Atlanta and Charlotte Compared

Mr. Beat compares and contrasts Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina, two of the fastest growing major cities of the American South. #atlanta #charlotte #compared #geography

Produced by Matt Beat. All images/video by Matt Beat, found in the public domain, or used under fair use guidelines. Music: "Fine Line" by Geographer.

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Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia or Queen City and The ATL

Two of the biggest cities in the Southern United States, just four hours apart on Interstate 85. In fact, the rivalry between the NFL teams of both cities, the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, is even called the “I-85 Rivalry.”

But it’s not just a football rivalry. Plenty of folks from both cities talk trash about each other.

Atlanta has more than twice as many residents.

But both have a similar population density. Both have about the same median age. (A-33.5, C-33.9) Both have a lot of African American residents, although Atlanta has more (A-54%, C-35%).

Both have similar climates. A humid subtropical climate, to be specific. Both get a lot of rain each year, but Atlanta gets more (A- 52 in, C- 43 in). Both don’t get much snow, but since it gets slightly colder in the winter in Charlotte due to it being further north, it does get more. Mostly, though, both are known for somewhat mild winters, which is a big reason why so many folks have been moving to both in recent decades. Speaking of which, Atlanta was the 8th-fastest growing city last year and Charlotte was the 9th. Both are far enough inland that they rarely get hit by hurricanes.

Both have a bike sharing system. Both are known for great barbecue.

Both call any soft drink not soda or pop but Coke. Ah, but it’s Atlanta that is home to the world headquarters of Coca-Cola, the largest Coke company in the world. Er, I mean, the largest soft drink company in the world. Atlanta has lots of huge companies headquartered there, actually, like UPS, Delta, Newell Rubbermaid, and Home Depot.

Oh yeah? Well Charlotte has Bank of America, Honeywell, Duke Energy, Brighthouse Financial, and Lowe’s. Wait, Atlanta has Home Depot and Charlotte has Lowe’s? This is getting good.

Major industries in Atlanta include financial services, telecommunications, and technology, although the city is also known for its TV and film industry. Due to Georgia’s generous tax credits, producers have filmed A LOT of movies and TV shows in the city in recent years. Hollywood South represent. Major industries in Charlotte also include financial services, but also energy, and automotive ...particularly motorsports. Wait...what? Motorsports? Heck yeah. And Charlotte has a growing TV and film industry presence, too.

But yeah, let’s just focus on differences for the rest of the video. First of all, Atlanta is Georgia’s state capital.