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Raleigh, IMO, just doesn't think of itself as a big city, and doesn't push enough to approve projects to make it appear as one; the complete opposite of Charlotte. I doubt Raleigh will ever have a 60 story building, and if that day comes, Charlotte will have worked itself to an even higher level.
Raleigh is more interested in living up to the NC Motto: "To Be Rather Than to Seem"
Raleigh is more interested in living up to the NC Motto: "To Be Rather Than to Seem"
I don't think it's that deep, LOL. Raleigh's strongest, most prominent industries just aren't those that lend themselves to a bunch of office highrises in particular. But I wouldn't be surprised if Raleigh went the Austin route and started having residential highrises figure more prominently into the downtown skyline.
Raleigh is more interested in living up to the NC Motto: "To Be Rather Than to Seem"
Oh, you mean this motto written in latin just below the dates of the Halifax Resolves and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (ie Charlotte)? Maybe the founding fathers of NC knew that Charlotte might one day grow from this small town to this emerging city in only 40 years. If anything, Charlotte is learning how to be a real city more and more every day, and I'm not just talking about the skyline.
In college it seemed like every other person I met was from Charlotte. They thought that the world revolved around their little cliques from Myers Park or Providence high school (or insert-CLT-area-private-school-here)...and talking about "i love going uptown" or "South Park/Montibello/Ballantyne for lyfe!!!!". It was almost a running gag at UNC to talk about how cliquey the people from "The State of Mecklenberg" could be but it was all in good fun.
I think Charlotte is a cool city and I wouldn't mind moving there in the near future. But some locals there are way too insecure about its status as the "premier" NC city. I think it's because Raleigh/Wake County has been growing much faster and will probably soon take over as the largest county in the state. Also when you combine the whole triangle as one metro area; it is even closer already. So they aren't really the biggest anymore; now they have to be the "most urban"....because the triangle is already the most educated and wealthiest and fastest growing. They aren't Atlanta and know they never will be; so looking down on Raleigh/The Triangle as being "less urban" is the last card they have to play in the whole "we're special" game.
I don't think it's that deep, LOL. Raleigh's strongest, most prominent industries just aren't those that lend themselves to a bunch of office highrises in particular. But I wouldn't be surprised if Raleigh went the Austin route and started having residential highrises figure more prominently into the downtown skyline.
Well, one of them is breaking ground right now and our current tallest building is topped with several floors of condos.
I think Charlotte is a cool city and I wouldn't mind moving there in the near future. But some locals there are way too insecure about its status as the "premier" NC city. I think it's because Raleigh/Wake County has been growing much faster and will probably soon take over as the largest county in the state. Also when you combine the whole triangle as one metro area; it is even closer already. So they aren't really the biggest anymore; now they have to be the "most urban"....because the triangle is already the most educated and wealthiest and fastest growing. They aren't Atlanta and know they never will be; so looking down on Raleigh/The Triangle as being "less urban" is the last card they have to play in the whole "we're special" game.
Actually, no, it can't. Because Raleigh and Durham are not in the same metropolitan area, and Charlotte is also larger city proper, even the larger growth rate isn't going to surpass Charlotte in metropolitan population or city population. Raleigh's name is hardly even on the relevancy map. Charlotte will remain the "premier NC city" for the foreseeable future in virtually every aspect, excluding education. Charlotte will never be Atlanta, and Raleigh-Durham will never be Charlotte. End of story.
That's basically saying because Austin is growing faster than Dallas and Houston, it's the largest city in Texas, and Texas' premier city.
Actually, no, it can't. Because Raleigh and Durham are not in the same metropolitan area, and Charlotte is also larger city proper, even the larger growth rate isn't going to surpass Charlotte in metropolitan population or city population. Raleigh's name is hardly even on the relevancy map. Charlotte will remain the "premier NC city" for the foreseeable future in virtually every aspect, excluding education. Charlotte will never be Atlanta, and Raleigh-Durham will never be Charlotte. End of story.
That's basically saying because Austin is growing faster than Dallas and Houston, it's the largest city in Texas, and Texas' premier city.
No; that's not what I'm saying at all.
I never said that Raleigh was the largest or most significant city in the state or that Raleigh's city-limits population would surpass that of Charlotte. Just that Wake County will very likely pass Mecklenberg County probably by the next census.
Durham-Chapel Hill MSA being separate from the Raleigh-Cary MSA is pure semantics. The two function together as one metro area and always have. Parts of the city limits of Raleigh are in Durham County and parts of the Durham City limits are in Wake County. Chapel Hill, Cary, and Apex all have portions of their town limits in Chatham County. I grew up in Wake County and went to school and still live in Chapel Hill. I did not move from one region of the state to another; I moved further west in the Triangle. When looking realistically at the Triangle as the one metro area that it is; the Charlotte area and the Triangle area are much closer in population.
The only thing more arbitrary than the MSA definitions is city-limits. Charlotte's city limits are HUGE compared to those of Raleigh; their built up areas when you include Cary, Apex, Garner, Wake Forest, etc is virtually the same. Areas like Ballantyne, Mallard Creek, etc are technically within the city limits of Charlotte but are otherwise no different from the aforementioned suburbs of Raleigh in Wake County.
But thank you for proving my point that Charlotte boosters are hyper-senstive to this subject.
Chapel Hill, Cary, and Apex all have portions of their town limits in Chatham County.
False. Chapel Hill town limits do not extend into Chatham County. A portion of Chapel Hill does extend into Durham County.
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