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Old 02-23-2009, 10:46 AM
 
2,531 posts, read 6,228,069 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by unexpected View Post
It's faster to go from Durham to Raleigh than it is to go from Dallas to Fort Worth. It's shorter distance wise. You can look it up on a map. People do the drive all the time. It's considered par for the course- hence why they call it "The Triangle".
+1. The Triangle being considered separate metropolitan areas is somewhat true, but I could've sworn that the US Census Bureau considers Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill a Combined Statistical area. Yes, Raleigh-Cary and Durham are separate metros according to the US Census, BUT they function as one unit. But that is just grasping at straws here, for all forms and purposes, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill function as one, just as Dallas and Ft. Worth do (and the US census breaks down Dallas and Ft. Worth-Arlington, but that boils down to semantics at the end of the day)

But this is a message board, so some posters aren't going to let mere things like facts get in the way of their arguments or to denigrate other cities carte blanche.

I guess some posters have never heard of the Research Triangle Park, which was developed in part due to all the colleges and universities in that region.

However, to the OP, it depends on what you want. DFW is a large regional metropolitan area of 6.5 Million, whereas RDU is a mid-size metro of 1.3 Million, so there are going to be more options in terms of culture, access to sporting events, etc. in DFW versus RDU. Shopping is excellent in Dallas, but RDU is no slouch in that department either (better shopping in RDU, than in say, Greensboro). DFW also feels "faster" than RDU as well.

RDU is known for its huge college sports scene wheras D/FW is known more for professional sports. In RDU, you'd have to go to Charlotte or Washington for pro events.

In terms of the economy, RDU will have more jobs in Healthcare (large medical center in Durham), Education (lots of universities), biomedical research, and pharmaceuticals (RTP). Dallas is known for it's large concentration of corporate headquarters and is a center of telecom (not as much as it used to though, but it's still a center)

RDU is more convenient to the Eastern Seaboard Cities, as well as being close to Charlotte, Atlanta, and is about 9 hours or so from Florida, so if those locations are important to you, Raleigh may be a better option. Also, it's 2 hours from the mountains (NC has good skiing, but it's no Colorado) and 2 hours from beaches on the Outer Banks. So if you prefer to drive rather than fly, then RDU is a great, centrally located option.

Dallas is in the middle of the country, so you're about a 3-4 hour flight from either coast. You're also close to Houston, SA, Austin, OKC, etc.

Also, if you prefer pine forests and the lush beauty of the piedmont, RDU would be the place to be for that. Dallas lies on the prairies and crosstimbers. Some people prefer one over the other, but YMMV.

So it boils down to what you want out of a city...

 
Old 02-23-2009, 10:57 AM
 
2,231 posts, read 6,048,722 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by unexpected View Post
While you're right, having 4 big D-1, ACC schools with sizeable endowments does a lot to level the "cultural offering" playing field.

Also, while you can be at a "beach" in 30 minutes if you want to settle for a lake, North Carolina actually has real beaches, nothing around the Dallas area really compares to the Outer Banks area.
College level sports are amateur, in terms of performance and, of course, legality. DFW has not only professional sports venues but major league ones.

"Settle" for a lake beach? My friend, there are hundreds of thousands of people who do exactly that, and they enjoy those lakes immensely. I don't know why you want to marginalize what is a very pleasurable experience. And the many, many lakes around the DFW area make it superior to the Raleigh area for quick access to water.

But you're saying that Raleigh has an advantage by being only 2 hours drive from the Atlantic? "Only" two hours? Don't make me laugh. Not only that, the water in our lake beaches is wetter than your ocean water. That's a scientific fact, look it up.
 
Old 02-23-2009, 11:03 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aceplace View Post
But you're saying that Raleigh has an advantage by being only 2 hours drive from the Atlantic? "Only" two hours? Don't make me laugh. Not only that, the water in our lake beaches is wetter than your ocean water. That's a scientific fact, look it up.
Some people like lakes, some people like oceans. No need to argue personal preference. And 2 hours isn't that bad of a drive. It's not like they have to drive 5 hours to Galveston to get to the sea...
 
