Quote:
Originally Posted by austlar1
In 1860 Massachusetts had 1.3 million. In 1860 Georgia had a population of just around 1,000,000 spread across a land area more than FIVE times the size of Massachusetts. In 1860 Georgia's economy was overwhelmingly agrarian and plantation based. Small towns in Georgia were usually little more than a crossroads with a few stores or perhaps a mill operation. This includes most of the small towns that are now part of the sprawling Atlanta metro. in 1860 Atlanta had a population of 9,500 people. Boston had a population of 177,000 in 1860. Comparing Boston and Atlanta development patterns is an interesting topic, but there are very significant differences that can't be overlooked.
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Atlanta also wasn't the largest city in Georgia in the 1860s. If Savannah had maintained its status as the primary city of Georgia then maybe it would look like Boston. Atlanta was effectively a clean slate.