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Exactly. And it's a constant thing on C-D to bash "urban sprawl," which is basically hideous concrete development not built up for an urban lifestyle that lacks any sort of greenery, such as... Parts of the Orlando MSA which constantly get tons of flack for looking like this:
Looking at some videos of a youtuber driving around different parts of Charlotte and now looking at this map of Charlotte am I wrong to assume outside of Uptown/South end/Noda and a few other neighborhoods in close proximity to these, Charlotte neighborhoods don't really look like a city with close to a million people? Like some of the neighborhoods and major roads with heavy retail in the actual city look like a typical southern city with a pop of about 75,000-115,000. I mean that with no disrespect because Charlotte is a good looking clean city but a big chunk of the city gives me a small-mid size city vibe.
Even comparing it to Raleigh-Durham looks like it has more "urban" infill or consistency in between their more densely populated areas.
Both Atlanta and Charlotte have heavy tree coverage and does have some similarities but Atlanta still looks much more cosmopolitan within the city outside of Midtown and Downtown than Charlotte does.
[quote=Redlionjr;61261887]Looking at some videos of a youtuber driving around different parts of Charlotte and now looking at this map of Charlotte am I wrong to assume outside of Uptown/South end/Noda and a few other neighborhoods in close proximity to these, Charlotte neighborhoods don't really look like a city with close to a million people? Like some of the neighborhoods and major roads with heavy retail in the actual city look like a typical southern city with a pop of about 75,000-115,000. I mean that with no disrespect because Charlotte is a good looking clean city but a big chunk of the city gives me a small-mid size city vibe.
Even comparing it to Raleigh-Durham looks like it has more "urban" infill or consistency in between their more densely populated areas.
Both Atlanta and Charlotte have heavy tree coverage and does have some similarities but Atlanta still looks much more cosmopolitan within the city outside of Midtown and Downtown than Charlotte does.[/QUOTE
I have no clue what part of Raleigh you are seeing but there is no where near close to the infill there is in Charlotte compared to Raleigh. They are in two different leagues. Charlotte is below Atlanta in that department but I feel as though you are selling it short compared to other SOUTHERN cities. There is alot of infill in the core of Charlotte. The areas around Southpark, Ballentyne, etc. That tree coverage hides alot until you are actually on the ground...
Looking at some videos of a youtuber driving around different parts of Charlotte and now looking at this map of Charlotte am I wrong to assume outside of Uptown/South end/Noda and a few other neighborhoods in close proximity to these, Charlotte neighborhoods don't really look like a city with close to a million people? Like some of the neighborhoods and major roads with heavy retail in the actual city look like a typical southern city with a pop of about 75,000-115,000. I mean that with no disrespect because Charlotte is a good looking clean city but a big chunk of the city gives me a small-mid size city vibe.
Even comparing it to Raleigh-Durham looks like it has more "urban" infill or consistency in between their more densely populated areas.
Both Atlanta and Charlotte have heavy tree coverage and does have some similarities but Atlanta still looks much more cosmopolitan within the city outside of Midtown and Downtown than Charlotte does.
This was my exact impression of Charlotte during what was my first visit there in March... Outside of the immediate core, everything felt and looked like extreme outer "towns." Did not give me the vibe of a big city at all.
Looking at some videos of a youtuber driving around different parts of Charlotte and now looking at this map of Charlotte am I wrong to assume outside of Uptown/South end/Noda and a few other neighborhoods in close proximity to these, Charlotte neighborhoods don't really look like a city with close to a million people? Like some of the neighborhoods and major roads with heavy retail in the actual city look like a typical southern city with a pop of about 75,000-115,000. I mean that with no disrespect because Charlotte is a good looking clean city but a big chunk of the city gives me a small-mid size city vibe.
Even comparing it to Raleigh-Durham looks like it has more "urban" infill or consistency in between their more densely populated areas.
