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DEL.ICIO.USRaising metro Atlanta’s profile as a college town
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
University leaders in our region already recognize metro Atlanta’s potential as a college town.
Several believe we already have reached a critical mass when it comes to number of institutions, students, faculty, level of research and, with growing importance, an increasing level of cooperation between the region’s colleges and universities.
Still, this is a time of change as several longtime university presidents already have, or are soon to be, moving on.
What should this region do to promote itself as a college town? And what can this region do to take full advantage of the intellectual power that exists in our metro area?
Please let me hear from you.
For the full column….
Few people think of Atlanta as a college town, but Emory University President Jim Wagner hopes that’s beginning to change.
On July 1, Wagner will become chairman of the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE), which includes 19 public and private universities and colleges in metro Atlanta. He succeeds Lisa Rossbacher, president of the Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta.
Others taking leadership positions at ARCHE are Beheruz Sethna, president of the University of West Georgia, as vice chair; and Dan Papp, president of Kennesaw State and College University, as treasurer.
“We are probably underrecognized as a college town,” Wagner said. “One of the great things ARCHE has done is explain the significance of higher education in different cities.”
ARCHE recently released a study that showed how the Atlanta region ranks among the 50 largest cities in the United States.
Among the highlights:
it’s seventh in the number of college students involved (176,171 full-time equivalent students);
it’s third in the number of African-American students (47,548 full-time equivalent students);
it’s seventh in degrees earned at the bachelor’s level or higher (35,802); and
it’s fifth in university research with $1.01 billion in higher education research spending.
But Wagner admitted he did not think of Atlanta as a college town when he took the job as Emory’s president nearly five years ago.
“I thought of it as having that potential,” Wagner said. “I confess sadly that I wasn’t aware (of the concentration of higher educational institutions in the region).”
Wagner, who believes that serving as chairman of ARCHE “is an important role at this moment in history,” hopes he will be able to help the public appreciate the value of colleges and universities in metro Atlanta.
Change in progress at important time
This is a critical juncture for the region’s universities.
Founded in 1938, ARCHE has gained a higher profile as the region’s major universities have grown in stature. But metro Atlanta is at a critical time as some of its top academic leaders have, or are about to, move on.
Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough left earlier this month to head the Smithsonian Institution. Georgia Tech Provost Gary Schuster has been named interim president.
Clark Atlanta University President Walter Broadnax has retired, and Clark Atlanta’s President-elect Carlton Brown (a former president of Savannah State University) attended his first meeting of the Georgia Research Alliance last week.
Georgia State University President Carl Patton, who has been in his role for 16 years, was supposed to retire this summer. But his departure date could be extended if the current search for a successor isn’t successful.
Patton told me earlier this week that to the extent he is wanted, he will stay on board until a new president is selected. “I think it should be in the near term, not the long term,” he said. “We are not talking about another year.”
In recent years, several other university presidents also have moved on: Morehouse College’s Walter Massey (a post now filled by Robert Franklin); Kennesaw’s Betty Siegel (now Papp); Mercer University’s Kirby Godsey (now Bill Underwood); Morehouse School of Medicine’s James Gavin (now John E. Maupin); and Agnes Scott’s Mary Brown Bullock (now Elizabeth Kiss).
But ARCHE President Mike Gerber said the region has always thrived with new academic leadership.
“Atlanta has a strong history of attracting extraordinarily qualified people to be presidents of its universities,” Gerber said. “We have lost some really great presidents due to retirement and other opportunities. But I think we have been successful in recruiting some really strong replacements.”
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Comments
By LAURENCE
June 19, 2008 9:09 AM | Link to this
YOU PEOPLE BETTER SEE THAT ATL IS A BLACK COLLEGE TOWN!!!! BEST IN THE WORLD!! ATL BLACK COLLEGES BETTER THAN TECH UGA OR ANY OTHER!!
By Concerned
June 19, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this
I can’t imagine how anyone could conjur up the image of Atlanta being a colleg town, no way no how. You think of several things when you think of Atlanta, mainly traffic and way too much crime but never as a college town. College towns are kind of offbeat, hip, funky, cool, laid back with lots of free things to do on the week-ends and lots of nature to enjoy. If this describes Atlanta, I need to know where all this stuff has been hiding.
By Grandfather
June 19, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is not considered a “college town”…it is considered an unsafe sewer.
By Grandfather
June 19, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
Hey Laurence…the question was do you consider Atlanta a college town. Not do you consider Atlanta a black college town. Take your seperatist self and stick yourself where the sun….oh never mind.
