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  #41  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 10:24 PM
sprtsluvr8 sprtsluvr8 is offline
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The best part of Atlanta weather is that warm weather essentially begins during the last part of February, and cold winter weather (what little there is of it) doesn't start until after Thanksgiving. So we have extra long, beautiful Spring and Fall seasons. Even in December/January there are many 60/70 degree days, and rarely is it below freezing even at night. Yes, we do have a cold stretch of days sometimes, and sometimes in April we get frost...like the forecast for the next couple of days. But these differences do mean a lot to a lot of people.

I don't even have to wear a coat to work in the a.m. most of the time in winter...
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  #42  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 10:32 PM
GTviajero81 GTviajero81 is offline
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I just love not having to shovel snow out of the driveway! *Sigh* I do remember making a good chunk of change as a young'n back in New York doing the exact thing however! Good times when $5 was a lot of money!
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  #43  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 10:40 PM
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Originally Posted by GTviajero81 View Post
I have lived in Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, and now Atlanta. And my favourite out of the three? Atlanta, hands down. Why are people moving here in droves, as the latest Census report has shown? Because we have almost everything needed, and if it's not here you can get it rather quickly. Let's look at it:
1) Cool winters, with a few days to make you feel sorry for our fellow Northern countrymen. I relish the idea that I can be in Fargo with a lovely high of -8 in late February and get to Atlanta with temps hovering in the upper 60s (or even 91 degrees about 3 weeks ago in ATL).
2) Long summers. I can go hang out with friends at the lakes around the State or enjoy nights out grilling from early March to early November. Awesome!
3) Beaches. I know most of you all are like, "WHAT?!?" But it's true. The closest beach would be Tybee Island outside Savannah, about a 4 hours drive. Pensacola is 4.5 to 5 hours away, Tampa is 6, Naples about 7 and change. Going to the beach for us in Atlanta is a nice little weekend getaway. If you can afford to fly there, then SAV becomes 40 mins, PNS becomes 55 mins, and Tampa just about one hour. Awesome!
4) Skiing. "WHAT?!?!" Believe it or not we do have skiing in the South. North GA mountains is about 1.5 hours way and N.C. is 2 to 2.5. Again, totally doable in a day, but great for a short weekend trip.
5) Jobs. You hardly ever hear anyone in Atlanta complaining of not being able to find a job. Jobs are easy to come by here. In any level. And with so many institutes of higher education in the Metro area? Gosh, it's so easy to earn an MBA or Master's Degree here on your own time.
6) Housing Costs. So what it's cheaper to live here? Is it somehow better to pay out the arse for housing? It is still so cool to know that one can get a condo at Twelve Centennial Park (Downtown Atlanta) starting at US$190K (those might have sold out already). People complain that we are materialistic here in Atlanta --- it may because we have more disposable money for luxury items and for fun!
7) Airport. I can fly to five out of the seven continents non-stop. And take the subway there. And only take 15 minutes from downtown with the train station RIGHT in the airport. Not too many other places can claim that (with the exception of O'Hare, but that is a 45 min trip from the Loop, and DCA is not International).
8) Cost of living. You folks up North seem to enjoy paying such high prices for gasoline. And groceries. And entertainment. I love that I can pay (as of today) 2.37 for petrol and enjoy a pitcher of margaritas on an outdoor patio in April for 5 bucks.

So you see there are many reasons why people move here. I wish folks would also differentiate between the Atlanta suburbs and the city itself. Living in the city I can get to anything I really want with our public trans. We have everything that is in the suburbs now. I can't tell you the last time that I really had to either drive or take the train outside of our Perimeter to buy anything. Yeah, if I wanted to go to buy guns for hunting then yes, but since I could not even tell you the start of any of the hunting seasons then I obviously have no need to go to any of these type of outdoor stores.

And driving in rain is WAY more preferable to driving in snow. Most folks may not be able to drive well in the snow down here, but we can sure drive the heck out of rain. Thunderstorms? Bring 'em on! We'll still be screaming down the freeways at 70mph (with a few folks messing it up for the rest of us).

Here is something for locals. Don't you also love how when someone let's you get in front of them in traffic or turn in front of them how we wave to acknowledge them? I sure as heck didn't learn to do that in driving school back in NYC.

Let the counterpoints begin!

