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"Stand Up Nashville, a community labour organisation representing the rights of working people in the city. As it battles the impacts of gentrification, transport pressures and the construction boom, Nashville is trying to maintain its unique sense of identity and accessibility.
“One of the things that makes Nashville Nashville is its rich culture of art and food, and most of that doesn’t come from the most wealthy,” Barnett said. “It comes from the folks that are middle-class and below middle-class.
“As people are getting pushed out of the city, these really cherished institutions – even restaurants and music venues – are being torn down to build these mix use developments. Whole neighbourhoods are being basically wiped out and rebuilt.
“The longer that is allowed to go on, Nashville is going to lose its culture, which is why people want to move to Nashville in the first place.”
In no way am I being facetious, but what is current day Charlotte's culture?
The City is beautiful; the streetscape's are lined with lovely plants and flowers; the City is easy to navigate, and much of the architecture is handsome.
But what is her culture?
Fair point, although this NY transplant bemoans the loss of NYC's street culture, as do hundreds of thousands of NY'ers. What we've seen play out in NYC, is much the same as what's seen in both Charlotte and in Nashville.
Charlotte culture is developed from the past history which represents pride and determination. We fought the British and established the nickname of the "Hornet's Nest." Our founders thrived on their determination, toughness, and Presbyterian work ethic that developed our history of banking, trucking, and manufacturing that enabled the small village of 120 years ago to grow to the second largest finance empire in the country. Charlotte is a culture of sectarian pride that dates to the Scots-Irish and the days with the music that was part of Charlotte's roots. Charlotte was targeted to be the country music center when the Carter family had a radio station here country and bluegrass had such a significant place here. Unfortunately, the people then didn't want that image. Charlotte is a racing culture that formed with outlaws running moonshine thus the beginnings of the racing movement of NASCAR. Most of the old-time drivers and moonshine runners coming from the city area.
Charlotte offers a diversity of entertainment and sports which make us better than most and not as good as some, but nevertheless part of our sports loving culture. We have been inundated with outsiders which dilutes what we had as a solid basis of our culture, but has added to what is and will be our future culture as a very international city. Bottom line, Charlotte is a culture of hard work, banking, manufacturing, entertainment, sports, religions, and even a culture of ale houses and music which makes us a transient culture heading for world class status.
All places have their cultures. You just have to be astute enough to understand the make-up, development, and the place from where the newcomers came to collectively donate or contribute from their own cultures to make us what we are. "Culture" is simply a concept of how a place based on lifestyles and activities. To say that Charlotte doesn't have a culture indicates that the judgement is based on a superficial evaluation eliminating lots of factors. What one person sees as the culture is often seen differently from a different person. A culture isn't "lost." They simply evolve and change with the physical and social environment. But what was the culture will always be there at a possibly much lesser degree, but never lost.
As a native NC-er married to a native Charlottean, though not a native Charlottean myself, I would second the bit about the churches. I always heard that Charlotte had a church on every street corner. I would also add banking. It's been a banking center for 50 years at least. https://www.bizjournals.com/charlott...a-banking.html and https://www.ourstate.com/hugh-mccoll-charlotte-banking/ and just business in general. It was an early railroad crossroads and business was built around that. Charlotte has a long history of integration, specifically school desegregation too. Charlotte is New South (not a new term, dates to right after the Civil War) centered on business, industry, religion and throw in a little NASCAR for fun.
Thank you for adding some historical context to this thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jewkranian
Charlotte culture is developed from the past history which represents pride and determination. We fought the British and established the nickname of the "Hornet's Nest." Our founders thrived on their determination, toughness, and Presbyterian work ethic that developed our history of banking, trucking, and manufacturing that enabled the small village of 120 years ago to grow to the second largest finance empire in the country. Charlotte is a culture of sectarian pride that dates to the Scots-Irish and the days with the music that was part of Charlotte's roots. Charlotte was targeted to be the country music center when the Carter family had a radio station here country and bluegrass had such a significant place here. Unfortunately, the people then didn't want that image. Charlotte is a racing culture that formed with outlaws running moonshine thus the beginnings of the racing movement of NASCAR. Most of the old-time drivers and moonshine runners coming from the city area.
Charlotte offers a diversity of entertainment and sports which make us better than most and not as good as some, but nevertheless part of our sports loving culture. We have been inundated with outsiders which dilutes what we had as a solid basis of our culture, but has added to what is and will be our future culture as a very international city. Bottom line, Charlotte is a culture of hard work, banking, manufacturing, entertainment, sports, religions, and even a culture of ale houses and music which makes us a transient culture heading for world class status.
All places have their cultures. You just have to be astute enough to understand the make-up, development, and the place from where the newcomers came to collectively donate or contribute from their own cultures to make us what we are. "Culture" is simply a concept of how a place based on lifestyles and activities. To say that Charlotte doesn't have a culture indicates that the judgement is based on a superficial evaluation eliminating lots of factors. What one person sees as the culture is often seen differently from a different person. A culture isn't "lost." They simply evolve and change with the physical and social environment. But what was the culture will always be there at a possibly much lesser degree, but never lost.
I appreciate your well constructed reply.
I don't know Charlotte's past well enough to say the native culture is intact, or that it's lost, as I have no means of comparison. It's important to note in all of this that I never suggested that Charlotte has no culture, although I have many times noted the evolution of Charlotte.
Fortunately, yourself and several others have listed several displays of Charlotte's rich history, which I look forward to enjoying
In no way am I being facetious, but what is current day Charlotte's culture?