By Concerned
June 19, 2008 9:28 AM | Link to this
Bingo Laurence….now you’re getting it. If Atlanta is a college town it’s an urban one and that excludes a huge chunk of the population. Urban college towns differ greatly from non-urban ones. First off, there is much less crime in non-urban colleg towns. In Urban college towns people who are not students live in dorms and college housing on campus with their ‘cousins’, similar to how they live back home. The only thing remotely associated with college and Atlanta was Freaknik and we all know what a wonderful display of urban behavior that was. We saw people right out of the bush country of Africa dancing on cars in the streets, half naked women prancing around, cars stopped along the freeway…..just one big mess that unless oyu’re on of ‘them’ you had no idea what was going on and why city officals allowed this to go on for as long as they did. Atlanta is a decent place to get a job and hope you find a halfway safe area to live in, own a gun and a steel front door and hope the people who move in to the house next to you shares your same value system and then when you cann afford to, you sel the house and get the hell out of Dodge to someplace safer to live.
By Joe
June 19, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
It was during freaknick. Oh I forgot that was a bunch of wannabe crips and bloods holding Atlanta hostage.
By Tamika
June 19, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
Boston is a college town you poop heads!
By tblade92
June 19, 2008 9:39 AM | Link to this
I agree that Atlanta simply needs more publicity as a college town. Clearly, with 176,000 college students, that alone qualifies and quantifies it as a college town. I think we suffer from not having more of a college atmoshpere throughout Atl. But that is mostly in part to Atl. being a metropolis and everything not being centered around our universities like in Baton Rouge, Athens, Gainesville, Knoxville, Auburn, and so forth.
By T
June 19, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this
It boggles my mind how so many people always “down” Atlanta like (Concerned and Grandfather) but refuse to LEAVE! Atlanta has 5.3 million people and like any other large metropolis, these “problems” are inevitable. All in all, Alt. is a great city!
By Bob
June 19, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is a college CITY, but you can’t get most folks to see it as a college town… there IS a difference. I also don’t see Los Angeles as a college town, but there’s USC, UCLA, and a host of other schools. Similar situations for New York City, Houston, Chicago, both Dallas and Fort Worth, Orlando, etc. I really can’t think of a major metropolitan area without major institutions.
Even smaller cities like Savannah, Chattanooga, and Charleston are certainly college towns but aren’t considered by most people unless they know someone who goes to school there.
That being said, it is extremely important that a good college education be made available close to home… whether that be downtown Atlanta, the suburbs, or cities like Dalton, Bainbridge, or Augusta.
By Denny
June 19, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is a college town if Boston, New York, Philadelphia, D.C. and Chicago are college towns. But they are not.
By james
June 19, 2008 9:52 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is more of a sports town. Atlanta is the best sports town in America. Name one city that has had the Olympics, Bowl games, every professional sports team, college touraments, etc?
By Jack the Knife
June 19, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this
Gimmie a break. Atlanta is a town with a number of colleges but not a college town. Athens is a college town because the whole local economy is driven by UGA in one way or another. If UGA moved to Jefferson, where it was originally supposed to have been founded, Athens would dry up. Atlanta on the other hand could feel the pinch if a colelge (or two or three) moved or closed, but wouldn’t close up.
By Tamika
June 19, 2008 9:58 AM | Link to this
Boston Has 81 College and Universities. That Makes Boston a college town. They have a student population of 2.3 million students.
By jeed
June 19, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
Well said Bob. Atlanta is not a “town” of any sort, and it’s hard for most major cities to be known for any particular niche. That’s the whole thing: they are MAJOR cities and you EXPECT a preponderance of colleges, festivals, concerts, rallies, museums, and so on.
Atlanta having great schools is just a piece of the pie.
By BeBe KID
June 19, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is not a college town. Atlanta is a town that has colleges. Atlanta is a dichotomy consisting of wealthy blacks and whites the old and nouveau rich who set the standard for wealth, education and sophistication while the masses consist of poor and so called middle class people struggling to eke out an existence, many perpetrating as if they are wealthy flashing clothes and flaunting things they have acquired to give the appearance of wealth then die broke. Those who have relocated here and many native Atlantans lacking legal skills and/or education resort to hustling and rely on their street wit to exploit others doing things like HUSTLING DESIGNER JEANS or HUSTLING THEIR BODIES, POLE DANCING, PIMPING, THIEVERY, CAR JACKING and DOPE PEDDLING-street games and city life.
By George
June 19, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this
James,
LA held the 1984 Olympics, has multiple professional sports teams, and bowl games. I’m not sure about the collegiate tournaments, but they probably host the Pac-10 occasionally.
By catlady
June 19, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this
DECATUR is a college town!
