Why People Love to Hate Atlanta

When most people think of the city of Atlanta, they think of its rich history and famous architecture. They also admire the city for being the center of commerce for much of the country’s early history. However, many people dislike Atlanta for its poor living conditions and crime rate. In fact, many people compare Atlanta to a dirty, crime-ridden city that’s full of trash and unattractive buildings.

Atlanta was originally named Marthasville by Robert Gordon, one of its founding fathers. The name was changed to Atlanta in honor of the Greek war hero Alexander the Great. In 1836, the city’s first urbanized neighborhoods were born, and Georgia’s capital quickly became one of the country’s most prominent cities. In 1847, Atlanta became the first American city with a population over 10,000. This massive population led to a massive amount of crime; in fact, Atlanta became known as a dirty, crime-riddled city.

Today, Atlanta is known for its beautiful parks and gardens and its many natural areas. However, many people have never been exposed to these natural beauty spots. Instead, they picture a concrete jungle full of poor people and crime. This is because most people picture Atlanta as being very strict and impoverished. Therefore, they have an idea of what a poor neighborhood looks like when they think of Atlanta. Even famous naturalist John James Audubon had a negative view of his visit to the city in 1834; he dubbed it ‘the Sodom of Aetna.’

Aside from being known for its crime rate, Atlanta is also known for not having any civic pride among its residents. Many people dislike how little Georgia likes its capital city. Many things happen in Atlanta that are unpopular with Georgians; this includes being the state capital and hosting events for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Even though these events bring money into the city, most people dislike how their city is used as a venue for these events. This lack of civic pride causes some residents to be unresponsive to visitors from outside their state.

Although many people love what both history and nature have done for Atlanta’s image, those same factors have led to a poor reputation among outsiders. The city lacks any real pride among its residents, which causes many interactions with visitors to be short-lived and unhelpful. Additionally, many consider it unlivable due to how dirty and crime-riddled it is compared to other cities of similar size. No matter how beautiful or historic or natural Atlanta is, negative preconceptions hold it back from achieving true national prominence among metropolises of equivalent size.