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I Said how little people outside of the Triangle knew much about it being as highly educated as those in the triangle believe it to be and that the research park might as well be in Charlotte for all people from outside of NC know unless you showed them some statistics on a paper. You’re just over the top with the importance and significance of Raleigh. That doesn’t make one a Charlotte booster. It’s just a person thinking your perception is silly.
I agree with you. Outside NC, SC and maybe VA, people don't know the Triangle or what RTP is. Honestly, people in rural NC don't even know what RTP is. I remember in 2014 when I first moved here from Fayetteville, I told a daycare worker I was got a job in RTP and she said what's that? Same with a friend/former coworker of mine. About a month later I was exploring and I was at a Walmart in Cary...no GPS, ajd I asked the cashier how to get back to RTP and she said she had no idea what that was.
Furthermore, I got married a few days ago in Asheville ajd my family came in from everywhere (Australia, Puerto Rico, MA, NY, AR, WA, FL, GA)...I asked Australian cousin what she knew about NC coming in (she hadn't been to the states in 15 years) and she said her and her circle only knew that it was "that state in the south that hates gay people". She never heard of Charlotte, Raleigh or RTP. Heard of Duke Uni but had no idea it was even in NC. My MA grandpa when I asked, he knew of Raleigh because of proximity to Duke/Durham, where he has some people. Grandma from NY never heard of RTP but knows Raleigh is capital and thought Charlotte was SC. And that pretty much continued. I know I know, all anecdotal, but interesting.
I agree with you. Outside NC, SC and maybe VA, people don't know the Triangle or what RTP is. Honestly, people in rural NC don't even know what RTP is. I remember in 2014 when I first moved here from Fayetteville, I told a daycare worker I was got a job in RTP and she said what's that? Same with a friend/former coworker of mine. About a month later I was exploring and I was at a Walmart in Cary...no GPS, ajd I asked the cashier how to get back to RTP and she said she had no idea what that was.
Furthermore, I got married a few days ago in Asheville ajd my family came in from everywhere (Australia, Puerto Rico, MA, NY, AR, WA, FL, GA)...I asked Australian cousin what she knew about NC coming in (she hadn't been to the states in 15 years) and she said her and her circle only knew that it was "that state in the south that hates gay people". She never heard of Charlotte, Raleigh or RTP. Heard of Duke Uni but had no idea it was even in NC. My MA grandpa when I asked, he knew of Raleigh because of proximity to Duke/Durham, where he has some people. Grandma from NY never heard of RTP but knows Raleigh is capital and thought Charlotte was SC. And that pretty much continued. I know I know, all anecdotal, but interesting.
I got a similar reaction when I told my group of friends from HS (they are from/live in SF, London, Sydney, Brooklyn, Austin, Jakarta) we were moving here. All they really knew about NC was the news stories about the bathroom bill. First impressions are tough to get past.
I think people like to think that RTP carries the same name recognition as say Silicon Valley or a Innovation District; but it simply doesn't. I've worked in IT since 2005, when I told co-workers I was moving here they were completely puzzled. "What IT is there in Raleigh?!". When I mentioned RTP and IBM's (among other's) history they responded with "oh I bet it was quite the place in the 60s.....".
Again anecdotes and all that (and please don't confuse my point as a jab at the Triangle Area; because it isn't. I largely have nothing but love for the area and the people).
It's simply more a "The Triangle/RTP is a big fish in a tiny pond" than many people probably want to admit publicly because it's "our fish".
I am from rural PA where 80% of the roads are dirt and there is one traffic light. One year when up visiting over the holidays they were all picking on me for living in the "red neck hick south". Keep in mind most of them were wearing overalls as they are farmers, live in trailers and have jacked up pickup trucks.
Meanwhile, I have not touched anything under a 4 lane paved road in years while living here in the South. Is there even a trailer or a tractor within 10 miles of my house? No idea...but I am the red neck hick living in the south. Forest for the trees as they say.
