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Raleigh - I get the impression that Raleigh is more well-known, not for the city in its own right, but because it's a center of innovation, education and health. That makes it stand out alongside a good quality of life. Duke and UNC Chapel Hill are formidable institutions all around, and the RTP has been a linchpin for the region. Even if people aren't familiar with Raleigh-Durham, it seems they know it to be associated with good things. On the ground, as much as it's grown, the city of Raleigh is still fairly underwhelming to me. But I can't argue with its success. If you can get beyond the lack of a classic urbanity, you'll find great ethnic cuisine, good music, and a good communities. Have family there, but I would never (choose to) live there. I don't like how everything is spread out.
Charlotte - I just wish I learned to love the place the way it seems everyone I know does, including family who live there. I just don't. I've always felt it overrated. The buildings in Uptown are pretty and it's clean. The city is still synonymous with banking and residents are proud of their city. People are incredibly friendly. But there's lots and lots of sprawl and imho nothing particularly unique or outstanding. Personal anecdotes don't make one difference, but I admit perhaps my first impression was first tarnished from having gone out to Epicenter on a Sunday night for food and finding ratchet rather than a good time. But that would be my fault. And since then, I've tried to see things in a different light. Richmonders, who are mostly infatuated with DC, seem to view Charlotte favorably, if not with a slight ounce of envy.
Both Raleigh and Charlotte are much better places in which to live than to visit as a "tourist." Residents, such as your family members, love the cities because of the good day-to-day quality of life they can get there without breaking the bank and that especially applies to families with young kids. It's mostly single 'urbanites' with little to no family obligations that seem to not get why people love those cities--and for the record, I'm unmarried with no kids myself. But I can see why folks with different priorities than myself have the preferences they do.
I'd guess that the Triangle has more food-to-table restaurants and maybe a bigger craft beer scene (or perhaps an earlier one)...the stuff that allows for more experimentation and trial and error. Charlotte has long had more high-end restaurants that appeal to the business and corporate elite.
Regarding the respective food scenes, I think Raleigh and Charlotte are comparable which means for its size Raleigh (and definitely if you count the Triangle as a whole) is a touch better b/c it is smaller. Both are respectable and have some good restaurants and chefs as you would expect, but IMO neither is truly outstanding (i.e. neither is a top 15 food city that punches above its weight).
Obviously this is not the final word or anything, but I think the recently announced 2019 James Beard Semifinalists are a good example. Charlotte had two nominations (The Stanly for best new restaurant and Gregory Collier of Loft & Cellar for Best Chef in the Southeast), while Raleigh had three (Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner for Outstanding Chef, and both Oscar Diaz of The Cortez and Cheetie Kumar of Garland for Best Chef in the Southeast). When you add in the larger Triangle area, you get two more (Sean Lilly Wilson of Fullsteam Brewery in Durham for Outstanding Wine or Beer Producer and Steven Devereaux Greene of Herons at the Umstead in Cary for best Chef in the Southeast). So a total of two nominations for Charlotte and five for the Triangle. Again, not saying this is the only criteria, but five for the Triangle seems decent.
To show this is not a one year aberration, in 2018 Raleigh had three nominations, Durham had one, Carborro had one, Davidson had one, and Charlotte had zero. So it was Triangle with five and greater Charlotte with one.
Charlotte has annexed a bit and its city limits are quite big but that is balanced by the fact that it still one of the fastest growing cities in population growth and has been for a while.....
Charlotte has annexed a bit and its city limits are quite big but that is balanced by the fact that it still one of the fastest growing cities in population growth and has been for a while.....
A Charlotte poster posted this and rendered in some of the buildings currently U/C.
With a 18 mile light rail line, street car like, stadiums and all the other typical amenities and around 10kppsm within just a 2 sq. Mile section. People always point to the large city limits butttt, lots of it is empty land.
For a metro under 3 million, I feel like it’s CBD is larger than average.
A Charlotte poster posted this and rendered in some of the buildings currently U/C.
With a 18 mile light rail line, street car like, stadiums and all the other typical amenities and around 10kppsm within just a 2 sq. Mile section. People always point to the large city limits butttt, lots of it is empty land.
For a metro under 3 million, I feel like it’s CBD is larger than average.
At least 5 towers are missing from this photo. Austin's skyline may catch up to Charlotte's by 2020 but Nashville still has a long way to go. The sheer height of Uptown dwarfs over anything in downtown Nashville.
A Charlotte poster posted this and rendered in some of the buildings currently U/C.
With a 18 mile light rail line, street car like, stadiums and all the other typical amenities and around 10kppsm within just a 2 sq. Mile section. People always point to the large city limits butttt, lots of it is empty land.
For a metro under 3 million, I feel like it’s CBD is larger than average.
This is true and quite a few peer cities have larger city limits with less populaton so all in all Charlotte is doing quite well and its population growth is the main driver not annexation can't tell you how many ppl I know or know of personally moving down that way or to NC and the South in general.
This is true and quite a few peer cities have larger city limits with less populaton so all in all Charlotte is doing quite well and its population growth is the main driver not annexation can't tell you how many ppl I know or know of personally moving down that way or to NC and the South in general.
It will be interesting to the city without photoshop. Are there any new tallests proposed for Charlotte?
We'll have to see what BB&T/SunTrust has up their sleeve. Right now that would be the best bet for a new tallest. Even if not, Charlotte's skyline is bulking up rather impressively. I didn't think the city would witness another boom like this post-recession but it exceeds the pre-recession boom.
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