The City is beautiful; the streetscape's are lined with lovely plants and flowers; the City is easy to navigate, and much of the architecture is handsome.
But what is her culture?
Fair point, although this NY transplant bemoans the loss of NYC's street culture, as do hundreds of thousands of NY'ers. What we've seen play out in NYC, is much the same as what's seen in both Charlotte and in Nashville.
What is current day Minneapolis culture? Raleigh? Tampa? Houston? Atlanta? Philadelphia? Phoenix?
All of these places have their own local cultures. What are you trying to get at here?
Thanks for asking the question, as I wondered that myself.
***
(EDIT: Going on presumption, for a moment, about what Charlotte485 meant, once again, I never said that Charlotte was devoid of culture.
If anything, articles like the one that I posted highlight the effects that gentrification has upon their respective cities. Fortunately, a few posters have steered me in the right direction as to where I might behold Charlotte's traditions. For example: many times have I beheld, and enjoyed, the art of musicians playing brass instruments in Uptown CLT. Fortunately, a poster on this thread gave me much needed historical context regarding the practice.)
It is good to have posters that can share the region’s history. Too often, that is not the case. To be more specific regarding manufacturing, it centered around textiles for a long time. I believe the textile industry played such a large part for so long. But today it is all but gone. But the empty warehouses remain and are being gentrified.
The “Cotton Mill Camapaign of the Late 1880s” brought industry to the South from the northeastern US. Prior to that the South was agriculture based. But DA Thompkins of CLT and Henry Grady of ATL relocates the textile industry, and CLT by 1900 had more textile plants within a 100 mile radius than any city in the South. CLT became the service center for the industry.
In years to come, the warehouses will all be remodeled and serving another purpose. One will have to look harder to find remnants of a textile industry that will was the ground floor of what CLT has become today.
All of these places have their own local cultures. What are you trying to get at here?
He is saying that the implication that Charlotte doesn't have a particular culture can be said about Minneapolis and the other places he mentioned. They have their characteristics and historic foundations, but they have nothing that really sticks out and defines a identifiable culture to an outsider.
I believe that is the situation for most cities except for New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Nashville, Memphis, St. Louis, Santa Fe, Boston, and San Antonio are some a few examples of cities that have a defined culture. Most cultures are based on historical features except for places like New Orleans which is cuisine.
Of course, we all have our own interpretations of the term culture and there is room for argument, but what's the use?
He is saying that the implication that Charlotte doesn't have a particular culture can be said about Minneapolis and the other places he mentioned. They have their characteristics and historic foundations, but they have nothing that really sticks out and defines a identifiable culture to an outsider.
But a Charlotte native or long-term resident should know that just because a place's culture may not be readily obvious to outsiders doesn't mean it lacks local culture. And even then, some of the cities he listed *do* have cultural characteristics that stick out to outsiders.
Quote:
I believe that is the situation for most cities except for New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Nashville, Memphis, St. Louis, Santa Fe, Boston, and San Antonio are some a few examples of cities that have a defined culture. Most cultures are based on historical features except for places like New Orleans which is cuisine.
I agree that those cities have well-defined and well-known local cultures. And historical features most certainly make up a big part of New Orleans' local culture and well as cuisine, geography, music, demographics, and accents.
Quote:
Of course, we all have our own interpretations of the term culture and there is room for argument, but what's the use?
He is saying that the implication that Charlotte doesn't have a particular culture can be said about Minneapolis and the other places he mentioned. They have their characteristics and historic foundations, but they have nothing that really sticks out and defines a identifiable culture to an outsider.
I believe that is the situation for most cities except for New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Nashville, Memphis, St. Louis, Santa Fe, Boston, and San Antonio are some a few examples of cities that have a defined culture. Most cultures are based on historical features except for places like New Orleans which is cuisine.
Of course, we all have our own interpretations of the term culture and there is room for argument, but what's the use?
Exactly this ^
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
But a Charlotte native or long-term resident should know that just because a place's culture may not be readily obvious to outsiders doesn't mean it lacks local culture. And even then, some of the cities he listed *do* have cultural characteristics that stick out to outsiders.
I agree that those cities have well-defined and well-known local cultures. And historical features most certainly make up a big part of New Orleans' local culture and well as cuisine, geography, music, demographics, and accents.
I mean this IS a discussion board, isn't it?
My point in picking out cities such as Minneapolis or Houston is pretty much what you said. It may not be readily obvious to outsiders,
But from the way it’s built, what we call our downtown, how light rail became a big feature, from our sports, our local food like BBQ, lots of our shopping centers and the way the houses and neighborhoods look. People’s job professions, people’s accents, sweet tea, the street signs with a crown, so many references to Queen City, people grocery store preferences, sodas (SunDrop, Cheerwine) and many other things that combined make Charlotte uniquely Charlotte.
Charlotte is so lacking in culture because it stands in stark contrast, difference in build and history from Baltimore, Boston, Louisville and other generally North Eastern/Rust belt cities or southern cities like Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, etc... Because it doesn’t look like a generic gritty or antebellum city, it doesn’t have culture?
Between Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo and Charlotte. One city sticks out far from the others in many ways. Yet, it has zero culture. Ok.
Reminds me of a group of “Emo” teens who thinks society is dumb for conforming into groups or social cliques and haven’t looked in the mirror.
Last edited by Charlotte485; 04-20-2019 at 08:33 AM..
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