Old 02-23-2009, 11:14 AM
 
2,231 posts, read 6,048,722 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grindin View Post
+1. The Triangle being considered separate metropolitan areas is somewhat true, but I could've sworn that the US Census Bureau considers Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill a Combined Statistical area. Yes, Raleigh-Cary and Durham are separate metros according to the US Census, BUT they function as one unit. But that is just grasping at straws here, for all forms and purposes, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill function as one, just as Dallas and Ft. Worth do (and the US census breaks down Dallas and Ft. Worth-Arlington, but that boils down to semantics at the end of the day)

But this is a message board, so some posters aren't going to let mere things like facts get in the way of their arguments or to denigrate other cities carte blanche.

I guess some posters have never heard of the Research Triangle Park, which was developed in part due to all the colleges and universities in that region.

However, to the OP, it depends on what you want. DFW is a large regional metropolitan area of 6.5 Million, whereas RDU is a mid-size metro of 1.3 Million, so there are going to be more options in terms of culture, access to sporting events, etc. in DFW versus RDU. Shopping is excellent in Dallas, but RDU is no slouch in that department either (better shopping in RDU, than in say, Greensboro). DFW also feels "faster" than RDU as well.

RDU is known for its huge college sports scene wheras D/FW is known more for professional sports. In RDU, you'd have to go to Charlotte or Washington for pro events.

In terms of the economy, RDU will have more jobs in Healthcare (large medical center in Durham), Education (lots of universities), biomedical research, and pharmaceuticals (RTP). Dallas is known for it's large concentration of corporate headquarters and is a center of telecom (not as much as it used to though, but it's still a center)

RDU is more convenient to the Eastern Seaboard Cities, as well as being close to Charlotte, Atlanta, and is about 9 hours or so from Florida, so if those locations are important to you, Raleigh may be a better option. Also, it's 2 hours from the mountains (NC has good skiing, but it's no Colorado) and 2 hours from beaches on the Outer Banks. So if you prefer to drive rather than fly, then RDU is a great, centrally located option.

Dallas is in the middle of the country, so you're about a 3-4 hour flight from either coast. You're also close to Houston, SA, Austin, OKC, etc.

Also, if you prefer pine forests and the lush beauty of the piedmont, RDU would be the place to be for that. Dallas lies on the prairies and crosstimbers. Some people prefer one over the other, but YMMV.

So it boils down to what you want out of a city...
Fairly good summary, Grindin. Compare and contrast.

I'd argue with you about the US Census classifications, however. A metro is a unit, culturally, economically, cohesive, with internal traffic beyond a specific level as defined by the Federal OMB. Dallas and Tarrant counties both belong to the same metro because of the heavy traffic between them. Municipalities such as Fort Worth and Arlington and Dallas are merely administrative districts within a single economic metro.

Grayson county (Sherman-Denison), north of DFW, is a separate metro. It is part of a larger unit, a Consolidated metro area, containing DFW as well. But there is not enough traffic between Grayson county and DFW to put Grayson county into the DFW metro.

Similarly, Durham is to Raleigh as Sherman-Denison (Grayson county) is to DFW... just not enough traffic and economic interdependence to place it in the same metro area, and create the synergy that Tarrant county and Dallas county generate.

By "enough traffic", I mean that about 30% of Tarrant county's workforce travels to Dallas county every day.

Bottom line... the fact that Durham is not in a common metro with Raleigh actually matters quite a bit, and says something important about the region.

Last edited by aceplace; 02-23-2009 at 11:23 AM..
 
Old 02-23-2009, 11:46 AM
 
625 posts, read 1,949,319 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aceplace View Post
College level sports are amateur, in terms of performance and, of course, legality. DFW has not only professional sports venues but major league ones.

"Settle" for a lake beach? My friend, there are hundreds of thousands of people who do exactly that, and they enjoy those lakes immensely. I don't know why you want to marginalize what is a very pleasurable experience. And the many, many lakes around the DFW area make it superior to the Raleigh area for quick access to water.

But you're saying that Raleigh has an advantage by being only 2 hours drive from the Atlantic? "Only" two hours? Don't make me laugh. Not only that, the water in our lake beaches is wetter than your ocean water. That's a scientific fact, look it up.
please, you're placing your personal preferences on what you expect from your beaches onto other people. Many people do enjoy lakes, many people also enjoy oceans. Next time i want to go windsurfing, or feel saltwater on my face, I'll be sure to check out Lake Lewisville. Thanks for the tip.

Also, while you may think college level sports are amateur, some people live and breathe college sports. Those people would prefer places like North Carolina, where there aren't million-dollar athletes shooting themselves and athletes, actually, you know, try hard. Professional sports might have a higher talent level, but if you actually watch a basketball game in the AAC vs a basketball game in Cameron, there's no comparison- college venues like Cameron have a much higher energy level and more fun crowd experience than AAC.