By John
June 19, 2008 10:21 AM | Link to this
Atlanta is not a college town. Athens and Chapel Hill are college towns. A college town basically exists because of the university. Everything is marketed toward the student population in a college town, and everything revolves around the activities of the university. That is not the case in Atlanta.
By Russell
June 19, 2008 10:21 AM | Link to this
Wow Laurence that was a racist way to start the comment thread.
Atlanta is as much a college town as Chicago is. And by that I mean not at all. You think of so many other icons and institutions before you think of any of the college that call Chicago its home.
By BeBe KID
June 19, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this
Examples of College Towns: 1. Athens, GA 2. Tallahassee, FL 3. Gainesville, FL 4. Chapel Hill, NC 5. Durham, NC 6. Tuscaloosa, AL 7. Auburn, Al 8. Baton Rouge, LA 9. Columbia, MO 10. Grambling, LA 11. College Station, TEX 12. Clemson,SC 13. Orangeburg, SC 14. Charlottesville, VA 15. Columbus, OH 16. Itta Bena, MS 17. Statesboro, GA
ATL does not fit!
By james
June 19, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this
@ George
Tru but LA doesnt currently have a football team
By Maxwell
June 19, 2008 10:35 AM | Link to this
Atlanta, like Boston, is a college town. Think about how many major colleges and universities are in the Boston vicinity. With such a large number of college students I am not sure how Atlanta could possibly be anything other than a college town. Further, Atlanta cannot be compared to NYC, Chicago, or LA for one simple reason: Atlanta’s college scene is composed of a significant number of colleges and universities that draw students from all over the nation and the world. Just off the top you’ve got GSU, Emory, GT, Morehouse, Clark and Spelman and the list goes on. The same cannot be said of New York. Columbia, NYU, Fordham and MAYBE St. Johns are really the only major institutions in the city with the same draw. Los Angeles is the same story. After USC and UCLA there is a tremendous drop off in the number of institutions that enjoy the international and national reputations and successfully recruit students from around the world.
By BlackHawk
June 19, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this
is this a joke…college town!?!? atlanta is the home-base of ‘you owe me’ nation.
By College Man
June 19, 2008 10:37 AM | Link to this
catlady you are right that Decatur is a college town. The police are actually all around the campuses, nothing like downtown Atlanta.
Atlanta will never be a college town simply because students want to stay out later than 9:00pm, then you must go to a secure place or you WILL be robbed, hassled by the homeless or have the hood act like a bunch of illiterate thugs.
Russell, at least Chicago is safe, fun and doesn’t have thugs walking the streets like Atlanta does.
By jill
June 19, 2008 10:40 AM | Link to this
When I think of a college town, I think of an area that’s full of young people. In Atlanta proper, you see a lot of young people in Buckhead, Midtown, Candler Park, Druid Hills, etc. In the metro area? Absolutely not. After they grow up, they seem to move out there to start their families.
As for Boston? That’s definitely a college town. Every time I’ve been there I’ve been surrounded by pretentious 21-year-olds.
By amy
June 19, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this
A “College Town” is a Town/City that survives on the college(s) as a main level of income. A College town is a place where the main employer is the University. A “College Town” Is a Ghost Town during the summer once the students leave. Take away all the colleges in Atlanta, and you would still have a city known for Big Businesses like CNN, Coca Cola, a city with many US Corporate Headquarters, A couple of Pro Sports Teams, (a college town DOES not have Pro Sports Teams-the college teams are its only teams). Etc.
By robin
June 19, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this
I agree with above “Atlanta is not a college town. Atlanta is a town that has colleges” Auburn, Athens,LSU..you got it. the school makes the town. While Atlanta has many great schools, they, alone, do not make Atlanta what it is.
By james
June 19, 2008 11:28 AM | Link to this
@College Man
You know that Chicago had over 35 shootings in one weekend last month right?
By College Man
June 19, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
james, were they around the college??
Cities with our population size Atlanta is 10th out of 10. Not the highest, but nothing to be proud of, kind of like the school systems.
Chicago didn’t make ANY of the rankings for either the top 10 or the top 25..
Do you want more stats on this crime ridden cesspool of a city?
By College Man
June 19, 2008 11:51 AM | Link to this
james, were they around the college??
Cities with our population size Atlanta is 10th out of 10. Not the highest, but nothing to be proud of, kind of like the school systems.
Chicago didn’t make ANY of the rankings for either the top 10 or the top 25..
Do you want more stats on this crime ridden cesspool of a city?
By Sam
June 19, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
I am a graduate of Ga Tech and Ga State. One of the things I like about Atlanta is it is not a “college town” like Berkeley, Ann Arbor, or Boulder. It is a real town with a mix of private enterprise and public sector influences. It provides a real-world view for the students, and work (other than pizza delivery) and internship possibilities.
