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.
So here is a question. What is the Triad's distinct flavor?
Raleigh = RTP & Government
Charlotte = Big city & Corporates
Asheville = Hippie enclave
I'm not quite sure what is the attraction of living in the triad. It doesn't have to be a big city. Asheville isn't a big city, but definitely it seems to get a lot of admiration. It just seems that if there was some great beauty or whatever quality, more people would try to live there. Then you would need to clamp down on the growth. That doesn't seem to be what is happening. Do the people of NC know that the Triad is amazing and the transplants simply haven't caught wind of it? What is it? It seems like it just isn't growing because nothing has caught on.
Last edited by Logicist027; 09-13-2017 at 10:17 AM..
So you want to live in a city with gridlocked roads, overcrowded schools and an endless sea of suburban sprawl? Maybe the answer is for you to move to Raleigh or Charlotte.
The Triad is hardly growing at a "snail's pace." In fact, Guilford County is growing faster than the national average. And downtown G'boro IS booming. Have you looked at it lately?
Why is it that you are so determined for the area to "boom"? Whats the attraction to that? If thats what you want, why did you move here? Why didn't you move to a boom town? I don't get it.
First of all, my wife lived here before me, so I moved here to marry her. Secondly, had you read my posts a bit closer, you'll realize that I recognize that the area is growing. I never said that the area is growing at a snails pace. I simply said that there are people who probably, from their attitude, wished it would grow at a snail's pace. Why am I so determined for the area to boom? I've grown up and lived in an area that lost all of its manufacturing, and it has never recovered. There are people, like you, who fear that if the area did the right things, spent the right money, and spurred a huge economic growth, that all the fears that you have mentioned would become reality and it would make life a living hell. They'd rather see that area as Andy Griffith than they would see it revived. What's the attraction? For starters, high wage employment. Not only having more options for employment, but having higher wages across the board. Higher wages means more money for entertainment, nicer homes, nicer communities - not that G'boro doesn't have these things (which I know you'd be assuming I'm saying such), more options for educations, and more opportunity for my child as well as my family as a whole. I would probably move to Charlotte or Raleigh if my wife wanted to, but right now, she's just fine living here. I'm not tied to the area, but where I live, I always want it to be successful. And being successful and wanting an area to boom doesn't automatically equal all of those negative things you fear about a booming city. The Triad area can have a boom and still be an attractive area for those who don't want gridlock. Especially if the industry is placed around the area and not all stuffed downtown for instance.
But what others have been saying is that Winston and Greensboro are growing. The difference between their growth and the meteoric rise of RDU and Charlotte are that those cities happened to be hubs for major industries that skyrocketed in the last few decades, while the same wasn't true for the Triad cities. The industries grew the cities, not vice-versa.
And a little bit of that growth in those cities came at the expense of growth in the Triad. Winston was a banking center for a long time, and is still home to BB&T, but its other homegrown bank-- Wachovia-- was swallowed up and Winston lost a significant HQ.
But the cities are both in something of a construction and renovation boom as we speak. The missing ingredient is massive, broad-based job growth, and the Triad has a lot of initiatives underway to stoke that.
It's a nice place to live. We chose it over Raleigh or Charlotte precisely because it's a little quieter, more affordable, and the traffic isn't as bad. There's also plenty to do and it's closer to the mountains, which we love.
So here is a question. What is the Traid's distinct flavor?
Raleigh = RTP & Government
Charlotte = Big city & Corporates
Asheville = Hippie enclave
I'm not quite sure what is the attraction of living in the triad. It doesn't have to be a big city. Asheville isn't a big city, but definitely it seems to get a lot of admiration. It just seems that if there was some great beauty or whatever quality, more people would try to live there. Then you would need to clamp down on the growth. That doesn't seem to be what is happening. Do the people of NC know that the Triad is amazing and the transplants simply haven't caught wind of it? What is it? It seems like it just isn't growing because nothing has caught on.
I probably haven't been here long enough to know if it truly is growing or not. I mean, you have some people who say it's not growing. Others say it is. I really think we're in a wait and see position. I want to see what PTI does. Does it expand? Does it expand enough? GTCC has invested a lot into their aviation programs. I have friends who work as aviation mechanics. I can definitely see the area being supported by an expanded air port that becomes a hub, maybe a bit smaller scale than Atlanta of course.
But what others have been saying is that Winston and Greensboro are growing. The difference between their growth and the meteoric rise of RDU and Charlotte are that those cities happened to be hubs for major industries that skyrocketed in the last few decades, while the same wasn't true for the Triad cities. The industries grew the cities, not vice-versa.
And a little bit of that growth in those cities came at the expense of growth in the Triad. Winston was a banking center for a long time, and is still home to BB&T, but its other homegrown bank-- Wachovia-- was swallowed up and Winston lost a significant HQ.
But the cities are both in something of a construction and renovation boom as we speak. The missing ingredient is massive, broad-based job growth, and the Triad has a lot of initiatives underway to stoke that.
