“Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.” Brilliant as he was, W.B. Yeats probably had no idea he was writing about the Atlanta economy in the 2000s.
The region suffered grievous economic wounds in the Great Recession: The housing market collapsed, unemployment rose into double digits, and both remain perilously weak.
But if real estate is no longer the growth engine of Atlanta, what is? Regional leaders, economists and others say the future lies in high-technology businesses, including specialized IT, biotech and logistics – from the trucks and ships that deliver goods, to the software that plans their loads and plots their routes.
Both the region and the state are aggressively pursuing tech companies (as are roughly 49 other states) and have already scored some impressive gains. (See also: Alpharetta.) Later this year you’ll hear Gov. Nathan Deal announce plans to go after this business with even greater zeal, not to mention greater incentives.
While the region is proceeding to the new challenges, however, it must also deal with the old ones. Traffic, water management and education represent large obstacles to metro Atlanta’s continued growth. And in 2012, the region may finally come to terms with these intractable problems.
“What rough beast slouches toward Buckhead?” Yeats might have asked. Well, probably not. But if there were a rough beast, we might be able to slow it down on Ga. 400.
AJC subscribers may read the full report that concludes our eight-part Atlanta Forward series on metro Atlanta's 2012 turning point. Get the in-depth story on how our region ranks with nine of its metro competitors around the country. Find out who's in the lead (it isn't us) and why. It's a story you'll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper's iPad app. Subscribe today.
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