Other NC cities to boom? (Charlotte, Raleigh: how much, universities, bill)
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While NC is blessed to have a large, economic center like Charlotte and a powerful university triangle, what other cities/towns (small or mid-sized) could also have a bright future?
Wilmington and Greenville fit the bill as stand alone cities that are showing rapid growth. Greenville has doubled in size in the last 20 years (and not through annexation). There are suburbs in both of these areas that have gone from small 2K to 10K in the same time frame.
I would say the future is bright for both of those cities.
Greensboro and Winston-Salem are sowing the seed today to become NC's boom towns of tomorrow with the research parks, FedEx hub, a growing nanotechnology sector and growing downtowns. In terms of population those two cities are tier 1 cities in NC. In the NC history classes, the teachers always refer to NC's five major cities (Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham & Winston-Salem) However keep an eye out for Fayetteville. The city has been growing fast and recently passed the 200,000 mark. Fayetteville is on the heels of Winston-Salem and Durham. But Fayetteville still has a small town urban core which hasn't caught up with its population growth. Its interesting to see how large certain cities would be today under different circumstances. For example, If Wilmington had become a major port city like some of the major cities in this country, it might be the largest city in NC today. Wilmington could have even grown to the size of a city like Baltimore or Boston. (Same scenario with Charleston, SC which at one time was a major U.S. city) What if Greensboro had been the state capitol considering its closer to the center of the state than Raleigh? How big would Charlotte be today without the banks? What would the Triangle be like without some of its universities. Remember Duke University started in the Triad in the town of Trinity south of High Point. What would Winston-Salem be like without Wake Forest University considering it was founded in the town of Wake Forest near Raleigh? Winston-Salem would not have a strong healthcare sector. Without the Cone Brothers and governor John Motley Morehead's push to bring the railroad to Greensboro, Greensboro would be no larger than Asheboro today. How much of a tourist destination would Asheville be without the Biltmore mansion?
On another topic that could very well cause the Triad to boom is mass transit. Does the Triad have any long term plans for mass transit like light rail or heavy rail? I know Charlotte is working on their second segment for the LYNX, and the Triangle seems pretty close to starting on something this decade, but what about the Triad? Are there any plans to add intercity rail? Though, if the High Speed Rail is completed, there's no doubt Greensboro will benefit a lot from it, since commuters in Charlotte and Raleigh, and the towns in-between, could all commute to the Triad for jobs and education in a reasonable amount of time.
They can built business parks, open factories, ect. Yes, it will employ people, no it doesn't make it anymore of a "big" city mindset and isn't receiving national attention or the growth. IMO, there's nothing that stands out. Nothing makes either a "tier 1 city", other then population.
They can built business parks, open factories, ect. Yes, it will employ people, no it doesn't make it anymore of a "big" city mindset and isn't receiving national attention or the growth. IMO, there's nothing that stands out. Nothing makes either a "tier 1 city", other then population.
Greensboro has promise, but Ive always felt that Winston was too run down! The fact Greensboro sits between Charlotte and RDU should help in the long run!
Greensboro has promise, but Ive always felt that Winston was too run down! The fact Greensboro sits between Charlotte and RDU should help in the long run!
So what's run down about Winston-Salem? Have you been here lately? Like any city, there are some old buildings, but there's a major push to renovate/repurpose many of them. The downtown area has experienced an amazing renaissance over the past 10 years, and the momentum is still there. Lots going on to make it even better.
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