I think a large city that is also the state capitol is a great place for a college/university. It prepares graduates for a wide range of challenges and opportunities. Spending a few years in Boulder CO only prepares you to be a college professor or an “alternative” bookstore clerk.
By Not even close
June 19, 2008 12:31 PM | Link to this
I’ve lived in 3 college (university) towns, and they are exactly that “towns” or small cities where the college student population accounts for a significant percent of the population.
Atlanta is a mega city which just happens to have a couple of tightly land-locked transit disaster universities….College town - not even close!!!
By TechMan
June 19, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is definately not a college town. ITS A COLLEGE CITY. We bring more to the table as a collgege city than many places. who wants to be a little town when u get the best of both world in Atlanta
By PaminRoswell
June 19, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is not a college town. You need more colleges, each with a personality. Georgia Tech has one, but Georgia State does not. It needs to be a campus with more students living in student housing and walking safely at night. Emory is too far out of the main city. Yes, the historically black campuses are a real asset to the overall college town feel. We are not a walking town however, and all good college towns are easy to get around on foot, have charm-sorely missing downtown-and good housing close by for students.
By TechMan
June 19, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is definately not a college town. ITS A COLLEGE CITY. We bring more to the table as a collgege city than many places. who wants to be a little town when u get the best of both world in Atlanta
By M. R. Biggins
June 19, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
With the city’s pitiful graduation rate, I wouldn’t even call Atlanta a high school town.
By Nope
June 19, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this
NOT a college town or city. It’s a city which just happens to have two quality universities - GT and Emory.
By Local grad
June 19, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this
I grew up in Atlanta and am a University of Georgia graduate, so I find this an interesting, if somewhat silly, question. Metro Atlanta essentially operates as one city, and like so many others, has several colleges and universities. But that doesn’t make Metro Atlanta a college town. Athens is a college town. No study, expert, press release or budget line item will change that. If you don’t understand why, then visit a college town. The best Atlanta’s institutions can hope for is that they are likened to as a network of groups who work together. But that’s about it. Pitching the idea of a close-knit “urban” college town is ridiculous. Are these different institutions going to band together and pay students gas money for $4+ gas, for example? I think not.
By Sick of the Haters
June 19, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this
First - to all the ATL Haters, PLEASE LEAVE! ATL will be so much better without you. However, I dare you to go to any other city in this country and find them to be crime-free or free of anything else that you seem to think Atlanta has the corner market on.
As far as being a college town -I dont think so. I agree with all those who believe a college town is one that is driven socially and economically by the institutions that are found there;that is just not the case here in the ATL. However, Atlanta is a wonderful place to live and go to college in. I currently reside in Atlanta and attended an Atlanta institution. I have found Atlanta to be a wonderful city.
Again- LEAVE ATL HATERS;You will not be missed!!!!!!!!!!
By Concerned
June 19, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this
Sick of the Haters, assuming you can and do read then I assume you read the federal stats on crime and large cities in Amercia last week and UNLIKE most of the large cities in Amercia, Atlanta had an INCREASE in murders and other serious crimes. So, no…. crime is not as bad in some cities as it is here. Much of this was our worthless Mayor opening up the city with wide and welcoming arms to the criminals that fled here from New Orleans after Katrina. The Blue Jean bandit thing going on…it’s unique to Atlanta. You call us haters, we call ourselves people who are realistic. I am sure you’ll get your wish as far as many of us leaving, someday. I know many people with jobs here, the only thing kieeping us here, and we’ll be glad to say good-byt to this crime ridden city once we retire. Most people who are really impressed with Atlanta moved here from some po-dunk city of about three thousand people and they think they’re in heaven now. There are many, many big cities out there that puts this place to shame. Look at how Atlanta rates on the list of best or safest cities to live in. Don’t start at the top, that’ll take forever…start at the bottom and go up…you’ll find Atlanta much sooner that way. FYI: I have lived in Boston, Seattle, Austin, Portland and Sante Fe…so I have some comparison points.
By College Man
June 19, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Sick of the Haters — Can’t wait to get out of this city. 5 more years and you won’t see my comments anymore.
Happy walking in Atlanta at 11:00pm. See ya at Grady!
By Buckeye
June 19, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is NOT a college town, nor is it a college city.
Athens, GA is a college TOWN and Columbus, OH is a college CITY.
By Jason
June 19, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
“Russell, at least Chicago is safe, fun and doesn’t have thugs walking the streets…”
Guess you’ve never been to the University of Chicago. Wouldn’t exactly call the South Side safe.
