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When you say you always hear about Raleigh because of the universities, medicine, and tech, in what context is that? I just ask because it sounds like you may work in one of those fields and that would make sense. Charlotte's economy is more corporate-driven than Raleigh/Durham, which is more eds/meds/tech-focused.
But outside of that, if you follow politics or professional sports, you'll hear more about Charlotte as it has played/is playing host to big events in those areas.
Outside of my social network I always hear about the Triangle or the Research Triangle this and that. Science and Tech magazines and sources love Raleigh along with university and medical circles. The Amazon debacle is a recent good example. I dont follow NFL or the NBA just Tennis and Soccer so perhaps that could play into things but Charlotte's a sleeper from my perspective.. alot of people even mistake it for numerous other Charlotte somethings.
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Originally Posted by Mutiny77
I don't think either has a particularly strong connection to West Coast major cities, but Charlotte definitely has a bigger corporate/economic connection to non-Southern major cities with its huge banking presence in particular. But I think Raleigh tends to attract more transplants from outside of the region whereas Charlotte attracts just as many Southerners (from both Carolinas in particular) than non-Southerners. When I lived in Charlotte, a lot of people from outside the region that I knew were from NYC, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. I remember once, years ago, I was in orientation for a part-time seasonal job at a department store in Charlotte and somehow the topic came up about where people were from. Literally everyone sitting around me was a mid-Atlantic/Northern transplant. That took me by surprise.
This is just my thoughts but I think Raleigh is seen as the more progressive, Portland/Austin "esque" of the two. Its seen as the more sophisticated city in NC and Charlotte is seen more or less as just another large sunbelt city.
Living in NJ near NYC have several friends up here that have moved to NC. So far they have all chosen Raleigh. They seemed to like the economic prospects of Raleigh vs Charlotte. I feel like up here, overall Raleigh is talked about far more then Charlotte, but I feel that some of it has to do with well know educational institutions such as Duke and UNC.
Outside of my social network I always hear about the Triangle or the Research Triangle this and that. Science and Tech magazines and sources love Raleigh along with university and medical circles. The Amazon debacle is a recent good example. I dont follow NFL or the NBA just Tennis and Soccer so perhaps that could play into things but Charlotte's a sleeper from my perspective.. alot of people even mistake it for numerous other Charlotte somethings.
Yeah that's why I asked if you were in higher ed, medicine, or tech because Raleigh is more of a known quantity in those circles. And yes, it seems that some people have real trouble distinguishing between Charlotte, Charlottesville, and Charleston. Apparently all cities that start with the same five letters are essentially the same LOL.
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This is just my thoughts but I think Raleigh is seen as the more progressive, Portland/Austin "esque" of the two. Its seen as the more sophisticated city in NC and Charlotte is seen more or less as just another large sunbelt city.
This is where Raleigh benefits as the face of the Triangle because it's actually the Durham side of the region (Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro) that's more progressive; Raleigh itself does pretty well there but isn't dissimilar from Charlotte in that regard. I get the Portland/Austin progressive comparison, but it lacks the "cool" factor and downtowns those cities have and in that regard, it could be argued that Asheville is actually the Portland/Austin-esque city in NC. Both Charlotte and Raleigh attract a ton of families and have very similar family-friendly reputations. Raleigh has the advantage of being able to retain grads from all the colleges/universities in the area, but Charlotte actually does an impressive job of attracting a lot of college grads, especially from throughout the Carolinas, despite not being a big hub of higher ed.
The two cities have their distinct attributes for sure but overall they are more alike than different.
Yeah that's why I asked if you were in higher ed, medicine, or tech because Raleigh is more of a known quantity in those circles. And yes, it seems that some people have real trouble distinguishing between Charlotte, Charlottesville, and Charleston. Apparently all cities that start with the same five letters are essentially the same LOL.
I'm in higher ed but in general beyond the categories I noted, if you keep an eye out i would think you would notice that Raleigh gets more notice. Also, when I refer to Raleigh I'm generally referring to the triangle in general vs. just Raleigh.
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Originally Posted by Mutiny77
This is where Raleigh benefits as the face of the Triangle because it's actually the Durham side of the region (Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro) that's more progressive; Raleigh itself does pretty well there but isn't dissimilar from Charlotte in that regard. I get the Portland/Austin progressive comparison, but it lacks the "cool" factor and downtowns those cities have and in that regard, it could be argued that Asheville is actually the Portland/Austin-esque city in NC. Both Charlotte and Raleigh attract a ton of families and have very similar family-friendly reputations. Raleigh has the advantage of being able to retain grads from all the colleges/universities in the area, but Charlotte actually does an impressive job of attracting a lot of college grads, especially from throughout the Carolinas, despite not being a big hub of higher ed.
The two cities have their distinct attributes for sure but overall they are more alike than different.
I'm indifferent w Charlotte.. I've only been there twice but for short periods and it reminds me of Atlanta which I dont like at all. I think today they play equal parts for NC but my assumption is that Raleigh and Charlotte will pull apart more and more culturally as time goes w/ Charlotte continuing to be a major sunbelt city with major COL/QOL draws and w/ Raleigh/Research Triangle being the bigger draw from other major cities and universities and will continue to see bigger boosts from Tech. When I was in SF, Raleigh was often brought up as an option for alot of the tech folks there. Regarding Asheville.... I think more of places like Portlant, ME, Burlington, VT and Sante Fe vs. Portland/Austin.
