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Not really trying to get into politics, but you assume that just because Charleston has issues that it is a Republican problem. This state, and especially Charleston the largest city and capital, were majority Democrat for decades. Only in recent years have Republicans established themselves as the primer party. You can attribute many of the problems in Charleston to liberal policies. However, Charleston'c problems stem from more than just which political party is in office. The former mayor was a liberal republican, so go figure that one out. Across the nation there's significant amounts of examples where city's have struggled under liberal leadership. And on the other hand, there is significant evidence that city's can flourish under Republican leadership. I only say that to show you that just because Asheville has success, you cannot accredit that to a political party.
I will say that liberals tend to do tourism and artsy small business models a lot better than conservatives. Conservatives tend to run businesses overall in a more sustainable way. Both sides can learn from each other in that regard.
We hope to prosper here like Asheville has, but there is a lot of factors at play in both cities that make them unique and not as similar as you think. Charleston's history is rooted in industry. The economy here was built off the back of the chemical, salt, coal, and other industries. Asheville was always a mountain town with little industry in comparison to here. Charleston has access to the mountains, but I wouldn't say that we have the abundance of tourism potential in that regard that Asheville has. We are only 45 mins from the start of the New River, and that is a huge asset, but Asheville has major tourist stops right around town. That atmosphere has brought visitors in, which has led to a renaissance of sorts for them. Those factors have led to an environment desirable for young people and retirees alike to move there. Charleston on the other hand was an established hub for the chemical industry for years and years and has built a reputation as a gritty industrial city. That reputation has not helped attract tourism to the city. In recent years we have had a significant uptick in local small businesses aimed at drawing in tourism and an artsy culture. It is nowhere near the scale of places like Asheville, Burlington, Lancaster, or even Roanoke VA.
What Charleston needs more than anything is good paying jobs from tech firms or from the re-surging small manufacturing industry. Creating an environment suitable for attracting good paying businesses should be the main concern, followed up with improving the small business scene downtown downtown. Also, promoting Charleston as an affordable and trendy place to live for young people and families.
Charleston doesn't need to be Asheville, but it needs to be something unique. Capitalizing on the music and art culture of Appalachia, and designating itself as the Appalachian regions cultural hub. Those things need to be supported by a growing economy.
OP is way off base with his/her post and I could not agree more with your post. The worst thing to happen is for
WV to become Liberal state like Seattle, Portland, LA-SF-Oakland, NYC, DC, Detroit, etc and I do believe those are ALL Democratic run areas that are falling apart. People are moving out of those areas in droves, so much for the Liberal agenda of that post. I certainly hope that Charleston WV stays conservative and continues to back small businesses.
We have family that live in WV and totally love that state. We use to live within 30 minutes from WV (PA) and loved visiting there. Besides the beauty of the area the people are wonderful.
One of the biggest if not the biggest problems that Charleston has is that it has no plan to do anything or be anything.
The last time the city had any type of vision was in the late 60's/early 70's when a large downtown mall was envisioned. And when that mall was built it was a great thing. But really Charleston hasn't had any vision to become or attract anything for decades. And this lack of vision occurred during both republican and democratic administrations so it's not really political.
The place is apathetic and corrupt. I can't really express it any kinder than that. So many self-serving politicians taking care of their own interests and sadly a population that is largely doesn't expect or desire better things. A lot of Charleston now is just scraping by to survive in decaying neighborhoods. It's sad and wasn't always the case but so many people have left for better opportunities that you've lost too many of the people that can help make the city better.
I'm not optimistic at all for the future of the city. It's been a ship without a captain or a course for too long and the damage resulting from this is close to catastrophic.
It could, possibly. Asheville benefits from its close proximity to larger cities such as Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Atlanta, while Charleston isn't too far from Cincinnati, Columbus, and Pittsburgh.
As others have stated, the only issue is that Charleston is located in an industrial section of Appalachia that doesn't attract a lot of tourism. Southern West Virginia (Beckley, etc.) is a better area for outdoor activities, like rivers, skiing, and hiking. I suppose the rivers in Charleston could bring in tourism, though.
I don't think West Virginia will ever reach the level of western North Carolina regarding tourism. North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation and the mountains in Asheville offer more opportunities. With that being said, West Virginia is a beautiful state and I hope Charleston makes a comeback.
OP is way off base with his/her post and I could not agree more with your post. The worst thing to happen is for
WV to become Liberal state like Seattle, Portland, LA-SF-Oakland, NYC, DC, Detroit, etc and I do believe those are ALL Democratic run areas that are falling apart. People are moving out of those areas in droves, so much for the Liberal agenda of that post. I certainly hope that Charleston WV stays conservative and continues to back small businesses.