So, in other words, the actual CITY of Atlanta itself has nothing to do with why you like it there. I mean, to each his own obviously, but if what you look for in a city revolves souly around things like how cheap the gas is (no gas required to get around in NYC) and how close it is to OTHER things (beaches IN the city of NYC, an hour to better skiing, more beaches, and Philly, the hamptons), then you probably don't really have much interest in the dynamic of cities to begin with.
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  #44  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 10:48 PM
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Do people really think that Buffalo and Detroit will "rise" again?
Fine places I'm sure but they've been left behind, like a Charleston or New Orleans, they will most likely continue being large cities, but lacking the importance and standing they once did. New boomtowns will emerge based on who knows what (Vegas, San Diego, Miami) , but those are as likely in today's small and medium sized cities as they are in the old players. I'm not saying it's a north/south thing just an unknown thing.
...and won't those places eventually decline and be left behind? At the rate we're going through cities and throwing them away the next boomtowns will be in Nebraska.
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  #45  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 10:48 PM
galaca galaca is offline
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Originally Posted by BnaBreaker View Post
So, in other words, the actual CITY of Atlanta itself has nothing to do with why you like it there. I mean, to each his own obviously, but if what you look for in a city revolves souly around things like how cheap the gas is (no gas required to get around in NYC) and how close it is to OTHER things (beaches IN the city of NYC, an hour to better skiing, more beaches, and Philly, the hamptons), then you probably don't really have much interest in the dynamic of cities to begin with.
Reading>You


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Originally Posted by GTviajero81 View Post
So you see there are many reasons why people move here. I wish folks would also differentiate between the Atlanta suburbs and the city itself. Living in the city I can get to anything I really want with our public trans. We have everything that is in the suburbs now. I can't tell you the last time that I really had to either drive or take the train outside of our Perimeter to buy anything. Yeah, if I wanted to go to buy guns for hunting then yes, but since I could not even tell you the start of any of the hunting seasons then I obviously have no need to go to any of these type of outdoor stores.
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  #46  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 11:03 PM
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Reading>You
Reading is better than me? I don't get it.
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  #47  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 11:12 PM
GTviajero81 GTviajero81 is offline
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Thanks galaca. It's funny how people here are quick to not read everything that someone posts. Not a very good conversational trait.

What I intended to demonstrate was that for all my daily needs, Atlanta CITY has it all for me and for many of us who choose to make it home. If I need to travel (and I presume you yourself like to take little weekend jaunts from time to time?) I don't have far to go. In fact, I am writing this from my hotel room here in Frankfurt, Germany (travelling here courtesy of taking MARTA 25 minutes from Edgewood/Candler Park to ATL and then Delta non-stop to FRA). As far as having an interest in the dynamics of cities? Please, talk to me after you've completed some of the upper level courses in City Planning at Georgia Tech (which I've done). Besides, have you ever lived in New York? I have and I will tell you, yes there are beaches, but I do not fancy water temps barely reaching 75 in the height of summer with trash occasionally making an appearance (yes, it has gotten a lot better over the years), there is skiing nearby (I never said there wasn't there), and really, why would anyone from NYC want to go to Philadelphia or the Hamptons (would much prefer hanging out in Cape May or Fire Island)? Again, and I'll go slower this time, Atlanta CITY has every thing that we city dwellers here really require for day-to-day needs. And since it is currently 0106 here in Frankfurt I am too tired to relist my aforementioned points, so I will politely suggest you review them...and this time a bit slower so you don't miss it, ok hon?

Wow, was that a little bit of Southern 'smile-in-your-face-but-really-want-to say-other-things' popping out? My goodness.
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  #48  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 11:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Marcu View Post
The biggest metros

Here are the nation's largest metropolitan areas — regions centered on one or more cities of at least 50,000 people.

Metro area 2000 pop. 2006 pop. Pct. chg. Metro area 2000 pop. 2006 pop. Pct. chg.

