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Oh yeah, NC'ers love going to SC for the beaches, but I think most NC'ers stay in the state when they vacation.
Really? I wouldn't be surprised to see that a good bit travel to several different locations outside the state for vacation. Either way, my point was that that's a notable example of the north-to-south flow in significant numbers; it's not a lopsided south-to-north flow.
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I'm sure most SC'ers in the Upstate travel to Charlotte pretty often for a bigger city, closest major city to that area (Atlanta is probably a bit too far).
Charlotte is a little closer to Greenville (about an 1½ hrs) but Atlanta isn't much farther at all (2 hrs); also, a lot of people from Greenville often visit the Mall of Georgia in Buford, which is about the same distance as SouthPark Mall and larger. Spartanburg is closer to Charlotte, but Anderson is closer to Atlanta. The Upstate as a whole is roughly equidistant to both Charlotte and Atlanta.
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Even though the Triangle isn't too far from the VA border and Richmond, it doesn't seem like 1-85 between Durham and Petersburg is that busy for the most part. However, I still see a ton of VA license plates around the Triangle, definitely more than SC license plates. It's also kind of weird because southern VA (the areas closest to the Triangle) is extremely rural! The stretch of I-85 between Durham and Petersburg is pretty remote, a lot more on the VA side. Who knows, maybe it's common for people in the Richmond or Hampton Roads areas to visit the Triangle, because a VA license plate is a pretty common site. Maybe it's people from areas that are a bit more remote, who knows. It's the same with the Triad, but I get that. Martinsville and Danville are two decent sized towns not far from the Triad at all, in fact they're closer to Charlotte than they are to Richmond.
Yeah, that goes to the point I'm making: the traffic flows are mainly one way, from the small towns in VA near the border to the Triad and the Triangle. The only nexus of significant cross-flows seem to be the Hampton Roads/Outer Banks region. But in the border regions of the Carolinas, the flow goes both ways for the most part at several points.
Really? I wouldn't be surprised to see that a good bit travel to several different locations outside the state for vacation. Either way, my point was that that's a notable example of the north-to-south flow in significant numbers; it's not a lopsided south-to-north flow.
Charlotte is a little closer to Greenville (about an 1½ hrs) but Atlanta isn't much farther at all (2 hrs); also, a lot of people from Greenville often visit the Mall of Georgia in Buford, which is about the same distance as SouthPark Mall and larger. Spartanburg is closer to Charlotte, but Anderson is closer to Atlanta. The Upstate as a whole is roughly equidistant to both Charlotte and Atlanta.
Yeah, that goes to the point I'm making: the traffic flows are mainly one way, from the small towns in VA near the border to the Triad and the Triangle. The only nexus of significant cross-flows seem to be the Hampton Roads/Outer Banks region. But in the border regions of the Carolinas, the flow goes both ways for the most part at several points.
Yeah, I'd have to agree in general. North Carolina is more similar to Virginia (definitely the Triangle/Triad metros) but there is more interaction with South Carolina (Charlotte has to be the best example). And I'm just going by my experience living in NC, but I'd say the NC beaches are still a bit more popular for NC'ers than the SC ones, even though the SC beaches are still quite popular. Also, the NC mountains are always a popular destination for vacation.
its interesting imo cities like Charlotte and the surrounding area are very connected to SC part of the metro even extends into SC and there are alot of similarities however NC and VA also share alot of similarities one thing is for sure is that NC has more in common I think with SC and VA then TN and GA in general.
Really? I wouldn't be surprised to see that a good bit travel to several different locations outside the state for vacation. Either way, my point was that that's a notable example of the north-to-south flow in significant numbers; it's not a lopsided south-to-north flow.
Charlotte is a little closer to Greenville (about an 1½ hrs) but Atlanta isn't much farther at all (2 hrs); also, a lot of people from Greenville often visit the Mall of Georgia in Buford, which is about the same distance as SouthPark Mall and larger. Spartanburg is closer to Charlotte, but Anderson is closer to Atlanta. The Upstate as a whole is roughly equidistant to both Charlotte and Atlanta.
Yeah, that goes to the point I'm making: the traffic flows are mainly one way, from the small towns in VA near the border to the Triad and the Triangle. The only nexus of significant cross-flows seem to be the Hampton Roads/Outer Banks region. But in the border regions of the Carolinas, the flow goes both ways for the most part at several points.
This makes sense. In 20 years of living in Norfolk I never went to Raleigh, etc. Nothing against those cities, we just never had a reason to travel there, never knew people who lived or moved there, etc. I get the feeling it's the same going the other way, that Raleigh area folks rarely have a reason to visit the Norfolk area.
But OBX was/is the "backyard" for people in the Hampton Roads area. I spent at least half of my summer weekends in Duck or Kill Devil Hills. There are more people going to the OBX from DC/MD/PA/OH etc than before, but VA people still love to flock there. There is some commuter flow from places like Elizabeth City into VA, but it's a small number.
