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I get what you're saying, totally, urban, and agree, but what Ani said is an underlying factor.
For instance, when Bev told NCDOT to find the money & get 485 finished, they didn't take it from some hole in the wall project in the east, they took it from Kings Mountain & Shelby. Kings Mountain is more Democratic than Charlotte, but is lumped into Republican areas for representation. After they did that they realized that they had promised an improvement that part of that money covered in a job negotiation, so now they have to find that money & replace it. Oops.
You can thank transportation secretary Gene Conti for THAT one. Most of the decisions comes from him now; and so it seems NOTHING has changed. Perdue appointed Conti btw.
Well, things have transpired as they have based on a very long history (wh/ goes all the way back to the 18th C) . . . I have written about it on this forum several years ago . . .
I am sure that the influx of newcomers from other areas of the USA has affected voting patterns - it definitely has affected Charlotte.
However, how bidness is done in this state, at the legislative level, all goes back to lines drawn in the sand in this state over 200 years ago. And to be honest, nothing has changed that much into the 21st Century.
Raleigh is the seat of gubment . . . so we tend to complain about Raleigh's role in such things as highway development. But the truth is - residents of Raleigh (and Raleigh's bedroom communities) are not so much concerned w/ anything outside their own region. They started their growth spurt in the late 60s and have been dealing with trying to fit so many folks within close proximity to one area for 50 years now.
So when we talk about any antagonism b/n Raleigh and Charlotte - what we really need to define is what type of antagonism - politically derived or grassroots? I think most will agree (who live in Raleigh) that Charlotte isn't really on their radar at all. They consider their region to be much more highly educated and if there is any snobbery - it comes from having several major universities within a few miles of each other - and more PhD's per square mile than any other area of the state.
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Originally Posted by urbancharlotte
You can thank transportation secretary Gene Conti for THAT one. Most of the decisions comes from him now; and so it seems NOTHING has changed. Perdue appointed Conti btw.
I know, but like I said, which fits with what you said & also what Ani said, the money didn't come from "new" money or something from an area with almost no people in eastern NC, it came from long-promised projects here in the same region where the representatives are all Republicans. Officials here have been remarkably quiet.
One of the projects that MUST be rescheduled was supposed to help keep the trucks out of downtown Kings Mountain, because of the problem with the tracks. As a result, NCDOT is about to block 2 out of 2 street crossings in downtown. That should be very helpful for revitalizing downtown. The mess on 74 continues in Shelby. Unfortunately for Mr. Conti, the fix was promised to the paper company. He'd better get digging to find that money.
I think most will agree (who live in Raleigh) that Charlotte isn't really on their radar at all.
Then the OP noticed nothing at all, and this thread should be closed right? Not sure if you are aware of this, but there's quite a bit of backhanded comments about Charlotte from other areas of NC. These comments are all over the internet, and can be heard in casual conversation when the name "Charlotte" comes up. I've never started a thread on this topic simply because this is old news to me. However, the OP of this thread is starting to see what many of us have known for years.
That said, the average person in other NC areas don't think of Charlotte much. However, when Charlotte makes the headlines on THEIR local media outlets, THAT's when the Charlotte bashing starts.
I've never started a thread on this topic simply because this is old news to me. However, the OP of this thread is starting to see what many of us have known for years.
This is exactly correct. Aside from the Internet, I notice it when it comes up in conversation. Maybe people don't actively think about it/consider it all the time, but when the subject is broached, the sentiment really comes forth. For example, I was over at a food festival in a Chapel Hill neighborhood a few weeks ago. When I mentioned that my wife and I had come over from Charlotte to visit, one of the food purveyors said, "mmmmmmmm, and how are you liking it THERE???" with a "bless your heart" sort of tone to her voice. She said that a friend of hers had moved to Charlotte from the Triangle a couple of years ago and "still hasn't gotten used to it" whatever that means.
Growing up in Fayetteville in the 80s and 90s, we never even really thought about Charlotte unless we were going to Carowinds. It was just out of our orbit. RTP was the closer metro area. I hear more Charlotte bashing in Union and Cabarrus Coutny that I ever did in other parts of the state.
Then the OP noticed nothing at all, and this thread should be closed right? Not sure if you are aware of this, but there's quite a bit of backhanded comments about Charlotte from other areas of NC. These comments are all over the internet, and can be heard in casual conversation when the name "Charlotte" comes up. I've never started a thread on this topic simply because this is old news to me. However, the OP of this thread is starting to see what many of us have known for years.
That said, the average person in other NC areas don't think of Charlotte much. However, when Charlotte makes the headlines on THEIR local media outlets, THAT's when the Charlotte bashing starts.
Agree. Maybe I didn't explain it right but . . . my experience, for 40 years, has been that Raleigh residents believe they live in a much nicer place than Charlotte residents do. I don't think they envy a thing about our area. So . . . I agee with you. I don't think they spend any time ruminating about Charlotte - unless - as you said - something comes up in the media, in their market.
