How big do you want Metro Atlanta to get?

[Lady Celeste]

Unfortunately to most outsiders, Georgia outside of metro Atlanta faces one big set back. What is that set back you may ask....it's not metro Atlanta. It's like a catch 22. Atlanta is a big revenue generator for Georgia. The state realizes this although sometimes their actions...i.e., public transportation...does not readily show this. Companies will locate where they can access a greater market share. Hartsfield-Jackson allows companies to set up in metro Atlanta while being hours away from most of the world. The huge number of people living in metro Atlanta is also a big draw.

Gone are the glory days of manufacturing so now the focus is on corporation relocations. If a person is scouting a potential relocation site they will have to weigh alot of options for the potentially relocated workers. A nice amenities package is key. While Georgia schools overall rank towards the bottom nationally, there are some metro Atlanta systems that actually rank higher than the national on all accounts. Cobb, Fayette, Gwinnett, Fulton and Dekalb counties all have school districts that rank exceptionally higher than the national average. If I had to think of a school other than metro schools that rank nationally, it would be a school in Richmond County (Augusta). That's not a good sign. Metro Atlanta is also blessed with a huge collection of higher education insitutions. This also is a generating factor.

While I agree that the state government should do more to encourage corporations to relocate to other parts of the state, there is only so much that can be done from the Gold Dome. Before I continue, I will add this thought...statewide high-speed commuter rail would do wonders for balancing out development in the state. Okay, back to my initial thought. I feel that local governments need more agreesive local representation. Where are the visionaries. If I had to think of the next tier cities that could really take off, Columbus and Augusta come to mind. While Macon has the luck of having major interstate exposure, there are other factors that causes me to place them one step below the two aforementioned cities.

Back to Augusta and Columbus. These two cities already are home to major corporations (Columbus) or nationally know events (Augusta) or renowned medical institutions (Augusta). What they will need now are major airports. If I was a visionary for Columbus, there would be three things I would be championing right now. One, increasing exposure of the airport serving the area. I would be on the phone with Airtran or USAir every day asking them to expand their presence from our airport. Executives from AFLAC or Synovus should not have to drive to Atlanta for flights to simple locations.

I would also focus on beefing up the public insitutions for education in the area. I would want the institutions of higher learning churning out top notch students and attracting them as well. This would be a definite plus for a corporation looking to locate their facility on my area. People should want to move to Columbus (metro). If the schools are top notch then families will follow. The cost of living in the Columbus metro is much more favorable for starter families than Atlanta...but people will move to where they precieve schools to be better. Unless you are willing to spend between $5,000 to $17,500 on private institutions for your children, a good public school is the way to go.

The third thing I would do is to try to increase the connectivity of my metro to Atlanta. If you can't beat them, join them. I had the pleasure a few months ago to visit someone in Columbus. The thing that struck me about driving from Atlanta to Columbus was that in the grand scheme of things, they are not that far apart. There is development was far south as central Coweta County and then you go into a momentary lull...but as soon as you get used to the countryside, you are entering metropolitan Columbus...or shcould I say greater. They are not that far apart. I would play this up. Columbus would be the cheaper alternative to metro Atlanta. You get to be 1.5 hours from a worldclass city while enjoying a simpler, lower cost way of living. This also could be aided by commuter rail. Imagine highspeed commuter rail from Columbus to Newnan to College Park, connecting to MARTA at the College Park Station. There could be future stops in between these locations but a highspeed train travelling at 120 miles per hour would be to Newnan in no time. The commute time could possible be reduced to 1 hour between Atlanta and Columbus. Immagine catching a Braves baseball game and being back in Columbus 1.5 hours after the game is over.

I could go on and on. My words appear to be very visionary. It takes an outlandish and unique way of thinking to elevate your situation. I would love for Columbus and Augusta to step up to the plate. They have so much potential. Until they increase their market share and realize that they will have to play the game, they will remain the red-headed step children of metro Atlanta. Okay, that's all I will say for now....this is not a symposium.

[LizellaJacket]

The state of Georgia needs Atlanta, no doubt.

As someone who is from rural Georgia, but in Atlanta for school, this is the way I think about Atlanta. Atlanta is like the friend that nodoby really wants, but needs to have around to help them out.

When I say nobody really wants Atlanta, I mean that its very very different from the rest of the state, but we do need it to survive. I just wish other parts of the state could take advantage of the unbelievable growth the state is experiencing.

[Lady Celeste]

The state of Georgia needs Atlanta, no doubt.

