Megaregion Battle: Cascadia vs. Gulf Coast vs. Piedmont Atlantic (cost, rates, place)
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Which region will be the most developed and established in the future? This is a generally broad topic, and NOT a Houston vs Atlanta thread.
Cascadia: Location: Along the Pacific Ocean north of California, composed of parts of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia Principal Cities: Portland, Seattle, Vancouver Population 2000 (U.S. Portion): 7,400,532 Percent of U.S. Population: 3% Population 2025: 10,209,826 Projected Growth: 38% 2005 GDP: $337,405,000,000 Percent U.S. GDP: 3%
Gulf Coast: Location: The Gulf Coast - Including parts of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle Principal Cities: Houston, New Orleans, Baton Rouge Population 2000: 11,747,587 Percent of U.S. Population: 4% Population 2025: 15,832,117 Projected Growth: 35% 2005 GDP: $524,122,000,000 Percent of US GDP: 4%
Piedmont Atlantic: Location: Southeast U.S. - From Birmingham in the southwest to Raleigh-Durham in the northeast Principal Cities: Atlanta, Birmingham, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte Population 2000: 14,855,052 Percent of U.S. Population: 5% Population: 2025: 20,505,381 Projected Growth: 38% 2005 GDP: $485,753,000,000 Percent of US GDP: 4%
Keep it civil. This is not to turn into a Houston vs. Atlanta thread!
PAM. I think it will be more developed and will hold more economic clout that the other two. PAM is the Southeast megaregion. IMO, BosWash, ChiPitts, and PAM are perhaps the most significant megaregions as they represent the geographic divide in the nation. The West Coast is divided into 3megas, NorCal, SoCal, and Cascadia.
All three offer a lot of positives, but I think the Piedmont Atlantic will be the most developed/important in the next 10-15 years, based on the low cost of living, the weather and the fact that it has three MSAs that I think will continue to grow in importance over the next several years (Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh/Research Triangle).
Houston is clearly important and will continue to grow, but I feel the rest of that region is not as dynamic (which I hate to say b/c I really love the Gulf in general and New Orleans in particular).
I have never been to Cascadia/Pacific Northwest, and it seems like a nice place (hope to visit soon). I just think it is so much smaller that it would take it a long time to grow and develop as much as the PAM megaregion.
I think the Piedmont Atlantic region will be the most established and developed. It generally has more people relocating to those metros (from areas like the Northeast and Midwest) than the other two mega regions you mentioned do. I think the economic development track record in recent years is stronger in the Carolinas and Georgia as well. Someone can check me on this, but aren't there a good number of people leaving the Pacific Northwest for Southwestern areas like Arizona and Nevada?
I think the Piedmont Atlantic region will be the most established and developed. It generally has more people relocating to those metros (from areas like the Northeast and Midwest) than the other two mega regions you mentioned do. I think the economic development track record in recent years is stronger in the Carolinas and Georgia as well. Someone can check me on this, but aren't there a good number of people leaving the Pacific Northwest for Southwestern areas like Arizona and Nevada?
I think Seattly and Portland are growing at the least modet rates but not bleeding too bad. PAM covers more cities than Cascadia, even given Canada, so in that sense it is larger than Cascadia. There is also a shared cultural heritage in addition to its economic ties, so in that sense I think PAM is more cohesive than the Gulf Coast.
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