Opinions on Winston particularly downtown area (Charlotte, Raleigh: houses, movie theater, school)

[viajero8]

So I had always heard that Winston was dead downtown but I went there last Sunday and discovered 4th street. I have now checked out all the major NC cities except Fayetteville. On the surface I would have to say Winston is the prettiest of the Piedmont. I remember Old Salem from childhood school trips and it looks just as beautiful as always.

It seems Winston has a bad rep but that is exactly why I wanted to see it. I've heard people trash Durham right and left and all I want to say is "have you seen it lately". Durham now has so much character and seems to be hitting every best of list. Winston is so similar to Durham. Both are former tobacco towns. Both have world class colleges and a medical school. Winston has the school of the arts. Durham has the school of science and mathematics. I would give Durham the intellectual edge but Winston the edge on its truly foothill location. Pilot Mountain almost overlooks the city and what a beautiful view it presents driving out of town.

So why don't people love Winston? Is it because they want to keep it a secret? Downtown Durham is a work in progress as I expect downtown Winston is but within the last year Durham seems to be on an acceleration path. Is this the case for Winston? Do they have center city entertainment areas outside the central business district like 9th street, American tobacco, and Bright Leaf in Durham?

[arbyunc]

Originally Posted by viajero8

So why don't people love Winston? Is it because they want to keep it a secret?

Who doesn't love Winston?


Seriously, downtown Winston-Salem is definitely getting much better. When I moved here years ago, there was no reason to go downtown after 5:00 pm. There were places to have fun if you knew where to find them, but they surely weren't downtown. Over the past 10-15 years, there's been lots of effort put into revitalizing downtown, and it's showing. 4th St., Trade St., the Arts district, West End, etc. are all turning into destinations, each with its own character. There are lots of street festivals, concerts, and other events. We have a downtown indie movie theater, the Stevens Center for Performing Arts, the Millenium Center, a new baseball stadium, and much more to draw crowds in. It's not South Beach by any stretch, but I think it would stack up very well against other cities of the same size.

So please come see us, but don't tell anyone!

[wsnc62]

Winston-Salem's downtown resurgence is not unlike any other city, especially in North Carolina. Fifteen years ago in downtown Charlotte, the sidewalks were rolled up, the bankers went home to the suburbs, and there were at the time only a handfull of restaurants or bars open after five o'clock, namely in the north College St and 7th Street area. I remember a local independent record shop that tried to make a go of it in the 100-200 block of North Tryon Street, and he didn't stay in business for long.
Winston-Salem is like no other city in terms of amenities in the arts, history, cultural activities, architecture, and creativity for it's size. Alot of people are either clueless, or otherwise take for granted countless things about Winston-Salem that are within arm's reach of them on a daily basis. I inquired in the Carolina Room of the Central Library about MESDA's quarterly published journal to a young lady at the front desk just last week, and she didn't even know what MESDA was. I was totally aghast. For it's population, Winston-Salem is in my opinion still ahead of our other cities in terms of center city amenities, architecture, arts, and history. Not to mention that it was the first city in the country to have an arts council, houses the largest music collection in the nation, was home to the first classical music composed in America, is National headquarters for the Society of Oddfellows, was the first city in the state to save and restore it's Carolina Theatre, has the forerunner of the Empire State Building in NYC, and has more 18th century architecture than any other city in NC and more 20th century architecture designed by nationally prominent architects than any other NC city.
The only regret I see is that city leaders and the Board of Visitors don't toot their horns enough. And there is plenty to toot about. Other cities are rapidly catching up or surpassing Winston-Salem in areas where it was 20-30 years ahead..(such as Charlotte's McColl Center for the Arts, when SECCA and Sawtooth were started in the 50's, 60's and 70's.) I could go on and on...because I love Winston-Salem!

[viajero8]

I use to live in Charlotte. I arrived after the revival but since I have a sister there I saw how dead it was before as well. I also had a sister and brother who attended the school of the arts in the late 70s early 80s. I knew about how cultural Winston is and in fact a friend of mine use to mock the locals by calling it the Paris of the Piedmont with a particularly thick southern twang. I can still laugh hearing him say that. Winston had a lot going for it but then the M&A craze consumed all its headquarters. Reynolds and Wachovia packed and moved to Atlanta and Charlotte. I don't know much about the tobacco industry there but I know that it has completely vacated Durham so I imagine there is not much left in Winston either. Talk about a dieing industry.

When I met people from Winston in Charlotte they all seem to like Charlotte more. They felt that Winston had died and was beyond revival. Some blamed it on the old money culture that didn't like fresh competition that outsiders could offer. On a side note, I've heard people say the same thing about Richmond. Since the early 80s the population of Winston has not kept pace with the rapid growth of the other NC cities. Around that time I remember Winston as the third largest city in NC (after Charlotte and Greensboro) with a population was 180,000. Charlotte had 250,000, Greensboro 225000, Raleigh 150000 and Durham was around 100,000. Now only a few hundred people separate Durham from Winston. I had always had a positive impression of Winston and couldn't ignore all it had going for it so it baffled me that it has not kept pace. This most recent visit has left me even more surprised. Maybe you're right. It needs more marketing. Then again maybe the locals don't want it to change.