Both Atlanta and Charlotte have heavy tree coverage and does have some similarities but Atlanta still looks much more cosmopolitan within the city outside of Midtown and Downtown than Charlotte does.
This is true of pretty much all of the Piedmont southern cities. Atlanta has the wider roads and freeways that came with its growth, but even the typical residential street isn't all that distinguishable from Charlotte or Augusta for that matter. Especially on the south and west sides.
I think this is great for a city like Charlotte and other smaller metros that haven't been largely ruined by 20th century sprawl. They have the opportunity to grow with the smarter development trends that are taking over.
Looking at some videos of a youtuber driving around different parts of Charlotte and now looking at this map of Charlotte am I wrong to assume outside of Uptown/South end/Noda and a few other neighborhoods in close proximity to these, Charlotte neighborhoods don't really look like a city with close to a million people? Like some of the neighborhoods and major roads with heavy retail in the actual city look like a typical southern city with a pop of about 75,000-115,000. I mean that with no disrespect because Charlotte is a good looking clean city but a big chunk of the city gives me a small-mid size city vibe.
Even comparing it to Raleigh-Durham looks like it has more "urban" infill or consistency in between their more densely populated areas.
Both Atlanta and Charlotte have heavy tree coverage and does have some similarities but Atlanta still looks much more cosmopolitan within the city outside of Midtown and Downtown than Charlotte does.[/QUOTE
I have no clue what part of Raleigh you are seeing but there is no where near close to the infill there is in Charlotte compared to Raleigh. They are in two different leagues. Charlotte is below Atlanta in that department but I feel as though you are selling it short compared to other SOUTHERN cities. There is alot of infill in the core of Charlotte. The areas around Southpark, Ballentyne, etc. That tree coverage hides alot until you are actually on the ground...
OK maybe saying Raleigh looked more urban was an inaccurate statement. What I was trying to say was that Raleigh looks to be more consistently “urban” for a city its size and population more than Charlotte with its size and population. For a city/MSA Charlotte looks to punch below the weight in a urban setting while Raleigh looks to be pretty impressive for its city/MSA. And again I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
I don’t know Charlotte so I’m judging off a few videos and google maps. I admit this. But it also reminds me of a childhood friend of mine who’s lived in Charlotte going on 15 years now and he’s even told me that Charlotte is like a big modern city with all the amenities but with some small city vibes right next door.
OK maybe saying Raleigh looked more urban was an inaccurate statement. What I was trying to say was that Raleigh looks to be more consistently “urban” for a city its size and population more than Charlotte with its size and population. For a city/MSA Charlotte looks to punch below the weight in a urban setting while Raleigh looks to be pretty impressive for its city/MSA. And again I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
I don’t know Charlotte so I’m judging off a few videos and google maps. I admit this. But it also reminds me of a childhood friend of mine who’s lived in Charlotte going on 15 years now and he’s even told me that Charlotte is like a big modern city with all the amenities but with some small city vibes right next door.
Oh no offense taken lol. When you visit Charlotte in person it is exactly where it should be as a metro of 3 million in terms of urbanity and offerings in the New South. It is VERY underrated on city data. You will be surprised while Raleigh is improving tremendously it is the city that actually punches below its weight in urbanity. You can be fooled easily by videos. Both cities are light years ahead of where they were ten years ago though....
I like to have my cake, and eat it too, so out of the metros you mention, Washington DC I would say.
It's the only one where I can get this and this. That said, I think out of the ones I tend to consider southern more, I would say Atlanta. Given the relative advantage in mountain scenery I would say that enjoys over DC, I might even pick Atlanta Metro straight up still.
If we could lower the size limit for this thread, I think Chattanooga has my favorite setting in the Southeast. The combination of the river, hills, bluffs, and low mountains is stunning to me.
New Orleans is "beautiful" but the other flat, humid and green city 300 miles to the west doesn't even deserve to be in the discussion
Texas hate still running strong in 2021
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