I absolutely adore those people back home. They are a hoot but dang is that southern stereotype ingrained in the American culture. Too funny.
SO TRUE! and when I referred to the Triangle as the "brainy nucleus" of NC and Charlotte could be the Tall City for NC...
Every cheerleader for Charlotte got up in arms and said I was fantasizing things about Raleigh and that Charlotte was just as smart, etc...
They demonstrated that they knew nothing about the Triangle having one of the most highly-educated workforces and populations in the country.
They didn't know about the high number of PhDs in the Triangle, almost the most per capita in the nation.
So it reiterates how little they know about the rest of the state, because they mistakenly believe that Charlotte is the only island of sophistication and the rest of NC is too beneath them to travel through and learn about.
I was like, "That's Raleigh-Durham's main selling point, the educated worksforce!" (and the universities proximity).
Here you go making up stuff once again. Here's the page of the NC Development thread where you made that comment. Folks can read for themselves what transpired afterwards. Let the record reflect that the first person to call you out over that comment was someone from Raleigh.
And yes, the average Joe isn't nearly as familiar with cities as you seem to think. In certain professional circles, yes--those people will know about higher education being the Triangle's strong suit (and banking Charlotte's), but they aren't representative of the general population.
You're really obsessed with Charlotte though. I don't know what that's about.
I am from rural PA where 80% of the roads are dirt and there is one traffic light. One year when up visiting over the holidays they were all picking on me for living in the "red neck hick south". Keep in mind most of them were wearing overalls as they are farmers, live in trailers and have jacked up pickup trucks.
Meanwhile, I have not touched anything under a 4 lane paved road in years while living here in the South. Is there even a trailer or a tractor within 10 miles of my house? No idea...but I am the red neck hick living in the south. Forest for the trees as they say.
I absolutely adore those people back home. They are a hoot but dang is that southern stereotype ingrained in the American culture. Too funny.
Lots of "rednecks" living in NE as well, they just don't call em rednecks there. The local term, generally, is "Swamp Yankee".
And like your rural PA roots, they definitely think they are slightly up the pecking order than "the hicks down here" even though, other than accents, you probably couldn't pick the southerner/northerner out of a lineup.
Lots of "rednecks" living in NE as well, they just don't call em rednecks there. The local term, generally, is "Swamp Yankee".
And like your rural PA roots, they definitely think they are slightly up the pecking order than "the hicks down here" even though, other than accents, you probably couldn't pick the southerner/northerner out of a lineup.
especially if you're talking about PA then really you're just looking at scots-irish talking about scots-irish
especially if you're talking about PA then really you're just looking at scots-irish talking about scots-irish
Correct. I did always find it funny that many Scots-Irish claim "American" as their ancestry.
My dad has our genealogy back 58 generations (may god have mercy on FamilyTree.com if their cloud servers ever blow up) and my material grandmother's English side (she has Irish as well) we can trace back to 1638 in the US....and even then I would never consider my Ancestry "American". LOL
I am from rural PA where 80% of the roads are dirt and there is one traffic light. One year when up visiting over the holidays they were all picking on me for living in the "red neck hick south". Keep in mind most of them were wearing overalls as they are farmers, live in trailers and have jacked up pickup trucks.
Meanwhile, I have not touched anything under a 4 lane paved road in years while living here in the South. Is there even a trailer or a tractor within 10 miles of my house? No idea...but I am the red neck hick living in the south. Forest for the trees as they say.
I absolutely adore those people back home. They are a hoot but dang is that southern stereotype ingrained in the American culture. Too funny.
The old joke is that Pennsylvania is Philadelphia on one end, Pittsburgh on the other and Alabama in between.
The old joke is that Pennsylvania is Philadelphia on one end, Pittsburgh on the other and Alabama in between.
The documentary "Shenandoah" certainly gave some evidence to support this stereotype.
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