Atlanta has changed dramatically over the years to become one of the most important cities in the South. After the Civil War, Atlanta rose as the industrial center of the New South. Today, it stands as the eighth largest city in the country and is the unofficial capital of the Southeast. It is a booming, cultural mecca that even has its eyes on Hollywood. In fact, Atlanta and Hollywood have become new best friends, bringing a fusion of glamour and southern charm to Atlanta. Read on to see how Atlanta has quickly become the Hollywood of the South and why people of all ages, including empty nesters, are moving to The Big Peach.
Atlanta Has Successfully Attracted Hollywood Film Studios
Over recent years, Georgia has successfully attracted major Hollywood film studios to the state. The number of little Georgia peach logos found in the credits of movie and television shows proves it. What brings Hollywood glam to the peach state? Favorable tax incentives, cheaper production costs and a milder and more predictable climate to start. All of this combined with good food, cultural city life, and southern hospitality has earned Atlanta the unofficial title of Hollywood of the South.
In fact, Atlanta is quickly surpassing New York City for film production. It now boasts more than 3 million square feet of studio space — making it second to Los Angeles. Moreover, Y’allywood, as some call it, still has more room for significant expansion. Large tracts of available land, combined with Georgia film production tax breaks, makes Georgia attractive to LA film studios. The Big Peach has sweetened the pot even further, adding more incentives for film productions with costs over half a million. These tax beaks lure big blockbuster movies and television shows to Georgia. Several studios have set up shop in the greater Atlanta metro area. These studios include Tyler Perry Studios, Warner, Think or Swim, and Trilith Studios to name a few. These studios have found production setups to be less costly and easier to manage than in LA or New York.
Reality TV shows are particularly prominent in Atlanta. This is thanks to a combination of hip city life, beautiful countryside and diverse casting opportunities. This provides interesting venues, scenery and characters. Atlanta is also attracting more production talent, finding the lower cost of living and ease of travel within Atlanta appealing over LA and NYC.
Take a Hollywood Tour in Atlanta
With several blockbuster movies and television shows filmed in Atlanta, people are visiting Atlanta to take Hollywood tours. Film tours for shows such as Stranger Things and The Walking Dead are popular. Tours are also available of locations from the Marvel Universe, such as The Avengers, SpiderMan, Black Panther, and Hawkeye. Just a short drive outside of Atlanta, film locations for Netflix’s hit show Ozark can be found. You can eat at local restaurants that were used as stand-ins for those on Lake of the Ozarks. Celebrity sightings are not uncommon at many of the top food and nightlife hotspots throughout the city.
Atlanta is a Booming Music Hub
Hollywood glamour in Atlanta is not just reserved for film and televsion. Atlanta is, in fact, a booming music hub. For more than fifteen years, Atlanta has been considered a mecca for the hip-hop and R&B music industry, with a growing indie-rock and live music scene.
The early presence of LaFace Records, created by LA Reid and Babyface, cemented the hip hop industry in Atlanta. Record breaking hits by Toni Braxton and TLC helped pave the way for more top talent. Several prominent hip-hop artists originated from Atlanta, such as Usher, Jeezy, TLC, Outkast and Ludacris. Considered the capital of hip-hop, it consistently attracts top talent and budding rising stars. Top music studios have made Atlanta their home, such as Tree Sound Studios, Patchwerk Recording Studios and Soul Asylum, bringing more big names to the city.
Of course, country music and bluegrass have always had a strong following in Atlanta and throughout the peach state. Since the 1920’s, country music played a big part of the music scene in Atlanta. Atlanta later lost its designation as the country music capital to Nashville. Today, it is still is a major player within the country music industry, next to Nashville and Memphis.
Atlanta has been home to some of the most beloved country singers, such as Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Zac Brown Band, Luke Bryan and many more. It hosts several popular music festivals throughout the year, both in Atlanta and the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
Atlanta Is Charming Hollywood and Everyone Else
Atlanta is a vibrant city that is not only charming the Hollywood and music industries, but dazzling people of all ages to move there. It has quietly set itself up as the Hollywood of the South, taking over the title from New Orleans. Favorable tax incentives, mild climates and varied urban and country landscapes provide excellent backdrops for Hollywood film productions. The unique and vibrant music scene is thriving and growing at record speeds. The mix has helped Georgia’s economy grow significantly by bringing in more jobs. After all, who can resist Atlanta’s foodie scene, fun nightlife, celebrity sightings and culture. For many, including Hollywood, Atlanta appears to provide the right fusion of southern charm mixed with hip city life that only appears to be growing.
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