What NC city do you find to be overrated? (Charlotte: rental, neighborhood)
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Sigh... how many Charlotte vs. Raleigh threads do there have to be????
Yeah, I strongly agree. It would be much appreciated if the posters who want to keep going back and forth with that narrow debate either DM each other, continue the discussion on one of the many threads already established for that very discussion or just start yet another thread of their own and keep this one broader and truer to the original post. No offense meant, but just a simple request.
So getting back to the broader topic at hand (and hopefully others will do the same), something I'm curious about is to hear from the people who picked the cities that aren't in the lead for being overrated (Winston-Salem, Durham, Greensboro). If they picked those, why did they pick them? It would be interesting to know.
I wonder if some people quickly read the question and thought "I'll pick this city because it doesn't appeal to me" versus what I think the poll was getting at.
Personally I picked Asheville because I think it's gotten just so much national attention/hype (on so many best places to live, vacation, etc. lists) compared to other NC tourist destinations or really charming places in the Appalachian mountains, and the housing prices and job market are horrible for people who have to make a living there. I particularly feel bad for natives who have been getting priced out. And it just strikes me as a place that's gotten more and more pretentious, more harried, more of a yuppie/hipster rat race place and less friendly, which has eroded much of the charm that may have existed before. I don't mean to offend anyone. I know there are some nice people there, but for these reasons, that's why it got my vote.
It's the most disliked because it's the most ascendant of the cities. Go look at my post where I layout how Raleigh has moved from NC's 5th largest city in the state in 1940 to the second largest today. Who wouldn't dislike the city that takes the limelight from the others?
Absolutely..
I know the reason, but it always tickled me pink when the Charlotte Crew use to make it seem like ( and still do) every major city in NC was jealous of the Queen City.
They attack more than any other entity on the NC side of this forum.
Yeah, I strongly agree. It would be much appreciated if the posters who want to keep going back and forth with that narrow debate either DM each other, continue the discussion on one of the many threads already established for that very discussion or just start yet another thread of their own and keep this one broader and truer to the original post. No offense meant, but just a simple request.
Much of that activity is based on people who question whether or not Charlotte is truly NC's largest city (which is their way of calling Charlotte overrated). In every state, the largest city typically has the following:
-busiest airport
-largest skyline
-largest MSA/CSA
-largest number of professional sports
-most extensive mass transit network
-largest number of hotels
-largest number of fortune 500/1,000 hqs
-largest metro GDP
-largest visitor spending
-lands the state's highest profile conventions
-has the state's largest gay pride fest
The list goes on and on. My comments have nothing to do with Charlotte vs any NC city. I'm specifically addressing the claim that "Charlotte is overrated because it isn't even NC's largest city". By addressing such false claims, my comments are 100% on topic.
However, if somebody wants to say that Charlotte is overrated due to its crime, traffic, and lack of affordability; then I can't argue with that. Charlotte's suspect higher ed is another issue I won't argue with. Heck, you can even say that Charlotte's BBQ tastes like stir fried trash. I might just have to agree with you. Charlotte's size? OK, now THAT'S going way too far.
The same person who brought up the urbanized areas of Raleigh and Durham combined didn't even bother to combine Charlotte with the adjacent UAs of Concord, Gastonia, and Rock Hill. It is that type of dishonesty (in an attempt to call Charlotte overrated) that gets really old. Nearly 2.3 million people live within the 4 UAs of metro Charlotte. It is NC/SC's largest continuous urbanized area (800k ahead of the next largest). CSA is 500k ahead of the next largest. MSA is 600k ahead of the next largest. Again, this is NOT about Charlotte vs anybody. I'm simply pointing out that Charlotte is NC's largest by several different metrics. Charlotte's status of "NC's largest" does not make Charlotte overrated.
The best part of Charlotte of no one from outside Charlotte ever steps up to rep Charlotte it’s always locals telling you why Charlotte is Atlanta #2
Please stop because none of this was what the OP intended. The OP of this thread could not understand (back in 2006) why a southern state (without any large cities) was such a popular relocation destination. This OP believed that NC as a whole was overrated. Last year, this same OP had the following to say about NC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rwarky
The central North Carolina metropolitan areas of Charlotte, Triad and the Triangle. The pace of life has definitely changed within the past 10-15 years, so has development, population growth, diverse groups of people.
This was in response to a thread about the most transformed areas of the Nation. Our OP has had a total change of heart about NC since starting this thread. This OP hasn't bashed NC in quite some time. No where in NC is overrated. There you have it.
The list goes on and on. My comments have nothing to do with Charlotte vs any NC city. I'm specifically addressing the claim that "Charlotte is overrated because it isn't even NC's largest city". By addressing such false claims, my comments are 100% on topic.
I could have genuinely missed it (in which case my bad) but I don’t think anyone was saying that? Charlotte’s NCs largest city I don’t think anyone is actually arguing that. Because it just is.
I think where the back and forth comes from is that some Charlotte boosters tend to radiate this feeling throughout the NC forum that because Charlotte is bigger it makes everything going on there better vs. the rest of the state. So then the pushback is from people that do not always equate bigger with better.
