Nearly one year as a Wake County resident... here are some observations. (Raleigh: loan, house)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thr3stripe
- Sense of community: This is probably the thing that's hardest to get used to. Maybe it's just N. Raleigh, but there just aren't many townships, boroughs or entities that have an identity of their own and give a sense of community. I realize that there's Clayton and Holly Springs and Wake Forest and Garner, but even Cary seems like one big sprawl. Folks ask me where I live... I say North Raleigh. For the most part, N. Raleigh is a huge geographical area that stretches from Rte 70 to Capitol Blvd west to east, and I440 all the way up to Rte 98, south to north. One's community seems to be only pretty much the housing development they live in. None of this is particularly bad, or a complaint... It's just different from the suburbs of most major cities.
This is so true - it's not just here but the sense of community is missing in other places, too. Pennsylvania has so many boroughs and townships and government at the local level that it's built into our genes (I'm a PA native, too) to be entrenched with your town. When I moved to Maryland and then Virginia, I used to complain all the time about the lack of community there where everything is also run at the county level.
Growing up in PA, everyone in our town went to one of 4-6 elementary schools then to 1 out of 2 middle schools, and then we all went to the same high school. We had our own library, our own police force and fire fighters, and our own parades and festivals. There were friendly rivalries with other towns - when our high school played the neighboring high school in football, it was big, for example.
Another reason, I believe, is that PA is one of those states that has a very high population of natives. People are born, live, and die in PA. It wasn't unusual to have whole families living in the same town - grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. I can think of so many families in my high school that were related to each other (it was often big Italian and Greek families, too).
I think when things are run at the county level such as the schools, libraries, and when there is no defined town with its own mayor and town council, you lose some of that sense of community. Add in a lot of folks moving here from other places and the sense of history is lost, too.
I guess I feel a little bit more community here in Chapel Hill than I would in Wake because things are mostly run at the town level rather than the county level. The school district is relatively small, and the town does run its own things like the library and police station. However, having a large university in its midst with many people living here from all over, takes away from the community feeling that exists in hundreds of towns across Pennsylvania.
There is a driving range on Leesville Rd. about ½ mile from the Durham County line. Frankly, I’m surprised it’s still there and hasn’t been gobbled up for residential development. (Hope I didn’t jinx it.)
But look what happened to Cheviot Hill golf course on Capital Blvd. and I thought I read that Crooked Creek golf course is not doing well.
I'm amused by the whole diner debate. There were a couple here that closed down. I don't exactly understand the difference between a diner and small family owned restaurants in the area. Is the difference the food offered,prices,or the hours of business. In my mind a diner is something like a your house,Gateway,Watkins Grille. What I've heard called "a greasy spoon". What am I missing?
Diners are generally inexpensive restaurants that focus on coffee, breakfast, lunch and desserts. No, don't confuse a diner with a Panera. Panera doesn't make eggs or pancakes to order, nor does it have home fries or hash browns to die for. Think of a spartan Brigs that you can walk away with a full stomach for less than $6 a person before tip. A place that has no pretense and has a short-order cook who can watch over 12-14 breakfasts simultaneously, and execute each perfectly. A place where you're not paying for the fluff and corporate-derived ambiance of a Starbucks, and where something called a scone costs $4.29. Diners do not carry scones, lattes or smoothies. They don't even know what those things are.
Diners have counters that you can sit at and read the paper or talk to the guy next to you. They also have booths, where you can hang out for hours if you wish. Is the food greasy? It wouldn't be good if it wasn't. But mostly it's cheap and comfortable.
From Wikipedia: Diners almost invariably serve American food such as hamburgers, french fries, club sandwiches, and other simple fare. Much of the food is grilled, as early diners were based around a grill. There is often an emphasis on breakfast foods such as eggs (including omelettes), waffles, pancakes, and French toast. Some diners serve these "breakfast foods" throughout the business day and others who focus on breakfast may close at around 3 pm. These are most commonly known as pancake houses.
Coffee is ubiquitous at diners, if not always of high quality. Many diners do not serve alcoholic drinks, although some may serve beer and inexpensive wine, while others—particularly in New Jersey and on Long Island—carry a full drink menu, including mixed drinks.
Like the British greasy spoon, the typical American diner serves mainly fried or grilled food, for example: fried eggs, bacon, hamburgers, hot dogs, hash browns, waffles, pancakes, omelettes, deep fried chicken, patty melts, and sausages. These are often accompanied by baked beans, french fries, cole slaw, or toast.
