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I'm trying hard to give you the benefit of the doubt, because you occasionally contribute something useful, but posts like this make it really hard. Maybe next time?
Shocked that a Triad thread can exceed 1 page? Me too.
At least i'm contributing to better stats for this forum.
I already know what's going on if it's a recent thread in this forum about something that's not exactly breaking news with several pages and you've been commenting. It's par for the course.
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For the record, I would never let my dog roam around in Greensboro. He might get shot, stolen, mugged, or frightened by a staggering zombie.
That's fine but I have no clue why you would want to constantly agitate the folks who don't mind living in Greensboro and want to see their city do and be better. There's no logical reason to constantly rain on their parade unless you have a personal gripe with the city, and certainly not for the sake of forum traffic numbers. At least own it instead of pretending to be some arbiter of truth and objectivity.
I already know what's going on if it's a recent thread in this forum about something that's not exactly breaking news with several pages and you've been commenting. It's par for the course.
That's fine but I have no clue why you would want to constantly agitate the folks who don't mind living in Greensboro and want to see their city do and be better. There's no logical reason to constantly rain on their parade unless you have a personal gripe with the city, and certainly not for the sake of forum traffic numbers. At least own it instead of pretending to be some arbiter of truth and objectivity.
Honestly the triad section on citydata is dead because everyone is on Reddit in R/Greensboro, which is extremely active. That’s where all transplants, and everyone else posts.
That’s kinda why I left CD, but I’m back to keep updating my downtown development thread.
A high crime rate really isn't that big of a deterrent. Quality of the workforce and infrastructure are the two biggest factors a company is looking at. Otherwise, Google wouldn't have just announced the 1K jobs for Durham.
It's a chicken-and-egg situation when it comes to talent and jobs, but in the post-COVID world where a lot more people will have the flexibility to live anywhere they want while working remotely, Greensboro has an opportunity to benefit. Local leaders should keep focusing on making Greensboro a more pleasant place to live by improving quality of life and increasing their marketing efforts. Certainly reducing crime will be important on that front, but so will be investing in parks, cultural infrastructure, schools, sidewalks, bike lanes, transit, tourism/hospitality, etc. Over time, as more and more people "discover" it, companies will take notice as well. The economic development model had already begun transitioning from expecting people to move for jobs to jobs going where people prefer to live before the pandemic, but the prevailing wisdom was that these places were largely restricted to the big coastal cities, inland major metros, and mid-major "superstar" cities, with a sprinkling of small boutique-like cities. However, the pandemic has shown that many pleasant smaller cities with a perceived good quality of life are very suitable places to live for high-earning remote workers in addition to the usual potential transplants looking for smaller, cheaper, and warmer places to relocate to.
Google moved to the Triangle primarily for access to a skilled and educated workforce, though low taxes and sound infrastructure certainly factored into their decision as well. Crime is absolutely a deterrent to the skilled and educated among us when they consider where to land. I'm frankly surprised that this escapes you. Durham thrives DESPITE it's crime because of its vibrant economy and plentiful jobs. You may not want to hear this but Greensboro just doesn't have enough going for it to do the same. To Joe the software engineer, looking for a new home to sell his talent, safety and prosperity sit at the top of the criteria list with girls and nightlife some distance behind. A city that hopes to move onto the 21st century leader board, can possibly have one of the first two. But it can't have neither. And realistically, I wouldn't bet on Greensboro attracting many of those who can work from home anywhere in this great country. It's the crime rate elephant again. There's plenty of places safer and prettier. And with better drivers. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: you're not gonna like me.
A high crime rate really isn't that big of a deterrent. Quality of the workforce and infrastructure are the two biggest factors a company is looking at. Otherwise, Google wouldn't have just announced the 1K jobs for Durham.
It's a chicken-and-egg situation when it comes to talent and jobs, but in the post-COVID world where a lot more people will have the flexibility to live anywhere they want while working remotely, Greensboro has an opportunity to benefit. Local leaders should keep focusing on making Greensboro a more pleasant place to live by improving quality of life and increasing their marketing efforts. Certainly reducing crime will be important on that front, but so will be investing in parks, cultural infrastructure, schools, sidewalks, bike lanes, transit, tourism/hospitality, etc. Over time, as more and more people "discover" it, companies will take notice as well. The economic development model had already begun transitioning from expecting people to move for jobs to jobs going where people prefer to live before the pandemic, but the prevailing wisdom was that these places were largely restricted to the big coastal cities, inland major metros, and mid-major "superstar" cities, with a sprinkling of small boutique-like cities. However, the pandemic has shown that many pleasant smaller cities with a perceived good quality of life are very suitable places to live for high-earning remote workers in addition to the usual potential transplants looking for smaller, cheaper, and warmer places to relocate to.
I've been here for almost a year now, and "pleasant" isn't the first thought that leaps to mind. Bad roads, bad drivers, bad schools, trash AND crime? Let's take care of the nuts and bolts before "cultural infrastructure".
