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With all of the changes going on in the economy, does anybody think Charlotte and Raleigh could become more important to the nations economy? I honestly meant for this thread to be a comparative analysis of Charlotte and Raleigh as far as their importance to NC. I didn't mean for it to becomes which city is better. We all know Charlotte is. LOL!
I've always thought of Charlotte along the same lines as a Texas city. Not neccessarilly in politics, but the overall feel in general.
I don't know about the Raleigh/Cali thing... More like NOVA or parts of south New Jersey.
I agree with this analysis. What city in Texas in particular? Just wondering. As far as south Jersey I hope not in refeerence to Camden. No offense, but I hear that area of New Jersey is struggling quite a bit.
You can't attend a college football game in Charlotte, well for now anyways.
That's weird. Pretty sure I was in BoA Stadium (in Charlotte, BTW) when my ECU Pirates beat VT last year. And will be there for more college football in 2011 when my Pirates beat USC there.
I didn't mean for it to becomes which city is better.
Given the name of the thread, it's set up to be a comparison.
Whether or not either city (or both) will be more important in the future, that's going to be a result of the cities and the state attracting and retaining more than their fair share of the best and the brightest people. Certainly both areas are growing more rapidly than the national averages. However, that growth needs to be qualitative in addition to a quantitative. I say that there's a good chance that both areas will grow in prominence over time.
However, that growth needs to be qualitative in addition to a quantitative. I say that there's a good chance that both areas will grow in prominence over time.
Amen Amen Amen!!! And part of qualitative growth is sustainable urban development (both inside and outside of downtown districts).
Here is a video of one of Charlotte's urban efforts outside of uptown (Dilworth near South End). This area is only a few blocks from the East/West Blvd light rail station. It is also located near an urban Lowes Home Inprovement (proof that big box stores can be urban if they simply think "outside of the box").
There is quite a bit of similar styled development being constructed all over Charlotte. In Ballantyne, one can find urban row houses. In South Park, one can find living quarters on the mall's property. Both South Park and Ballantyne are QUITE suburban in nature, however even these neighborhoods have caught the "urban bug" that is slowly taking over Charlotte's real estate scene. I LOVE IT and can't wait to see MORE!
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 08-31-2009 at 01:25 PM..
Amen Amen Amen!!! And part of qualitative growth is sustainable urban development (both inside and outside of downtown districts).
Here is a video of one of Charlotte's urban efforts outside of uptown (Dilworth near South End). This area is only a few blocks from the East/West Blvd light rail station. It is also located near an urban Lowes Home Inprovement (proof that big box stores can be urban if they simply think "outside of the box").
There is quite a bit of similar styled development being constructed all over Charlotte. In Ballantyne, one can find urban row houses. In South Park, one can find living quarters on the mall's property. Both South Park and Ballantyne are QUITE suburban in nature, however even these neighborhoods have caught the "urban bug" that is slowly taking over Charlotte's real estate scene. I LOVE IT and can't wait to see MORE!
I am much more fond of the condo/apartment building than I am about row houses development. It's still too much of a car driven site plan for me.
As is the same with Charlotte, infill lots in Raleigh are often being developed into townhouse projects closer to the city center. I like this idea better than single family homes but not as much as midrise apartment/condo projects like the one at the beginning of the video.
In my perfect world, many of these midrise buildings will also be mixed use with ground floor retail and/or professional services offices.
That's because present day Atlanta is the city Charlotte will resemble the most in 30 years. 30 years from now, Meck county could easily have close to 2 million people. Counties such as Union, York, Cabarrus, and Iredell could have 500,000 each (or more) by then. Now that I think about it, Charlotte could be larger than present day Atlanta in 30 years. I see Atlanta reaching Chicago's current size in 30 years BTW.
The city of Charlotte (687,456) is already larger than the city of Atlanta (537,958). Charlotte is the 18th largest city in the U.S. while Atlanta is the 33rd largest. Of course Atlanta's MSA (5,376,285) is the 8th largest in the U.S. while Charlotte's MSA (1,701,799) is the 34th largest. Atlanta's CSA (5,626,400) is the 10 largest while Charlotte's CSA (2,277,074) is the 20th largest. Charlotte already compares favorably to Atlanta and at the rate the surrounding cities (Monroe,Matthews,Waxhaw,Concord,Huntersville,etc.. .) are growing it's metropolitan areas population will certainly increase. Since the city of Charlotte is already larger than the city of Atlanta I think the surrounding counties and suburbs of Charlotte will continue to grow and definitely will resemble the type of massive urban sprawl type of landscape that you see in Atlanta.