As someone who is from rural Georgia, but in Atlanta for school, this is the way I think about Atlanta. Atlanta is like the friend that nodoby really wants, but needs to have around to help them out.

When I say nobody really wants Atlanta, I mean that its very very different from the rest of the state, but we do need it to survive. I just wish other parts of the state could take advantage of the unbelievable growth the state is experiencing.

What is that old saying.....

"What is Georgia without Atlanta?..................Mississippi."

Just kidding. Mississippi is a great state but I have heard that saying many times.

[ATLman1]

Unfortunately to most outsiders, Georgia outside of metro Atlanta faces one big set back. What is that set back you may ask....it's not metro Atlanta. It's like a catch 22. Atlanta is a big revenue generator for Georgia. The state realizes this although sometimes their actions...i.e., public transportation...does not readily show this. Companies will locate where they can access a greater market share. Hartsfield-Jackson allows companies to set up in metro Atlanta while being hours away from most of the world. The huge number of people living in metro Atlanta is also a big draw.

Gone are the glory days of manufacturing so now the focus is on corporation relocations. If a person is scouting a potential relocation site they will have to weigh alot of options for the potentially relocated workers. A nice amenities package is key. While Georgia schools overall rank towards the bottom nationally, there are some metro Atlanta systems that actually rank higher than the national on all accounts. Cobb, Fayette, Gwinnett, Fulton and Dekalb counties all have school districts that rank exceptionally higher than the national average. If I had to think of a school other than metro schools that rank nationally, it would be a school in Richmond County (Augusta). That's not a good sign. Metro Atlanta is also blessed with a huge collection of higher education insitutions. This also is a generating factor.

While I agree that the state government should do more to encourage corporations to relocate to other parts of the state, there is only so much that can be done from the Gold Dome. Before I continue, I will add this thought...statewide high-speed commuter rail would do wonders for balancing out development in the state. Okay, back to my initial thought. I feel that local governments need more agreesive local representation. Where are the visionaries. If I had to think of the next tier cities that could really take off, Columbus and Augusta come to mind. While Macon has the luck of having major interstate exposure, there are other factors that causes me to place them one step below the two aforementioned cities.

Back to Augusta and Columbus. These two cities already are home to major corporations (Columbus) or nationally know events (Augusta) or renowned medical institutions (Augusta). What they will need now are major airports. If I was a visionary for Columbus, there would be three things I would be championing right now. One, increasing exposure of the airport serving the area. I would be on the phone with Airtran or USAir every day asking them to expand their presence from our airport. Executives from AFLAC or Synovus should not have to drive to Atlanta for flights to simple locations.

I would also focus on beefing up the public insitutions for education in the area. I would want the institutions of higher learning churning out top notch students and attracting them as well. This would be a definite plus for a corporation looking to locate their facility on my area. People should want to move to Columbus (metro). If the schools are top notch then families will follow. The cost of living in the Columbus metro is much more favorable for starter families than Atlanta...but people will move to where they precieve schools to be better. Unless you are willing to spend between $5,000 to $17,500 on private institutions for your children, a good public school is the way to go.

The third thing I would do is to try to increase the connectivity of my metro to Atlanta. If you can't beat them, join them. I had the pleasure a few months ago to visit someone in Columbus. The thing that struck me about driving from Atlanta to Columbus was that in the grand scheme of things, they are not that far apart. There is development was far south as central Coweta County and then you go into a momentary lull...but as soon as you get used to the countryside, you are entering metropolitan Columbus...or shcould I say greater. They are not that far apart. I would play this up. Columbus would be the cheaper alternative to metro Atlanta. You get to be 1.5 hours from a worldclass city while enjoying a simpler, lower cost way of living. This also could be aided by commuter rail. Imagine highspeed commuter rail from Columbus to Newnan to College Park, connecting to MARTA at the College Park Station. There could be future stops in between these locations but a highspeed train travelling at 120 miles per hour would be to Newnan in no time. The commute time could possible be reduced to 1 hour between Atlanta and Columbus. Immagine catching a Braves baseball game and being back in Columbus 1.5 hours after the game is over.

I could go on and on. My words appear to be very visionary. It takes an outlandish and unique way of thinking to elevate your situation. I would love for Columbus and Augusta to step up to the plate. They have so much potential. Until they increase their market share and realize that they will have to play the game, they will remain the red-headed step children of metro Atlanta. Okay, that's all I will say for now....this is not a symposium.