How many here post only the positive? This is primarily a relocation forum, not a teenage chat room. Or Greensboro fanzine. Anybody seriously thinking about changing their address wants to hear it all, the good and the not so good. And they don't care from whom. This is no place for the faint of heart. Or thin of skin.
Honestly the triad section on citydata is dead because everyone is on Reddit in R/Greensboro, which is extremely active. That’s where all transplants, and everyone else posts.
That’s kinda why I left CD, but I’m back to keep updating my downtown development thread.
I get that; this isn't the only such site for these types of discussions and others are more popular for folks from certain cities. Some cities also have their own dedicated websites for urban development and local current events.
How many here post only the positive? This is primarily a relocation forum, not a teenage chat room. Or Greensboro fanzine. Anybody seriously thinking about changing their address wants to hear it all, the good and the not so good. And they don't care from whom. This is no place for the faint of heart. Or thin of skin.
Says the person who's having a public meltdown over litter.
Google moved to the Triangle primarily for access to a skilled and educated workforce, though low taxes and sound infrastructure certainly factored into their decision as well. Crime is absolutely a deterrent to the skilled and educated among us when they consider where to land. I'm frankly surprised that this escapes you. Durham thrives DESPITE it's crime because of its vibrant economy and plentiful jobs. You may not want to hear this but Greensboro just doesn't have enough going for it to do the same. To Joe the software engineer, looking for a new home to sell his talent, safety and prosperity sit at the top of the criteria list with girls and nightlife some distance behind. A city that hopes to move onto the 21st century leader board, can possibly have one of the first two. But it can't have neither.
Is it lost on you that you're actually agreeing with me? A high crime rate isn't going to be a major deterrent if a city has the workforce, infrastructure, and yes business climate that the company needs and they calculate that the payoff will ultimately be worth the risk, which they mitigate by locating in safer parts of the city or its suburbs or including the new jobs in a larger urban redevelopment plan in an economically depressed part of town (which is what Microsoft is doing in Atlanta which has crime issues and had one of its worst years for violent crime in decades last year). Nashville has been posting high crime rates for a while now and actually has a higher metro crime rate than Greensboro and it's apparently the 42nd Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site in the country, and yet it has been on a big roll with major job announcements over the past few years. Dallas, TX is among the nation's 100 most dangerous cities with populations of at least 25K and they couldn't stop the influx of new jobs headed their way if they wanted to. North Charleston has long been plagued with high crime (65th most dangerous in the nation last year)--and Boeing not only built a new plant there 10 years ago, but it expanded in 2014 and last year announced that it was moving all production of 787s from Washington state to North Charleston. Spartanburg, SC has been experiencing a spike in violent crime also (29th most dangerous city last year), yet its job and population growth in recent years has been nothing short of impressive. I could go on and on, but I believe I've made my point.
Understand that I'm not saying that high crime can't be a deterrent and that the city shouldn't be addressing it because it absolutely should, especially considering the spike in homicides that so many cities experienced last year in particular, but high crime is not always as big of a deterrent as one might think, and in such cases it's typically because a company has determined that a prospective city's advantages outweigh the drawbacks like high crime. Furthermore, I'd argue that it's having a reputation for high crime that acts as more of a deterrent than actual crime rates. Nashville certainly doesn't have that reputation; it's all bachelorette parties and Broadway and live music venues and the Next Big Thing that totally overshadow any concerns about crime. I'd say Greensboro's biggest disadvantage right now isn't that it has a bad reputation, but that it doesn't have much of one at all outside of NC. Assuming that Greensboro is competitive with other cities in the state when it comes to taxes and fees (and if it isn't, that should be rectified), its best bet is to play to its economic strengths; work on increasing, improving, and retaining its talent pipeline (e.g., schools and colleges/universities); create an environment that allows small businesses and start-ups to thrive and flourish; and engage in successful and creative placemaking. And of course, it goes without saying that the provision of basic services is fundamental.
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And realistically, I wouldn't bet on Greensboro attracting many of those who can work from home anywhere in this great country. It's the crime rate elephant again. There's plenty of places safer and prettier. And with better drivers. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: you're not gonna like me.
"Anywhere" actually includes lots of places like Greensboro. Cities such as Little Rock and Buffalo have benefitted from in-migration due to the pandemic as the link in my previous post shows, and to this day for folks of a certain age (to include me I suppose), Little Rock is still known for an HBO documentary in the mid-90s about its horrible gang violence problem--and it still registers a high violent crime rate today as the earlier link I posted here shows. Companies and people tend to understand that in most cases, the worst crime is usually relegated to specific parts or neighborhoods of the city and isn't equally spread throughout. But if it does start spreading, which tends to be the case when it comes to property crimes and theft, then that's certainly more concerning.
Last edited by Yac; 03-24-2021 at 01:14 AM..
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