More beautiful: The Carolinas or the Virginias (place, America, population)
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Coastal Virginia is more than the beaches. The Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries are far nicer than the sounds and rivers of NC. Coastal VA is prettier (Northern Neck, Delmarva). The rivers aren’t muddy and have sandy beaches. The water isn’t brown like the Carolina rivers. The Colonial Parkway along the James and York Rivers is as pretty as the Blue Ridge Parkway. NC and SC both have nicer beaches. But those untouched barrier islands of the Eastern Shore are pretty beautiful. Virginia has prettier towns and cities too, the built environment is just cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing (beautiful places full of Federal style architecture like Lexington, Leesburg, Smithfield, Winchester, Staunton, Lynchburg). Richmond is as pretty as Charleston SC (fight me lol) and the historic area is much, much larger and more extensive. Throw in Portsmouth, Norfolk (Ghent!!), Alexandria, and Charleston WV (and Wheeling with its ornate row houses) and you have a very pretty area. Northern Virginian is far more urban and cosmopolitan than any place in NC or SC.
Building on what red and ruler said, the VA towns are more compact (I disagree with his stance on urbanism) leaving more countryside between them. It’s just less junky driving around VA. WV is even more undeveloped. The area around Davis WV and west near the Ohio River are among the most beautiful places this side of the Mississippi.
And yes, Norfolk/VA Beach is more urban than Charlotte. It’s one big street grid from Newport News to Chesapeake.
I take it you've never been on Interstate 77 or Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.
I've used it on drives between Atlanta and Pittsburgh but W.Virginia pretty much looks like what you posted throughout the majority of the state where as Virginia's mountain scenery is limited to the western side of the state. Between NC and Virginia its pretty close though.
This is an interesting comparison. The Carolina's have the better beaches and NC might have the best mountains of the 4. But, the Virginia's seem more consistently scenic. About half of the combined areas is rugged mountain terrain versus maybe a quarter in the Carolina's. Plus, the ocean/Chesapeake is closer to the mountains. In the Carolina's you have a big interior relatively featureless area that is not really near either.
In Virginia either you are in the delmarva tidewater area with it's water features, the narrow rolling piedmont with the mountains in the distance or then you are in the mountains. Pretty much everywhere has something scenic nearby.
Coastal Virginia is more than the beaches. The Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries are far nicer than the sounds and rivers of NC. Coastal VA is prettier (Northern Neck, Delmarva). The rivers aren’t muddy and have sandy beaches. The water isn’t brown like the Carolina rivers. The Colonial Parkway along the James and York Rivers is as pretty as the Blue Ridge Parkway. NC and SC both have nicer beaches. But those untouched barrier islands of the Eastern Shore are pretty beautiful. Virginia has prettier towns and cities too, the built environment is just cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing (beautiful places full of Federal style architecture like Lexington, Leesburg, Smithfield, Winchester, Staunton, Lynchburg). Richmond is as pretty as Charleston SC (fight me lol) and the historic area is much, much larger and more extensive. Throw in Portsmouth, Norfolk (Ghent!!), Alexandria, and Charleston WV (and Wheeling with its ornate row houses) and you have a very pretty area. Northern Virginian is far more urban and cosmopolitan than any place in NC or SC.
Building on what red and ruler said, the VA towns are more compact (I disagree with his stance on urbanism) leaving more countryside between them. It’s just less junky driving around VA. WV is even more undeveloped. The area around Davis WV and west near the Ohio River are among the most beautiful places this side of the Mississippi.
And yes,
Quote:
Norfolk/VA Beach is more urban than Charlotte
. It’s one big street grid from Newport News to Chesapeake.
I live in VA but I have to disagree. 10-15 years ago, maybe yes. In 2022, no. Charlotte is densifying all over. This development picture taken from the Charlotte Ledger is just for South End alone; these projects should be completed by 2026-2027 and at least a dozen more projects in the pipeline are not presented in the image. Add in Midtown and Uptown, in 5 years Charlotte's core will be nearly unrecognizable.