New York 18,323,382 18,818,536 2.7% Boston 4,392,340 4,455,217 1.4%

Los Angeles 12,365,619 12,950,129 4.7% San Francisco-Oakland 4,123,742 4,180,027 1.4%

Chicago 9,098,615 9,505,748 4.5% Phoenix 3,251,876 4,039,182 24.2%

Dallas-Fort Worth 5,161,518 6,003,967 16.3% Riverside, Calif. 3,254,821 4,026,135 23.7%

Philadelphia 5,687,141 5,826,742 2.5% Seattle-Tacoma 3,043,885 3,263,497 7.2%

Houston 4,715,402 5,539,949 17.5% Minneapolis-St. Paul 2,968,817 3,175,041 6.9%

Miami-Dade 5,007,988 5,463,857 9.1% San Diego 2,813,833 2,941,454 4.5%

Washington 4,796,180 5,290,400 10.3% St. Louis 2,698,672 2,796,368 3.6%

Atlanta 4,248,012 5,138,223 21.0% Tampa-St. Petersburg 2,396,013 2,697,731 12.6%

Detroit 4,452,557 4,468,966 0.4%
Here we go again. These are so arbitrary. To someone who lives here, "San Francisco-Oakland" means absolutely nothing. Where is the biggest city (population-wise) around the Bay: San Jose. It's in a different metro area according to the government, but when I turn on my NBC Evening News in downtown SF, guess where it comes from: San Jose. A large chunk of commuters working in downtown SF live in bedroom towns on the peninsula--not part of "San Francisco-Oakland". Much of the business conducted in San Francisco highrises is dependent on Silicon Valley: different metro. BART is planning to extend itself to San Jose and CalTrain already goes there: Where else does commuter rail cover two distinct metros? A proper Bay Area metro would have something like 5.5 million I think and fall somewhere among Philadelphia, Houston and Miami.

By the way, regarding Atlanta's weather: The best part of it, really, is the pleasure it gives me when I turn on my TV in August, windows open and the temp a pleasant 70 or so, and watch the talking head bable on about the latest east coast heat wave (which, with global warming and all, will likely get more frequent).
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  #49  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 11:30 PM
LA21st LA21st is offline
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Yes, and also the growth in government contractors. Suburban MD has very strong growth and suburban VA is even stronger. Loudon County, VA was practically rural 10 years ago and now is typical sprawling exurbia.

I like the MD suburbs but I generally dislike the VA suburbs. The rate of growth has (IMO) contributed to a drop in the quality of life in places like Fairfax County, VA. Traffic in Northern VA seems worse than even in LA and the quality of the growth in VA seems to lag that of MD.
Sadly, I have to agree with NOVA. Reston is my hometown, but its Fairfax County that seems to get more forgotten every time I go back. Fairfax County is far different than the Fairfax County 10 years ago, and not in a good way. Its just aging BADLY.
Annandale, Herndon, Baileys Crossroads, Falls Church have grimy (for the suburbs) commerical districts. To be blunt, they really look like hell.
Same goes for parts of Arlington, Alexandria and Manassas (the most God awful suburb on the planet). Trash is more visible than in downtown Chicago or its surrounding neighborhoods. How is that possible?
I always think to myself "What the hell happened here?"
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  #50  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2007, 11:39 PM
BTinSF BTinSF is offline
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^^^I grew up in Silver Spring, MD in the 50's and early 60's. Talk about looking like hell. I hardly recognize the place and it sure isn't anywhere I'd want to live. I think a lot of Washington's inner suburbs--THE suburbs of the 60's--are considerably the worse for wear as commuting to Hagerstown and even West Virginia became possible (and people now do it).
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  #51  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 12:00 AM
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Originally Posted by GTviajero81 View Post
Thanks galaca. It's funny how people here are quick to not read everything that someone posts. Not a very good conversational trait.

What I intended to demonstrate was that for all my daily needs, Atlanta CITY has it all for me and for many of us who choose to make it home. If I need to travel (and I presume you yourself like to take little weekend jaunts from time to time?) I don't have far to go. In fact, I am writing this from my hotel room here in Frankfurt, Germany (travelling here courtesy of taking MARTA 25 minutes from Edgewood/Candler Park to ATL and then Delta non-stop to FRA). As far as having an interest in the dynamics of cities? Please, talk to me after you've completed some of the upper level courses in City Planning at Georgia Tech (which I've done). Besides, have you ever lived in New York? I have and I will tell you, yes there are beaches, but I do not fancy water temps barely reaching 75 in the height of summer with trash occasionally making an appearance (yes, it has gotten a lot better over the years), there is skiing nearby (I never said there wasn't there), and really, why would anyone from NYC want to go to Philadelphia or the Hamptons (would much prefer hanging out in Cape May or Fire Island)? Again, and I'll go slower this time, Atlanta CITY has every thing that we city dwellers here really require for day-to-day needs. And since it is currently 0106 here in Frankfurt I am too tired to relist my aforementioned points, so I will politely suggest you review them...and this time a bit slower so you don't miss it, ok hon?

