Atlanta’s Hip Family Neighborhoods
I like to pick a random Metroblogging city every couple of days (click “Visit a Random City” here) and read what people are writing in other cities. Yesterday, I spun the wheel and it came up on this by Portland blogger Jonashpdx.
He came up with the idea for the post after reading Neal Pollack’s AlternaDad, which might bore you to death (much like my own post) if you don’t have kids. If you do have kids, and you have even an iota of cool, you will think it is the cat’s meow. Pollack wrote a little book called Never Mind the Pollacks, which i have yet to read, but have heard good things about, but I digress.
A reader wrote into Alternadad asking Mr. Pollack if a city or town exists where one can affordably raise children in a culturally alternative and rich, yet safe, environment. There was a lot more to his post, but some of the town names (Metroblogging cities are hyperlinked) tossed around in the post and in the comments included:
Ann Arbor
Asheville
Austin
Chapel Hill/Carrboro
Cleveland (Really? Huh.)
Lawrence (that’s in Kansas. It took me a second, too.)
Madison
Melbourne
Philadelphia
Portland
San Diego
Seattle
St. Paul
Notice anything missing?
Yeah. Part of me is insulted that no one thinks Atlanta is a mecca for hipster parenting. I know a number of really cool, alternative parenting types in Atlanta; I like to think my husband and I are remotely hip parents ourselves. On further truthful reflection, however, i would say that Atlanta would not be my first choice if the restraints of career and family did not tie me to it.
Prove me wrong. Where are the hip families in Atlanta living? Most of the people I know who fit this category live in Virginia Highlands, Decatur, and Candler Park (though they are hardly affordable, in my opinion), and the more affordable Grant Park, Ormewood Park, East Atlanta Village, and Kirkwood.
Am I missing some pocket of cool* parenting here in the ATL?
*The author realizes that by impregnating someone, becoming pregnant, giving birth to a child, and raising aforementioned child, one pretty much gives up all hope at any semblance of cool, relatively speaking.
atlanta? culturally alternative and rich? compared to austin, portland, and philadelphia, i’d say “not so much”; can’t vouch for the other cities on that list, though i hear tremendous things about lawrence and asheville.
there’s also that whole “safe” thing, which by itself puts atlanta *entirely* out of the running.
Tiffany, I kind of feel the same way. Definitely about the safety issue. I do like to think that parents have the ability to raise culturally aware children, even when not surrounded by rich culture – that the parents are the most important influence on children. Thanks for the comment!
annie, seeing as you and todd were at a concert that got busted by the cops, i think you get to qualify as ‘hip.’
*blush* Thanks, James. Isn’t that tooting your own horn? :-)
Philadelphia, safe? Not so much. It has being going a huge surge in the murder rate all last year and now into this year. Compared to Philly, ATL is safe.