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.
Of course, but my point was that it doesn't seem like Charlotte's LRT is much of an advantage, given that nobody really rides transit in Charlotte at all. Austin's bus system, which isn't particularly big itself, beats Charlotte transit ridership fairly easily. Austin's existing commuter rail line is pretty useless as a standalone system, but I think its utility should go up a lot when the blue and orange lines are built over the next decade.
Overall Charlotte and Austin are different cities with different strengths and weaknesses, but I don't see an argument for either city clearly separating from the other. I'd probably throw Nashville in there as well even though it is a notably smaller city.
I wonder how many of the riders in Austin are attributed to having a major university in the heart of the city. Don't UT students and staff enjoy free ride fare for the entire system? To be fair, it's not like "nobody rides transit in Charlotte at all", but rather the system is not used as the direct mode of transportation to and from work for most people.
Last edited by carolinablue; 12-15-2020 at 01:09 PM..
This one is particularly untrue. There’s plenty of jet skis there and it’s known for that. I’ll have to disagree on your assessment here. I particularly like the sea wall for what it has to offer even though I don’t particularly enjoy the beach (besides a few weeks in the year when it clears up). There’s an entire water park and amusement park. The beaches even have publicly owned souvenir shops and “water” sales. Plenty of beach side bars. On top of the great food that that is offered there. Not completely sure what’s opened and closed since Covid but it’s definitely not as you’re describing it.
That said, that doesn’t mean I don’t agree that it’s not implemented into th metro very well but this has more to do with the distance between Galveston and the high concentration population centers.
Stop trying to justify it. Houston beaches are definitely not geared to garnering $$$. Restaurant and a few hotels have that sector on life support.
The Waterpark is not the beach and pleasure peer is miniscule compared to the breadth of the beach area. It's just at the end of a pier. It has zero interface with the beach at all (apart from looking up at it).
Listen I have seen people on jet ski, but I have no idea if the people who rode then rented them or brought them with them because none of these stores have any visibility whatsoever. You may know where they are because of experience but as a visitor if you would ask me if there are places to rent water recreation vehicles at the beach I would say no.
I know there are souvenir shops because I have been to some. The last one was along the seawall Blvd,but it too isn't all that visible.
You can try to defend it but it's not defensible.
Again the beaches are there, the supporting industry isn't.
I have been there dozens of times. Walked along the beach, got back in the car never spending a dime.
Wait, I take that back. I usually grab some water at the Krogers or Walmart so that adds to the local economy I guess.
The seawall has lots of food. And I have probably gone to eat there and never set foot on the beach as many times as I have gone to the beach and not patronize any of the businesses. Yes I know about the hurricanes and what not but you will not convince me that the metro does anything other than a mediocre job of capturing recreational dollars.
The Colorado, Navasota, Brazos, Trinity and San Bernard rivers all flow through the area. I used to think Houston had no rivers. Friend told me he goes fishing on the lakes and it feels like it is his own private lake.
The amenities are there but the economic benefits are not being reaped. It might be that this is all private land, but that doesn't change the fact that there's little to catch those recreation $$$. Remember my very first post on the matter? I said he wanted to go get a case of water and walk up and down the beach selling them. It's not because he needed the money, it's because he saw an opportunity and didn't see anyone cashing in on it.
Sorry man, being in a metro of 7M, Galveston should be able to stimulate is economy on its metro residents alone (let alone the thousands that descending the area for things like Splash) but it doesn't presently have that.
Edit: I entered jet ski in Google maps and I saw the places, but many are in strip centers with tiny signs. So like I said they are not visible. Unless you are actively searching or you know that are there you world totally miss them. Especially having to climb up to the seawall, cross a 4 lane expressway, walk through a little parking lot to the strip centers to get to the ski places
Stop trying to justify it. Houston beaches are definitely not geared to garnering $$$. Restaurant and a few hotels have that sector on life support.
The Waterpark is not the beach and pleasure peer is miniscule compared to the breadth of the beach area. It's just at the end of a pier. It has zero interface with the beach at all (apart from looking up at it).
Listen I have seen people on jet ski, but I have no idea if the people who rode then rented them or brought them with them because none of these stores have any visibility whatsoever. You may know where they are because of experience but as a visitor if you would ask me if there are places to rent water recreation vehicles at the beach I would say no.
I know there are souvenir shops because I have been to some. The last one was along the seawall Blvd,but it too isn't all that visible.
You can try to defend it but it's not defensible.
Again the beaches are there, the supporting industry isn't.
I have been there dozens of times. Walked along the beach, got back in the car never spending a dime.
Wait, I take that back. I usually grab some water at the Krogers or Walmart so that adds to the local economy I guess.
The seawall has lots of food. And I have probably gone to eat there and never set foot on the beach as many times as I have gone to the beach and not patronize any of the businesses. Yes I know about the hurricanes and what not but you will not convince me that the metro does anything other than a mediocre job of capturing recreational dollars.
