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GA Dot has taken care of metro Atl quite well. I77 in Charlotte is a joke. Infrastructure is the main reason why we complain.
Yeah, but don't look at Atlanta like it's utopia in that regard. GA DOT does well in terms of maintenance, but the interstate network in metro Atlanta isn't sufficient at all. Houston and Dallas do much better jobs there.
Growing up in Eastern NC, I hardly ever heard anyone talk about Charlotte. Raleigh was considered "the city" for us since it was closer. We all knew Charlotte was the largest city in the state but it was so far away that it was never really though about. Before moving here in 2009, I had only been to Charlotte a couple of times to go to Carowinds and the Discovery Place. Anything unavailable in our local area, we used to just go to Raleigh for.
Growing up in Eastern NC, I hardly ever heard anyone talk about Charlotte. Raleigh was considered "the city" for us since it was closer. We all knew Charlotte was the largest city in the state but it was so far away that it was never really though about. Before moving here in 2009, I had only been to Charlotte a couple of times to go to Carowinds and the Discovery Place. Anything unavailable in our local area, we used to just go to Raleigh for.
Ditto, folks east of I-95 (and near) don't really know much about Charlotte other than Carowinds. As a youngster, either trips to RDU or straight up I-95 northward for a big city vibe. Northeast NC is really Tidewater area.
GA Dot has taken care of metro Atl quite well. I77 in Charlotte is a joke. Infrastructure is the main reason why we complain.
In all fairness, the highway situation in NC isn't really a result of Raleigh "hatin" on Charlotte but awful policies that don't favor urban based cities. Although NC has or been a top-10 populated state the last 30-40 years, it was still more rural than urban till recent. These policies or funding guidelines need to be changed to accomodate both Raleigh and Charlotte's unprecedented and unforeseen growth.
In all fairness, the highway situation in NC isn't really a result of Raleigh "hatin" on Charlotte but awful policies that don't favor urban based cities. Although NC has or been a top-10 populated state the last 30-40 years, it was still more rural than urban till recent. These policies or funding guidelines need to be changed to accomodate both Raleigh and Charlotte's unprecedented and unforeseen growth.
The quality of Infratructure in the East NC as compared to Charlotte and points west has more to do with Federal dollars and policies than NC's.
The major roads of East NC are all part of Strahnet which are constantly being maintained and improved. It's whuy you have 795 around Goldsboro/Wilson, it's why you have the 117 extension connecting Goldsboro with I-40, It's why US 17 will eventually be four lanes all the way through NC. Not to hold Raleigh faultless, the improvements along US 264/64 and the "super 70 corridor" all seemed designed to make a smooth trip to the beach.
As a native Charlottean, the state is divided between east and west. Historially, Charlotte has always been the city with growth and the economic center for the state. The capitol is in Raleigh which is considered in eastern N.C. There has always been a dispute between the two sections regarding whether most of the money should be used to build up the east or used in the west to build up Charlotte and places like Asheville. As Raleigh continues to grow, the feaud seems to grow and grow.
Charlotte is a city that was build by Carolina guys like Belk, McColl, Ivey, Levine, Duke, Dilworth, etc. They were the guys that made Charlotte a big city through banking, manufacturing, auto racing, etc. Raleigh on the other hand is more of a newer large city that has been successful in attracting technology into the area over the last 25 years with their major universities and excellent N.C. workforce.
Both areas have legitimate reasons to compete but the problem is that everyone that works pays taxes and there should be no favorites in that respect. Making decisions to suit everyone is difficult.
I believe that the attitude towards Charlotte is no different than any other state whether it be NYC, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, or Miami. People seem to always be leary of the largest city in the state and accuse them of being where all of the filth and crime exists. That may be right in most cases, but the residents of N.C. are no different than any place else in that respect.
As a Charlottean, I must assume that the Raleigh area must be exceptional as it is usually the "best place to live in the U.S." according to Forbes and numerous other scholars and special interest bodies. Me, I will stick with Charlotte.
Charlotte and Raleigh, like London and NYC were/are made great cities due to the influx of others from all other places. Both Charlotte and Raleigh attract international companies and newcomers from other states and countries that add to the atmosphere that is making us an even greater place. We are both lucky in that respect.
As a native Charlottean, the state is divided between east and west. Historially, Charlotte has always been the city with growth and the economic center for the state. The capitol is in Raleigh which is considered in eastern N.C. There has always been a dispute between the two sections regarding whether most of the money should be used to build up the east or used in the west to build up Charlotte and places like Asheville. As Raleigh continues to grow, the feaud seems to grow and grow.
Charlotte is a city that was build by Carolina guys like Belk, McColl, Ivey, Levine, Duke, Dilworth, etc. They were the guys that made Charlotte a big city through banking, manufacturing, auto racing, etc. Raleigh on the other hand is more of a newer large city that has been successful in attracting technology into the area over the last 25 years with their major universities and excellent N.C. workforce.
Both areas have legitimate reasons to compete but the problem is that everyone that works pays taxes and there should be no favorites in that respect. Making decisions to suit everyone is difficult.
I believe that the attitude towards Charlotte is no different than any other state whether it be NYC, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, or Miami. People seem to always be leary of the largest city in the state and accuse them of being where all of the filth and crime exists. That may be right in most cases, but the residents of N.C. are no different than any place else in that respect.
As a Charlottean, I must assume that the Raleigh area must be exceptional as it is usually the "best place to live in the U.S." according to Forbes and numerous other scholars and special interest bodies. Me, I will stick with Charlotte.