I live in the Raleigh area and I like it but I do feel that I'd enjoy living in the Charlotte area just as much if not more. The areas are similar in that they both are both great places to live with many more pros than cons. They cater to different industries but you can still find jobs in a variety of areas in both cities. Charlotte undeniably has a better downtown area. I used to work for the city of Raleigh and was never impressed with the downtown area. However when you drive through Charlotte you are immediately aware you're in a BIG city. Charlotte's downtown conveys this through it's impressive buildings and more upscale and numerous attractions (restaurants,hotels,arenas,etc...) I'm not the type of person who goes out and enjoys the nightlife much but Raleigh falls short for me personally because it's not a "major league" city like Charlotte. I grew up in Denver and as such I grew accustomed to following professional sports. At this point in my life I'd love to be able to live in a city where I could have season tickets and be in close proximity (the three hour drive is just too far) to NFL/NBA teams. College sports are ok but for someone who's into pro sports Charlotte is the place to be. Having an NFL and NBA team (I know Raleigh has the NHL but the big three are baseball,basketball and football) help give Charlotte that "big city feel" that Raleigh lacks in my opinion.
The city of Charlotte (687,456) is already larger than the city of Atlanta (537,958). Charlotte is the 18th largest city in the U.S. while Atlanta is the 33rd largest.
That's because Charlotte's city limits are much larger than Atlanta's.
Charlotte: 280.5 sq mi with more annexation on the way
Atlanta:132.4 sq mi and it can't annex anymore
It's similar to Jackonsville, Florida. Since almost all of Duval County is Jacksonville, it is technically the 13th largest city in the country and the largest city in Florida. However, it's metro area is only 1.3 million, so it really isn't that big at all.
That's because Charlotte's city limits are much larger than Atlanta's.
Charlotte: 280.5 sq mi with more annexation on the way
Atlanta:132.4 sq mi and it can't annex anymore
It's similar to Jackonsville, Florida. Since almost all of Duval County is Jacksonville, it is technically the 13th largest city in the country and the largest city in Florida. However, it's metro area is only 1.3 million, so it really isn't that big at all.
On top of that Charlotte's metro is actually 1.8 million, not the state sized 2 point whatever... Charlotte's DT has pretty buildings yes, but those buildings don't automatically equate to a great nightlife. Most people who comment and say things like "Raleigh's nightlife is lacking" are liars who never bother going out in the first place. I've heard morons say the same thing about Charlotte as well. Totally unfare. Since I've been living downtown, most people who say there's no nightlife, can't name one place they've been. It's an assumption!Every month Raleigh's nightlife has gotten larger and larger. I live here, I see it with my own two eyes! Charlotte has a pretty decent night scene, but I doubt it was solely because of skyscrapers.
I am much more fond of the condo/apartment building than I am about row houses development. It's still too much of a car driven site plan for me.
As is the same with Charlotte, infill lots in Raleigh are often being developed into townhouse projects closer to the city center. I like this idea better than single family homes but not as much as midrise apartment/condo projects like the one at the beginning of the video.
In my perfect world, many of these midrise buildings will also be mixed use with ground floor retail and/or professional services offices.
Yeah, but keep in mind that a complete urban district of row houses can yield 16,000 people per sq/mi or better. Sounds strange, but its true.
Here is the second half of that video. This time you will see the living quarters directly behind a Lowes Home Improvement store. This is by far the most urban Lowes development I've ever seen. It certainly doesn't look ANYTHING like what you would expect from a big box retailer. Tell me what you think.
On top of that Charlotte's metro is actually 1.8 million, not the state sized 2 point whatever...
Here you go again. Let's compare Charlotte's CSA to "real cities" with 2 million plus MSAs and CSAs shall we.
Charlotte CSA
2.4 million
6,500 sq/mi of land
Kansas City MSA
2 million
8,000 sq/mi of land
Cincinnati CSA
2.3 million
5,100 sq/mi of land
Indianapolis CSA
2 million
6,100 sq/mi of land
Pittsburgh CSA
2.4 million
5,700 sq/mi
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 08-31-2009 at 09:59 PM..
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