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Charlotte Street Car will join West End, JC Snith University, Johnson Wales University, CPCC, Novant Hospital and Plaza Midwood on one line to upton and the Lynx Blue Line. When all is built it will be over 10 miles. From Plaza Midiwood it will go the old Eastland Mall Ares.
Long before the Carolina Panthers were even thought of. An NFL Stadium /Nascar track and state zoo was planned to be built in the Triad on the Guilford County/Forsyth County Line back in the 1960s. Back then it wasn't a requirement for NFL teams to be in "big city" markets and if it had happened, the team would have been in a similar situation Green Bay, Wisconsin is in today. Polls were taken and back then Triad residents supported the idea of an NFL team in the Triad, particularly High Point residents even if it meant a tax increase. 77 percent of High Point residents wanted NFL in the Triad. NFL leaders including the NFL commissioner were impressed with the Triad demographics. Dont forget this was the 1960s when the Triad had economic clout and the Triad had a larger population then the Charlotte metro at the time. So what happened? Why didn't the NFL come to Greensboro/Winston-Salem? Forsyth County wanted to put it to the voters in a bond referendum. Guilford County leaders for what ever reason did not. That basically killed it. If it had gone to the voters, it would have passed and the NFL team would have been in the Triad instead of Charlotte. I think if it had happened, the Triad could potentially be a very different place today. There would have been a lot of developed land around the stadium and NASCAR track and the zoo would have been a year round regional attraction which would have meant the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, which is still in the Triad would have never materialized. The failed plan is what led to the North Carolina Zoological Park opening independently in Asheboro in 1976. Short sighted Guilford County leaders could have changed the direction of history if they had only let The Guilford County residents vote on it. A simple decision and it was realistic and the closest the Triad had ever come to landing a major pro sports franchise. Timing was everything and the Triad missed its time.
In addition the ABA Carolina Cougars were based in Greensboro. The team did play games in Charlotte and Raleigh but most of the games were held in Greensboro were the Cougars had the biggest following. But when the ABA merged with the NBA, most of the ABA teams folded. A few ABA teams like the Indiana Pacers survived the merge.
Long before the Carolina Panthers were even thought of. An NFL Stadium /Nascar track and zoo was planned to be built in the Triad on the Guilford County/Forsyth County Line back in the 1960s. Back then it wasn't a requirement for NFL teams to be in "big city" markets and if it had happened, the team would have been in a similar situation Green Bay, Wisconsin is in today. Polls were taken and back then Triad residents supported the idea of an NFL team in the Triad, particularly High Point residents even if it meant a tax increase. NFL leaders were impressed with the Triad demographics. Dont forget this was the 1960s when the Triad had economic clout. So what happened? Why didn't the NFL come to Greensboro/Winston-Salem? Forsyth County wanted to put it to the voters in a bond referendum. Guilford County leaders for what ever reason did not. That basically killed it. If it had gone to the voters, it would have passed and the NFL team would have been in the Triad instead of Charlotte.
That's cool history, but in my opinion the team probably would've still ended up in Charlotte at some point. The biggest reason Green Bay has not gone to Milwaukee or anywhere else is because it's unique in that the team is owned by the public. So they can't leave.
Only 4, about to be 2 NFL stadiums built before 1970 are still in use, so it's feasible the owners wouldve eventually ran to Charlotte to take advantage of the growth, market, and the Triad (probably) not wanting to pay for new ones, which is basically how the Rams left St Louis, Chargers left San Diego, and why the Oilers left Houston.
The Panthers in Charlotte just feels right to me. Charlotte is the largest area in the Carolinas, it's on the border and in the middle of the Carolinas, and it just fits that Charlotte mold. Imagine Charlotte not having an NFL team but Winston Salem, or Greenville SC, or Columbia or Durham having one. Just feels off.
That's cool history, but in my opinion the team probably would've still ended up in Charlotte at some point. The biggest reason Green Bay has not gone to Milwaukee or anywhere else is because it's unique in that the team is owned by the public. So they can't leave.
Only 4, about to be 2 NFL stadiums built before 1970 are still in use, so it's feasible the owners wouldve eventually ran to Charlotte to take advantage of the growth, market, and the Triad (probably) not wanting to pay for new ones, which is basically how the Rams left St Louis, Chargers left San Diego, and why the Oilers left Houston.
The Panthers in Charlotte just feels right to me. Charlotte is the largest area in the Carolinas, it's on the border and in the middle of the Carolinas, and it just fits that Charlotte mold. Imagine Charlotte not having an NFL team but Winston Salem, or Greenville SC, or Columbia or Durham having one. Just feels off.
I think the Green Bay situation would have happened in the Triad as well, particularly with the support at the time from the residents. Now Vince Lombardi did play a big role in the Packers popularity so its really hard to predict what would have happened. But like Green Bay and Milwaukee, you are right there would have been pressure to move the team to Charlotte. Green Bay is about the same distance to Milwaukee as Greensboro is to Charlotte. I think Charlotte residents would have still driven to Greensboro for home games just like Greensboro residents drive to Charlotte for Panther games.. Again we don't know how this would have effected the Triad's growth and economy. Greensboro is bigger than Green Bay and an NFL team in the Triad back in the 1960s could have triggered a much more robust economy in the Triad today to the point where it would have been fine. I'm not saying an NFL team alone would have turned the Triad into what Charlotte is today but it could have triggered a sequence of events which could have dramatically changed the face of the Triad today. It would have told the business world that the Triad is big league. Companies that passed over the Triad might have come here. But we'll never know.