The Colorado, Navasota, Brazos, Trinity and San Bernard rivers all flow through the area. I used to think Houston had no rivers. Friend told me he goes fishing on the lakes and it feels like it is his own private lake.
The amenities are there but the economic benefits are not being reaped. It might be that this is all private land, but that doesn't change the fact that there's little to catch those recreation $$$. Remember my very first post on the matter? I said he wanted to go get a case of water and walk up and down the beach selling them. It's not because he needed the money, it's because he saw an opportunity and didn't see anyone cashing in on it.
Sorry man, being in a metro of 7M, Galveston should be able to stimulate is economy on its metro residents alone (let alone the thousands that descending the area for things like Splash) but it doesn't presently have that.
Edit: I entered jet ski in Google maps and I saw the places, but many are in strip centers with tiny signs. So like I said they are not visible. Unless you are actively searching or you know that are there you world totally miss them. Especially having to climb up to the seawall, cross a 4 lane expressway, walk through a little parking lot to the strip centers to get to the ski places
I’m not justifying anything. I agree that the culture isn’t integrated into Houston that’s obvious. What I disagree with is how you portrayed “no jet skis, always empty, etc” that’s false. And your idea that the beach doesn’t generate any $ is laughable. A lot of moneh is generated through Galveston tourism. Your justification “there not on the beach, they’re right in front of it” doesn’t even make sense. Your Rwaching at that point. Now like I mentioned, it definitely not integrated into the metro the way Santa Monica or South Beach are to there. But that’s because of the distance between concentrations of population. From Houston to Galveston, it suburb after suburb before reaching Galveston. And this will continue to b the case since the city grows northward and westward.
You’re judging Galveston on your image of what you like in a beach town. Money is money. Crowds are crowds. Galveston has no issue drawing crowds and generating money. The jet skis being “in strip centers” is a diffwrtrwnt culture tha you’re used to and for that reason you don’t like it. By the way, I don’t disagree. I’m a Miami Beach kind of person myself.
For point of reference, Jet ski businesses in Galveston deliver. You don’t even have to go to the store front.
I wonder how much of the riders in Austin are attributed to having a major university in the heart of the city. Don't UT students and staff ride for free for the whole system? To be fair, it's not like "nobody rides transit in Charlotte at all", but rather the system is not used as the direct mode of transportation to and from work for most people.
Well I'd say Austin has a more centralized and dense population in general, UT being one part of that. It's hard to have transit ridership in a place as spread out as Charlotte.
Who is saying Triangle is bereft of amenities? I've never said that, what I've said is the scale of amenities Triangle offers remains on the level Richmond is at...
Charlotte has major leads over Triangle in the following areas: urban infrastructure, which includes transit but encompasses more than that; Charlotte-Douglas; luxury dining and the diversity of eateries in Clt; significantly larger nightlife infrastructure with variety of nightlife options; more important destination of both regional and national business and commerce, conventions, and entertainment tours and events...
The Triangle has better museums, has a stronger greeenways/parks system, has a stronger performing arts scene (only partly due to the colleges nearby), better public schools, matches Charlotte in offering a full assortment of symphony, ballet, and opera companies (Richmond still shares with Virginia Beach and NoVa on this front I believe). The Triangle has the bigger festival lineups and has more outdoor amphitheaters. The Triangle hosts Metallica and Elton John just as easily as Charlotte does. The Triangle is home to the most awarded and known restaurants in the state.
Charlotte has taller buildings and transit and professional teams. It has a theme park and an airport hub. None of this is small things. But amenities-wise, it doesn’t blow the Triangle away. It edges it in categories, it gets edged in categories. The two are in different tiers by virtue of the population and gdp gap, but it’s smaller than it’s been in a long time, if not ever.
The Triangle has better museums, has a stronger greeenways/parks system, has a stronger performing arts scene (only partly due to the colleges nearby), better public schools, matches Charlotte in offering a full assortment of symphony, ballet, and opera companies (Richmond still shares with Virginia Beach and NoVa on this front I believe). The Triangle has the bigger festival lineups and has more outdoor amphitheaters. The Triangle hosts Metallica and Elton John just as easily as Charlotte does. The Triangle is home to the most awarded and known restaurants in the state.
Charlotte has taller buildings and transit and professional teams. It has a theme park and an airport hub. None of this is small things. But amenities-wise, it doesn’t blow the Triangle away. It edges it in categories, it gets edged in categories. The two are in different tiers by virtue of the population and gdp gap, but it’s smaller than it’s been in a long time, if not ever.
I feel like only people from Charlotte or small towns that visit Charlotte a lot elevate it tiers above Raleigh.
Taller buildings don’t necessarily mean higher tiers. Miami has more high rises than Atlanta and Dallas.. they both outperform Miami.