Wow, was that a little bit of Southern 'smile-in-your-face-but-really-want-to say-other-things' popping out? My goodness.
I read your entire post my friend. If I took something out of context, then that is my bad, but you were the one that said some of the reasons you like living there is it's proximity to skiing and the fact that you can 'get gas at $2.37 then go have a margarita for five bucks' (among other things). You act like I made up the idea that you prefer Atlanta primarily because of the cost of living, it's proximity to other stuff, and the weather. Few, if any, of the eight things you listed have anything to do with what the bricks and mortar, physical city of Atlanta itself. I'm not saying that is bad, but i'm saying if you want to compare the weather of New York to the weather of Atlanta, then fine, but the city has no part in that discussion.

In anycase, my point is this: if you like Atlanta better than any of the cities you listed, then by all means that is fine by me. What I am confused about is the fact that most, if not all the qualities you listed as reasons you prefer Atlanta are qualities that Atlanta, by most accounts, falls behind the other three cities in. I'm not saying this makes Atlanta bad, i'm just saying it makes me not understand your reasoning. I'll go through point by point just to make it clear as to what I mean. I'll put my comments in bold to set them apart.

-------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by GTviajero81
I have lived in Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, and now Atlanta. And my favourite out of the three? Atlanta, hands down. Why are people moving here in droves, as the latest Census report has shown? Because we have almost everything needed, and if it's not here you can get it rather quickly. Let's look at it:

1) Cool winters, with a few days to make you feel sorry for our fellow Northern countrymen. I relish the idea that I can be in Fargo with a lovely high of -8 in late February and get to Atlanta with temps hovering in the upper 60s (or even 91 degrees about 3 weeks ago in ATL).

I am no fan of the snow, but NYC winters really aren't that bad, Paris winters are nothing, and LA winters are even more mild than Atlanta winters.

2) Long summers. I can go hang out with friends at the lakes around the State or enjoy nights out grilling from early March to early November. Awesome!

Yes, that is nice, I agree. But come on, LA summers are even longer, and you make it sound as if Paris and NYC are in Siberia. Are they really that bad?

3) Beaches. I know most of you all are like, "WHAT?!?" But it's true. The closest beach would be Tybee Island outside Savannah, about a 4 hours drive. Pensacola is 4.5 to 5 hours away, Tampa is 6, Naples about 7 and change. Going to the beach for us in Atlanta is a nice little weekend getaway. If you can afford to fly there, then SAV becomes 40 mins, PNS becomes 55 mins, and Tampa just about one hour. Awesome!

As you well know, there are many beaches actually IN the city of LA and NYC. Also, some of the best beaches in the world are much closer to each of those three cities than tybee island is to atlanta.

4) Skiing. "WHAT?!?!" Believe it or not we do have skiing in the South. North GA mountains is about 1.5 hours way and N.C. is 2 to 2.5. Again, totally doable in a day, but great for a short weekend trip.

Similar to the point about the beaches, there is actual world class skiing within a two hour drive (or closer) to each of the cities Atlanta apparently has the advantage on in this category.

5) Jobs. You hardly ever hear anyone in Atlanta complaining of not being able to find a job. Jobs are easy to come by here. In any level. And with so many institutes of higher education in the Metro area? Gosh, it's so easy to earn an MBA or Master's Degree here on your own time.

Come on, we're not talking about Detroit or Scranton here. Nobody would ever have a problem finding a job in any of the three cities you listed as long as they were adequately qualified for the position they are going for. And institutes of higher education? You're really saying that Atlanta has better and more numerous institutes of higher eduaction than New York, Los Angeles, and Paris?

6) Housing Costs. So what it's cheaper to live here? Is it somehow better to pay out the arse for housing? It is still so cool to know that one can get a condo at Twelve Centennial Park (Downtown Atlanta) starting at US$190K (those might have sold out already). People complain that we are materialistic here in Atlanta --- it may because we have more disposable money for luxury items and for fun!

This is one category that i'll give you. There is cheaper living there, obviously. In some aspects that could definitely be a plus. If it were me personally though, i'd prefer to pay the extra cost for the chance to live within close proximity of the world class amenities that New York, Los Angeles, and Paris offer. That's just me though. I'm not saying that Atlanta doesn't offer some world-class amenities, but, well, you get what i'm saying.

