Who loves Atlanta?
Years ago the Atlanta Braves already had baseball’s largest network of radio stations broadcasting their games (in 1995 there were 200 stations in 9 states) and Ted Turner’s invention of the Superstation enlarged the Braves fan base even more. An intriguing website called CommonCensus attempts to measure that effect. Thousands of fans enter their address and favorite team and software groups the locations together to produce the image. Take a look at this map showing the Braves with the largest geographic fanbase.
Using the same methodology, they attempt to show spheres of influence of America’s cities. This is similar to the concept of hubness that was floating around usenet a few years ago but with more of an eye to see where people actually feel they live rather than population densities or our current, almost arbitrary lines drawn by history and politics. A tool like this could be a path to ending gerrymandering.
What does this mean for Atlanta? Take a look at how far our influence stretches. People talk about us as a blue island in a sea of red, but it’s clear that a great portion of Georgia and the South identifies with our fair city.
July 26th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Most of the Atlanta MSA is as red as the rest of Georgia.
Atlanta is a minor city at 400K, it’s our MSA (4.XM) that gives us any recognition.
We need to increase our city population significantly; we need to be more like Chicago. Their MSA is 8.XM people but their city is 3.XM, much better ratios than we have…one could quintuple our city population yet we’d still be under our MSA (almost by half). That is sad.
July 27th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Good point. One thing you have to take into account is Atlanta’s inability to annex neighborhoods over the years. So our area is only 130 square miles while Chicago is 230, Houston is 600(!) and Dallas is 340. But, heck that just makes our city population that much more impressive!
July 31st, 2006 at 6:05 am
Whether the rest of Georgia loves the city depends on how you ask the question. Those in the suburbs don’t see the Braves as representatives of the inner city, but as representatives of themselves. People in rural Georgia think of the whole MSA as Atlanta. Suburbanites will tell others they are from “Atlanta” but people here the name of their edge city. We totally lack an accurate picture of what is and what is not Atlanta.
July 31st, 2006 at 8:24 pm
If you aren’t eligible to vote for the mayor then you live in atlanta.
August 10th, 2006 at 12:38 am
Just because an area identifies with Atlanta, that does not necessarily mean that it identifies with the city’s politics. As TeddyB sais, most of us out here in the suburbs will say we are from Atlanta, especially when talking on a macro level. If I traveling in Chicago and someone asks where I am from, they are not going to know where Lawrenceville is but they do know Atlanta. I think “Atlanta” is more the MSA than just the city.