbe today in south Fulton. It was very cool. It was acres and acres of farmland gravel roads winding through. After a while you get to a town center where there are townhomes and apartments and buildings with cafes and other stores (still under construction) It was a mix of colonial, old west, and antebellum. There is a big tie to nature there. Serenbe is the combination of the words serenity and beauty.