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Atlanta Megalopolis?

Hybrid0NE

By Hybrid0NE
in USA South

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162 members have voted

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    • Yes!
      42
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spectacle21 Whistle-Stop

spectacle21

Posted
Posted

I think the term "Megalopolis" should be dropped from this particular subject's vocabulary. A true Megalopolis/Metropolis is an urban plain that is just too vast & "limitless" to be defined as a city. Tokyo is a prime example because its not even legally referred to as the CITY OF TOKYO anymore; its now called TOKYO METROPOLIS. Tokyo contains suburbs that would dwarf Atlanta

and Charlotte 2x over. The only place in the U.S. like it is the Boston-D.C. conurbation....with an even more likely future megalopolis arising in southern California and plausibly Chicagoland.

As an Atlanta college freshman from Charlotte, I could personally tell you that these areas are nowhere near Megalopolis sprawl. The sprawl is EXTREMELY OVERRATED! Drive I-85 from Richmond to Birmingham, and you'll agree with me. Undoubtedly, there are substantial pockets of urbanity that persist for respectable miles...but they don't really bleed in together. Driving b/t Charlotte and Atlanta....you'll see alot of rural settings. Once you step out of Gaffney, SC from Charlotte....nothing but rural area! Greenville-Spartanburg is growing...but its just a huge town stragetically swathed on the interstate. Personally, I think Greenville-Spartanburg will eventually become Charlotte exurbs @ the present rate both metro areas are growing. Then, you past Anderson and the Georgia border....past Commerce...and that's when you start coming into Atlanta's domain.

Atlanta's influence is quite impressive. No other city along 85 demands as great of a sphere as Atlanta...not even Charlotte. An hour and a half from downtown Atl and you're already seeing pockets of sprawl and picking up Atl radio stations. Then, the sprawl becomes dramatically denser coming into Buford and Lawrenceville...which are still a good 40-45 miles from the city center. Going south is a tad bit more rural....but 90 min later, you're Columbus so its almost like you're driving to a far out surburb.

Overall, Atlanta's sprawl will eat away @ most of north/central Georgia, & portions of east Alabama. But, its goin to reach its limit (i.e. Los Angeles) with mountains to the north and other fairly large urban areas in relatively close promixity. Megalopolis.......if it were the happen....it would be in my great-grandkids lifetime....and I'm only 18! LOL!

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thehappysmith Whistle-Stop

thehappysmith

Posted
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Actually, all sprawl is overrated...

But really, you're both of course quite right, regardless of the census bureau's definition's Atlanta does not in fact reach out and touch Birmingham or Charlotte. Macon is another matter; I've never been to the northern stretches of Columbus and so can't compare.

But I think your point--Atlanta et al is not what you'd call a megalopolis--is well taken. The area DOES 'sprawl' all over from here to kingdom come, but sprawl is not urban. There are urban pockets throughout Atlanta, but even much of, for example, Gwinnett County, which is densely populated, simple does not feel urban. Compare that to the I-95 corridor connecting Philly to New York or Baltimore to Washington, where dense development simply doesn't let up. It may not be well planned, but it's much more urban (megalopolitan, if that's a word) than any area in the Atlanta fringe.

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socaguy Hamlet

socaguy

Posted
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Then what do you mean by hundreds of miles of rural land between Atlanta and other cities?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is about 75 miles from the end of Atlantas sprawl to the beginning of Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metro, which begins around exit 19 in Anderson. Most of the land around I-85 in Anderson is undeveloped, except around exits but there is development behind all those Pine trees. Probably about 10 miles of rural area between Anderson and Greenville (small towns like Piedmont and Easley and Powdersville that have lots of sprawl themselves) and then Greenville starts. Right after Greeville is Spartanburg and then after that you have about 40 miles until you start getting to Charlotte meto, with Gastonia. In between there are built up smaller towns like Gaffney SC and Commerce Ga, with their Large Outlet malls but they are still small towns. I would say if anything starts connecting it will be Atlanta with GSP. The way Atlanta gains about 10 miles of I-85 every couple of years it will happen, (unfortunately) but not for a long time, (20 years or more).

And Miamistreets...i dont think you have anything to worry about. Miami will NEVER be forgotten...

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UptownJ Whistle-Stop

UptownJ

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Posted

There is plenty of development going on inside the perimeter. More and more people are moving into the city than ever before. There are highrise condo projects going up that are changing Atlanta's skyline daily. With the new beltline going around the city, this will make more people want to move to Atlanta's urban core. Atlantic Station is a great development and example of ATL growth in the DT and MT areas. When people say there is nothing going on in the perimeter, they are usually the ones that don't live in ATL. Come here and see for yourself the changes that are happening in Midtown and Downtown A-town.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was just there this weekend... and drove all through downtown and midtown and buckhead...