By Sick of the Haters
June 19, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
Concerned - I am well aware of the statistics that are continullay thrown in the media to characterize cities as the “worst” or for that matter the best. But I am also aware that the crime statistics are generally based on information of “reported crimes”. These statistics do not include information on crimes that are never reported or crimes that do not result in some type legal process; therefore there are probably more cities out here with higher crime rates than you or I actually know. I too have lived in various places in the US and still find Atlanta to be one of the best. Go for early retirement and leave now.
College Man - Ever heard of a transfer. People do it everyday!!
By Chicago safe????
June 19, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this
@ Russell
Wow you actually called Chicago safe? Atlanta is far from safe, but Chicago is one of the worst cities in the USA crime wise. U of Chicago is right next to Englewood on the southside, which is one of the most gang, drug infested areas in the world. As far as being safer I’ll take the westside of Atlanta or Decatur over the southside of Chicago anyday of the week. Atlanta only has about 1.2 million thugs, whereas Chicago has about 3 million of them
By College Man
June 19, 2008 2:09 PM | Link to this
Sick - #1 can’t transfer in my profession, sorry to burst your bubble.
As far as the stats, if you’ve lived here long enough you would know that APD fudged stats for MANY years before they got caught. Don’t think about throwing that out.
Chicago safe?? Check your stats, Chicago is NOT on the top 25 cities with the highest crime rate, Atlanta is #10. Like education in this pathetic city, we should be #1 in crime in just a few years.
Since we are breaking away from the theme of the blog, I will go back on course and say that ATL is NOT a college town. It is a city of thugs so we have that going for us.
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Kemmet from Philly
June 19, 2008 2:10 PM | Link to this
@ Chicago safe???
Yes Chicago is rough, but I wouldnt call Atlanta a walk in the park either. When was the last time you ventured down Boulevard, or Simpson Rd or Bankhead my friend? And dont even get me started on that cess pool south of the city we call Clayton County. I would say the areas directly west, south and east of downtown are just as gang and drug infested as the aforementioned parts of Chicago. I was just driving down Simpson Rd the other week and I saw so many young thugs dressed in red & black I thought I was in that scene from Training Day when Denzel took Ethan Hawke to his house. Im Not a gang expert but I would assume those young men were bloods! In conclusion its safe to say that Atlanta has just as many if not more problems than Chicago. I never remember hearing of Chicago having an organization such as BMF, who rent billboards on major interstates telling the world what they do
By Patrick
June 19, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this
Does it really matter if Atlanta is considered a college town or not?
By Grandfather
June 19, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this
Hey T….what makes you think I live here….moron…I don’t live here and I visit as little as possible due to people like you.
By BPJ
June 19, 2008 2:35 PM | Link to this
The phrasing of the question seems to have confused the discussion. The phrase “college town” connotes municipality of a certain size, and one that would barely exist if not for the university (Athens, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville). Obviously that’s not Atlanta.
But Atlanta is a major “university city”, to coin a phrase, and that goes to the point of Ms. Saporta’s column. Traditionally, when making a list of Atlanta’s assets, people started with its Fortune 500 HQs, the airport, or the climate, but I have long argued that Atlanta’s single greatest asset is its concentration of colleges and universities. The impact is more than just the immediate one of large employers (Emory is DeKalb’s largest employer), or the money spent by students and staff (and visiting family), although are those are significant. Technology spinoffs are part of the picture, too. But the biggest impact is the attraction of talented people, many of whom stay here and make this a more prosperous city. Every major American city I would want to live in has at least two significant universities. Boston in an obvious example, but also Chicago, DC, San Francisco, and of course LA and NY (I disagree with the earlier comment disparaging NY and LA schools - they are first rate, and attract plenty of people to those cities for the first time).
A few years ago, one of the Atlanta LINK trips went to Dallas. I recall reading (perhaps in Ms. Saporta’s column) that when the mayor of Dallas was asked if he envied anything about Atlanta, he said yes, the universities there - and Dallas has SMU.
As for that intangible “feeling” of a college town, it exists here, in certain pockets. I invite some of the commenters here to join me on any weekday at lunchtime on Broad Street, where the multitude of GSU students join us office workers, especially on Fridays with live music. Then there’s the growing scene in Midtown around Tech’s expanded campus, the renewing Emory Village, and of course, Virginia-Highland and Decatur, which are increasingly popular with students. Finally, everyone seems to have overlooked the influence of SCAD, which will only increase and create more of a “college town” ambience.
I know, in some circles it is forbidden to say anything good about Atlanta. Too bad.
By Another Native
June 19, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
I’m shocked that y’all havent grasped looking at the overall education of the entire population of the city verses a typical college town.
