re: Visited Atlanta for the first time in 10 years - holy moly what a shithole!

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I moved to ATL in 1989, it was great and Buckhead was starting to be a lot of fun. The last 10 - 15 years I was there the food scene drastically improved and you could find just about any type of food you wanted. Downtown was always sketchy, it is what it is, but I got tired of the chronic growth, perpetual traffic and road work/expansion. Definitely need to know the better routes to drive. The last few years prior to moving it was nice living close to the Battery and Braves stadium.

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I lived there between early 1993 and the end of 2002. It was a great place to live then.

But I go back now and agree that it has declined significantly.

As someone else said, no more than any other major Democrat run city in America, however.

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there is zero question Atlanta is closer to New Orleans than Salt Lake City.

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Doubling down I see.

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Atlanta is high crime city with unfavorable demographics

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Wrong. Atlanta is now almost 60% white. The last 15 years the intown population has gentrified substantially.

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Big cities that are "nicer" than ATL
Fort Worth
Columbus
Raleigh

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a shite downtown

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This is the only completely true statement in your post.

Imagine New Orleans when the falcons are in town

New Orleans has been and always will be a better city than Atlanta.

What if it’s always been a shite hole but your perspective is different now?

Atlanta and cities like it are unsustainable. Oakland will be the 1st city to completely fall into chaos but many others will follow, Atlanta is in that list.

Old cities must die so new cities can be built.

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I remember that city being a decent place

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I can remember that too but it was a lot longer than 10 years ago.

Downtown Atlanta...actual downtown....is and has been since the early 70s at least, a ghost town Monday - Friday after about 7 PM. Unless there is a MAJOR convention going on or some event they nearly roll up the sidewalks downtown after 9 PM. The surrounding areas, though, are as nice as you will find in any major city. Mid-Town, both Highlands, Buckhead, Emory, Druid Hills, Ansley Park, Lenox, Brookhaven, West Midtown - All of these are very nice and perfectly safe to walk no matter the time of day or night. I have done it for years and do it at least one weekend a month still despite not living in Atlanta. Traffic is as bad as it has always been but walking is perfectly safe and eliminates traffic from the mix. If you do need to cross town avoiding the interstates and major surface streets is a good idea....it is still an ordeal but the chances of being stuck for more than one red light is much better. Atlanta is in bad need of more and better public transportation but that is so in most of the US....and of course visitors are loathe to use any public transportation because they are terrified when it is very safe if you know where you're going....if you do not you are at risk driving, walking or using public transportation. This is the same as any other city on the planet.

I can understand folks not liking Atlanta. It is a LOT to take....I am a rare native of Atlanta, born in East Point, and I would not want to live in Atlanta today because its a lot to take - just like living in any major city is a lot to take. That said, if you live in most of the south Atlanta offers the opportunity to do things that simply are not possible in other areas. Expecting it to be as easy to maneuver as Tuscaloosa or Columbia is just asking for too much...there are 6 million people living and working in Atlanta....they put a lot of stress on the infrastructure daily....adding 100K visitors a day, on average (8-10 times that on weekends) is not apt to make the situation any better. Atlanta regularly ranks in the top 10 most visited cities in the US....add that to the 6th most populated metro area in the US and crowds are going to be a thing one should expect....

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Were you north or south of I20?
North is nicer.
Were you east or west of 75/85?
East is nicer

South west is worst.

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Pretty spot on. The fact is that MOST of Atlanta is nicer and safer today than it was 40 years ago. Even marginal areas like East Atlanta Village and Summer Hill and even Vine City (thats right, I said it) are nicer and safer in 2024 than they were in 1984. In 1984 even Buckhead and The Highlands had some dodgy areas.....over all Atlanta is nicer and safer today than it was in the 70s and 80s. Its more crowded, for sure, but there are more neighborhoods that are walkable today than then. Of course if you one feels the need to be armed all the time in Hahira because you are scared of your own shadow Atlanta is going to be scary as frick....that's on the individual, not Atlanta.