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I've lived all over the US in the big world cities and even lived in Paris for 3 months.
The person who is cray cray and who prompted my response is the person talking about all the "glamour"(a cheesy word in itself") that Charlotte has compared to Raleigh.
I drive through Uptown (also a cheesy name for downtown) every time I drive from Atlanta to the Triangle because I take 49/64. All I see is a main drag (Tryon) with too many trees and not very attractive people walking between the eateries which some may be awesome, but it's like a dark, shaded downtown with a lot of concrete at street-level.
Glamour spoken through architecture and building exteriors and curtain walls, yes, maybe.
But who in their right mind would refer to Charlotte as exuding glamour? like any fashion is designed or created there at all?
The rest is just about being so sick of some young, and clueless poster who believes Charlotte is eating every other cities' lunch and beating them at something. The city is booming and other places are too.
But I get rep points from people from my crazy posts and I've lived in world cities so I do have a good overall perspective.
Every post that doesn't add any new insight and merely is a vent of frustration is a misuse of this forum and is indicative of someone who is unhappy in their lives.
This entire post was a "vent of frustration". Any way, Charlotte is just a midsized major US city that has several US peers:
Austin
Baltimore (minus DC)
Fort Worth (minus Dallas)
Denver
San Antonio
Kansas City
St Louis
Tampa
Orlando
Nashville
Portland
Pittsburgh
Indianapolis
Columbus
Cleveland
Cincinnati
Raleigh/Durham (both are needed to be in this group)
Salt Lake City
Sacramento
San Diego
Jacksonville
There could be a few others that I forgot to mention, but for the most part I think you get the picture. Compared to Charlotte's peers, Charlotte is one of the fastest growing, has one of the busiest airports, has one of the largest downtowns (by office space), has one of the largest amusement parks, and has more rail transit miles than most of its peers.
On the other hand, Charlotte is one of the few without a zoo, school of law, or medical school on the list (though Atrium and Wake Forest are teaming up to fix the medical school issue). The reality is that outside of higher education, Charlotte punches slightly above its weight class (while still being overshadowed by Atlanta). As a result (in some ways) Charlotte casts a shadow over the Triangle (please don't try to argue against this, Charlotte just does).
I visit Raleigh quite often. My most recent visit was during the Bluegrass festival this year. I wasn't in town for the festival; it just so happened that it was going on during my visit. My family and I were actually in Raleigh checking out the FREE Museum of Natural Sciences and the FREE Arts museum. Also during that visit, we all ate at Clyde Cooper's BBQ. I had been there before and I had my cash ready until I saw a sign that read "Hell Froze, we take Credit/Debit cards now".
At any rate, Raleigh is a nice place; I could live there and enjoy it. This is why the area continues to grow. Are Raleigh and Charlotte similar? YES! Is Charlotte larger and more nationally recognized? Yes! Is this fair to Raleigh? No! Is venting about it on the internet going to change a damn thing? Nope
The person who is cray cray and who prompted my response is the person talking about all the "glamour"(a cheesy word in itself") that Charlotte has compared to Raleigh.
But who in their right mind would refer to Charlotte as exuding glamour? like any fashion is designed or created there at all?
.
Well you answered your question in your first paragraph, we're comparing Charlotte to Raleigh...
Charlotte is more glamorous than Raleigh, I dont think that's a hot take. Has more pizazz, is more exciting, with more flair, is louder and more energetic. Hardly a hot take...
That's all I have to add, carry on with the rest of your vent of frustration...
I agree with all of this and while locals hate the label "Raleigh-Durham" I like it because it is a single metro area and this most accurately identifies it on a national level.
I can't believe you said something I actually agree with. Yes. Raleigh-Durham, or Raleigh, is beyond more well known outside of the "triangle" than "Triangle" and even more so than "RTP". Yo
Me and RTP go way back.....to the 80s with IBM. I've worked for several companies in the "Park" since then even a large Canadian company that went belly up (Nortel). Outside of NC and parts of SC and VA, no one calls it the Park or RTP...simply Raleigh/Durham. The brand RTP or Triangle just doesn't resonate nationally or regionally like the brand of Silicon Valley. Even with many trips to Canada and other parts of the country/world with companies that have/had a large regional presence in the RTP, co-workers and other people with any familiarity with the area either referred to it as Raleigh or Raleigh/Durham.
Even when referring to NC's huge collegiate basketball presence, it is called "Tobacco Road"....very rarely will anyone ever call it the Triangle asides from someone with a lot of local knowledge.