Atlanta does NOT have a well educated population and I would venture its below national averages for college GRADUATION, as in actully getting a degree… and not one from a trade school like Miss Jean-Anns’ Beauty and Autoshop University.
By RUChinaDoll
June 19, 2008 2:58 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is by no means a college town, anyone who thinks so needs a field trip north. Visit Blacksburg for the definition of a college town - the town only thrives because of VT and when school is out, the town shuts down. That is a college town, it is defined by its students. Atlanta’s a city with a lot of colleges.
By Concerned
June 19, 2008 2:58 PM | Link to this
To be a real college town I think the income of the town needs to be predicated on the schools; Atlanta is more of corporate headquaters type city than one of academia. Relax Tired of the Haters, no one associates you with Atlanta….you’re just another drop in the bucket. You could move or die today, just as I could…..and this city would never notice our passing. Relax, it’s not that deep.
By Sobecat
June 19, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
Boston has several good schools, Atlanta only has two.
By Jason
June 19, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this
“Atlanta does NOT have a well educated population and I would venture its below national averages for college GRADUATION, as in actully getting a degree…”
You’d be wrong. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Atlanta is the seventh most educated city in the country, ahead of Boston, New York, San Diego, Philadelphia, Chicago… Over 42% of Atlanta’s population hold at least a college degree.
By Robin
June 19, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is not a college town (or city, “town” merely being an expression) whereas Boston IS a college town (or region, for the nitpickers out there). Atlanta may have a large number of higher education institutions and a large number of students but the university culture does not define the city itself. In contrast, although Boston has lots more than just the academic world, there are so many colleges (over 80 in the metropolitan area alone including Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, UMass Boston, Wellesley College, Emerson College, Suffolk University, Tufts University…and I could go on)that intellectual life spills over into mainstream culture to the extent that it IS mainstream culture. It even influences the critical thinking skills of their blue-collar sports fans and is apparent in the music of its vibrant rock ‘n’ roll scene. In contrast, intellectual/academic life does not define the overall culture in Atlanta.
By BPJ
June 19, 2008 3:33 PM | Link to this
“Another native” is wrong: Atlanta ranks high on lists of highly educated people. And recent studies have shown Atlanta to be the leader in another national trend: over the past 15 years, the average per-person income and education levels in the city have gone from being lower than in the suburbs to being notably higher than in the suburbs. A lot of people haven’t gotten the memo on these changes yet, so old stereotypes linger.
As for “Concerned’s” comment that “Atlanta is more of a corporate headquarters type city than one of academia,” it just begs the question. That is, it just restates previously existing images of Atlanta, without accounting for the facts discussed in Ms. Saporta’s column. You say it’s “corporate”, whatever that means, because that’s how you’ve thought of this city. Now along comes new information, and new interpretations, and you brush them aside because they’re not consistent with existing stereotypes.
Nothing to be embarrassed about there; even Dr. Wagner (of Emory) admits he didn’t think of Atlanta this way…until he got here and changed his mind. It’s hard to take in new information that alters one’s sense of the place where we live.
By Sum Jive Tur-Kee
June 19, 2008 3:34 PM | Link to this
Kemmet from Philly —-> SUPER DUMBAZZZZZZZ
Great job on posting the same LAME comment over and over and over, Kemmet from Philly.
Why don’t you tell us all… AGAIN… how smart, wealthy, successful, intelligent, articulate and BLACK you are?
You are THE dumbest person, of ANY race, to ever post on these blogs.
Worthless waste of human flesh!
By Kemmet is an idiot
June 19, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this
Quit clicking Post multiple times, moron. The page says there will be a delay before your comment appears.
By BPJ
June 19, 2008 4:01 PM | Link to this
I’d be willing to agree that Boston is a university city to a greater extent than Atlanta, but the blanket assertion that one city is and the other isn’t a university city is overstatement.
Statements such as “university culture doesn’t define the city itself” is a tautology; it states a conclusion as evidence of that very conclusion. (And if that doesn’t sound like someone who lives in a university city….)
Boston has been at this a long time - Harvard dates from the 17th century. So naturally Boston’s ahead. But anyone who hasn’t noticed the increasing impact of universities on Atlanta’s cultural and intellectual life in recent years just isn’t looking.
By BPJ
June 19, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
One more thought: Ms. Saporta asked us 2 questions, and all the discussion has been on the first one (promoting the idea of Atlanta as a college town). The second question was, what can this region do to take full advantage of the intellectual power that exists in our metro area? Here’s an idea: Build the “Brain Train”! Connecting our universities by rail, so that there is a way to get from one campus to another without driving, is essential.
