Greensboro compared to Winston salem from an outsiders perspective.

[JerichoHW]

This is just my initial gut reaction, but I think that W-S is a much better-looking city all around. Both GSO and W-S have their positives and negatives though. I didn't grow up in this area so I have no sentimental attachment to either.

High Point is by far my least favorite Triad city. HPU comes off as a walled-off enclave surrounded by blight, and the downtown has virtually nothing in it but furniture showrooms that are abandoned for 90% of the year. North Main is your typical, poorly-designed, car-centric shopping district, and the area around Oak Hollow Mall is depressing. I hate going to that Target. It bums me out.

[costellopresley82]

Originally Posted by Jowel

That relative isolation helps make it more of a hub than it otherwise would be.

While Winston-Salem is slightly smaller than Greensboro, I think the trade area it draws from seems larger than Greensboro. Greensboro runs into the Triangle to the east, and Winston-Salem to the south, so that just leaves Guilford, Rockingham, Randolph, perhaps Caswell, and to some extent an area just over the Virginia border (near Danville & Martinsville).

Winston-Salem seems to encompass almost all of the northwestern quadrant of NC into the mountains, and into Virginia near Galax. While those are not densely populated areas, the population that goes to Winston-Salem for shopping and services (such as medical procedures) unavailable in those smaller communities makes it feel busier in some ways than Greensboro. Even the local television news market tends to lump Winston-Salem together with the "mountains", which covers a much wider area than Greensboro's local area.

Definitely.

Winston is "the city" for Forsyth (obviously), Davidson, Yadkin, Stokes, Surry, Davie, northern Iredell, Wilkes, Allegheny, Patrick (Virginia), Carroll (Virginia), Grayson (Virginia), and as far west as Watauga and Ashe. In fact, Boone is closer to Winston than Asheville, and it's an easier drive. I've met people from towns like Elkin who frequent Hanes Mall for their shopping, too.

Greensboro is "the city" for Guilford (obviously), Randolph, Rockingham, Alamance, Caswell, western Chatham (Siler City), Martinsville/Henry County (Virginia), and Danville/southern Pittsylvania County (Virginia). Greensboro's orbit covers more populated areas of Southside Virginia (Danville is a large-ish town), but it doesn't extend east of Mebane.

But yeah, I'm sure some people prefer Greensboro's location because it's centrally located within the state, only an hour from Durham and an hour and a half from Charlotte. Winston isn't far from Charlotte either, but it's harder to reach the Triangle from Winston because you have Greensboro in the way.

[uncchgrad]

Originally Posted by JerichoHW

This is just my initial gut reaction, but I think that W-S is a much better-looking city all around. Both GSO and W-S have their positives and negatives though. I didn't grow up in this area so I have no sentimental attachment to either.

High Point is by far my least favorite Triad city. HPU comes off as a walled-off enclave surrounded by blight, and the downtown has virtually nothing in it but furniture showrooms that are abandoned for 90% of the year. North Main is your typical, poorly-designed, car-centric shopping district, and the area around Oak Hollow Mall is depressing. I hate going to that Target. It bums me out.

Agreed. W-S has the "bones" of a real city. It has more of an urban feel when compared to certain similar sized cities.

If/when the Triad ever takes off economically, it will be because of what's happening in W-S in my opinion.

[SmartMule]

Incidentally, the school you mention above as an arts school is in Winston Salem -- Univ of NC School of the Arts. It is a gem in our cap, for sure, as there aren't many schools of its caliber up and down the coast.

I feel that I am exposed to many performers and performances that I might miss out on if I were in Greensboro and trying to sort through so many clubs. When I lived there, I found that the majority of clubs booked rock and roll type dance and cover bands. There was one, the Blind Tiger, that booked live bands, perhaps not the most famous but they brought in some good blues shows. I think that club is gone.

In Winston Salem, we now have the Ramkat which is a great place for live music and they keep a full calendar. We also have jazz concerts in the summer with out Downtown Jazz shows -- the man who books these has some great connections and brings in some interesting and talented artists. There is also Music on Trade but I think that is more of the cover band type -- I don't go there too much. The first Friday of every month, all year long, we have the Gallery Hop -- all of the downtown galleries stay open late, as do other vendors and that is a fun evening. We have many local crafts people and artists and the Piedmont Craftsmen group based out of Winston Salem.

