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NC is southern, albeit whenever Californians ask "Is there really a difference between NC and SC?" ( I get this question way too much) to sum it up I say "SC was the first to secede from the union. NC was the last.*"
* - NC was the last to vote to secede but not the last admitted to the confederacy.
So, in summary, North Carolina flourishes because of:
1) Right-to-Work laws.
2) Pro-growth reform.
3) A business-friendly attitude with tax breaks and incentives to move operations (American, BoA, IBM, etc.).
4) The strong labor pool.
5) Limited government interference and protectionism.
6) Northern "transplants," due to attracting and embracing migration from other states.
7) Its 10 million people.
8) Ports.
9) Its beaches and desirable, central seaboard location.
10) Tourism.
11) The "big cities," such as Raleigh and Charlotte.
12) Global banking.
13) The many diverse industries.
14) Terry Sanford and RTP.
15) The savvy business leaders.
16) Investment in education.
17) The good jobs.
18) A low cost of living.
19) A "mild" climate.
20) Good universities and medical schools, such as UNC, Duke and NC State.
21) A culture not "as southern" as other states. Being the last state to secede, for example.
22) Its transition to "knowledge-based" industries.
23) The new housing stock.
NC is a southern state. The only reason there IS a WEST Virginia is because it went with the north. No further explanation needed.
Before you get your panties in wad ... this was simply a good natured jest.
The only reason there is a WV is that it was frog-marched into the Union under the gun. Most West Virginians did not vote for a new state- 18408 votes, but there were 77211 voters. West Virginia Confederate troops, about 20 regiments, were sent to defend South Carolina, Kentucky, eastern Virginia and the Shenandoah, and even a few companies of West Virginians defended Vicksburg. They were sent to defend everywhere but West Virginia. There are no monuments to West Virginia's Confederate troops at Gettysburg, even though there were about 6 times as many men as the West Virginians in Union service, who did get monuments. This was simply some good natured history. Carry on.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vulfpeck
So, in summary, North Carolina flourishes because of:
1) Right-to-Work laws.
2) Pro-growth reform.
3) A business-friendly attitude with tax breaks and incentives to move operations (American, BoA, IBM, etc.).
4) The strong labor pool.
5) Limited government interference and protectionism.
6) Northern "transplants," due to attracting and embracing migration from other states.
7) Its 10 million people.
8) Ports.
9) Its beaches and desirable, central seaboard location.
10) Tourism.
11) The "big cities," such as Raleigh and Charlotte.
12) Global banking.
13) The many diverse industries.
14) Terry Sanford and RTP.
15) The savvy business leaders.
16) Investment in education.
17) The good jobs.
18) A low cost of living.
19) A "mild" climate.
20) Good universities and medical schools, such as UNC, Duke and NC State.
21) A culture not "as southern" as other states. Being the last state to secede, for example.
22) Its transition to "knowledge-based" industries.
23) The new housing stock.
Did I miss anything?
You mentioned its central seaboard location in number 9 next to beaches, but I think that North Carolina's location on the map at least deserves first place billing for number 9, (with its beaches not being as big of a factor in its success and probably more tied in with number 10 tourism). Being sort of next in line along the Bos-Wash corridor (if you don't count Richmond) can only help NCs position of growth, particularly the growth in the Triangle. That's something that the Triangle/NC has over other places in the Southeast. It's easy to drive here from DC and can attract a lot of talent from that area because the cities aren't that far apart (much moreso than a place like Nashville could, for example)
I would also add having a mega-hub airport in Charlotte as well as RDU help stimulate growth. IMO the state needs to continue to improve connections between RTP/Triad/CLT corridor with high speed rail to better take advantage of the state's prime economic engines.
So, in summary, North Carolina flourishes because of:
1) Right-to-Work laws.
2) Pro-growth reform.
3) A business-friendly attitude with tax breaks and incentives to move operations (American, BoA, IBM, etc.).
4) The strong labor pool.
5) Limited government interference and protectionism.
6) Northern "transplants," due to attracting and embracing migration from other states.
7) Its 10 million people.
8) Ports.
9) Its beaches and desirable, central seaboard location.
10) Tourism.
11) The "big cities," such as Raleigh and Charlotte.
12) Global banking.
13) The many diverse industries.
14) Terry Sanford and RTP.
15) The savvy business leaders.
16) Investment in education.
17) The good jobs.
18) A low cost of living.
19) A "mild" climate.
20) Good universities and medical schools, such as UNC, Duke and NC State.
21) A culture not "as southern" as other states. Being the last state to secede, for example.
22) Its transition to "knowledge-based" industries.
23) The new housing stock.
Did I miss anything?
Lack of legacy municipal pension obligations that divert governmental spending from critical areas.
So, in summary, North Carolina flourishes because of:
1) Right-to-Work laws.
2) Pro-growth reform.
3) A business-friendly attitude with tax breaks and incentives to move operations (American, BoA, IBM, etc.).
4) The strong labor pool.
5) Limited government interference and protectionism.
6) Northern "transplants," due to attracting and embracing migration from other states.
7) Its 10 million people.
8) Ports.
9) Its beaches and desirable, central seaboard location.
10) Tourism.
11) The "big cities," such as Raleigh and Charlotte.
12) Global banking.
13) The many diverse industries.
14) Terry Sanford and RTP.
15) The savvy business leaders.
16) Investment in education.
17) The good jobs.
18) A low cost of living.
19) A "mild" climate.
20) Good universities and medical schools, such as UNC, Duke and NC State.
21) A culture not "as southern" as other states. Being the last state to secede, for example.
22) Its transition to "knowledge-based" industries.
23) The new housing stock.
Did I miss anything?
All this right to work law, limited government(whatever in the hell that means) fodder, etc isn't the primary reason or for that matter the reason NC surged ahead of other southern states. #14, #16 and geographical location (#19) are the primary reasons. The heavy lifting was done in the 60s/70s to provide a baseline for pro-growth (tax incentives) and embracing transplants (which wasn't easy) to add fuel to lit engine. Other southern states have since tried to emulate some of what NC has been able to achieve but that effort started 60+ years ago and in my opinion the only city that comes close is Atlanta. Basically a city vs select NC metros. It is quite remarkable when you think about it.
All this right to work law, limited government(whatever in the hell that means) fodder, etc isn't the primary reason or for that matter the reason NC surged ahead of other southern states. #14, #16 and geographical location (#19) are the primary reasons. The heavy lifting was done in the 60s/70s to provide a baseline for pro-growth (tax incentives) and embracing transplants (which wasn't easy) to add fuel to lit engine. Other southern states have since tried to emulate some of what NC has been able to achieve but that effort started 60+ years ago and in my opinion the only city that comes close is Atlanta. Basically a city vs select NC metros. It is quite remarkable when you think about it.
I'd throw #15 in there as well. Hugh McColl in particular (and Ed Crutchfield to a lesser extent) played a very huge role in making Charlotte what it is today with his smart, aggressive business practices in the field of banking.
I'd throw #15 in there as well. Hugh McColl in particular (and Ed Crutchfield to a lesser extent) played a very huge role in making Charlotte what it is today with his smart, aggressive business practices in the field of banking.
Yea, I'm not discounting the other factors listed by Vul that have buoyed growth since the 80s but they're small factors considering that NC was largely more rural than urban back then and cities/metros basically viewed as cow towns between DC and Atlanta. McColl, Crutchfield, Sanford and other notable leaders forged ahead in spite of the stereotypes, upheavals associated with integration and cultural shift. They were economic minded folks first who sought to alter the perception of the south versus clinging to outdated virtues at the expense of progress. A huge success using any metric.
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