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In what world is a 1980s dad movie more known than state capitals? Raleigh is easily #1, Durham is easily #2 in the area. Chapel Hill is maybe the 8th or 9th most known in the state (Charlotte, Winston, Greensboro, Asheville, Wilmington for sure, possibly Kitty Hawk lol).
What percentage of Americans can name the state capital of North Carolina? Over/under 20.5%
Disagree with the last paragraph. I'd wager money on this...let's commission a poll, shall we? You're from Rochester originally, correct? Come back to Upstate NY and ask around about name recognition of Chapel Hill vs. Durham vs. Raleigh...even though WNY is an area that should know of Raleigh more than many, given that NC is a popular relocation destination from Buffalo and Rochester, I think collegiate sports fandom is the biggest factor in contributing to recognizability. Raleigh as a municipality is completely off the average person's radar; despite its growth, it's still underrated in a sense
The relocation aspect is SIGNIFICNATLY more impactful than the collegiate sport aspect (as much as that pains me to say).
Is it, though? I admit I'm biased as a lifelong sports fan...but are you and Heel82 biased by being Raleigh-area locals?
You mentioned making a "poll" up people from Upstate NY...
When I was accepted into UNC; cousins in Rochester said "oh cool which one?!"... a-la "SUNY Binghamton or SUNY Geneseo?" type of mindset
And "so is Chapel Hill closer to Raleigh or Charlotte"
"Oh it's only 20 minutes from your parents house are you going to live at home?"
The hoards of WNY people who moved to NC in from the late 80s-early 2000s (which yes, included my parents with me as a tot in tow) mostly settled in the outer neighborhoods of Raleigh (mostly North Raleigh) and it's suburbs to the North and West; or the outer neighborhoods in Charlotte (mostly south Charlotte) or it's suburbs to the North and East. Thus that is what their friends and family back up north know..."Charlotte" and environs, or "Raleigh" and environs.
They may know that the mountains has Asheville and the coast has the OBX.
It's not unlike when I would tell NC natives (or transplants from other areas of the US) that I was born in the Rochester area and it's "oh wow how often did you go to NYC"....well I was toddler and I'm pretty sure it's about a 6-8 hour drive so never.
Most Americans are geographically illiterate. Regardless of where they are originally from. We have a C-D bias/mindset in how incredulous and nit-picky we get about the geography and culture of places...but that exists in a vacuum on this forum.
Two posts in this thread from regular posters who are unaware that Raleigh even has an NHL team.
Proving my point, outside of the region, the isolated entity called "Raleigh" is mostly invisible.
The Hurricanes probably should play in Charlotte, but much like Columbus, the NHL appears to have thrown them a bone.
To be fair, I think I did at some point know that Raleigh had the Hurricanes, but I don't follow NHL much anymore so with the team officially called the "Carolina" Hurricanes, it's easy for non-NHL fans to forget, lol.
The "Carolina" Panthers being an NFL team, I follow NFL more, and so am aware they are based in Charlotte.
But you are correct. Not being really following NHL anymore, my first thought when hearing a pro sports team from "Carolina" would be to automatically think they would be in Charlotte.
I just conducted a very informal poll with a sample size of two...two of my best friends, lol. Both are Buffalo expats; one lives in DC, the other in Vegas. Both lifelong sports fans who could be subject to that Chapel Hill-boosting bias as I myself probably have been, but both overall smart, well-traveled dudes. I texted, 'What do you think has the most name recognition: Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill?' Pains me to say that they both responded 'Raleigh'. That will likely be the extent of polling I conduct on this topic but I think it's sufficient to change my mind, hah.
Part of my bias too is that, in my lifetime, I've known several people who've relocated to the Charlotte area but only one to the Raleigh area, that being a youth soccer coach who specifically mentioned Durham as the site to which he was relocating. That would've been circa 1998-1999
Personally, NC-wise, I've only been to Charlotte and Asheville, not 'The Triangle'. Would like to check it out sometime
'OBX' is arguably the single most popular rally sticker that you see in the Buffalo area, with 'ADK' for the Adirondacks and then a few Buffalo-area ones the other contenders
What percentage of Americans can name the state capital of North Carolina? Over/under 20.5%
More than can name Bull Durham as a movie. I’m not saying Raleigh is a household name, but inflating Chapel Hill’s recognition to third most famous in the state (presumably after Charlotte and Asheville) is just crazy talk.
Glad your friends set you straight. Sometimes we need their help.
Two posts in this thread from regular posters who are unaware that Raleigh even has an NHL team.
Proving my point, outside of the region, the isolated entity called "Raleigh" is mostly invisible.
The Hurricanes probably should play in Charlotte, but much like Columbus, the NHL appears to have thrown them a bone.
Although my city now has an NHL team, I don't pay much attention, and certainly don't know where all the teams are. Maybe I should have said "big three."
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