Best future growth: Charotte or Raleigh area? (Charlotte, Greensboro: foreclosures, low crime)

[Akhenaton06]

The reason why I think Raleigh has higher growth potential than Charlotte in the upcoming years is because Raleigh's local economy is based on things that are pretty much fixed: the universities (which serve as the basis for the economic engine of RTP) and state government. Charlotte's growth has largely (not completely, but largely) been based on corporations that can be acquired or uprooted, as we have seen and are seeing. I think Charlotte is headed for a cooldown (which is a good thing), whereas I don't see anything in the Triangle that would cause it to slowdown in the near future (our current recession aside, of course).

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

The reason why I think Raleigh has higher growth potential than Charlotte in the upcoming years is because Raleigh's local economy is based on things that are pretty much fixed: the universities (which serve as the basis for the economic engine of RTP) and state government. Charlotte's growth has largely (not completely, but largely) been based on corporations that can be acquired or uprooted, as we have seen and are seeing. I think Charlotte is headed for a cooldown (which is a good thing), whereas I don't see anything in the Triangle that would cause it to slowdown in the near future (our current recession aside, of course).

You bring up a good point. However, how many World Class (or major cities) have been built on those "fixed" things? Most major cities in America (and the World) are simply economic powerhouses with tons of Class A office real estate, urban residential real estate, and people living/working in them both.

With that said, I'd say that Raleigh will see more future growth within its county. However, I think metro Charlotte has a good chance of staying (and being) the numerical growth leader for the state in the years to come. Only time will tell...

[NCgirl]

Population wise Charlotte added more people between July 2007 and July 2008.

15,848 (671,588 to 687, 456)

Raleigh added 12,178 Source

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

Originally Posted by NCgirl

Population wise Charlotte added more people between July 2007 and July 2008.

15,848 (671,588 to 687, 456)

Raleigh added 12,178 Source

Interesting stats. Those numbers are pretty similar. So for somebody looking for the place with the "best future growth" based on past performance I would say Raleigh and Charlotte are pretty much the same.

[micheleCA]

I have a friend who moved to Wake Forest (near Raleigh) from CA, and has adjusted very nicely. Raleigh has been rated one of the best places for job growth for the past couple of years, and even in the current economy, Raleigh hasn't suffered as much as Charlotte due to a more diverse economic base - and being the state capitol doesn't hurt either.

I am personally planning to relocate to Charlotte, and over the past five years have visited the area many times. I like the weather better, but right now, the employment opportunities are limited. The real estate market has not started to improve yet, but that will change over time. Charlotte has a lot to offer. I would recommend that you spend a couple of weekends in both locations and get a feel for the areas. Research cost of living, lifestyle requirements, etc.

[NCgirl]

Originally Posted by North_Raleigh_Guy

Interesting stats. Those numbers are pretty similar. So for somebody looking for the place with the "best future growth" based on past performance I would say Raleigh and Charlotte are pretty much the same.

I think so.

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

Boston is an excellent example. Austin is an up-and-coming example.

You've stated that Raleigh will outgrow Charlotte due to "fixed things" like universities and government.

Universities

It is well known that the Triangle is the educational center of NC. Heck, Chapel Hill was the first state University in the country (I think). With that said, is it fair to think that Charlotte's educational options won't grow as the city has grown? Let's forget about the fact that metro Charlotte has added a school of Pharmacy at Wingate Univ, Johnson and Wales Univ, and a Law School near uptown in the past 7 years. Let's also forget about the new football program coming to UNC Charlotte and the planned medical school for Charlotte. Also, we won't even mention the fact that UNC Charlotte is the state's fastest growing University and is scheduled to be the state's largest University within the next decade or so. Also, there is NO POINT in even bringing up the research lab in Kannapolis that is one of the largest such labs in North America (the three major Universities in the Triangle were THE FIRST to co-sign on with this new lab BTW).

My point is that unlike the Triangle, Charlotte's educational options are becoming "major" as the city is becoming "major". In the future, educational options will no longer be a "Triangle advantage".

Government

It is true that state government offers a bit of stability during tough economic times. However, state government also owns HUGE amounts of downtown land in Raleigh and the state couldn't care less about developing this land. This is a well known local problem Raleigh has been having with downtown urban development. In some cases, Raleigh's downtown development efforts would be easier if the city did not play host to state government. With that said, state government is both a good thing and a bad thing for Raleigh's future growth.

Also, there is the political side of state government that is currently working in Charlotte's favor. Being that Charlotte voted in Bev Perdue instead of its own mayor for governor, Bev feels that she owes Charlotte something. Within only a few months of being elected, Perdue quickly opened herself a "Charlotte Office" in Charlotte's government district uptown. She then later made the announcement that I-485 in Charlotte will be completed ahead of schedule. Just this week, she released the details of her plan to finish I-485 and widen I-85 in Cabarrus county (to 8 lanes) all by 2015. Clearly, current politics is working in Charlotte's favor when it comes to infrastructure improvements.

This is why I am not ready to say that one area (Charlotte or the Triangle) will grow faster than the other. I think Charlotte will continue to add more people and the Triangle will continue to have a larger percentage of growth. I will say that Charlotte is more likely to grow towards being a "big city" moreso than Raleigh.

[metro.m]

Originally Posted by urbancharlotte

You've stated that Raleigh will outgrow Charlotte due to "fixed things" like universities and government.

