Atlanta-Originality?

[USA11B]

Sprawl....

Commuters...

Transplant City..."the only city where no one is from that city"

Super Subdivisions... NC is known for them but ATL can certainlly compete in the suburbs. Yet these mini communities are so far from everything I find.

It is very hard for me to understand the identity too as I only lived here for a year. I don't get a home feeling. I don't find it easy to meet people. As Southern as the city is geographically; I do not find it to have that hospitality.

Add to that big-box stores, and chain restaurants, as a matter of fact chain everything.

I've lived here 5yrs and cannot wait to get out of here. I would take the so-called 'rudeness' of people 'up North' over the phony 'Southern Hospitality' anyday! Southern Hospitality, at least in my experience here has been people that are totally fake, can't tell you enough how much they love Jesus and going to church, yet are the most backstabbing, talk behind your back, judgemental people I have EVER seen! People here are impossible to read, and even more difficult to know who you can and can't trust.

You want to see truely friendly, welcoming, hospitable people go to Texas, the South it's totally fake.

Besides the people, the South has sold its soul to corporate America. Honestly I really like some of the more rural areas, like South GA, Savannah area, but there is no telling how many years before all the charm is gone because they've just opened up a dozen big box stores in the area, closed all the local restaurants and put in the typical 1/2 dozen chain restaurants you find everywhere else.

Like a previous post mentioned, I imagine if you get inside Atlanta into one of the 'real' neighborhoods things are much different and better in ways. Unfortunately its just a matter of time before those are ruined. Just look at how they're allowing people to build these hideious 6,000 sq ft McMansions right in the middle of some 60yr old neighborhood full of small ranch homes.

Atlanta...originality none...sprawl...horrible traffic...commuters...chains...big-box...phony people...sold their soul to Big Business...no character...everything sorry contrived attempts at trying to be 'cool', 'unique', 'authentic'...

[Pillsbury]

Add to that big-box stores, and chain restaurants, as a matter of fact chain everything.

I've lived here 5yrs and cannot wait to get out of here. I would take the so-called 'rudeness' of people 'up North' over the phony 'Southern Hospitality' anyday! Southern Hospitality, at least in my experience here has been people that are totally fake, can't tell you enough how much they love Jesus and going to church, yet are the most backstabbing, talk behind your back, judgemental people I have EVER seen! People here are impossible to read, and even more difficult to know who you can and can't trust.

You want to see truely friendly, welcoming, hospitable people go to Texas, the South it's totally fake.

Besides the people, the South has sold its soul to corporate America. Honestly I really like some of the more rural areas, like South GA, Savannah area, but there is no telling how many years before all the charm is gone because they've just opened up a dozen big box stores in the area, closed all the local restaurants and put in the typical 1/2 dozen chain restaurants you find everywhere else.

Like a previous post mentioned, I imagine if you get inside Atlanta into one of the 'real' neighborhoods things are much different and better in ways. Unfortunately its just a matter of time before those are ruined. Just look at how they're allowing people to build these hideious 6,000 sq ft McMansions right in the middle of some 60yr old neighborhood full of small ranch homes.

Atlanta...originality none...sprawl...horrible traffic...commuters...chains...big-box...phony people...sold their soul to Big Business...no character...everything sorry contrived attempts at trying to be 'cool', 'unique', 'authentic'...

I agree with you that it seems the chain stores have taken over the South, and that Atlanta's uniqueness has suffered because of it. When I was a little kid, I remember my trips to Braves games; the big city full of weird and interesting looking people--where it seemed that anything went. As a kid, I loved it. And I agree that Atlanta has been somewhat sanitized. But the homogenization of America is hardly exclusive to Atlanta. Heck, even Times Square has been taken over by Disney. Atlanta has its problems, but so does every other big American city. You think Atlanta is the only town with sprawl? Traffic? Crime? Hyprocrites? Come on man, you can't honestly be serious.

[USA11B]

I agree with you that it seems the chain stores have taken over the South, and that Atlanta's uniqueness has suffered because of it. When I was a little kid, I remember my trips to Braves games; the big city full of weird and interesting looking people--where it seemed that anything went. As a kid, I loved it. And I agree that Atlanta has been somewhat sanitized. But the homogenization of America is hardly exclusive to Atlanta. Heck, even Times Square has been taken over by Disney. Atlanta has its problems, but so does every other big American city. You think Atlanta is the only town with sprawl? Traffic? Crime? Hyprocrites? Come on man, you can't honestly be serious.

Your 100% right. I'm not by any means trying to make it sound like Atlanta is ten times worse than anyplace else because of these problems. I find it sad though, how much more prevelant this is in the so-called business friendly, high growth Sun Belt cities. I think Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando, Dallas, etc. these cities have tons of character, but rather than capitalize on it they've destroyed it in their desperations to suck up to Corporate America.

And I'll admit, sadly I've seen this starting to happen in some of the Northern cities. No I don't think Atlanta is the only town w/these problems. But based on my opinion I can say that I've either lived or spent enough time in Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, Detroit, Lansing, Flint, Boston, and Cleveland, to know pretty well the identity and character of the cities, and Atlanta and Dallas are much worse in these regards than the rest of those cities combined. And even Dallas seems to have at least a little bit more character and uniqueness than ATL.

[Greens!]

Amen to the "fake southern hospitality" post. Maybe not exclusively to Atlanta, since its such a big place and there are so many exceptions. In my life I have lived in the Bay Area in California, Charlotte, Houston, and went to college in Dallas and now in South Carolina. People in this part of the country are definately the meanest that I have ever met.