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How Much is Greenville Influenced by Atlanta?


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Took a trip to Atlanta Saturday and spent the day there just taking in the sights and looking around. I was impressed as I have not spent much time in Atlanta other then going to certain spots and leaving, and that was once or twice. So how much is the development going on in Greenville influenced by Atlanta or is it at all? If it is we are in for something. I love their buildings.

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The main forum is largely devoted to discussing projects and economic developments. We try to keep other topics, such as this one, in the Coffee House.

As it relates to the question at hand, development-wise, you have the developer of The Point, which is based in Atlanta, and there are probably some others. I would imagine that as time goes on, the city will get a few more nods from Atlanta-based developers (Novare would be great). I read in the Greenville Journal thread that city leaders want to bring small Atlanta-based technology companies that are seeking to expand to the area.

With that said, I'd say that very little of the development happening in Greenville is influenced by Atlanta (which could be a good thing). The city of Greenville itself takes the vast majority of the credit for the development boom that is currently occurring.

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With that said, I'd say that very little of the development happening in Greenville is influenced by Atlanta (which could be a good thing). The city of Greenville itself takes the vast majority of the credit for the development boom that is currently occurring.
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You guys are right, it probably is the fact that its located on 85; but there are other cities on this corridor that aren't affected as much. Like I said, its just the first time I've really gone to Atlanta and explored. That peachtree corridor is something else, especially Buckhead. All in all its all the south or "dirty south" as I've heard it referred and I love it! Greenville is right for me though at the moment with periodic trips to other cities.

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Now that's an interesting one... I'd have to say Atlanta. Charlotte just doesn't seem to have much influence at all. (Relatively speaking, of course) Maybe it's Atlanta's size, or its importance/influence (Charlotte's really stops at Banking).

Charlotte has more of an impact on Spartanburg, but mainly because of the Panthers.

I'll be interested in seeing what others have to say...

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Now that's an interesting one... I'd have to say Atlanta. Charlotte just doesn't seem to have much influence at all. (Relatively speaking, of course) Maybe it's Atlanta's size, or its importance/influence (Charlotte's really stops at Banking).

Charlotte has more of an impact on Spartanburg, but mainly because of the Panthers.

I'll be interested in seeing what others have to say...

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I kind of think the opposite. I think Greenville looks to Charlotte for it wants to be......clean, modern, white collar, etc. I think Greenville looks at Atlanta as what it does NOT want to be......cheap sprawl, slightly tarnished, lack of planning, etc.

I would say Greenville is closer to Charlotte in the clean, neat category. I know I feel much more connected to Charlotte and spend more time there with friends or out at restaurants. I only go to Atlanta when I have to for business. Atlanta lost it's appeal years ago for me.

Just my opinion.

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There is a theory in geography called "systems theory." Now, I don't remember all of the specifics of that theory as it has been a number of years since I took a geography course. But, the theory in part explains the relationship between cities as one similar to "center of gravity." Basically, that a city's influence on another in terms of economic, social, or whatever aspects is a factor of each city's size an distance from the other. Its very similar to that of the Earth and the moon. The center of gravity between the two is somewhere in side of Earth, so the moon orbits around earth, and the earth is offset just enough to create the tides. But if you take two celestial bodies of similar mass, they will orbit around a central point that lies outside of the two. The theory goes that cities will behave in the same fashion. Thats why you have a city like Mauldin, which is separate but relies heavily on Greenville of everything... but then you also have Spartanburg, which is not reliant on Greenville but the two cities still share a strong relationship with each other due to their close proximity.

Atlanta is much larger than Greenville, but its also very far away. So in this case I think the theory would suggest that due to the size of each, there is a relatively strong influence from Atlanta, but that Greenville is not dependent on it to the extent that Macon is.

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If you are talking about influence from a development standpoint, I would say the big names in Greenville are looking at progressive models like Charlotte. Yet Greenville is still getting hit with disappointmenting developments that die or get scaled-down for some reason. I would say that the Greenville market not being ready for such progress is largely due to a culture or attitude clash. Greenville is a magnet for those comming from cities, such as (but certainly not limited to!) Atlanta, which are plagued with the effects of sprawl and NIMBY attitudes. While they all seem to come hoping for change and a chance to get away from the logistical failures of bigger metros to come to a young and clean city, many are bringing that same old "culture" with them. There is that clash of attitudes in every metro, but I'd say Greenville has a unique balance that works for Greenville. Thoughts?

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If you are talking about influence from a development standpoint, I would say the big names in Greenville are looking at progressive models like Charlotte. Yet Greenville is still getting hit with disappointmenting developments that die or get scaled-down for some reason. I would say that the Greenville market not being ready for such progress is largely due to a culture or attitude clash. Greenville is a magnet for those comming from cities, such as (but certainly not limited to!) Atlanta, which are plagued with the effects of sprawl and NIMBY attitudes. While they all seem to come hoping for change and a chance to get away from the logistical failures of bigger metros to come to a young and clean city, many are bringing that same old "culture" with them. There is that clash of attitudes in every metro, but I'd say Greenville has a unique balance that works for Greenville. Thoughts?
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From this angle, look how much bigger downtown looks now thanks to McBee Station. Simply due to the fact that the former apartments had lots of trees. But wow, what an impact it has. The Church Street bridge almost seems to be in the middle of downtown due to vantage point and McBee Station.

Edit: I'm referring to the first slide on the presentation that was linked to...

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