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Raleigh/Cary was just listed at the 3rd best performing Metro for 2012 by the Milken Institute. Durham/Chapel Hill was listed #21.
Charlotte didn't make the top 30 list but was a big gainer from the previous year.
The top two metros for 2012 were San Jose and Austin.....metros that have similar economies to the Triangle. I wonder how the Triangle would have fared in in the ranking if it was allowed to compete as one metro instead of two? 2012 Best-Performing Cities - 200 Largest Metros
Seriously, I don't know anyone IRL and very few online who want an amusement park in Raleigh.
Just like at IKEA Charlotte; I encounter Triad, Triangle, and Greenville/Spartanburg visitors at Carowinds every year. You can find many Triangle residents at Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg too. As for the online popularity of theme parks in the Triangle, consider this: I just did a search on the Triangle's forum for "Carowinds" and the following threads were the results:
There are probably some folks who would like a pro basketball team and a race track, too, but most people I know IRL (and online) prefer ACC basketball and have no interest in NASCAR in the Triangle.
Many NBA fans from the Triangle made trips to Charlotte back in the days of the Hornets. This is no longer the case with the Bobcats, but who can blame them? However, if Charlotte had a team that was on par with Miami, New York, or OKC we'd see tons of Triangle fans making the trip. As it stands now, many more Triangle fans make the trip to Charlotte for the Panthers than Charlotte fans making the trip for the Canes. As for Nascar, most folks in Charlotte don't even like/follow the sport. However, guys like me LOVE the Speedstreet festivities during race week.
You don't see a lot of threads in the the Triangle forum saying, "why don't we have a theme park" or "how come Charlotte has NASCAR and we don't?"
You don't see too many Charlotte threads talking about how Atlanta has soooooo much more either. It doesn't mean that thousands of Charlotte residents aren't visiting Atlanta to enjoy those amenities every year though.
I'll admit that the average person in the Triangle has very little interest in the NASCAR. With that said, here are some news links about Charlotte's NASCAR connection from a few Triangle area news stations.
Raleigh/Cary was just listed at the 3rd best performing Metro for 2012 by the Milken Institute. Durham/Chapel Hill was listed #21.
Charlotte didn't make the top 30 list but was a big gainer from the previous year.
The top two metros for 2012 were San Jose and Austin.....metros that have similar economies to the Triangle. I wonder how the Triangle would have fared in in the ranking if it was allowed to compete as one metro instead of two? 2012 Best-Performing Cities - 200 Largest Metros
Great news for the Triangle! And did you catch Sunday's and yesterday's big news?
Oh please folks. A theme park is nice and all, but it is not all that. After all, Pigeon Forge has a friggin theme park too.
And Huntington WV has Camden Park, what's your point? We're just naming fun and family friendly amenities. One thing to note about Carowinds is that it does have one of North America's top rated coasters.
Intimidator, Carowinds
Charlotte, Pedestal-style seats have thrill-seekers leaning back with their feet off the floor. "It's like riding in an out-of-control easy chair," Ruben says of this brand-new steel coaster that reaches speeds of 80 mph. "Anything that makes the rider feel more vulnerable is good. It enhances the sense of imagined danger."
The assertion was that people in the Triangle want a theme park. I said I don't really think many do. That's what I thought we were talking about—at least that's what I was talking about. I think people are happy to visit Charlotte for that stuff. I definitely have some friends who have gone to Carowinds, but I have friends who have gone to Disney, too, and that doesn't mean that we want Disney in Raleigh. I really don't think Raleigh is jealous of Charlotte having Carowinds.
I think more Charlotteans go to NC State, Duke, and UNC sporting events than Triangle residents go to Charlotte sporting events. I'm not sure how you'd measure that, but there are plenty of Charlotteans who religiously follow ACC basketball and football, too. I don't know anyone in the Triangle that really, really cares about the Charlotte teams. In general, we like 'em fine, and are happy if the Panthers are doing well, but we don't LOVE 'em like people LOVE Carolina (or Duke or State) basketball. As for my family, we might watch the Panthers if they're on TV, but in all our trips to Charlotte (all my in-laws live in Charlotte) we have never even been tempted to go to any kind of sporting event. Couldn't tell you how many UNC games we've been to over the years. We've taken out of town relatives to UNC games several times, too, and have friends that come in to town for the games. I've never heard any of my friends talk about going to Charlotte for a Panthers game or anything of that sort.