By Scholarly
June 19, 2008 4:51 PM | Link to this
Didn’t another article in the AJC just earlier this week say that Atlanta is second only to Boston in the number of college students??
By I love Atlanta!
June 19, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this
What is up with all the Atlanta haters on here? If you don’t like the city, pack up your things and leave! It’s a big country with lots of other cities. Go find one you like and leave the great city of Atlanta to those of us who appreciate it!
By Another Native
June 19, 2008 5:12 PM | Link to this
Jason is wrong, along with others. I was wrong. So lets stick to citations instead of hearsay.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/1304000.html
Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 Atlanta 34.6% Georgia 24.3%
National
Bachelor’s degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 24.4%
So we’re only talking about a third of the population with at least a Bachelor’s degree in Atlanta, that’s still plenty of people for Jerry Springer, Miss Cleo, and Thug life.
Athens slightly higher at 40% Boston higher than Atlanta 35.6%
Someone mention Grambing, LA ? It IS a college town with a population of only 1,523 of which 714 have a Bachelors Degree or higher which is 46% almost half. If you’ve ever driven by there on I20, its one exit down from LA Tech.
By Frances
June 19, 2008 5:16 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is a terrific college town and fabulous city! For the off-beat small town feel Agnes Scott, Emory, and Perimeter probably have greatest exposure to c-o-o-l Decatur. Urban coleges such as the great Black colleges plus GA Tech and GA State experience the intown experience. Except for the beach, Atlanta has it all, just explore.
By Another Native
June 19, 2008 5:19 PM | Link to this
Just because they attend college doesn’t mean they will graduate. Nationally, the graduation rate is 53 percent; in contrast, the graduation rate of what schools call “underrepresented minorities” - blacks, Latinos and American Indians - is 45 percent.
Not everyone belongs in college either due to lack of preparation, motivation, or ability but the high schools are pushing them all to go.
By Kyle
June 19, 2008 5:38 PM | Link to this
Atlanta isn’t a college town, sports town in any way. By the way Lawrence, the only people that know there are black colleges in Atlanta are blacks. They are by far way behind in what a college campus is should be. The black colleges in Atlanta are just another reason why this city is looked down at. We don’t even have to bring up freaknik and how that worthless event destroyed the city for many years and many more years to come. What college student wants to go to Atlanta for Spring Break? That’s just sad! Also, we don’t have every sport as someone else said. Most of the people at the Braves games are white, most of the people at the Hawks games are black, most of the people at the falcons games are convicts/blacks and rednecks, and all of the people at the Thrashers games are white. Most of the other cities are diverse in their teams, we however are definitely not that way, due to the ignorance of the black people in this city who just hate white people. Go McCain!
By Another Native
June 19, 2008 6:23 PM | Link to this
I guess Kyle hasn’t been watching the PBS series repeat about “black” roots, little to do with genetics, more to do with culture.
If you teach your kids to respect and value education, guess what ? They stand a good chance to become educated.
Let them run free and gather their values from other free-range kids, folks who only hang out and hustle for a living, music stations, and TV, guess what sort of mindless consumer you’re going to produce ?
By CollegeGrad
June 19, 2008 6:29 PM | Link to this
Colleges like Spelman and Morehouse are known far and wide. Their excellent reputations help Atlanta’s image and draw students from around the world.
Atlanta’s mix of colleges (big, small, public, private, historically black, all-girl, med school) attracts more smart people here because there’s a college that’s right for everyone.
By T. Rogers
June 19, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this
Although I am not from Atlanta I have a lot a family there. I think this is a good discussion. I think a college town is a town where the college or colleges are the focal point of the town. While Atlanta has many good schools they do not define the city. So no, it is not a college town.
As as side note, why can I always expect racist remarks when I read blogs on this site. It would be great if some of the folks down there allow the south to come out of the dark ages.
By Andy
June 19, 2008 7:31 PM | Link to this
Racist ? Dark Ages ?
Neither argument has a leg to stand on
Ian F. Haney Lopez, The Social Construction of Race: Some Observations on Illusion, Fabrication, and Choice
The Dark Ages the period encompassing (roughly) 476 to 1000 AD
The dark ages in the south were comprised of the the Mississippian Culture, thriving from approximately 800 AD until the arrival of European explorers. The Mississippian Culture spanned from Wisconsin and Minnesota in the north, through Georgia to the south, and westward into the Great Plains.
By Give Matt Ryan a chance
June 19, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
Boston and ATL are both terrific cities. Enough of the negativity.
By Greg
June 19, 2008 8:02 PM | Link to this
Um, no.