Despite being NC's largest metro and the largest metro in the south outside of Atlanta, Charlote sure has an inferiority complex. Or maybe other areas (i.e. Triangle) have a superiority complex or a combination of both. Like I said on the Raleigh vs Charlotte thread, the arguments seem to go like this: Charlotte - "Look we're better than you" Triangle: "What are they talking about, we're just as good, if not better, than them". I do believe, on paper at least, Charlotte is tops. Objectively, it's all opinion and preference. I also agree with the posters that say the rest of NC does not think about Charlotte and when they do it's negative. I think the negativity comes from the same place where North Carolinians have hate for NYC, and feel that it's just big dirty, and crime ridden despite it being objectively one of the greatest cities in the world.
Here's another perspective on that. Throughout the last 2 decades or more I have met numerous young people that moved to Charlotte from other small towns in NC like Mt Airy, N Wilkesboro, Ansonville, Greenville, NC to name a few. I think every one of these people I made friends with told me in some form or another that their parents hated Charlotte. They think it's just a big rat race and can't understand why their kids would want to move there. So yes, part of it could be jealousy and part of it could be that small town mentality that some people just can't bear to break.
Most of us are too young (no offense) to know of such a history. Therefore, it is pretty much jealousy... And if post-DNC Charlotte makes a transformation similar to that of post-DNC Atlanta, the jealousy will only get worse.
I mean let's face it, look at Atl vs the rest of Georgia (heck, vs the rest of the south in general). There's EASILY a 40-50 year gap in development between central Charlotte and central Atlanta (so just imagine how wide that gap is with other southern cities). There is a silent fear in NC that Charlotte will eventually "pull away from the pack" like Atlanta has done; thus creating an economic "black hole" in NC. It is happening to an extent, with the Triangle being the only region in NC/SC standing in the way of Charlotte having Atlanta-like total dominance. Out of the 15 or so Fortune 500s in NC/SC, 9 of them are located within 20 minutes of Uptown Charlotte. That is a scary fact to non-Charlotte area Carolinians.
Becoming the "Atlanta" of the Carolinas is not such a bad deal for Charlotte, but how about the rest of the Carolinas? What's in it for them? That's the real issue here. The Carolinas never had to deal with a "major city"; never had to compete against one either. Having such a city in our own backyard is a threat to business as usual in these parts.
Think about it. What happens when the "major city" can offer jobs, great mass transit, awesome diversity, more entertainment etc etc etc. That would force local leaders in other areas to "up their game" so that they can keep their population from moving to the "big city". If they don't..... Well, look at Atlanta and the rest of Georgia as a perfect example of what would happen if the other towns don't step up.
IMO, it is MUCH easier for NC to hold a city like Charlotte back (this is done by limiting infrastructure dollars) than it is to support Charlotte and let her grow to her full potential (then having to compete economically with big city Charlotte).
This is the line of thinking that keeps non-Charlotte NC voters from putting a Charlottean in a major state office. That "Atlanta factor" fear is big in NC. One can almost sense that fear in the minds of North Carolinians when they say to Charlotteans "you are NOT an Atlanta" and "NC does NOT revolve around YOUR city"; "we HAVE other options in NC other than YOUR city". It's fear and jealousy Ani. I noticed it looooooong ago and I've often given our friends in Raleigh a hard time because of it. Like it or not though, we need the vote of those friends in Raleigh if we are going to change the politics of this state. Such a change would benefit both cities, but it's a very tough sell in Raleigh (mainly because some folks in Raleigh feel that the state capital should be NC's Atlanta and they aren't willing to go through Charlotte to accomplish that goal). IMO, the in-fighting between the two (west vs east) will be the death of this state, as folks outside of NC see them both as being "North Carolina". With that said, it is time for both sides to work together. That way, we can help each other reach our goals.
IMO, NC is in a much better position than GA, and a lot of that has to do with the population being more evenly dispersed in NC than GA (why do you think NC went blue in 2008 and GA didn't, despite similar overall growth rates and demographic shifts?). Here in GA, a state with a history of pro-rural/anti-urban politics as well (like many Southern states), all of the animus towards things "big city" is directed at Atlanta, which is why Atlanta doesn't get the amount of support from the state that it should (which is why MARTA gets no state dollars from GA); hell, here in GA, governors can get elected based on how much venom they spew towards Atlanta. Add to that the fact that Atlanta's current status as the dominant city in the Southeast is almost all due to local business and political leadership with very little help from state leaders, which is almost the exact opposite of NC where the state has had a very active hand in bringing progress to metro areas like Charlotte and the Triangle, and it all adds up to not looking so good for Atlanta long-term. I know Charlotte likes to grumble and complain about not getting its fair share and such, but trust me, what's going on over there is absolutely NOTHING like what's going on in Atlanta, which has to fight with its suburbs and the rest of the state. Count your lucky stars.
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The mess on 74 continues in Shelby. Unfortunately for Mr. Conti, the fix was promised to the paper company. He'd better get digging to find that money.
) to know of such a history. Therefore, it is pretty much jealousy... And if post-DNC Charlotte makes a transformation similar to that of post-DNC Atlanta, the jealousy will only get worse.
Well, look at Atlanta and the rest of Georgia as a perfect example of what would happen if the other towns don't step up.