Definitely have friends who have gone to IKEA for a day trip.
The assertion was that people in the Triangle want a theme park. I said I don't really think many do. That's what I thought we were talking about—at least that's what I was talking about. I think people are happy to visit Charlotte for that stuff. I definitely have some friends who have gone to Carowinds, but I have friends who have gone to Disney, too, and that doesn't mean that we want Disney in Raleigh. I really don't think Raleigh is jealous of Charlotte having Carowinds.
Before you go any further, here's all I'm saying. People visit Raleigh and people visit Charlotte for different reasons. However, people move to these cities for the same reasons (jobs and affordable housing).
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog
I think more Charlotteans go to NC State, Duke, and UNC sporting events than Triangle residents go to Charlotte sporting events.
That has alot to do with the large number of Triangle area college grads who moved to Charlotte after getting their education. When NC State played Louisville in a Bowl game here a few years back, many of the Wolfpack faithful were already living in metro Charlotte. NC State certainly enjoyed homefield advantage at that game. I didn't go to the game, but my wife and I certainly enjoyed the free concert put on by Chris Daughtry before the game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog
I've never heard any of my friends talk about going to Charlotte for a Panthers game or anything of that sort.
Triangle area residents do come to NFL games in Charlotte in large numbers. Some are Panthers fans, while many others are supporting the visiting team (usually the team from their former home city).
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 04-30-2013 at 09:51 AM..
As far as the tall buildings, I don't know. I think Triangle residents are pretty ambivalent at best about those. When a new tower was announced for Durham there wasn't a consensus of jumping up and down with joy. There were some people who were jumping on the bandwagon, but there was also a lot of concern about the impact on the area, etc.
Yeah, having fancy office buildings mean nothing if downtown still rolls up the sidewalks at 5pm. To their credit both Raleigh and Durham have made huge strides in fixing up their respective downtown areas and in Raleigh's case encouraging more residential density.
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbancharlotte
My point is that there's logic behind measuring a city's success by looking at the building density and building heights of its downtown. A small-town person probably would see this stuff as "funny" or "pointless".
A person who's actually lived in real cities would see it as pointless too and say y'all suffer from a distinct case of being too big for your britches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog
I think more Charlotteans go to NC State, Duke, and UNC sporting events than Triangle residents go to Charlotte sporting events.
Shoot, more Charlotteans go to State, Dook, and Carolina. And then go back home every weekend because the center of their universe doesn't extend beyond their McNeighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog
I really don't think Raleigh is jealous of Charlotte
This is the heart of the matter right here. From an impartial observer's viewpoint, knowing a fair sampling of people from both places- only one group has this need to seek validation by comparing itself to other places as if being a city is some sort of contest.
Last edited by J. Pederman; 04-30-2013 at 10:50 AM..
And, actually, to be fair to Charlotte, I know A LOT of Charlotteans (spouse grew up there, family on both sides still lives there, lots of friends in the area) and I don't know anyone IRL who has this competitive streak w/ Raleigh/the Triangle. I only see it on city-data. Don't see it in real life.
Definitely have friends who have gone to IKEA for a day trip.
On the occasions that I have gone to IKEA in Charlotte, I have heard from the floor associates that the store is filled with Triangle residents. I suppose the IKEA allegiance can be traced back to the days when Woodbridge, VA was the closest store and Triangle residents went there instead. I am not sure if Charlotte residents visited the Atlanta IKEA in the same way that Triangle residents visited Woodbridge and I am not even sure when IKEA opened in Atlanta relative to the timing of the one in Woodbridge. However, I do know that I was going to IKEA in Woodbridge in the mid 80s to furnish my first apartment in Raleigh after college.
Of everything in Charlotte, I can truly say that IKEA is the only thing that I really want to see come to the Triangle; It will come in time. That said, I wouldn't trade the things that Raleigh and the Triangle has (and Charlotte doesn't) just for an IKEA. So, until such time that IKEA comes, I am content.
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And did you catch Sunday's and yesterday's big news?