I've lived my whole life around Raleigh (the Triangle) and you never hear about anyone going up to the Hampton Roads region. I've only been once in my life, and it was to take an alternate route to Baltimore to avoid the DC traffic. Most North Carolinians around the Triangle don't have a reason to go up there, and the two metros aren't terrible close. I think most of the VA license plates I see around the Triangle are people from Mecklenburg, Halifax, Charlotte, and maybe Brunswick or Pittsylvania Counties. I'm just a little curious, because I notice a ton of VA license plates around the Triangle. Where do they come from and why would they come down here? Richmond isn't very far from the Triangle and offers as much as we do, it's interesting to think about. Same story with the Triad, but it makes a little more sense since Danville and Martinsville are pretty close. However, the VA counties closest to the Triangle are pretty remote. Also, not surprised about the OBX. If you live in VA (particularly the Hampton Roads region), the OBX wouldn't be too far.
Generally, if anyone's going anywhere from Richmond, it's to DC, Charlottesville, or Hampton Roads. There is very little reason to go to Raleigh unless you have business/family there and I imagine there would be a similar perspective coming out of Raleigh for Richmond. Even though there might be similarities between the areas, Raleigh is further away than Baltimore with nothing in between - there just doesn't seem to be a lot of people flow on a day to day basis - the fact that I-95 narrows and becomes wilderness south of Petersburg, and I-85 is basically the same heading south into the Triangle is fairly telling. It's one reason traversing that area feels like a gulf/barrier between regions. I-95 between Richmond and DC is constantly busy. I-64 between Richmond and HR has been in need of expansion for decades, and it can be equally crowded. From a personal perspective, I find myself in DC, at least once almost every week for a variety of reasons, business or otherwise. In contrast, I've been to Raleigh once in the last year, and the firm I work for even has an office there. I'm betting that many of the NC plates seen around Richmond and the VA plates you see in NC are actually students, and incidental visitors.
Generally, if anyone's going anywhere from Richmond, it's to DC, Charlottesville, or Hampton Roads. There is very little reason to go to Raleigh unless you have business/family there and I imagine there would be a similar perspective coming out of Raleigh for Richmond. Even though there might be similarities between the areas, Raleigh is further away than Baltimore with nothing in between - there just doesn't seem to be a lot of people flow on a day to day basis - the fact that I-95 narrows and becomes wilderness south of Petersburg, and I-85 is basically the same heading south into the Triangle is fairly telling. It's one reason traversing that area feels like a gulf/barrier between regions. I-95 between Richmond and DC is constantly busy. I-64 between Richmond and HR has been in need of expansion for decades, and it can be equally crowded. From a personal perspective, I find myself in DC, at least once almost every week for a variety of reasons, business or otherwise. In contrast, I've been to Raleigh once in the last year, and the firm I work for even has an office there. I'm betting that many of the NC plates seen around Richmond and the VA plates you see in NC are actually students, and incidental visitors.
Around Raleigh, you rarely hear any mention of people going up to Richmond. Most people go up to VA for tourist attractions such as Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens/Colonial Williamsburg, and Jamestown. However, never to the actual city of Richmond. Like you said, there isn't much in Richmond that we don't have in the Triangle and vice versa. Maybe all the VA license plates I see around the Triangle are big college basketball fans! All jokes aside, you're probably right that they're students with UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, and Duke in the vicinity. I-85 between Durham and Petersburg is quite remote, you have the towns of Oxford and Henderson in NC but it's even more remote on the VA side. Also, I always expect this highway to be a little busier but that's usually not the case. I always thought Richmond was closer to Raleigh than Baltimore, but hey, you're the local talking. Maybe it's the fact that Richmond is a tad bit closer to North Carolina than Maryland in general. However, you're right that there is truly nothing between Richmond and the Triangle on I-85. In general, and you might disagree, but I think Raleigh and Richmond are pretty similar despite Richmond being more historic and urban while Raleigh is quite suburban and more so "New South." Some of the suburban areas have a similar vibe, maybe it's just me.
Oh yeah, NC'ers love going to SC for the beaches, but I think most NC'ers stay in the state when they vacation.
I suspect this is more of a Charlotte phenomenon. The Triangle has closer access to NC's beaches. The drive to Charleston and Wilmington is the same distance for Charlotte, and the roads to Wilmington were only recently upgraded to highways.
I suspect this is more of a Charlotte phenomenon. The Triangle has closer access to NC's beaches. The drive to Charleston and Wilmington is the same distance for Charlotte, and the roads to Wilmington were only recently upgraded to highways.
True, Charleston would definitely make sense for Charlotte. Myrtle would make more sense for the Triangle, isn't very far and I can tell you it's quite popular (along with NC beaches) for people in the Triangle.
Tight like virgins. Virginia and North Carolina are related, depending on who you ask.
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