Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First of all, as to the population of the two counties, it depends on who you ask. For now, the Census estimate says Mecklenburg is larger while the state of NC says Wake. As you say, it's just a matter of time...
As for Garner, it's not so hard to imagine its situation given its history and specific location. Garner is not the shining economic star of the county. Its location to the south of Raleigh vs. the preferred locations on the west & north sides has caused it to grow more slowly and it hasn't really attracted the commerical "spill over" development from RTP. Cary, Morrisville and Apex have garnered (no pun intended) the most commerical and residential development for burbs in Wake County. Even Wake Forest to the far north of Raleigh has had better economic development. Everything came last to Garner. For example, the last parts of the Beltline and continuation of I-40 to be completed were the sections that connect to Garner. This put Garner behind by decades and it's hard for them to catch up or raise their visibility. I don't know for sure but I'd bet that Garner was larger than Cary when my family moved to Raleigh almost 37 years ago. Now, Cary is probably 5-6 times larger than Garner.
I think for many Wake County residents, Garner is looked upon as the ugly step sister. It's viewed by many as too redneck. It's been a victim of being on the opposite side of town of the explosion of development that occured north and west of Raleigh over the last 40 years. It was sort of left in the dust. Frankly, I think that being annexed would be really good for Raleigh in the long term. The town holds the land that is the gateway to DT from the south. If Garner can hold on, it's going to get a lot of attention in the future. It's simply too close to DT Raleigh for it to not be a good bet for the long haul. But, it won't hang on unless it gets a handle on its own municipal operations.
Interesting perspective on Garner. It's location to DT Raleigh, I agree, is superb (spell check?). The growth of DT Raleigh could be the key for Garner's growth/annexation. I shall try to stay abreast on this.
You're probably right concerning Wake County, I'm sure the Census will agree with NC's projections.
On another note, what about the Dakota cities? Will Sioux Falls become the Denver of the Dakotas?
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
5,509 posts, read 11,878,949 times
Reputation: 2501
Souix Falls is the fastest growing city in the Midwest.....something like 16%-20% annual growth. Not bad for a city kinda in the middle of nowhere. I want to say the metro is like 300K.
Baltimore more has been a major league city for over a 100 years, and still is.
It certainly has been a big league city...but it was a much more important city in the past than it is currently. Maybe that person meant that Baltimore will once again rise to the prominence that it enjoyed during it's first two centuries in existence? It has a difficult position due to it's proximity to the nation's capital, but Baltimore is a wonderful city on par with a city like Boston - but not widely recognized on such a level.
Come on people. Those are major league cities. Is there like zero respect for any city smaller than Philly out there?
I think you can look at the cities that have at least 2 major league sports teams and even most that only have one, basically the top 30 metropolitan areas in the nation, and consider those to be the major league cities. A city of 1.8 million and up.
I think this thread is asking which cities will join this group. Cities like OKC or Austin, or Jacksonville or Nashville that are currently on the bubble of being a top 25-35 metro.
Personally, I think any city larger than say Indianapolis is pretty much a major metropolitan area.
Pittsburgh is Not major league. Denver is on the cusp of being one while Baltimore is there but isn't as important as it used to be.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