Speaking of the Columbus Metro Airport, it is currently undergoing an expansion. The airport is currently going after major airlines such as United Airlines and American Airlines. The thing with Columbus getting more airlines is Columbus's proximity to Hartsfield. It only takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Hartsfield from Columbus. If I am in a hurry less than that! It is just so easy to drive 80-85 miles up the road and be at the biggest and busiest airport in the world.

Commuter rail would be great between these 2 cities. It would be nice to have a straight shot to the airport from Columbus. It makes economic sense because Atlanta and Columbus are the economic powerhouses of the state.

About the drive from Columbus to Atlanta: The only "rural" area is basically between LaGrange and southern Harris County. With Kia moving in, I believe the I-185 corridor will pick up with new development. I think the only thing that will keep Atlanta and Columbus from coming completely together is Harris County. The county is growing in population, but the commercial side has not kept up. Columbus metro and Atlanta metro already touch. There is still a good bit of rural land between the 2 cities, but I think that will all change in the coming years.

Here is the information on the airport from WTVM.com, a local tv station Columbus Metro and new carriers

[Lady Celeste]

Speaking of the Columbus Metro Airport, it is currently undergoing an expansion. The airport is currently going after major airlines such as United Airlines and American Airlines. The thing with Columbus getting more airlines is Columbus's proximity to Hartsfield. It only takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Hartsfield from Columbus. If I am in a hurry less than that! It is just so easy to drive 80-85 miles up the road and be at the biggest and busiest airport in the world.

See, this train of thought will have to change if Columbus is to break out. Yes, Columbus' airport is not that far from Hartsfield but I am not trying to beef it up for the common traveller. My main concern is that CEOs and other executives do not like to and sometimes do not have time to drive 1.5 hours to a major airport. If I have a meeting in Los Angeles that I just found out about 20 minutes ago, I will not want to be further annoyed by a loooooong drive. I might as well locate my company in Atlanta and be done with it.

United and American are tall orders. Personally, I would not go for them. I would go with someone who DOES NOT have a major presence at Hartsfield-Jackson. Columbus will have to be an alternative not a reliever of Hartsfield. Does that make sense?

When I'm thinking of the airports, I am using the North Carolina model. Charlotte's Douglas International is that state's largest airport but that doesn't stop Raleigh from having a very nice and usable alternative to Charlotte's airport. If people will continue to use Hartsfield, then what would induce companies from Atlanta and Hartsfield to Columbus and it's airport....nothing.

Columbus has to break out of the pack.

I hope everyone understands that my focus is on Columbus right now because it has the largest corporate presence right now. It has everything possible to pull away from the pack. If I seem partial towards Columbus, forgive me. I would love for Augusta, Macon, Savannah and Valdosta to take off and relieve some of the tension from Atlanta.

[teshadoh]

^ For that matter, besides Raleigh's airport, even closer to Charlotte-Douglas is Greensboro/WinstonSalem's & Greenville/Spartanburg's airport. Also, just 2 hours south is Columbia's - all of these airports have national routes, not just regional connections.

[krazeeboi]

That's one good thing I like about living in this part of the South: many viable options as far as air travel goes (although so far, I've only used Charlotte-Douglas--great airport).

I really think that as metro Atlanta starts reaching its capacity, you'll see more and more people opt for other Piedmont cities in which to settle down, such as Columbus, Augusta, Columbia, Greenville, Greensboro, etc.

[Newnan]

I don't think Metro Atlanta will reach its capacity for a long time

[teshadoh]

Capacity is relative, because there are endless parcels developable for infill needs. I would hope that the next phase of redevelopment - not just Atlanta but the core suburban counties will be infill & subdividing of lots.

Shopping centers should be redeveloped into mixed use neighborhood centers (think Lindbergh Center / Edgewood / Atlantic Station).

Subdivisions should be redeveloped through either a total reconstruction or piece meal lot divisions. NOT mcmansion redevelopments, as these are totally contrary to the needs to densify.

Office parks would also be redeveloped, especially vacant 'park' areas. Parking lots can be consolidated into parking decks & the neutral territory of the 'plaza' space, that serves no purpose can be developed for mixed use purposes.

These options don't even include the numerous vacant lots that cover most of suburbia. Land has not been developed efficiently, therefore we're not even close to redevelopable space in the core metro counties.

The toughest issue will be street infrastructure - improving connectivity & enhancing pedestrian / bicycle / transit usages along streets in order to reduce congestion.

[ironchapman]

I think the city could reach 790,000-800,000.

I'm going by another city we are often compared to: Frankfurt am Main of Germany.

They have about 650,000 people in 98 square miles and a population density about twice ours.