Universities

It is well known that the Triangle is the educational center of NC. Heck, Chapel Hill was the first state University in the country (I think). With that said, is it fair to think that Charlotte's educational options won't grow as the city has grown? Let's forget about the fact that metro Charlotte has added a school of Pharmacy at Wingate Univ, Johnson and Wales Univ, and a Law School near uptown in the past 7 years. Let's also forget about the new football program coming to UNC Charlotte and the planned medical school for Charlotte. Also, we won't even mention the fact that UNC Charlotte is the state's fastest growing University and is scheduled to be the state's largest University within the next decade or so. Also, there is NO POINT in even bringing up the research lab in Kannapolis that is one of the largest such labs in North America (the three major Universities in the Triangle were THE FIRST to co-sign on with this new lab BTW).

My point is that unlike the Triangle, Charlotte's educational options are becoming "major" as the city is becoming "major". In the future, educational options will no longer be a "Triangle advantage".

Government

It is true that state government offers a bit of stability during tough economic times. However, state government also owns HUGE amounts of downtown land in Raleigh and the state couldn't care less about developing this land. This is a well known local problem Raleigh has been having with downtown urban development. In some cases, Raleigh's downtown development efforts would be easier if the city did not play host to state government. With that said, state government is both a good thing and a bad thing for Raleigh's future growth.

Also, there is the political side of state government that is currently working in Charlotte's favor. Being that Charlotte voted in Bev Perdue instead of its own mayor for governor, Bev feels that she owes Charlotte something. Within only a few months of being elected, Perdue quickly opened herself a "Charlotte Office" in Charlotte's government district uptown. She then later made the announcement that I-485 in Charlotte will be completed ahead of schedule. Just this week, she released the details of her plan to finish I-485 and widen I-85 in Cabarrus county (to 8 lanes) all by 2015. Clearly, current politics is working in Charlotte's favor when it comes to infrastructure improvements.

This is why I am not ready to say that one area (Charlotte or the Triangle) will grow faster than the other. I think Charlotte will continue to add more people and the Triangle will continue to have a larger percentage of growth. I will say that Charlotte is more likely to grow towards being a "big city" moreso than Raleigh.

Yawn...

Give it up. The Triangle area has much diverse economy than Charlotte. Now you're trying to downplay one of the most economically sound metros in the United States. Like I said, every post you bash Raleigh then in turn raise Charlotte up to this imaginary sphere of success. I'm sorry the Triangle metro wins the standard of living category over Charlotte. That's not saying Charlotte isn't good place to live, it just has too many issues right now that will not be easily fixed anytime soon, IE schools, crime,economy, dilapidation...

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by urbancharlotte

You've stated that Raleigh will outgrow Charlotte due to "fixed things" like universities and government.

I didn't say that. I said that Raleigh/the Triangle has future higher growth potential than the Charlotte area.

Universities

It is well known that the Triangle is the educational center of NC. Heck, Chapel Hill was the first state University in the country (I think). With that said, is it fair to think that Charlotte's educational options won't grow as the city has grown? Let's forget about the fact that metro Charlotte has added a school of Pharmacy at Wingate Univ, Johnson and Wales Univ, and a Law School near uptown in the past 7 years. Let's also forget about the new football program coming to UNC Charlotte and the planned medical school for Charlotte. Also, we won't even mention the fact that UNC Charlotte is the state's fastest growing University and is scheduled to be the state's largest University within the next decade or so. Also, there is NO POINT in even bringing up the research lab in Kannapolis that is one of the largest such labs in North America (the three major Universities in the Triangle were THE FIRST to co-sign on with this new lab BTW).

My point is that unlike the Triangle, Charlotte's educational options are becoming "major" as the city is becoming "major". In the future, educational options will no longer be a "Triangle advantage".

As much as Charlotte is diversifying its educational scene, it still won't compare to UNC, Duke, and NC State. While I'm glad that Charlotte is doing what it's doing, there's no way you can compare the stature of Charlotte's schools to those three. The Triangle will still have a major advantage in terms of the quality of educations institutions and, more importantly, the research opportunities that they spawn. I can name several smaller cities that have all of those elements that you mention within their local educational scenes (e.g., Charleston, Columbia, Greensboro, etc.), and while their local institutions are good, solid ones (and maybe even underrated to a degree), they still don't match the caliber of UNC, Duke, and NC State. You also have big cities that managed to grow due to industries apart from education/research and even now aren't known for having the top notch educational institutions within their state (e.g., Dallas, Houston [Rice Univ. would be its lone exception], etc.).

Government

It is true that state government offers a bit of stability during tough economic times. However, state government also owns HUGE amounts of downtown land in Raleigh and the state couldn't care less about developing this land. This is a well known local problem Raleigh has been having with downtown urban development. In some cases, Raleigh's downtown development efforts would be easier if the city did not play host to state government. With that said, state government is both a good thing and a bad thing for Raleigh's future growth.

What you're saying is true, but future growth potential and urban development aren't the same thing. And city can grow and grow and grow and not really have a developed urban core that reflects its size; Phoenix is a good example here. While people deride the size of its skyline and downtown, you cannot deny how fast it has grown, is growing, and how major the city has become.

This is why I am not ready to say that one area (Charlotte or the Triangle) will grow faster than the other. I think Charlotte will continue to add more people and the Triangle will continue to have a larger percentage of growth. I will say that Charlotte is more likely to grow towards being a "big city" moreso than Raleigh.

I'm not making a solid prediction here. I'm just saying that due to Raleigh/the Triangle's local economy, it has future higher growth potential than Charlotte. That doesn't mean that it will definitely outstrip Charlotte in numerical growth in the future, but that at this particular time, it is positioned to do so.

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by metro.m

That's not saying Charlotte isn't good place to live, it just has too many issues right now that will not be easily fixed anytime soon, IE schools, crime,economy, dilapidation...

Charlotte does have its issues right now, but dilapidation? That's a new one, LOL. All of the other issues you mentioned, we can make substantial improvement within the next few years with a concerted effort to do so. They can be fixed within a relative short period of time, but the question is will they? That remains to be seen.