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We lived in Garner when we first moved to the Triangle (technically Raleigh in the 27603 zipcode but it was Garner). I didn't like living there as it seemed like everything was so far away (food lion was 6 miles from my house!).
Also, it's virtually "uncommutable" if you work at RTP - it's almost an hour journey.
If you work downtown Raleigh though - it's a pretty appealing place to live. I've never really understood why it hasn't grown like all the towns around it though.
5-10 minutes to DT Raleigh from DT Garner. It is a great physical location.
Easier commute from DT Garner to RTP than from points south and east of Garner.
Little political leverage for county and state funding and some racial dynamics in a community with a significant African-American population, like much of Durham.
Sure,now that I had a chance to look into it more. I know that Garner is about a third black. I was thinking that maybe compared to the cities that were growing, it just had way more black folk. However I just looked it up and it doesn’t. It’s right up there with Knightdale which apparently is also a third black. So I don’t know why and I’ll backtrack on the racism comment, although I’m still not I’m convinced that it doesn’t play any part at all – ie if Garner were only 15% black like Holly Springs, would it be growing more? Would white people from the north be more likely to settle there? I don’t know.
And as far as attracting *new* black growth, certainly I think knightdale has more of a reputation of being more suburban and less ‘country’ than Garner, so if professional young black families have a choice, I can definitely see more choosing Knightdale (although in a way it all doesn’t make sense because Garner is actually closer to the rest of the triangle and downtown. . .)
All that being said I’m back to the ‘its a mystery’ camp.
There are other towns that have a comparable black population in Wake that are growing faster ... maybe it is the RTP commute and schools. Garner’s aesthetics do feel a bit “dated” outside of the White Oak area. I dunno whether 70 has helped or hindered Garner from a standpoint of attracting new residents ... Greater Garner really has varied “districts” ... 70 industrial and retail, country Garner, urban Garner ... it really has a mix. No real cohesiveness, however.
I think Clayton’s success could help Garner. I’m rooting for them.
@hellorebecca knightdale does seem to attract more 30’s-40’s professional blacks .... hmmmmm...
Sure,now that I had a chance to look into it more. I know that Garner is about a third black. I was thinking that maybe compared to the cities that were growing, it just had way more black folk. However I just looked it up and it doesn’t. It’s right up there with Knightdale which apparently is also a third black. So I don’t know why and I’ll backtrack on the racism comment, although I’m still not I’m convinced that it doesn’t play any part at all – ie if Garner were only 15% black like Holly Springs, would it be growing more? Would white people from the north be more likely to settle there? I don’t know.
And as far as attracting *new* black growth, certainly I think knightdale has more of a reputation of being more suburban and less ‘country’ than Garner, so if professional young black families have a choice, I can definitely see more choosing Knightdale (although in a way it all doesn’t make sense because Garner is actually closer to the rest of the triangle and downtown. . .)
All that being said I’m back to the ‘its a mystery’ camp.
"White people from the north" either come here for jobs, or because they're looking to increase quality of life. The majority of jobs will be in RTP. Garner is not close to RTP. A 45-60 minute commute is not improving quality of life. Once the 540 loop is complete Garner may become more popular, but it's still a longer commute.
Location location location. Look at all the complaints about the gentrification of Durham on this board - what's the racial breakdown in Durham? Probably a much higher black percentage than Garner.
I'm glad that you backtracked, but the race card gets thrown around so much these days - it's just tiring and unfair.
As a long term Raleighite, I can tell you that Garner has always had a redneck reputation in the county.
That said, it's just too darn close to downtown Raleigh to be ignored for much longer.
That said, I have never liked the name Garner. It just doesn't sound pleasant in the way that Holly Springs, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest or Knightdale does. Then again, Fuquay-Varina seems to have been able to get beyond its name. God knows that it has suffered ridicule for its name.
There are other towns that have a comparable black population in Wake that are growing faster ... maybe it is the RTP commute and schools. Garner’s aesthetics do feel a bit “dated” outside of the White Oak area. I dunno whether 70 has helped or hindered Garner from a standpoint of attracting new residents ... Greater Garner really has varied “districts” ... 70 industrial and retail, country Garner, urban Garner ... it really has a mix. No real cohesiveness, however.
I think Clayton’s success could help Garner. I’m rooting for them.
@hellorebecca knightdale does seem to attract more 30’s-40’s professional blacks .... hmmmmm...
My area of 27616 and my apartment community are very diverse and possibly more AA than Caucasian.
We love it but a lot of the losers from NY and NJ may feel that such areas are not good enough for them.
I personally do not like the Garner area because too many roads there are almost freeways and my driving competence is not sufficient to do well there.
"White people from the north" either come here for jobs, or because they're looking to increase quality of life. The majority of jobs will be in RTP. Garner is not close to RTP. A 45-60 minute commute is not improving quality of life. Once the 540 loop is complete Garner may become more popular, but it's still a longer commute.
Location location location. Look at all the complaints about the gentrification of Durham on this board - what's the racial breakdown in Durham? Probably a much higher black percentage than Garner.
I'm glad that you backtracked, but the race card gets thrown around so much these days - it's just tiring and unfair.
Agreed. Durham is growing at a very healthy rate among all racial groups(will probably overtake Greensboro for the 3rd largest city in the state in the next few years) and has a much more racially diverse population than Garner with a higher % of black residents.
The main defining factor is job concentration. Western Wake County and Southern Durham County are dead-center for the biggest factor in the Triangle's growth....higher education, high-tech career opportunities provided by the three major research universities and RTP.
Garner is the town in the Triangle that could fit in to "the rest" of NC more cohesively. The rest of NC is far less economically prosperous than the Triangle and Charlotte.
As a long term Raleighite, I can tell you that Garner has always had a redneck reputation in the county.
Yep, and it goes way, way back.
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