At best, Charlotte is half a tier above Raleigh all metrics considered. Charlotte probably blows Charlotte away with nightlife and no rival for uptown. That’s it.
People here in the Midwest talk about Austin all the time. I know a number of people that have moved there for work or want to move there. On the other hand, people rarely - if ever - talk about Charlotte. It does not have the name recognition Austin has at least among my peers in the Midwest.
Austin is also a serious tech hub. Not only does it attract Amazon, Apple, etc., but it has many homegrown companies that are well known like Indeed and Dell. Charlotte has attracted a lot of banking jobs, but there is not a whole lot of innovation going on with the companies that are there. Most of the interesting innovation in finance is happening in places like NYC or San Francisco.
Also, I don't feel like Charlotte has any amenities that Austin doesn't have. In fact, I think the food scene and nightlife is Austin are quite a bit better than Charlotte.
None of these things place Austin in a higher tier. In fact the charlotte area population and GDP are significantly larger. Charlotte definitely has the edge in BIG city amenities especially when you factor in professional sports(NBA, NFL, MLS) plus championship games and tournaments( ACC football championship, NCAA basketball tournament, ACC basketball tournament, bowling games), etc... Charlotte has a ton of homegrown companies in fact its only 2 fortune 500 headquartered companies that is a banks are Truist and Bank of America. Charlottes economy is very diverse. Yes Austin may appeal to a bigger audience in the Midwest but that does not mean its more MAJOR....
The Triangle has better museums, has a stronger greeenways/parks system, has a stronger performing arts scene (only partly due to the colleges nearby), better public schools, matches Charlotte in offering a full assortment of symphony, ballet, and opera companies (Richmond still shares with Virginia Beach and NoVa on this front I believe). The Triangle has the bigger festival lineups and has more outdoor amphitheaters. The Triangle hosts Metallica and Elton John just as easily as Charlotte does. The Triangle is home to the most awarded and known restaurants in the state.
Charlotte has taller buildings and transit and professional teams. It has a theme park and an airport hub. None of this is small things. But amenities-wise, it doesn’t blow the Triangle away. It edges it in categories, it gets edged in categories. The two are in different tiers by virtue of the population and gdp gap, but it’s smaller than it’s been in a long time, if not ever.
Charlotte has way more festivals and amenities than the triangle. The restaurant scene is way more diverse and bigger in Charlotte. Charlotte has the big professional sports( NFL, NBA, MLS, Nascar). It host the ACC football championship plus events like CIAA, Speedweek, Soul Food Festival, Taste of Charlotte, Greek fest, etc. Raleigh has nothing like NorthEnd SouthEnd, Midtown, Southpark, Dilworth, Rail Trail, light rail, top ten world wide airport, etc.. please stop short changing Charlotte. It is on a different level( including urbanity). The Charlotte area actually has more museums. Come on man...
The Triangle has better museums, has a stronger greeenways/parks system, has a stronger performing arts scene (only partly due to the colleges nearby), better public schools, matches Charlotte in offering a full assortment of symphony, ballet, and opera companies (Richmond still shares with Virginia Beach and NoVa on this front I believe). The Triangle has the bigger festival lineups and has more outdoor amphitheaters. The Triangle hosts Metallica and Elton John just as easily as Charlotte does. The Triangle is home to the most awarded and known restaurants in the state.
Charlotte has taller buildings and transit and professional teams. It has a theme park and an airport hub. None of this is small things. But amenities-wise, it doesn’t blow the Triangle away. It edges it in categories, it gets edged in categories. The two are in different tiers by virtue of the population and gdp gap, but it’s smaller than it’s been in a long time, if not ever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by meep
I feel like only people from Charlotte or small towns that visit Charlotte a lot elevate it tiers above Raleigh.
Taller buildings don’t necessarily mean higher tiers. Miami has more high rises than Atlanta and Dallas.. they both outperform Miami.
At best, Charlotte is half a tier above Raleigh all metrics considered. Charlotte probably blows Charlotte away with nightlife and no rival for uptown. That’s it.
Actually Charlotte is a full tier and people from bigger cities like myself(D.C.) see it. This is why we chose Charlotte over Raleigh when we moved. Charlotte has the elements of a big city including elements of urbanity outside of its downtown, professional sports, etc... that Raleigh just doesn't have. I feel like some people from Raleigh take this stuff personal...
Actually Charlotte is a full tier and people from bigger cities like myself(D.C.) see it. This is why we chose Charlotte over Raleigh when we moved. Charlotte has the elements of a big city including elements of urbanity outside of its downtown, professional sports, etc... that Raleigh just doesn't have. I feel like some people from Raleigh take this stuff personal...
Agreed. Charlotte is easily the larger, more important city and metro, and I don’t particularly think there’s that much of a discussion to be had or argument to be made. Raleigh is great in its own right, but it is very clearly a tier or two below Charlotte.
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.