There is regional variation among diners. In Michigan and the Ohio Valley at "Coney Island–style" restaurants, coney dogs are served, as are certain types of Greek cuisine like gyros. In Indiana, fried pork tenderloin sandwiches are typically on the menu. The Northeast has more of a focus on seafood, with fried clams and fried shrimp commonly found in Maine. In Pennsylvania, cheesesteak sandwiches and scrapple are fixtures in most diners. Diners in the southwest serve tamales. In the southern U.S., typical dishes include grits, biscuits and gravy, and country fried steak. In New Jersey, the "Pork roll, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich" is a staple of many diners.
Many diners have transparent display cases in or behind the counter for the desserts. It is common with new diners to have the desserts displayed in rotating pie cases. Typical desserts include a variety of pies, often on view in a separate transparent case. Most diners in New York and Chicago also offer cheesecake.
I think when things are run at the county level such as the schools, libraries, and when there is no defined town with its own mayor and town council, you lose some of that sense of community. Add in a lot of folks moving here from other places and the sense of history is lost, too.
OP here again. I failed to note the good side of things run at the county level... LOWER TAXES. And probably less graft and corruption as well. All the local governments entities and administrations do make for a significantly larger cost that gets passed on to the residents. And in the end, they're less efficient, and certainly less coordinated in their standards and practices.
OP here again. I failed to note the good side of things run at the county level... LOWER TAXES. And probably less graft and corruption as well. All the local governments entities and administrations do make for a significantly larger cost that gets passed on to the residents. And in the end, they're less efficient, and certainly less coordinated in their standards and practices.
Compare that with Connecticut which has no county government. It's all municipal. There are 169 towns, with cities or villages in them.
In my time there, it seemed many people' identity was strongly tied to their town. "My friend Bob from Ridgefield" or "My friend Sally from New Milford."
I have found a great sense of community here . . more than I ever did when we lived back in Southern California .. I think it's what you make it. I was blessed to meet fellow triathletes as this is a bustling triathlon meca . . I'm the event planner for our neighborhood (4th of July parade and bbq, fall hay ride, etc) . . . my Iron Tribe gym community . . just get out there and try to meet people who enjoy the same hobbies, interests and before you know it you'll have friends galore. (just my little two cents!)
This is so true - it's not just here but the sense of community is missing in other places, too. Pennsylvania has so many boroughs and townships and government at the local level that it's built into our genes (I'm a PA native, too) to be entrenched with your town. When I moved to Maryland and then Virginia, I used to complain all the time about the lack of community there where everything is also run at the county level.
Growing up in PA, everyone in our town went to one of 4-6 elementary schools then to 1 out of 2 middle schools, and then we all went to the same high school. We had our own library, our own police force and fire fighters, and our own parades and festivals. There were friendly rivalries with other towns - when our high school played the neighboring high school in football, it was big, for example.
Another reason, I believe, is that PA is one of those states that has a very high population of natives. People are born, live, and die in PA. It wasn't unusual to have whole families living in the same town - grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. I can think of so many families in my high school that were related to each other (it was often big Italian and Greek families, too).
I think when things are run at the county level such as the schools, libraries, and when there is no defined town with its own mayor and town council, you lose some of that sense of community. Add in a lot of folks moving here from other places and the sense of history is lost, too.
I guess I feel a little bit more community here in Chapel Hill than I would in Wake because things are mostly run at the town level rather than the county level. The school district is relatively small, and the town does run its own things like the library and police station. However, having a large university in its midst with many people living here from all over, takes away from the community feeling that exists in hundreds of towns across Pennsylvania.
This is very true. Now that I have a elementary school age child I am feeling more connected to the community but it's different and it is related to things being done on a county level. I am not saying it is bad to do things that way but it does make it harder to make connections and build your own community.
OP here again. I failed to note the good side of things run at the county level... LOWER TAXES. And probably less graft and corruption as well. All the local governments entities and administrations do make for a significantly larger cost that gets passed on to the residents. And in the end, they're less efficient, and certainly less coordinated in their standards and practices.
I agree there are positives to having things run on a county level. NJ is my best example. I lived in a town that was relatively small in Union County, in the middle of our town was another called a boro. It has it's own library and police and as a result higher taxes. These little towns were so small that they had to have send and receive agreements with other towns. They too small for their own high school so they bus their kids to a high school in a neighboring town
You do know people in your town and it has a small town feel but it is inefficient as far as resources.
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