Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You have zero standing to form anything close to an informed position on this matter. I don't believe you've had any actual recent experience with urban Charlotte--your lack of detailed firsthand experiences and constant references to what you've heard about the city are telltale signs--and to claim that Raleigh "offers a bigger punch" in terms of its built environment is just a baldfaced lie which shows you've never been there either. Both cities are rapidly urbanizing but Charlotte definitely has the edge in that department right now with its light rail line and having an overall more centralized development pattern.
You're just pitting cities against each other for no reason and picking a fight when you don't even have a dog in it just because you're bored. It's a pretty childish thing to do and no one takes you seriously. Nobody has a problem with you voting for Raleigh but your incessant need to turn every thread you post in into a juvenile p$%&@ng contest has gotten really old really fast.
Someone needs to make that last paragraph a sticky.
You work in higher ed if I remember correctly, right?
Yup, that is correct. Charlotte is definitely the "city" of NC but in my mind the Triangle pops up first when thinking of NC. Besides the fact that I'm in high ed, I'm also not into major sports so those two factors can play into why perhaps.
Charlotte is the correct answer for real cities. Though I don’t think cities are the first things people think of when they think of the state. Biltmore (Asheville), Wright Brothers (Kitty Hawk, sorry KDH), and college basketball (Durham and Chapel Hill) probably hit the notion of NC better. But Charlotte and Raleigh get the name recognition just from sheer size.
Yup, that is correct. Charlotte is definitely the "city" of NC but in my mind the Triangle pops up first when thinking of NC. Besides the fact that I'm in high ed, I'm also not into major sports so those two factors can play into why perhaps.
That makes sense. My career field has the Triangle written all over it and the federal agency I work for has several offices at RTP. But I attended undergrad in metro Charlotte and and lived there for 7 years after graduation, so it will always be a second home for me. If their economies were switched, I probably would still be living there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heel82
Charlotte is the correct answer for real cities. Though I don’t think cities are the first things people think of when they think of the state. Biltmore (Asheville), Wright Brothers (Kitty Hawk, sorry KDH), and college basketball (Durham and Chapel Hill) probably hit the notion of NC better. But Charlotte and Raleigh get the name recognition just from sheer size.
And BBQ, which Charlotte just missed out on altogether. Raleigh does a better job there as a representative of eastern style.
Charlotte makes more sense than Raleigh, especially since it sits between the two Carolinas with professional sports teams, Carowinds, upscale malls, etc. I'd wager that more people have been to Charlotte than Raleigh, although Raleigh attracts many people from the east (closest big city to eastern NC) and the State Fair certainly brings in some tourism.
I agree that cities aren't the first thing that come to mind when people think of NC. Most people visit NC for the mountains or the coast. The bulk of the population is certainly in the central part of the state, but tourists don't have a reason to visit Greensboro, etc.
Charlotte makes more sense than Raleigh, especially since it sits between the two Carolinas with professional sports teams, Carowinds, upscale malls, etc. I'd wager that more people have been to Charlotte than Raleigh, although Raleigh attracts many people from the east (closest big city to eastern NC) and the State Fair certainly brings in some tourism.
I agree that cities aren't the first thing that come to mind when people think of NC. Most people visit NC for the mountains or the coast. The bulk of the population is certainly in the central part of the state, but tourists don't have a reason to visit Greensboro, etc.
Actually Greensboro hosts lots of events at the Coliseum Complex and the Koury Convention Center in particular, in addition to regular events like GHOE, that bring a good bit of visitors to town. I've been to Greensboro several times over the years and most of those times it has been for some convention/tourism event.
I'm not sure what the visitor numbers are for the NC mountains and beaches, but I do know that neighboring states attract more visitors for those features (TN and SC respectively).
Although I know you're probably referring more to leisure tourism, I'd wager that at least a similar amount of, if not more, visitors to the state fall into the convention/special event/visiting friends and family category and with that in mind, most of them would cluster along the I-85 corridor in Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle with some spillover into the Sandhills for business, shopping, concerts, leisure activities (Whitewater Center, Great Wolf Lodge, golfing, amusement/water parks, zoo, Old Salem, etc.), conventions/special events, sporting events, university events, etc.
Actually Greensboro hosts lots of events at the Coliseum Complex and the Koury Convention Center in particular, in addition to regular events like GHOE, that bring a good bit of visitors to town. I've been to Greensboro several times over the years and most of those times it has been for some convention/tourism event.
I'm not sure what the visitor numbers are for the NC mountains and beaches, but I do know that neighboring states attract more visitors for those features (TN and SC respectively).
Although I know you're probably referring more to leisure tourism, I'd wager that at least a similar amount of, if not more, visitors to the state fall into the convention/special event/visiting friends and family category and with that in mind, most of them would cluster along the I-85 corridor in Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle with some spillover into the Sandhills for business, shopping, concerts, leisure activities (Whitewater Center, Great Wolf Lodge, golfing, amusement/water parks, zoo, Old Salem, etc.), conventions/special events, sporting events, university events, etc.
Good points, although I'm sure the majority of the people who attend events in Greensboro are from the Carolinas or Virginia. The OBX and mountains, on the other hand, seem to attract tourists from up and down the East Coast. There are tons of Florida retirees in the mountains and D.C. area tourists on the OBX. I could be wrong, though.
That's interesting if the TN mountains attract more visitors. The NC mountains are much nicer, although I'm biased, LOL. I suppose it makes sense, though. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are very touristy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
