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One thing I've thought about lately as I read negative posts is how prevalent city data results are on search engines. I search for random stuff all the time and wind up with city data posts ... Can "We the Internet" wind up creating self-fulfilling prophecies? Maybe a gloomy picture turns off one person ... who might have become a job creator. Perhaps in turning off the lacking-grammar barista, you also turn off the salesperson who could have turned things around and opened up a production line at a local company. Or the nurse who would wind up saving your life someday.
My husband comes from a dying area ... they can barely keep his old elementary school open. This is far from a dying area. As things stand, I won't be telling my kids to leave, no matter what, when they graduate high school.
Now I don't post all sunshine and light myself. Folks are seeking honesty ... but sometimes I think, well, if I've said my piece in one similar post, I've said it enough. Someone really seeking as much info as possible will use that search function.
You make some really great points with this post.
I've lived in Raleighwood for almost 20yrs, and though I do love it, I love the "Raleigh" from many years ago. It's seen so much growth in so little time, and my own personal opinion is (unfortunately) turning a bit sour. I can't help it. Things change/people change. Such is Life...
Before anyone tells me to gtfo, yes I am considering leaving. lol
One thing I've thought about lately as I read negative posts is how prevalent city data results are on search engines. I search for random stuff all the time and wind up with city data posts ... Can "We the Internet" wind up creating self-fulfilling prophecies? Maybe a gloomy picture turns off one person ... who might have become a job creator. Perhaps in turning off the lacking-grammar barista, you also turn off the salesperson who could have turned things around and opened up a production line at a local company. Or the nurse who would wind up saving your life someday.
My husband comes from a dying area ... they can barely keep his old elementary school open. This is far from a dying area. As things stand, I won't be telling my kids to leave, no matter what, when they graduate high school.
Now I don't post all sunshine and light myself. Folks are seeking honesty ... but sometimes I think, well, if I've said my piece in one similar post, I've said it enough. Someone really seeking as much info as possible will use that search function.
I come from a very small town in NC. It isn't growing. It is sad when I go back to visit friends and I see how so many of the downtown stores are boarded up. So, I say it is better to have growth and learn to grow with it than to live in an area that is going downhill!
The more people move here, the more suppressed the wages will be. But hell, it beats Long Island, right? Big picture, people.
Long Island is not part of the "big picture, (people!)" except for those who are in Long Island. That leaves 49 states, every foreign country, and most of New York state, in fact. I am not sure how "the way it is on Long Island" seems to be considered the benchmark for the rest of the universe when making every kind of comparison, all of a sudden. The "big picture" would take into account the whole USA, not just Long Island...yet no small number seem to presume that the whole world uses Long Island as a comparison on every measure?
If you're currently on LI, then obviously, you compare "city X" to LI and assess from there. But for all of those who are anywhere else in the world (including most of us here), then what the situation is on Long Island is completly irrelevant. It is not part of the "big picture, people".
I come from a very small town in NC. It isn't growing. It is sad when I go back to visit friends and I see how so many of the downtown stores are boarded up. So, I say it is better to have growth and learn to grow with it than to live in an area that is going downhill!
Vicki
After driving through one of those small towns in NC today where all the businesses are boarded up, I agree! It's awful and sad! We're so very lucky here! There is always some good and some bad aspects of growth, abut in the triangle, the good significantly outweighs the bad, IMO!
This would make perfect sense if there weren't already a large number of people here who were laid off a few years ago that are still looking for suitable work. Back when the NC economy was very strong and people moved here due to the surplus of good jobs and affordable housing, I would've agreed with this logic.
There are folks who have been out of work a couple of years in areas that have far less chance of coming back than here. There are a lot of cities that are just not going to recover. There are a lot of small towns where the company that employed folks for ages has closed so what should their young do?
There are folks who have been out of work a couple of years in areas that have far less chance of coming back than here. There are a lot of cities that are just not going to recover. There are a lot of small towns where the company that employed folks for ages has closed so what should their young do?
Go research the very best job market for their skill set and apply for jobs in that area?
Go research the very best job market for their skill set and apply for jobs in that area?
Job creation is not the result of a magic bullet. It is a result of policy and a wide range of additional jobs are created as a result of 100 new jobs in a specific area. What is interesting is that with all these folks moving here without jobs as being claimed there is little discussion about how they are or are not increasing the jobless rate in the Triangle. Are they? Have they driven the jobless rate up? How does the jobless rate in the Triangle compare with the nation and the rest of the state. Are they being absorbed? Does the data suggest that job creation is keeping up with the population increase? Perhaps not decreasing but keeping up. We have a lot of emotions on both sides of the issue but where is the data? Are they helping to keep home equity up in the area or slow the decline of? What has been the economic impact of transplants coming without jobs over a three year cohort group. Are they a net gain or a net loss. Yes a little research would be helpful not just for those coming here but those all ready living here. From what I know inflows of cash into a community is a critical part of job creation. If people are living and the state of North Carolina or the local governments aren't sustaining them isn't the money they spend new money injected into the economy? How many educated transplants from three years ago are now on welfare? It takes additional wealth to increase your wealth and taxation to decrease it so perhaps we need to evaluate transplants or their mulitple year impact that way. I suspect some recent house sales were to people who came here a few years ago without a job. Todays unemployed transplant may be tomorrows homebuyer.
We could have an entire thread about the need to increase long term the tax base in the region.
“Unemployment rates were down in nearly every county in March,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll. “Over-the-year numbers show a positive downward trend as we continue to focus on supporting employees by growing jobs in North Carolina.”
The unemployment rate in Wake County dropped from 7.9 percent in February to 7.6 in March. It had been 8.0 in March 2011.
Orange (6.3 in February to 6.0 in March), Durham(7.9 to 7.6), Cumberland(10.1 to 9.7) and Johnston (8.9 to 8.4) also saw drops.
I'm from Raleigh but in my twenties and looking for a more progressive place to live. But I'll admit and any fool can tell you that for an area with low cost of living and decent jobs and a good amount of regular amenities that the Research Triangle area is hard to beat. The universities, Government and hightech along with Medical and all around good weather have aligned this area with the perfect ingredients to make this area one of the fastest, if not the fastest growing metro areas for the last decade and if projections are right and you don't like the growth I suggest you move, because it's not stopping. The biggest U.S. metro areas in 2025 - Business - Local business - msnbc.com "4. Raleigh will set the fastest pace of any metropolitan area
The three-county Raleigh metro will virtually double its population during the study period. It had 953,000 residents in 2005, but should be closing in on 1.9 million by 2025."
The only concern I have is that this area needs to start acting unitedly on the big issues of infrastructure and especially Transportation. They need to begin serious talks on light rail again and follow through.
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Long Island is not part of the "big picture, (people!)" except for those who are in Long Island. That leaves 49 states, every foreign country, and most of New York state, in fact. I am not sure how "the way it is on Long Island" seems to be considered the benchmark for the rest of the universe when making every kind of comparison, all of a sudden. The "big picture" would take into account the whole USA, not just Long Island...yet no small number seem to presume that the whole world uses Long Island as a comparison on every measure? 