Agreed -- I mentioned that it was a local thing. I have many friends who work in Research Triangle Park, and all of them refer to it as RTP.
I agree with all of this and while locals hate the label "Raleigh-Durham" I like it because it is a single metro area and this most accurately identifies it on a national level.
If the area is famous for anything globally, it would be mention of the "Research Triangle" cluster of tech and bio-pharma companies that got attention way back at the onset of the AIDS epidemic because AZT, the first crude drug to treat it was developed there (at Burroughs Welcome) and was picketed frequently due to its high price in the late 80s.
The area has capitalized on that moniker and the postmark for the Triangle and the surrounding counties and towns, like Louisburg in Franklin County has read "Research Triangle Region" for almost 10 years.
"Tobacco Road" is used to underscore how sacred the area is for college basketball. It is not meant to be pejorative in any way.
That area is sacred with it's early aristocratic family the Dukes who were once among the wealthiest families in the country from tobacco, so maybe "tobacco road" is a nod to them too.
I never knew anything about that family until I was 30 or 40 years old. You would think their story would be more well known among Triangle natives
The daughter, Doris Duke, never was sure if people liked her for herself or because of her wealth & lived a tragic life. She traveled the world with a group of sycophants that included a schwarmi (sp?) who she trusted to advise her.
I don't agree that locals hate the label "Raleigh-Durham"; they just don't use it. As others have pointed out, it's used more on a national basis. Within NC, it's the "Triangle Area". Only Jim Nance uses the term Tobacco Road during UNC-Duke games and it's a cute phrase. Again, locals say "RTP" if they actually work inside the Park itself.
I would guess that few people today know that Duke University was named after the Duke family, nor would they care.
Me and RTP go way back.....to the 80s with IBM. I've worked for several companies in the "Park" since then even a large Canadian company that went belly up (Nortel). Outside of NC and parts of SC and VA, no one calls it the Park or RTP...simply Raleigh/Durham. The brand RTP or Triangle just doesn't resonate nationally or regionally like the brand of Silicon Valley. Even with many trips to Canada and other parts of the country/world with companies that have/had a large regional presence in the RTP, co-workers and other people with any familiarity with the area either referred to it as Raleigh or Raleigh/Durham.
Even when referring to NC's huge collegiate basketball presence, it is called "Tobacco Road"....very rarely will anyone ever call it the Triangle asides from someone with a lot of local knowledge.
One of my neighbor's job location just shifted (two months ago) from North Raleigh to the Parmer RTP site. Heck, even Parmer and Longfellow refer to that area as RTP; Parmer is based in Los Angeles and Longfellow is based in Boston. See copy from Parmer's website below:
About Parmer RTP
In the heart of Research Triangle Park, one of the most prominent research parks in the world, is where you’ll find Parmer RTP. A premier research and development campus of 20 separate buildings, Parmer RTP provides high quality, state-of-the-art office and laboratory spaces for lease in one of the fastest growing regions in the country. A suite of world-class amenities and seamless work-life integration awaits at Parmer RTP. The 500-acre campus includes a brand new outdoor amphitheater, upgraded fitness trails, a bike share program, championship-level tennis courts, outdoor gathering areas, and space for daily food truck rallies, with more amenities on the way. Uniquely located, the campus is nestled between three major research universities: Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. In this region alone, over 175,000 students are enrolled in higher education, and over 42,000 graduate annually, allowing for immediate access to a young, skilled, and highly educated labor pool.
BTW - sorry about Nortel. It used to be a fine company that was grossly mismanaged. However, it was known as primarily a telecom company vs a tech company.
RTP is the name of the park, not the region. Raleigh/Durham or the Triangle is the name of the region. I think some people are misinterpreting whats being said on this thread.
RTP is the name of the park, not the region. Raleigh/Durham or the Triangle is the name of the region. I think some people are misinterpreting whats being said on this thread.
Thanks - that's what I have tried to point out. I found yet another example:
Real estate giant Alexandria Real Estate Equities has unveiled sweeping plans to transform a 56-acre Research Triangle Park site into a campus for life science and agricultural technology companies.
Plans for the campus call for more than 1 million square feet of space.
“This is aimed at creating a world-class campus, we think in the heart of RTP ... that will have an amenity-rich and urban-like environment,” said Joel Marcus, founder and CEO of Alexandria.
These folks are in Pasadena CA and they refer to Research Triangle Park as "RTP". (I added the bold-underline).
I knew that I wasn't crazy !
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Again, locals say "RTP" if they actually work inside the Park itself.