While Charlotte isn't significant larger, Charlotte is still a million people more than Raleigh the idea even considering Raleigh as major city is relatively new. So Charlotte sort of has the brand recognition over Raleigh as bring "the" NC major city in 90s, As of now it's Charlotte first, Raleigh second than the triad region. but non of that really matter they have different images, Charlotte is viewed as more corporate, Raleigh is viewed as more education.
Significant number of transplant to South Atlantic cities in general common from the northeast that Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Tampa and etc. Charlotte has more Northeast transplants than Raleigh
To Atlanta perspective both are viewed as little siblings, there's a sibling rivalry but you sort of see them as on the same team representing the southeast and southern Piedmont region.
As a resident of NC from the northeast, I can see Raliegh lean more towards the i-95 cities like NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and DC. Charlotte lean more I-84, i-81 cities like Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Syracuse, etc. being that Charlotte is further west while Raleigh is closer to the major east coast cities which make it ideal for those who have family up and down the coast while Charlotte suits those who live in the rust-belt cities further inland of NY and PA, and even some midwesters from Ohio and Michigan, people forget that midwesterners move to NC as well. I-77 begins around Cleveland Ohio so they have direct access to Charlotte as well.
Living in NJ near NYC have several friends up here that have moved to NC. So far they have all chosen Raleigh. They seemed to like the economic prospects of Raleigh vs Charlotte. I feel like up here, overall Raleigh is talked about far more then Charlotte, but I feel that some of it has to do with well know educational institutions such as Duke and UNC.
Probably because Charlotte is a banking town while Raleigh is a tech town. You aren’t going to leave NYC for banking sector jobs but might for Tech jobs
As a resident of NC from the northeast, I can see Raliegh lean more towards the i-95 cities like NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and DC. Charlotte lean more I-84, i-81 cities like Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Syracuse, etc. being that Charlotte is further west while Raleigh is closer to the major east coast cities which make it ideal for those who have family up and down the coast while Charlotte suits those who live in the rust-belt cities further inland of NY and PA, and even some midwesters from Ohio and Michigan, people forget that midwesterners move to NC as well. I-77 begins around Cleveland Ohio so they have direct access to Charlotte as well.
Charlotte seems to get some people from WV, which makes sense given that I-77 runs through the state.
I'm pretty well versed on how North Carolinians regard Charlotte and Raleigh, and there was a two-year long hotly contested thread on the NC board that Carolinians drove into the dirt...
I am less clear on how people look at the two cities nationally, so this can be a "versus" thread, but it's more of a side by side comparison to see how everyone outside the Carolinas thinks they stack up, in regards to places to move or visit, cultural appeal, entertainment, and any other factors...
Here's a little of what I have somewhat of a handle on:
•Californians seem indifferent, as in there is no great draw to NC. You'll meet Californians everywhere in NC but there isn't one place that sticks out above the rest...
•Western New Yorkers (Buffalo, Rochester) seem to have more of a connection to Charlotte, while the rest of New York seems to gravitate more to The Triangle. What does this indicate? New York City has transplanted people along the entire East Coast, so there are plenty of NYers in Charlotte too, but probably slightly more in Raleigh-Durham...
•Urban Virginians don't have a strong appeal to NC, but The Triangle seems to be where people go when they leave here more than anything. Tidewater VA is pretty strongly tied to NE NC. Most Virginians gravitate north rather than south...
I have some pretty strong opinions of both cities, but I'm also a former resident who is about to become a permanent resident in about five months. I'll reserve my opinions mostly because I'm interested in seeing unbiased interest about the two that you can't get when it was on the NC board. Do people nationally look at Charlotte or Raleigh as a major city? Do people recognize any cultural output from either?
My thinking is Raleigh is in the Research Triangle and is a tech mecca and Charlotte is a banking city...both seem among the more desirable locales in the eastern USA.
I'm in higher ed but in general beyond the categories I noted, if you keep an eye out i would think you would notice that Raleigh gets more notice. Also, when I refer to Raleigh I'm generally referring to the triangle in general vs. just Raleigh.
Both places get a ton of notice but right now, the Triangle is getting a little more. That's how it was with Charlotte like 10-15 years ago. The Triangle is kinda like Nashville which is the new cool kid getting the attention whereas Charlotte is kinda like Portland which doesn't get quite as much buzz as it used to but has essentially solidified its reputation and is continuing to mature as a city.
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I'm indifferent w Charlotte.. I've only been there twice but for short periods and it reminds me of Atlanta which I dont like at all. I think today they play equal parts for NC but my assumption is that Raleigh and Charlotte will pull apart more and more culturally as time goes w/ Charlotte continuing to be a major sunbelt city with major COL/QOL draws and w/ Raleigh/Research Triangle being the bigger draw from other major cities and universities and will continue to see bigger boosts from Tech. When I was in SF, Raleigh was often brought up as an option for alot of the tech folks there. Regarding Asheville.... I think more of places like Portlant, ME, Burlington, VT and Sante Fe vs. Portland/Austin.
I don't really think Charlotte and the Triangle are going to "pull apart more and more culturally" over time at all. The Triangle will continue to expand its tech presence for sure, and Charlotte will certainly do that same; as a matter of fact, it's already doing just that. At the same time, the Triangle will also become more corporate, landing more F500 headquarters like Advanced Auto Parts which is moving to Raleigh from VA. In terms of urban development, you'll definitely start to see downtown Raleigh take more cues from uptown Charlotte as it becomes more of a destination with big city amenities. Both will retain their distinctive flavors for sure, but more growth over time will result in increasingly similar vibes IMO.
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