7) Airport. I can fly to five out of the seven continents non-stop. And take the subway there. And only take 15 minutes from downtown with the train station RIGHT in the airport. Not too many other places can claim that (with the exception of O'Hare, but that is a 45 min trip from the Loop, and DCA is not International).

The numerous airports in the Los Angeles, New York, and Paris areas offer a far wider range of international destinations than Hartsfield does. And while I agree that it is somewhat irritating that LAX, JFK, and CDG don't have subway stations IN the airport itself, there is something that should be noted. CDG has an RER hub in the airport, and LAX and JFK both have subway stations just a five minute shuttle ride away. Either way, personally it's not something i'd move to another city over.

8) Cost of living. You folks up North seem to enjoy paying such high prices for gasoline. And groceries. And entertainment. I love that I can pay (as of today) 2.37 for petrol and enjoy a pitcher of margaritas on an outdoor patio in April for 5 bucks.

The majority of neighborhoods in New York, Paris, and even Los Angeles are built in a way that makes it not just possible, but easy to live without a car or then, by default, the worry over gas prices. So that throws that out the window. And it sounds as though you're saying that cheap liquor and outdoor patios are things only found in Atlanta. I know that probably wasn't your point, but I don't get really get this point myself.

So you see there are many reasons why people move here. I wish folks would also differentiate between the Atlanta suburbs and the city itself. Living in the city I can get to anything I really want with our public trans. We have everything that is in the suburbs now. I can't tell you the last time that I really had to either drive or take the train outside of our Perimeter to buy anything. Yeah, if I wanted to go to buy guns for hunting then yes, but since I could not even tell you the start of any of the hunting seasons then I obviously have no need to go to any of these type of outdoor stores.

Again, that is all fine and good. I'm glad Atlanta is beginning to build up it's inner city. However, if we're comparing Atlanta with cities like Paris and New York in the context of mass transit, the ability to get around without a car, and the proximity of amenities, then how does Atlanta come out on top there in your personal comparison?



And driving in rain is WAY more preferable to driving in snow. Most folks may not be able to drive well in the snow down here, but we can sure drive the heck out of rain. Thunderstorms? Bring 'em on! We'll still be screaming down the freeways at 70mph (with a few folks messing it up for the rest of us).

Here is something for locals. Don't you also love how when someone let's you get in front of them in traffic or turn in front of them how we wave to acknowledge them? I sure as heck didn't learn to do that in driving school back in NYC.

In New York, Paris, and many parts of Los Angeles, you don't drive at all.


----------------------------------------------------------

So again, i'm not trying to start anything and if Atlanta is your preference then that is fine by me. These are all nice things of course, and all make the Atlanta area an attractive place to move to, but I don't understand the line of logic you went through to determine in your mind that Atlanta is better in these categories than the three cities you mentioned. I like Atlanta. I've spent many a childhood summer there. I'm not trying to say it's terrible, or start any competition of any kind. That isn't my intention. I'm just confused about the logic you used when deciding you preferred Atlanta to the three cities you are comparing it to. To me, saying "I prefer Atlanta to Paris because of all the international destinations at Hartsfield" is kind of like saying "I prefer the Mustang to the Ferrari Enzo because of how fast the Mustang is." Know what I mean?
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Last edited by BnaBreaker; Apr 6, 2007 at 12:07 AM.
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  #52  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 12:11 AM
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Don't YOU hate the South?
It's a nice place to visit....but as you think living down there is better for you...I think living up here is better for me. It's all about preferences and what is most important to both of us.
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  #53  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 12:14 AM
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^^^I grew up in Silver Spring, MD in the 50's and early 60's. Talk about looking like hell. I hardly recognize the place and it sure isn't anywhere I'd want to live. I think a lot of Washington's inner suburbs--THE suburbs of the 60's--are considerably the worse for wear as commuting to Hagerstown and even West Virginia became possible (and people now do it).
Silver Spring is strange in that it is booming by the Metro stop but looks really bedraggled (borderline slumlike) in some of the adjacent neighborhoods to the east. It's still very nice heading west from Silver Spring towards Bethesda.

I have a friend who lives on the fringes of downtown near the Safeway, and the nearby residental blocks look terrible. Many of the houses are rentals and are stuffed with newcomers to this country. There's also some semi-ghettoish areas heading towards Takoma Park.

