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Places like NoDa is full of crime but I don't see anyone bashing it.
I would hardly say NoDa is full of crime. At least no more than other areas. There are car break-ins some home break-ins, but it's not that common. Surely not as bad as some will have you believe.
I think the University area has everything to be a great area UNCC, Greenways, Office Park, and shopping. But the problem is that it does not have a clear road map to develop into a great area. Prefect example of what the University area could be more like is more of a small town like Greenville, SC but with UNCC being the center.
There have been countless urban development plans created for the University City area. I've seen some that are stunning. These plans are paid for by the taxpayer and at times even accepted by the city. And each time these plans get abandoned when big business decides it wants to create a development there and the city council won't say "no, it doesn't fit the plan". The big banks, the hospital system and numerous developers all took this route.
It didn't help that the local government installed a huge trash incinerator right in the center of UC (at Harris & N. Tryon) that burned city trash for several years hauled in by dozens of garbage trucks each day. When the EPA shut it down, it sat there for years which scared away a lot of quality development. It was finally torn down about a decade ago where the Promenade strip mall exists now.
At this point, I think the damage has been done. A great deal of the middle class that lived there in the 80s & early 90s has moved on and it was replaced by a lower class element.
UC has some real nice areas and they also have some sketchy areas. Not sure why some are painting it with a broad thug brush based on the shopping/lake area on weekends/late nights
I have you lived or presently live in UC (sorry if you already stated this somewhere)?
..and how do you protect your kids from this? Do you have black tint and soundproof windows?
You make it sound like UC is the only place with cars with loud speakers.
I've never encountered that completely random animalistic behavior from one car to another in a community I've lived, which includes Silicon Valley, Johns Island SC, Kannapolis, Myers Park, or Chapel Hill. Now I've noticed it when driving through parts of Durham, Oakland, CA, Panama City, FL, Trenton, NJ and such, but I never expected that University City would be categorized with the latter. It's not just the loud bass in isolation - it's usually coupled with something like gesturing at other cars, tailgating just for the heck of it, just acting very dangerously and recklessly because it's "fun" or gives the instigator a sense of "power".
Last edited by blueheronNC; 06-05-2012 at 08:33 AM..
UC has some real nice areas and they also have some sketchy areas. Not sure why some are painting it with a broad thug brush based on the shopping/lake area on weekends/late nights
The behavior I've witnessed has taken place either around 6:30 p.m. on a random weeknight around the Trader Joe's, or Saturday or Sunday afternoons around 1-3 p.m around the shopping centers along WT Harris. Not exactly prime time for "party" behavior.
At this point, I think the damage has been done. A great deal of the middle class that lived there in the 80s & early 90s has moved on and it was replaced by a lower class element.
Yet you still (or until very recently) have businesses like Jos A Bank, The Melting Pot, etc. right there in the heart of University City, in the same strip mall where folks stand around loitering on random Sunday afternoons. It's an incredible contrast. I know some smaller-sized but extremely wealthy cities that had to fight tooth and nail to get a Jos A Bank to locate in their town, so the fact that you have this juxtaposition is just one of the examples that suggested to me that this area was changing for the worse.
Places like NoDa is full of crime but I don't see anyone bashing it.
Difference is, NoDa is a trendy urban area for mostly young adults where some crime is part of the way of life - though it is currently a lot less crime-ridden than ever before.
University City was supposed to be a great family friendly area (and is still being marketed as such). Not all would agree that it is.
Yet you still (or until very recently) have businesses like Jos A Bank, The Melting Pot, etc. right there in the heart of University City, in the same strip mall where folks stand around loitering on random Sunday afternoons. It's an incredible contrast. I know some smaller-sized but extremely wealthy cities that had to fight tooth and nail to get a Jos A Bank to locate in their town, so the fact that you have this juxtaposition is just one of the examples that suggested to me that this area was changing for the worse.
I've never seen folks randomly loitering in the promenade shopping center on a Sunday. Perhaps they were waiting for the IHOP to open, or waiting on a bus? Often people with a very suburban mindset see people of color standing around and assume loitering.
Joseph A Bank is a relatively recent addition to that shopping center.
I've never encountered that completely random animalistic behavior from one car to another in a community I've lived, which includes Silicon Valley, Johns Island SC, Kannapolis, Myers Park, or Chapel Hill.
Coming from those areas I'm surprised you weren't shocked by the lack of valet service. I kid. I doubt the behavior in UC is much different from other zip codes with similar demographics.
Jos A Bank is high end? Home of the Buy 1, Get 2 Free sale
I've never encountered that completely random animalistic behavior from one car to another in a community I've lived, which includes Silicon Valley, Johns Island SC, Kannapolis, Myers Park, or Chapel Hill. Now I've noticed it when driving through parts of Durham, Oakland, CA, Panama City, FL, Trenton, NJ and such, but I never expected that University City would be categorized with the latter. It's not just the loud bass in isolation - it's usually coupled with something like gesturing at other cars, tailgating just for the heck of it, just acting very dangerously and recklessly because it's "fun" or gives the instigator a sense of "power".
Sounds like typical college-age kid behavior to me. The Army guys in Fayetteville are terrible about that sort of bad driving.
I do notice a little bit more aggressive driving in the University area than other parts of town. But I've seen worse from drag racers on Rea Road. And Type A jerks and entitled soccer moms on Providence
Your words betray your true meaning. "Animalistic," etc. We can all read between the lines and know who you "don't want to expose your kids to" and why.
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