We have family that live in WV and totally love that state. We use to live within 30 minutes from WV (PA) and loved visiting there. Besides the beauty of the area the people are wonderful.
Many of the cities you listed as falling apart are among the most prosperous and innovative places in the country if not the world.
It could, possibly. Asheville benefits from its close proximity to larger cities such as Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Atlanta, while Charleston isn't too far from Cincinnati, Columbus, and Pittsburgh.
As others have stated, the only issue is that Charleston is located in an industrial section of Appalachia that doesn't attract a lot of tourism. Southern West Virginia (Beckley, etc.) is a better area for outdoor activities, like rivers, skiing, and hiking. I suppose the rivers in Charleston could bring in tourism, though.
I don't think West Virginia will ever reach the level of western North Carolina regarding tourism. North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation and the mountains in Asheville offer more opportunities. With that being said, West Virginia is a beautiful state and I hope Charleston makes a comeback.
Asheville is about an hour from Greenville, less than 2 hours from Knoxville, and a little over 2 hours from Charlotte, Winston-Salem.
Charleston is around 2 1/2 hours from Columbus and Lexington and a little over 3 hours from Pittsburgh and Cincy.
As you stated, the Charleston area doesn't have much to draw in tourism. People living in Columbus, Lexington, Pittsburgh and Cincy have more, and better options, for places to visit within that same driving window. Perhaps Charleston will see some bleed over from the new National Park designation for the New River Gorge, but I'm not sure it's close enough to have any direct benefit. I hope I'm wrong.
One of the biggest if not the biggest problems that Charleston has is that it has no plan to do anything or be anything.
The last time the city had any type of vision was in the late 60's/early 70's when a large downtown mall was envisioned. And when that mall was built it was a great thing. But really Charleston hasn't had any vision to become or attract anything for decades. And this lack of vision occurred during both republican and democratic administrations so it's not really political.
The place is apathetic and corrupt. I can't really express it any kinder than that. So many self-serving politicians taking care of their own interests and sadly a population that is largely doesn't expect or desire better things. A lot of Charleston now is just scraping by to survive in decaying neighborhoods. It's sad and wasn't always the case but so many people have left for better opportunities that you've lost too many of the people that can help make the city better.
I'm not optimistic at all for the future of the city. It's been a ship without a captain or a course for too long and the damage resulting from this is close to catastrophic.
I'd disagree with you if I could. I also fear that the same applies to Huntington. Both are cities that continue to suffer a slow death.
OP is way off base with his/her post and I could not agree more with your post. The worst thing to happen is for
WV to become Liberal state like Seattle, Portland, LA-SF-Oakland, NYC, DC, Detroit, etc and I do believe those are ALL Democratic run areas that are falling apart. People are moving out of those areas in droves, so much for the Liberal agenda of that post. I certainly hope that Charleston WV stays conservative and continues to back small businesses.
We have family that live in WV and totally love that state. We use to live within 30 minutes from WV (PA) and loved visiting there. Besides the beauty of the area the people are wonderful.
Your comment is way off- DC has added well over 100k residents in the past 10 years with new development and construction all over. The metro area is up by about 700k. People aren't fleeing in droves from here. Same with Seattle. California is another story but it is still the fifth largest economy in the world. Either way it has nothing to do with Charleston becoming the next Asheville.
Many of the cities you listed as falling apart are among the most prosperous and innovative places in the country if not the world.
Don't confuse innovation with quality. You couldn't pay me enough to live near ANY of those cities with the exception of maybe the outer Detroit burbs.
But just for fun
NYC, SF, LA, and Portland are not seeing model growth.
The only "prosperous" one he listed was Seattle, which again, median income and median house value even 40+ minutes outside of city limits do not constitute for the quality, or rather lack of, that the Seattle-Tacoma area offers. Seattle is absolutely the worst city I have ever traveled to, although admittedly I've never been to SF or Portland.
Your comment is way off- DC has added well over 100k residents in the past 10 years with new development and construction all over. The metro area is up by about 700k. People aren't fleeing in droves from here. Same with Seattle. California is another story but it is still the fifth largest economy in the world. Either way it has nothing to do with Charleston becoming the next Asheville.
Just because DC has a growing job market, largely subsidized by the federal government, doesn't change the fact that the city proper has very high crime and extreme home prices that don't match median incomes. Also, Asheville has a very similar issue. Low job availability and high house prices make Asheville less desirable and eventually it will cause major issues like it has in Portland. Asheville isn't even growing that fast when compared to other mid sized cities and metros in the Carolinas like even Columbia and Fayetteville.
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