And again, people do the drive all the time. The last census was taken in 2000. It's 2009. There are portions of Raleigh that are close than Frisco is to Dallas. Many, many of my classmates lived in Raleigh. It was just convenient.

What surprises me, is that you've never actually lived there, yet you think you're some sort of guru. Humidity? Give me a break. After you know, actually living there, I would say that the RDU area is actually less humid than the Dallas area. It's consistently around 10 degrees cooler at RDU than in Dallas. That's makes it colder right now, but also makes the summers more bearable than here. Some people might actually appreciate mild summers.
 
Old 02-23-2009, 12:00 PM
 
2,531 posts, read 6,228,069 times
Reputation: 1315
Quote:
Originally Posted by aceplace View Post
Fairly good summary, Grindin. Compare and contrast.

Similarly, Durham is to Raleigh as Sherman-Denison (Grayson county) is to DFW... just not enough traffic and economic interdependence to place it in the same metro area, and create the synergy that Tarrant county and Dallas county generate.

Bottom line... the fact that Durham is not in a common metro with Raleigh actually matters quite a bit, and says something important about the region.
No. We may just have to chalk this up to "agree to disagree" but,

RDU share an airport, television and radio stations, and commuting patterns just as DFW does. For example, the Research Triangle Park wasn't built between the two by accident, just as DFW airport was built between the two principal cities of the metroplex. Durham/Chapel Hill are just as much a part of the Triangle as Ft. Worth/Arlington is a part of the Metroplex.


Now if we were arguing about Baltimore/Washington being one metro area, that's a different story...

Oh yeah, I'm a Tar Heels fan, but I'm a Cowboys fan. What shall I do?!
 
Old 02-23-2009, 12:03 PM
 
2,531 posts, read 6,228,069 times
Reputation: 1315
Quote:
Originally Posted by unexpected View Post

Those people would prefer places like North Carolina, where there aren't million-dollar athletes shooting themselves and athletes, actually, you know, try hard.

Ouch! But Rae Carruth was a Panther though...

I think that's why the Professional sports teams in Atlanta aren't exactly met with enthusiasm most of the time (possibly except the Braves). First, you have all these transplants here, and people here are more than likely to root for UGA or Tech. College sports are HUGE here.
 
Old 02-23-2009, 12:06 PM
 
625 posts, read 1,949,319 times
Reputation: 486
in the context of the question, this argument doesn't even matter. It boils down to this:

If there is a cultural event in Raleigh, that someone wants to attend, if you live in Durham, you can get there. If you want to see the state capital, you can drive from chapel hill. If you live in Raleigh and want to go see a game in the Dean Dome, you can easily drive there.

Doing all of the above is easier than driving from Dallas to go to Forth Worth. heck, a lot of the above is even easier than driving from Frisco to go to Six Flags.
 
Old 02-23-2009, 12:08 PM
 
625 posts, read 1,949,319 times
Reputation: 486
Quote:
Originally Posted by grindin View Post
Ouch! But Rae Carruth was a Panther though...

I think that's why the Professional sports teams in Atlanta aren't exactly met with enthusiasm most of the time (possibly except the Braves). First, you have all these transplants here, and people here are more than likely to root for UGA or Tech. College sports are HUGE here.
haha, i was thinking of this EXACT example when I typed that! BUT the panthers are in Charlotte, and Carruth was justly caught and doing hard time. Other from that example, the Panthers have been a pretty straight up organization.

Carolina, though, is pretty much college sports territory. With Wake, Duke, UNC, and NC State hoops, how can you care about the Panthers/Hurricanes/Bobcats?
 
Old 02-23-2009, 12:53 PM
 
2,231 posts, read 6,048,722 times
Reputation: 545
Quote:
Originally Posted by grindin View Post
No. We may just have to chalk this up to "agree to disagree" but,

RDU share an airport, television and radio stations, and commuting patterns just as DFW does. For example, the Research Triangle Park wasn't built between the two by accident, just as DFW airport was built between the two principal cities of the metroplex. Durham/Chapel Hill are just as much a part of the Triangle as Ft. Worth/Arlington is a part of the Metroplex.
No, I'll rely on the judgment of the Federal OMB and the US Census Bureau. They set the criteria for the social, economic and transportation factors that include or exclude a county from a metro area.

So you're disagreeing with people who are paid to study and determine these matters.
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