Charlotte and Raleigh, like London and NYC were/are made great cities due to the influx of others from all other places. Both Charlotte and Raleigh attract international companies and newcomers from other states and countries that add to the atmosphere that is making us an even greater place. We are both lucky in that respect.
^^Also to Macjr's response. I lived in Raleigh/Durham for years and the roads there are worst than Charlotte in places. It has to do with the funding equity formula:
The equity formula was created in 1989 by the General Assembly. It requires that State Transportation Improvement Program funds be distributed equitably among regions of the state. Monetary distribution is based 50 percent on the population of a region, 25 percent on the number of miles of intrastate highways left to complete in a region and the remaining 25 percent is distributed equally among the regions for the STIP. Urban loop, congestion mitigation and air quality funds, and competitive/discretionary federal grants are exempt from the formula.
This formula adversely impacts the Raleigh/Durham area as well, at least the some of highways here have lights (when they work). The equity formula is outdated and needs serious modifications to accomodate growth in Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte.
The gripes of unfairness echo in the state's other large cities. Wake County, which includes Raleigh, ranked 90th in per capita spending over the past decade and got 7.5 percent of the road funding for 9.6 percent of the population.
"Road projects need to be built for roads that are used a lot," said Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker. "Building four-lane roads where there are no people doesn't make sense."
I also agree that to people in Raleigh Charlotte is non their radar. Both Charlotte and Raleigh have n attitude towards each other. However, I'd have to satire also had yo do historically with east vs west NC, politics, urban. Cs rural, and also Charlotte being close to SC. You can se this with NC students who live in the Charlotte area getting state tuition rates if they go to Winthrop, but thus is not reciporcated at UNCC. Perhaps the war between NC and SC is magnified in Charlotte. Just something I've noticed living in Charlotte. For example, continental tire HQ relocation across the street was detrimental to NC but not to Charlotte. Same with RedVentures. The jobs are still in the Charlotte area, people will still shop at Charlotte area malls, etc. So Charlotte still benefits but NC doesn't. So I think this dynamic affects Charlotte status with NC and its a problem no other metro in NC has.
Most of us are too young (no offense) to know of such a history. Therefore, it is pretty much jealousy... And if post-DNC Charlotte makes a transformation similar to that of post-DNC Atlanta, the jealousy will only get worse.
I mean let's face it, look at Atl vs the rest of Georgia (heck, vs the rest of the south in general). There's EASILY a 40-50 year gap in development between central Charlotte and central Atlanta (so just imagine how wide that gap is with other southern cities). There is a silent fear in NC that Charlotte will eventually "pull away from the pack" like Atlanta has done; thus creating an economic "black hole" in NC. It is happening to an extent, with the Triangle being the only region in NC/SC standing in the way of Charlotte having Atlanta-like total dominance. Out of the 15 or so Fortune 500s in NC/SC, 9 of them are located within 20 minutes of Uptown Charlotte. That is a scary fact to non-Charlotte area Carolinians.
Becoming the "Atlanta" of the Carolinas is not such a bad deal for Charlotte, but how about the rest of the Carolinas? What's in it for them? That's the real issue here. The Carolinas never had to deal with a "major city"; never had to compete against one either. Having such a city in our own backyard is a threat to business as usual in these parts.
Think about it. What happens when the "major city" can offer jobs, great mass transit, awesome diversity, more entertainment etc etc etc. That would force local leaders in other areas to "up their game" so that they can keep their population from moving to the "big city". If they don't..... Well, look at Atlanta and the rest of Georgia as a perfect example of what would happen if the other towns don't step up.
IMO, it is MUCH easier for NC to hold a city like Charlotte back (this is done by limiting infrastructure dollars) than it is to support Charlotte and let her grow to her full potential (then having to compete economically with big city Charlotte).
This is the line of thinking that keeps non-Charlotte NC voters from putting a Charlottean in a major state office. That "Atlanta factor" fear is big in NC. One can almost sense that fear in the minds of North Carolinians when they say to Charlotteans "you are NOT an Atlanta" and "NC does NOT revolve around YOUR city"; "we HAVE other options in NC other than YOUR city". It's fear and jealousy Ani. I noticed it looooooong ago and I've often given our friends in Raleigh a hard time because of it. Like it or not though, we need the vote of those friends in Raleigh if we are going to change the politics of this state. Such a change would benefit both cities, but it's a very tough sell in Raleigh (mainly because some folks in Raleigh feel that the state capital should be NC's Atlanta and they aren't willing to go through Charlotte to accomplish that goal). IMO, the in-fighting between the two (west vs east) will be the death of this state, as folks outside of NC see them both as being "North Carolina". With that said, it is time for both sides to work together. That way, we can help each other reach our goals.
LOL. As a native North Carolinean, I can attest nothing could be further from the truth.
Few other states have such an evenly spread out population with multiple economic centers as North Carolina.
Perhaps western NC and the "Metrolina" area views Charlotte as the big powerhouse that you describe, but NC's tourism, mountains, coastal popularity, biotech, smart grid industries, military institutions, clusters of higher education with associated research and talent pools/educated workforces all stand on their own merits.
Comparing Charlotte's relevance in the Great State of North Carolina to Atlanta's and the rest of Georgia is almost laughable.
Even with the most generous estimates Charlotte's 2.5 million residents would account for just 25% of NC's population, and I'll have to investigate what the gross domestic product or economic impact Charlotte has on the rest of the state.
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) to know of such a history. Therefore, it is pretty much jealousy... And if post-DNC Charlotte makes a transformation similar to that of post-DNC Atlanta, the jealousy will only get worse.
Well, look at Atlanta and the rest of Georgia as a perfect example of what would happen if the other towns don't step up.