At the same time Silver Spring center is booming and quite expensive, though rather unattractive.

I think DC has the Sunbelt issue of extremely fast growth leading to yesterday's suburbs becoming today's slums. It happens everywhere in America but it occurs very quickly in the Sunbelt. In Phoenix, some of the West Side neighborhoods under construction right now are almost certain to be slumlike in 15 years or so.
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  #54  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 12:29 AM
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Originally Posted by GTviajero81 View Post
. Besides, have you ever lived in New York? I have and I will tell you, yes there are beaches, but I do not fancy water temps barely reaching 75 in the height of summer with trash occasionally making an appearance (yes, it has gotten a lot better over the years), there is skiing nearby (I never said there wasn't there), and really, why would anyone from NYC want to go to Philadelphia or the Hamptons (would much prefer hanging out in Cape May or Fire Island)?
Well guess what...many New Yorkers DO come down to visit Philadelphia...some even stay for good. Imagine that!
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  #55  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 2:19 AM
LA21st LA21st is offline
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Silver Spring is strange in that it is booming by the Metro stop but looks really bedraggled (borderline slumlike) in some of the adjacent neighborhoods to the east. It's still very nice heading west from Silver Spring towards Bethesda.

I have a friend who lives on the fringes of downtown near the Safeway, and the nearby residental blocks look terrible. Many of the houses are rentals and are stuffed with newcomers to this country. There's also some semi-ghettoish areas heading towards Takoma Park.

At the same time Silver Spring center is booming and quite expensive, though rather unattractive.

I think DC has the Sunbelt issue of extremely fast growth leading to yesterday's suburbs becoming today's slums. It happens everywhere in America but it occurs very quickly in the Sunbelt. In Phoenix, some of the West Side neighborhoods under construction right now are almost certain to be slumlike in 15 years or so.
Older, Eastern Fairfax County has those depressing apartment blocks, many of them with gang problems. I honestly dont see this area coming around for a long time and going the way of some of LA's tougher, older suburban areas.
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  #56  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 2:28 AM
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I can sum up my preference for colder climates with one word. Bugs.

Already this spring I've had death-defying standoffs with a fly that I thought might be a bee and a spider that looked menacing. Armed with hair spray and a fly swatter, I was able to fend off of my attackers... needless to say bugs that can bite, pinch, or sting... or just look ugly scare the crap out of me. I'd have a heart attack if I lived in a warm climate with huge spiders and such...

I also happen to prefer cold weather lol... if anything, I'll probably move north in my life.
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  #57  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 2:39 AM
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I dont think that Climate has much to do with it, for example DC grew faster than Miami or LA. And both Miami and LA had very negative domestic migration patterns. Its more people leaving expensive cities for sprawly cheap cities like Atlanta, Houston & Dallas.

What do the fast growing metros (Pheonix, Atlanta, Houston, Tampa, & Dallas) all have in common? They are cheap for housing compared to other large metros. Its no mystery here folks...
You hit the nail right on the head. It's all about affordability.

If Atlanta or those other cities became expensive, it wouldn't grow nearly as fast, if at all.
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  #58  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 2:49 AM
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SteveD SteveD is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by antinimby View Post
You hit the nail right on the head. It's all about affordability.

If Atlanta or those other cities became expensive, it wouldn't grow nearly as fast, if at all.
Cheap housing compared to the other large metros and, in spite of all of the negative comments in here to the contrary, warm climate.
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  #59  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 2:53 AM
antinimby antinimby is offline
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Actually, if you want to talk about what are the biggest factors then climate would fall well below the economy.

No one beats San Diego in the weather department, but clearly it's not growing as fast as it should if it was just about nice weather.
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  #60  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2007, 3:16 AM
SoFla951 SoFla951 is offline
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Yes Atlanta is booming. Alot of people I know are thinking about moving up there......it's not that they like Atlanta its just that its too expensive in South Florida and they say they're basically going to Atlanta for the cheap housing. I was in Atlanta this summer and let me tell you the heat there is just unbearalbe, at least in florida you have the breeze off the ocean. I would never want to live there, but I guess If I couldn't afford to live down here I would have to move there If I still wanted to be somewhat close to family in Florida. The reason places are as expensive as they are is because they are desirable...which is why places like NY, LA, SF and Boston are as expensive as they are.
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