Yeah this is a pretty difficult comparison. North Carolina and South Carolina have more coastline but less mountains than Virginia and West Virginia. So if you prefer mountains than the Virginias have better scenery and if you prefer coastline than you are more likely to choose the Carolinas. However separately I would argue that Virginia has the most diverse scenery. As another poster said Virginia offers a greater percentage of mountains than North Carolina and the coast is closer to the mountains. Not to mention the Virginia coast is more dynamic than the North Carolina coast. The rivers, bay, and ocean connection in Virginia is a more diverse scene than the sounds and ocean found in North Carolina. In terms of historic Urbanity Charlotte is very limited. they may have a lot of new urban developments but that is not enough to make the city feel more urban than Richmond or Norfolk. Both Richmond and Norfolk still have a higher population density which really affects the urban character of a city.
Downtown Charlotte is bigger than downtown Norfolk. Hampton Roads is far more urban than metro Charlotte.
Here’s a shot of Newport News. I mentioned Newport News to Chesapeake in my earlier post because there’s this density for 30 miles. There are the downtowns that are urban but pretty much all of Newport News and Hampton is densely packed housing on a grid with sidewalks and curbs. The streets are straight. Ocean View is a highly dense area. VA Beach is densely packed. Satellite images show a very stark difference between the two metros.
Mountains - North Carolina (Grandfather Mountain, Linn Cove Viaduct, Mount Mitchell, Biltmore Estate, Great Smokies, etc.)
Virginia has decent mountains but I don’t think they’re as impressive as North Carolina’s mountains, not to mention the city of Asheville and smaller towns like Blowing Rock, Black Mountain, West Jefferson, etc. The mountains in North Carolina tend to be higher if that matters, as well. For the record, I do think West Virginia is a beautiful state, but the mountains are more rugged there and they don’t typically offer the views that can compare to North Carolina mountains.
Beaches - Carolinas
Between the Outer Banks and Lowcountry, I think North and South Carolina win this.
Cities - Virginia
I love how Virginia cities are so historic, especially Richmond. Charleston and Wilmington have a lot of history but most Carolina cities have newer, “Sun Belt” vibes. Even northern Virginia has Alexandria, an older and dense city.
Quite honestly, and I mean no disrespect to the folks of West Virginia… But despite its Appalachian beauty, it is the most depressing area of the country I’ve ever been. To the point that I don’t like being there.
I do really like Virginia, but not enough to topple the variety in the Carolinas.
Quite honestly, and I mean no disrespect to the folks of West Virginia… But despite its Appalachian beauty, it is the most depressing area of the country I’ve ever been. To the point that I don’t like being there.
I do really like Virginia, but not enough to topple the variety in the Carolinas.
It really can be depressing just driving through. I’ve done the drive a few times, going from North Carolina to Cincinnati/Kentucky. The mountains are beautiful but the towns are some of the grittiest places I’ve ever seen, including the outskirts of the state capital Charleston. And yet, I actually enjoy visiting West Virginia, it’s certainly interesting. With all due respect, it’s kind of like a snapshot of America from the past. I would love to see the state improve, though.
The OP asked, which is more beautiful. Some are discussing urbanity, city vs. city, and population. Beauty is still in the eye of the beholder. Here it goes for me:
Virginia- Chesapeake Bay Area! Very expansive and impressive to see. Stunning. Picturesque mountains, small town charm
West Virginia-the untouched developments of the mountains, autumn in West Virginia is awesome
North Carolina- Blue Ridge Parkway (overlooks are incredible) you can see for miles, Grandfather Mountain. You need to drive from Us321 North from Gastonia to Blowing Rock. Lake Norman from I77 South going into metro Charlotte. Jockey’s Ridge State Park and the Outer Banks in general
South Carolina- Antebellum Charleston, suspension bridge, row houses. South Carolina coastline with trees that are large and stubby, moss.
I do agree that the Virginias cover more square miles of beauty than the Carolinas. Too close to name a winner to me.
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