Have Spring rains and hurtful Movoto rankings got you down, Atlanta? Don't fret. An unrelated Internet search has turned up a random Emory University video from 2010 that's sure to eradicate your civic doldrums. Be warned that "ATLANTA: Take a Small Look at Our Big City" is totally biased, and it's probably used to convince high-worth East Coasters that dispatching their children to the South is a good idea. Still, the students featured here seem genuine when extolling the ATL. Just ask the Emory student from Boston, who didn't have Atlanta on her radar until a visit to the city, "just blew me out of the water," she says. "It has the big-city feel that Boston and New York can give me, but so much more."
The uplifting quotes from outsiders keep coming: "A wealth of youth are coming together (in Atlanta), acting on their beliefs, their thoughts," says a Washington D.C. transplant, "and they're coming from all across country — all across the world!" Lest we forget this gem: "Coming from L.A., I actually really like transitioning over to the South. Especially Atlanta, because Atlanta's a really cosmopolitan city." Ignore the Atlanta-born student who cheerleads for the Hawks and the Thrashers, positing, "Everybody just loves them —we're, like, really huge die-hard fans!" If nothing else, the five-minute clip is worth a watch for its stirring videography, which captures Atlanta's most iconic places in poetically flashy time-lapse. And besides, unabashed boosterism can feel good.
· ATLANTA: Take a Small Look at Our Big City [Emory University]
· New York Times: 'So What's The Matter With Atlanta?' [Curbed]
[Piedmont Park image via Emory University/YouTube.]