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I won’t quibble on the edges, but I will say the Triangle’s education-level is not simply above average for a Southern metro but probably top 3 or so in the nation.
Well, there is much more to do in the Triangle and Charlotte than there is to do in Boone or Wilmington or Asheville or Manteo. But it is fair to say those places have touristy niches that make them much more desirable to vacation.
I think Asheville was more popular where I'm from because of the mountains. At least, that's mainly what they mentioned. Some in northern New England like it because they see it as similar to what they know, but I think they saw it as a good place to live not only visit.
Certainly there are reasons to live in Asheville, but it almost certainly involves living in a small city in the mountains. That is an appeal, but it doesn’t have more tho have more to do than the big metros.
I wish I had a better feeling for the national perspective. I would say it seems positive across the board if not somewhat overlooked for both cities by the average person. Lately I've been noticing a trend within the state though from some that choose to vocalize their feelings about both cities.
I feel like Charlotte gets a lot of respect for being the established "large" city of the Carolina's. Obviously there are plenty of people that don't like it or consider it too new or cold and sterile but I think most are use to it being the big business city and can't help be impressed with it's constant stream of development being in the news. And deservedly so.
I personally feel like Raleigh is in a weird middle ground right now where it's booming and getting constant recognition, but North Carolinians arent use to it's popularity and seeing how much is going on in the city, even separate of the rest of the Triangle at this point. Idk if maybe it's a jealousy thing but there at times seems to be confusingly harsh criticism from a lot of Carolina natives. Like it's not "big city" enough to be on Charlotte's level so therefore it has a long list of things it needs to do better, but it's also lame or not cool enough anymore like the smaller cities and has grown too fast and is therefore leaving behind any character. Now I know that's not true of the majority obviously but I do find it odd that I see or hear things like that being said so often. There's always a "yeah but" it seems like. Maybe it really is like a middle child syndrome among Carolinians idk.
Interested if others have experienced anything like that from their respective cities or states? Maybe it's a growing pains thing that certain cities in that mix of size and growth go through as far as their image to others?
Certainly there are reasons to live in Asheville, but it almost certainly involves living in a small city in the mountains. That is an appeal, but it doesn’t have more tho have more to do than the big metros.
I disagree. Asheville is a major tourist destination vs Charlotte and Raleigh, which are more known for business and as places to live. Obviously they're bigger cities/metros, but no one really daydreams about visiting or living in either. I now live on the West Coast and I've seen plenty of ads on TV and online out here for Asheville and the mountains, but never one for RDU or CLT.
I disagree. Asheville is a major tourist destination vs Charlotte and Raleigh, which are more known for business and as places to live. Obviously they're bigger cities/metros, but no one really daydreams about visiting or living in either. I now live on the West Coast and I've seen plenty of ads on TV and online out here for Asheville and the mountains, but never one for RDU or CLT.
Overall Charlotte and Raleigh certainly have more to do than Asheville because they are significantly larger cities. Not only that, but they provide more well-paying job opportunities for residents to afford a wider variety of things to do. If Asheville is so much more desirable for the average person, then why don't companies follow? Obviously Asheville is a great niche tourist destination but that doesn't mean that people want to live there year-round. Give me Charlotte or Raleigh over Asheville any day of the week.
I wish I had a better feeling for the national perspective. I would say it seems positive across the board if not somewhat overlooked for both cities by the average person. Lately I've been noticing a trend within the state though from some that choose to vocalize their feelings about both cities.
I feel like Charlotte gets a lot of respect for being the established "large" city of the Carolina's. Obviously there are plenty of people that don't like it or consider it too new or cold and sterile but I think most are use to it being the big business city and can't help be impressed with it's constant stream of development being in the news. And deservedly so.
I personally feel like Raleigh is in a weird middle ground right now where it's booming and getting constant recognition, but North Carolinians arent use to it's popularity and seeing how much is going on in the city, even separate of the rest of the Triangle at this point. Idk if maybe it's a jealousy thing but there at times seems to be confusingly harsh criticism from a lot of Carolina natives. Like it's not "big city" enough to be on Charlotte's level so therefore it has a long list of things it needs to do better, but it's also lame or not cool enough anymore like the smaller cities and has grown too fast and is therefore leaving behind any character. Now I know that's not true of the majority obviously but I do find it odd that I see or hear things like that being said so often. There's always a "yeah but" it seems like. Maybe it really is like a middle child syndrome among Carolinians idk.
Interested if others have experienced anything like that from their respective cities or states? Maybe it's a growing pains thing that certain cities in that mix of size and growth go through as far as their image to others?
Raleigh exists in between Charlotte and Durham for most in-state residents. If you want business, Charlotte is the place. For the cool art scene, Durham is better. Raleigh is somewhere in-between. Raleigh is where you go for the good schools and the nice parks. That is at least the mindset of your average North Carolinian, whether it’s still true or not is another matter.
Raleigh is an affordable city with jobs for professionals. That’s it. There is nothing special about Raleigh. I’m not a big fan of Charlotte, but at least it has pro sports, a hub airport and big city vibes. When people talk about how family friendly Raleigh is, they’re invariably talking about the suburbs, and every city has family-friendly suburbs. Who cares.
Raleigh is an affordable city with jobs for professionals. That’s it. There is nothing special about Raleigh. I’m not a big fan of Charlotte, but at least it has pro sports, a hub airport and big city vibes. When people talk about how family friendly Raleigh is, they’re invariably talking about the suburbs, and every city has family-friendly suburbs. Who cares.
Our suburbs are better than your suburbs.*
*Though we also have arguably the best college sports scene in the country, which even if that isn’t your thing, is a thing.
Raleigh is an affordable city with jobs for professionals. That’s it. There is nothing special about Raleigh. I’m not a big fan of Charlotte, but at least it has pro sports, a hub airport and big city vibes. When people talk about how family friendly Raleigh is, they’re invariably talking about the suburbs, and every city has family-friendly suburbs. Who cares.
Actually people are also talking about the city of Raleigh itself which boasts low crime and good schools along with professional jobs and a relatively low COL. It's somewhat rare for a central city to have all of those characteristics. I'm sure it's still nothing special to you but it's a winning formula for Raleigh.
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