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I was going to vote for Charlotte as the most powerful but then I read the poll about most influential. Nashville has a huge influence on popular culture so it got my vote.
Yeah, I don't want to come across as a Charlotte basher. I think its a neat city with a very bright future in every way possible. Lots to offer too.
I do think that the region should develop a really strong university both at undergraduate level and graduate level before it becomes an area of 4 million people. Avoid going the Orlando/Tampa Bay Area/Phoenix/Las Vegas/Portland route in regards to educational institutions. Its one area where I think Charlotte can take a page or lesson from Raleigh-Durham just north of it.
To be fair, I also think Tampa Bay Area and Orlando (as well as Las Vegas, Portland, and Phoenix) could all do better if they improved on the educational institutions front. Not saying a place needs to become a Boston or a Raleigh-Durham or anything, but at least one legit top-notch sort of school would do. Something on the caliber of Nashville's Vanderbilt would work swimmingly in these other cities too or even something around the caliber of Miami's University of Miami or Dallas' Southern Methodist University would work really well. However, I am well aware that to improve colleges and universities, it takes years and cannot be done overnight -- hope investments are made, in my opinion.
I completely agree and I do believe it is Charlotte's primary weakness. If UNC-Charlotte could get on NC State's level academically, that would be a big and much-needed improvement.
-Most Global as far as being Alpha Beta or Gamma world City
-Largest GDP
-Fastest Growing GDP
-Most Fortune 500 Companies within Metropolitan Area
-City whose institutions most affect daily lives
-Most Global as far as being Alpha Beta or Gamma world City
-Largest GDP
-Fastest Growing GDP
-Most Fortune 500 Companies within Metropolitan Area
-City whose institutions most affect daily lives
With that in mind, definitely Charlotte or Austin primarily I believe.
In regards to the poll question(s) - most influential has to be NOLA, to me at least. Most important, I'm not sure.
In regards to the OP:
-What City if it disappeared would affect the most lives
I assume the one with the largest population?
No. Nothing to do with Population. What City if disappeared, and thus it's institutions along with it, would most affect you. And thus would reveal the most important city on this list If Orlando Disappeared, think of the Millions of Unhappy kids, If Memphis Disappeared, how would you get your FedEx package, If Austin disappeared, Think of your Dell Computers, If Charlotte Disappeared think of the millions with Bank of America accounts and thus forth,....Which would you miss/be affected by the most
Does a company that is HQ'd in one city but has many satellite offices that are sometimes even larger (size and/or employees) and/or more important (HQ in 1 city, R&D in another and manufacturing in another) than the HQ really have a large affect if the HQ city were to "disappear"?
Does a company that is HQ'd in one city but has many satellite offices that are sometimes even larger (size and/or employees) and/or more important (HQ in 1 city, R&D in another and manufacturing in another) than the HQ really have a large affect if the HQ city were to "disappear"?
I believe Austin has the fastest-growing GDP among the South's second-tier cities; Charlotte would pretty much take the rest of the categories IMO.
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