I personally feel like the idea in my head of everything Charlotte is as a non resident, in reality measures up just about right. Definitely not underrated but not overrated either. But I will admit sometimes the constant comparison to things going on elsewhere in the state to Charlotte from its favorite posters, does come across belittling at times and can easily start to drive hard feelings towards the city itself when really those feelings are just towards the forum members for shoving it down our throats that they live in the “big” NC city. Kind of like how some people don’t like Lebron James because of his irritating fan base moreso then anything he’s done to deserve their disdain.
And obviously that can also be said about the big Raleigh or Triad boosters on here too.
On top of that, I think to a lot of people they do assume the biggest city must be the best city in any given state. Especially if it’s a rapidly growing city. So some might actually believe that Charlotte is overrated because for being so much bigger then the next municipality, the gap might not actually be all that tangible to them. Which I think is fair.
For me Asheville is the most overrated and that’s what I voted. But that’s for a lot of personal reasons according to what’s important to me in a city. I don’t have anything against it I just also have no desire to go there even though I haven’t been in years.
Much of that activity is based on people who question whether or not Charlotte is truly NC's largest city (which is their way of calling Charlotte overrated). In every state, the largest city typically has the following:
-busiest airport
-largest skyline
-largest MSA/CSA
-largest number of professional sports
-most extensive mass transit network
-largest number of hotels
-largest number of fortune 500/1,000 hqs
-largest metro GDP
-largest visitor spending
-lands the state's highest profile conventions
-has the state's largest gay pride fest
The list goes on and on. My comments have nothing to do with Charlotte vs any NC city. I'm specifically addressing the claim that "Charlotte is overrated because it isn't even NC's largest city". By addressing such false claims, my comments are 100% on topic.
However, if somebody wants to say that Charlotte is overrated due to its crime, traffic, and lack of affordability; then I can't argue with that. Charlotte's suspect higher ed is another issue I won't argue with. Heck, you can even say that Charlotte's BBQ tastes like stir fried trash. I might just have to agree with you. Charlotte's size? OK, now THAT'S going way too far.
The same person who brought up the urbanized areas of Raleigh and Durham combined didn't even bother to combine Charlotte with the adjacent UAs of Concord, Gastonia, and Rock Hill. It is that type of dishonesty (in an attempt to call Charlotte overrated) that gets really old. Nearly 2.3 million people live within the 4 UAs of metro Charlotte. It is NC/SC's largest continuous urbanized area (800k ahead of the next largest). CSA is 500k ahead of the next largest. MSA is 600k ahead of the next largest. Again, this is NOT about Charlotte vs anybody. I'm simply pointing out that Charlotte is NC's largest by several different metrics. Charlotte's status of "NC's largest" does not make Charlotte overrated.
No one would be so childish as to try to compare the Triangle's population to just Charlotte within Mecklenburg.
It is understood on here that every mention of Charlotte's population is talking about the MSA which includes 6-10 counties that include Gastonia, Concord, etc.
Yes Charlotte metro is bigger and looks much bigger from the air.
But the metric used for an apples to apples can keep changing all day long.
Charlotte's MSA is always the area of it's 2.5 million population. Everyone assumes that.
The Triangle as one single metro is not fanboys on here making imaginary combined MSAs to support their stance...
From the Census's beginning up until about 10 years ago the Triangle was a single metro, roughly defined as Wake County and the surrounding counties touching it, & Durham and Orange Counties.
The start to making a fair comparison to compare populations would be to take Mecklenburg and evert surrounding county that touches it and then add the one or two with thin strips getting very close to Mecklenburg.
Or the TV markets would be another fair way to compare populations.
Metrolina (Charlotte region) is the most populated, but, even being generous, by 500,000 at the most.
That's 25% or a more generous 30% bigger than the Triangle. But that's all.
Charlotte fans love making "matter of fact" statements using whichever metric maximizes the difference between the two metros, which is fine as long as it's acknowledged that The Triangle is several cities touching one another and only a portion are being used for this comparison.
Your list of qualities associated with big cities becomes silly with "largest skyline", a totally subjective, ego-driven visual of a city from a distance. I love them too, but it's just a view from afar.
I don't suspect you've been to Europe after including that, because if you have been to Europe you know that it's much more populated than the US at over 450 million people, and it's in some ways much more evolved culturally and ahead of the US like in popular music on the radio, music videos, food, enjoying love and life...
And none of its 2,000 year old centers of civilization like Paris and London had any tall buildings until about 20 years ago. London is regarded as the most influential and cutting edge city for all of mankind.
Virginia most populated areas don't embrace tall buildings like the Tidewater region, and Virginia natives are way more naturally sophisticated than North Carolina's high society, which I was exposed to by all my wealthy friends.
Reading between the lines there is a need for validation in Charlotte, almost an inferiority complex. Why does Charlotte need to be respected so much?
Even if Charlotte becomes the biggest city in the Southeast, what rewards and happiness will be enjoyed and when?
Charlotte large Gay Pride Festival... has that resulted in Charlotte replacing Raleigh for having the best gay scene in the state? I don't know, just asking.
Last edited by architect77; 08-11-2018 at 09:57 PM..
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It would be much appreciated if the posters who want to keep going back and forth with that narrow debate either DM each other, continue the discussion on one of the many threads already established for that very discussion or just start yet another thread of their own and keep this one broader and truer to the original post. 
No offense meant, but just a simple request. 