By CBL
June 19, 2008 8:14 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is not a college town and never will be. College towns have a common identity around one or a small handful of similar institutions. Atlanta is a fragmented, out of control sprawling mess. Athens, GA; Boulder, CO; and Chapel Hill, NC, and Oxford, England are proper college towns. Decatur, GA may come the closest to resembling a college-town atmosphere.
By Another Native
June 20, 2008 8:10 AM | Link to this
I am amused by this conversation’s vernacular as it speaks not to the obverse of its intentions, but to its diametric opposition. The patois of some of our well intentioned posters doesnt demonstrate education, but rather the lack of it.
If Atlanta is a “college town” you would be hard pressed to justify it from reading the postings on this topic.
By zeke
June 20, 2008 8:22 AM | Link to this
No! Atlanta is a cesspool, the scum of the Earth morally and socially!
By Jason
June 20, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
“Jason is wrong, along with others. I was wrong. So lets stick to citations instead of hearsay.”
This article begs to differ…
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/elearning/Default.aspx?article=educatedcities
By GTgirl
June 20, 2008 8:42 AM | Link to this
Concerned said: College towns are kind of offbeat, hip, funky, cool, laid back with lots of free things to do on the week-ends and lots of nature to enjoy. If this describes Atlanta, I need to know where all this stuff has been hiding. A lot of it is going on all the time at Georgia Tech. The campus rocks, with frequent free concerts, guest speakers, movie fests, and more. And you can always go to concerts or events in Piedmont Park or Centennial Park. Another awesome thing is the Silver Comet, a bike trail that can take you all the way to Alabama. I go to college here, and every single weekend find some kind of adventure or entertainment, and I don’t have a car.
By Another Native
June 20, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this
Jason , the article you posted has no citations other than this line “Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows..” My attribution cites the source directly. You might just as well have posted statistics from Oprah or The Enquirer.
By Jason
June 20, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
“My attribution cites the source directly.”
Your “attribution” is from 2000 and, therefore, obsolete. You might just as well have posted statistics from the 1960s.
By KSU Kev
June 22, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this
First of all, most of the people who post comments are always so negative towards ATL without any real evidence to back up their comments. Second, I agree that ATL is a “college city”, it does not completely depend on one college to support the economy. Atlanta is a great city; there is a ton of stuff to do you just have to actually get your a* out of your car and cute little culdesac to find it. Even the suburbs have free or almost free things to do, especially Kennesaw. Yes there is traffic and crime, but there is not one major city in the U.S. that doesn’t have problems. If you don’t like Atlanta move, the rest of us will thank you!!!
By lostdog
August 27, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
I used to looooooooove ATL in the 80’s and 90’s..but now I avoid it if I can. Being from Chicago, I can appreciate culture, night life and fun…however, ATL is no longer an ideal place for family. In the last 15 years, ATL has become a cesspool of homesexuality in the Black community, people pretending to be successful when they’re not and way to consumed with materialist living. I know so many gorgeous black women who lived in ATL after their college years and returned back to the chi to escape all the down low men pretending to be upstanding, straight and God fearing men. I believe ATL is a great place for kids looking for life’s experiences in education, parties and fame…The entertainment industry has turned ATL into a small L.A. (black version). Everyone overly converned with fashion, confused sexually, and chasing fame by any means neccessary. Seems to me black folk sell their souls to make it in ATL and are willing to do anything for a dollar…(if you can think it, name it!). I feel ATL is a great and fun place to visit, but I can’t take it seriously….and I would never, ever, want to live there.
By lostdog
August 27, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
I used to looooooooove ATL in the 80’s and 90’s..but now I avoid it if I can. Being from Chicago, I can appreciate culture, night life and fun…however, ATL is no longer an ideal place for family. In the last 15 years, ATL has become a cesspool of homesexuality in the Black community, people pretending to be successful when they’re not and way to consumed with materialist living. I know so many gorgeous black women who lived in ATL after their college years and returned back to the chi to escape all the down low men pretending to be upstanding, straight and God fearing men. I believe ATL is a great place for kids looking for life’s experiences in education, parties and fame…The entertainment industry has turned ATL into a small L.A. (black version). Everyone overly converned with fashion, confused sexually, and chasing fame by any means neccessary. Seems to me black folk sell their souls to make it in ATL and are willing to do anything for a dollar…(if you can think it, name it!). I feel ATL is a great and fun place to visit, but I can’t take it seriously….and I would never, ever, want to live there.
By native
February 26, 2009 6:34 PM | Link to this
Atlanta is the worst place in america to live. I am native and multigeneration native. its bad… i like what someone saidhere, its not to be taken seriously. i hate it. i hate every second of being here. if i were to kill myself i would walk 500 miles just to die somewhere else.