It's a nice place to live. We chose it over Raleigh or Charlotte precisely because it's a little quieter, more affordable, and the traffic isn't as bad. There's also plenty to do and it's closer to the mountains, which we love.
Very well said! I think we're in a transition right now. I think it will "boom", but maybe not on the level or the same way was R-D or Charlotte, and that's OK. I think it will have its own resurgence, and I think we're preparing for it.
First of all, my wife lived here before me, so I moved here to marry her. Secondly, had you read my posts a bit closer, you'll realize that I recognize that the area is growing. I never said that the area is growing at a snails pace. I simply said that there are people who probably, from their attitude, wished it would grow at a snail's pace. Why am I so determined for the area to boom? I've grown up and lived in an area that lost all of its manufacturing, and it has never recovered. There are people, like you, who fear that if the area did the right things, spent the right money, and spurred a huge economic growth, that all the fears that you have mentioned would become reality and it would make life a living hell. They'd rather see that area as Andy Griffith than they would see it revived.
You're putting words in my mouth and assuming much. The title of this thread is "Why hasn't the Triad seen the kind of growth of NC's other majors?" Thats asking about the Triad in comparison to Raleigh and Charlotte. There is quite a lot of difference between Charlotte and Mayberry. Those aren't the only 2 options.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skinsguy37
What's the attraction? For starters, high wage employment. Not only having more options for employment, but having higher wages across the board. Higher wages means more money for entertainment, nicer homes, nicer communities - not that G'boro doesn't have these things (which I know you'd be assuming I'm saying such), more options for educations, and more opportunity for my child as well as my family as a whole. I would probably move to Charlotte or Raleigh if my wife wanted to, but right now, she's just fine living here. I'm not tied to the area, but where I live, I always want it to be successful. And being successful and wanting an area to boom doesn't automatically equal all of those negative things you fear about a booming city. The Triad area can have a boom and still be an attractive area for those who don't want gridlock. Especially if the industry is placed around the area and not all stuffed downtown for instance.
This paragraph contains qualifiers you haven't used before. I certainly agree that a city can attract higher wage development (and Greensboro has and continue to do so) without creating a high-growth situation that gridlocks the streets, overcrowds the schools and sprawls the hinterlands. But that isn't what I (or most people) would call a "boom town". Raleigh and Charlotte are booming.
It sounds as if we both want the same things for the Triad, but use different words to describe it.
I probably haven't been here long enough to know if it truly is growing or not. I mean, you have some people who say it's not growing. Others say it is. I really think we're in a wait and see position. I want to see what PTI does. Does it expand? Does it expand enough? GTCC has invested a lot into their aviation programs. I have friends who work as aviation mechanics. I can definitely see the area being supported by an expanded air port that becomes a hub, maybe a bit smaller scale than Atlanta of course.
You don't have to live in Greensboro for a long time, or even live in G'boro at all, to know if its growing. All you have to do is look at population growth stats, unemployment rates, job growth, etc.
Look at some of the new companies that have set up shop, or expanded, in the area in the past few years...Honda Jet, VF, HAECO, Qorvo, etc.
I suspect there is much more going on in G'boro and the Triad than you realize.
Virginia is basically two states in one now. All of the attention is focused in Northern VA, while the rest of Virginia, south of Roanoke anyway, is largely ignored.
Not to get off topic, but you hit the nail on the head there.
So here is a question. What is the Triad's distinct flavor?
Raleigh = RTP & Government
Charlotte = Big city & Corporates
Asheville = Hippie enclave
I'm not quite sure what is the attraction of living in the triad. It doesn't have to be a big city. Asheville isn't a big city, but definitely it seems to get a lot of admiration. It just seems that if there was some great beauty or whatever quality, more people would try to live there. Then you would need to clamp down on the growth. That doesn't seem to be what is happening. Do the people of NC know that the Triad is amazing and the transplants simply haven't caught wind of it? What is it? It seems like it just isn't growing because nothing has caught on.
This is part of the problem. There is so much more going on in Raleigh than "RTP" and "Government." If you care to look, there is huge growth in tech, biotech, CROs, and even in Financial Services outside of RTP. As a matter of fact, RTP itself has become somewhat stagnant. We are actually seeing more growth in central Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill.
Instead of the Triad spending so much time thinking about how it measures up to other metros, maybe Triad leaders should focus that energy on promoting businesses and industries that can realistically help carve out a niche.
This paragraph contains qualifiers you haven't used before. I certainly agree that a city can attract higher wage development (and Greensboro has and continue to do so) without creating a high-growth situation that gridlocks the streets, overcrowds the schools and sprawls the hinterlands. But that isn't what I (or most people) would call a "boom town". Raleigh and Charlotte are booming.
It sounds as if we both want the same things for the Triad, but use different words to describe it.
That's quite possible. Having come from Martinsville, VA, any form of growth seems like a boom to me.
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.