MESS!

Its a beautiful mess of high rises and towers that are far apart which makes for a very unwalkable environment.

Don't get me wrong I really enjoy dt atl but I don't think the city layed out a good plan on developing its core... I don't think they planed for the boom the olimpics (sp) brought to the city and because of that... sprwal and bad development pluges the city.

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KendallKid Whistle-Stop

KendallKid

Posted
Posted

I was just there this weekend... and drove all through downtown and midtown and buckhead...

MESS!

Its a beautiful mess of high rises and towers that are far apart which makes for a very unwalkable environment.

Don't get me wrong I really enjoy dt atl but I don't think the city layed out a good plan on developing its core... I don't think they planed for the boom the olimpics (sp) brought to the city and because of that... sprwal and bad development pluges the city.

Spelling: Planned, Olympics, Sprawl, Plagues. Ok now your high school english teacher can rest at night.

:rofl:

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AmericanUrbanDesigner Whistle-Stop

AmericanUrbanDesigner

Posted
Posted

I forsee that at some point in the future there will be a "Southeast Megalopolis" not an "Atlanta Megalopolis" along the I-85 corridor, much like you see on I-95 from Washington DC to Boston. This region would not revolve around Atlanta, instead Atlanta would just be a point along the way--albeit a large sprawled point.

NC has nearly formed a piedmont megalopolis, and I suspect that in the not too distant future Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle will share CSA counties--though I suppose they cannot literally "share" them by definition. A look at a road map or even a population density map shows almost a continuous line of development up I-85 and I-40 from Charlotte to Raleigh, although there are some narrow spots still.

I believe that some transitional counties (Rowan, Alamance, Iredell) have already been a little uncertain as to what MSA they end up belonging to. I suspect we will see more that as time goes on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed.

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AmericanUrbanDesigner Whistle-Stop

AmericanUrbanDesigner

Posted
Posted

Carolina's primary cities a part of an "Atlanta" megalopolis...no.

I'd add Greenville-Spartanburg and Columbia to the Carolina Piedmont Megalopolis...

Look at the US Census Bureau's map of MSA's:

US CENSUS BUREAU MAP OF MSA'S (2003)

I agree, it won't be long before Charlotte - Greensboro - Raleigh start sharing CMSA counties (As mentioned above, I think the Triangle and Triad already share Alamance County).

Of course, Atlanta is welcome to join the Carolina Piedmont ;)

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

Posted
Posted

Yeah, you're right Metro...  BTW, I see you are member #5!  Are you one of the founders?  Great job.  I'm glad that <13 year olds are not allowed on the site...I wish it were all >20!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Believe me when I tell you I have thought the same thing as I don't have much time for spoiled teeny boppers. We just ran a bunch of them off and surprisingly the site is even busier now.

Yes I have been here since the beginning. I can't take credit for founding the site as that distinction belongs to Neo who is member #1 and owns this place.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

Posted
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I'd add Greenville-Spartanburg and Columbia to the Carolina Piedmont Megalopolis...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can see GSP being in the mix before too long. Cherokee County, SC associates with Shelby and Gastonia, and in some cases they recieve Charlotte TV stations better than GSP's. It could (and eventually will) be the link from GSP to Charlotte.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

Posted
Posted

Neo and I are former forumers who used to post frequently in the South forum at SSP on Charlotte matters. We go so disgusted by the fights and idiot moderators and admins there that we just left. (one of the admins there is only 16!)

Neo then started this forum, and via IM, I found out about it the next day. We have been here ever since. In the time since then a number of great people have come to help us with UrbanPlanet. We just crossed 80K posts today and will probably have 2000 registered members in the next week or so. It's our hope to have a place to discuss urban matters in a civil and adult manner. We are glad that all of you are here.

We have more plans to add more features to UP in the near future.

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Hybrid0NE Hamlet

Hybrid0NE

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Well..... maybe not that welcome.    :rofl:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL, you should be nicer. If we had the same borderlines from a couple of hundred years ago, Atlanta would be a city in Carolina. If we get a Southeast/Carolina Megalopolis it would kinda be like going full circle.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

Posted
Posted

LOL, you should be nicer. If we had the same borderlines from a couple of hundred years ago, Atlanta would be a city in Carolina. If we get a Southeast/Carolina Megalopolis it would kinda be like going full circle.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was just kidding. We here in the Carolinas "love" Atlanta. And all Atlanta forumers are certainly welcome at UrbanPlanet!

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