We also have the River Run Film Festival and the OUT at the Movies International Film Festival, which is making quite a name for itself in gay indie film. Directors, producers, actors (in non Covid years) are excited to be invited to come to Winston Salem for both festivals.

We have the Black Theatre Festival and other great shows. I saw Chick Corea before his death at Wake Chapel -- an amazing and intimate venue for this kind of concert. I have tickets to see Branford Marsalis this spring. And there are many shows with the WS Symphony Orchestra, often with visiting artists -- sometimes the visiting artists perform on their own.

And, just up the road are Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes and other counties with active arts associations. The highlight (to me) of most of these areas is the opportunity to hear local folk and bluegrass -- there are several places where a pickup type jam takes place and you can join in if you are so inclined. Some interesting and talented musicians who have been around the block a few times often are the stars at these get togethers. There is also a group promoting story slams and trying to get that set up in Winston Salem, too.

We have SECCA (Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art) and Reynolda House and Gardens with a group of restaurants and artists right next to the beautifully preserved home which has an art gallery of its own.

I could go on and on, though I don't have time to list all of the great things about Winston Salem. Greensboro does have more ethnic restaurants though we are catching up. I do think that our city may be more divided racially -- but I'm not sure about that as I never thought to count out the "man on the street" type crowds. I have read, and it sounds viable, that US 52 was routed through town to divide the black and white communities and that division remains in many cases. Hopefully we can keep working on this divide and grow more together as a city.

I liked Greensboro when I lived there, too -- though that was about a year and I have been twenty years in Winston Salem, now. It is a fun, artsy, welcoming city and small enough to give a sense of community but big enough to offer lots to do and see.

[gsoboi78]

Both cities have a lot to offer. What you can't get in Greensboro you can get in Greensboro and vice versa. Honestly there are more lifestyle options in the Triad because there is the urban city lifestyle, suburban lifestyle and rural lifestyle.

[thebermudatriad]

In regards to live music, @SmartMule, the Blind Tiger is still open in Greensboro but have moved from their spot on Walker Ave to Spring Garden St. They have been there for a long time now. I have been playing in bands for 20+ years now and Winston used to have an amazing underground punk/hardcore scene in the late 90s/early 2000s. There were so many venues but sadly they are now all gone. The Ramkat is a great addition though. More recently I felt like Winston had more places to play but Greensboro had more or a crowd to play to, but now both cities are lacking in live venues. Greensboro really needs a small rock club, like a 200 cap room. There is a new venue opening soon on South Elm called the Rockhouse Live. Not sure when it's supposed to open but it seems like it could be cool.

[gsoboi78]

Originally Posted by thebermudatriad

There is a new venue opening soon on South Elm called the Rockhouse Live. Not sure when it's supposed to open but it seems like it could be cool.

That's cool and is actually a fairly new "destination" venue chain a little similar to Hard Rock Cafe but with a greater focus on live music. In fact Rockhouse has a disclaimer on its website that its not affiliated with Hard Rock Cafe so that there is no confusion. The founder was the partner of a former president and CEO of Hard Rock International who is also involved. Its actually a cross between Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues but the music is Rock.. Rockhouse Live is an entertainment themed restaurant/live music venue and there are locations in Memphis, Key West, Florida and a few other place. They typically open in tourist/high traffic areas. It will be the second destination restaurant/bar venue downtown. Fat Tuesday is located nearby. Its pretty cool that downtown Greensboro is attracting these kind of venues and when you have one it leads to another and another. These small Live music venues compliment the Tanger Center. Rockhouse will be located in the growing entertainment district in South End and will be located near Bourbon Bowl. Its a unique concept because it incorporates a virtual element.

[WSCTZN]

As a Winston-Salem resident, I find that the cities complement each other. Greensboro feels more like a city and is clearly bigger. While I like Winston's skyline better, Winston feels more like a big town but has a lot of character, more similar to Asheville. I do enjoy getting away to Greensboro. It's a nice change of pace. To an outsider, I imagine that Greensboro feels more corporate and WS more artsy.