Greensboro did have a forward thinking mayor back in the 1970s (Jim Melvin). He saw a Greensboro that could be like Charlotte. He sought to build civic projects like a downtown convention center but during the 1970s Greensboro and its mind set had changed. The city became complacent, resisted change was less forward thinking as it had been in the past. The powers at the time were just too much for Jim Melvin to overcome. The old money city and business leaders of the tobacco and textile industries didn't want to lose their grip on the city. That's what led to Greensboro and the Triad falling behind Charlotte and Raleigh. That complacency continued through the 1980s and early 1990s and when textiles dried up by the late 1990s, it was only then city leaders said we need to do something. That's when downtown revitalization efforts which led to what's happening today began. Now we have companies like HondaJet moving in so Greensboro is playing a lot of catch up after two or three decades of complacency and its two larger siblings leaving Greensboro in the dust throughout that period.
I admit, I have never seen, much less ridden on, a light rail system. However, it does appear to be nothing more than a modern day street car-trolley system. If Charlotte can afford to put the rail system underground though the main downtown district, it would well be worth the expense in my opinion. The only city that has rail running through the central business district in North Carolina, that I am aware of, is Rocky Mount.
Except downtown Raleigh has Amtrak and two lines converging at a "Y" which supposedly there aren't many in the country. The higher speed trains from Richmond will come from the North on track currently being rehabbed from Norlina, Henderson into North Raleigh and meet the existing Amtrak line which heads more East to Rocky Mount.
That line also bisects NC State's main campus and the Town of Cary's downtown I think.
VIRGINIA HAS PURCHASED THE ABANDONED S LINE DOWN TO THE NC STATE LINE!
That and NC's small portion is the only missing link to connect NC to D.C. and the Northeast Corridor.
Now the two states can work together to pay for new tracks (and bridges, culverts) to the tune of ~$4 billion.
But I have faith that it will happen and am glad Virginia realized that they will prosper big time by increased connections to DC. A fast train could almost make Richmond a bedroom community of Washington, but that is stretching it. Regardless, this could be Virginia's 2nd coming.
Except downtown Raleigh has Amtrak and two lines converging at a "Y" which supposedly there aren't many in the country. The higher speed trains from Richmond will come from the North on track currently being rehabbed from Norlina, Henderson into North Raleigh and meet the existing Amtrak line which heads more East to Rocky Mount.
That line also bisects NC State's main campus and the Town of Cary's downtown I think.
VIRGINIA HAS PURCHASED THE ABANDONED S LINE DOWN TO THE NC STATE LINE!
That and NC's small portion is the only missing link to connect NC to D.C. and the Northeast Corridor.
Now the two states can work together to pay for new tracks (and bridges, culverts) to the tune of ~$4 billion.
But I have faith that it will happen and am glad Virginia realized that they will prosper big time by increased connections to DC. A fast train could almost make Richmond a bedroom community of Washington, but that is stretching it. Regardless, this could be Virginia's 2nd coming.
Here in Virginia we are already seeing the fruits of a new progressive government. We now have a protransit, pro urbanism, and pro city government. Already, there are proposals to raise the frozen-in-time gas tax to support more progressive transportation plans. And suddenly, Metro is talking about expanding even more in Virginia. I can only hope North Carolina soon has a new progressive government to do the same.
Long before the Carolina Panthers were even thought of. An NFL Stadium /Nascar track and state zoo was planned to be built in the Triad on the Guilford County/Forsyth County Line back in the 1960s....
Let me stop you right there. A 1960 bank merger that robbed Greensboro of Bank of America's headquarters is what REALLY shot Greensboro in the foot.
How this all applies to development
We've seen the fall of industries in many Midwestern cities in our Nation. Cities such as Cincinnati actually abandoned their subway system during construction . As for Charlotte, banking could go belly up before 2030 (we just don't know). That's why I applaud Charlotte for having the vision to reinvest those good fortunes back into the city. Parks, greenways, the community college system, mass transit, universities, public safety, pro sports, family fun, and entertainment. These are the things that help create a thriving community with a sense of place. And when the banks fail one day (an inevitable event) hopefully the CITY that we've created (thanks to the banks) will live on.
How this all applies to development
We've seen the fall of industries in many Midwestern cities in our Nation. Cities such as Cincinnati actually abandoned their subway system during construction . As for Charlotte, banking could go belly up before 2030 (we just don't know). That's why I applaud Charlotte for having the vision to reinvest those good fortunes back into the city. Parks, greenways, the community college system, mass transit, universities, public safety, pro sports, family fun, and entertainment. These are the things that help create a thriving community with a sense of place. And when the banks fail one day (an inevitable event) hopefully the CITY that we've created (thanks to the banks) will live on.
That was certainly a turning point. NCNB (Bank of America) at one time had a equally dual headquarters in Greensboro and Charlotte. It was pretty much a fork in the road and the bank ended up in Charlotte. Charlotte laid a double whammy on Winston-Salem when it took Wachovia and now BB&T away from the city. The difference is Charlotte is now a major establishment banking center. It wasn't so much when Greensboro lost NCNB for good. There are a lot of woulda couda shoudas that could have led to a totally different Greensboro today. Both the NFL and bank situations changed the direction for both cities.
That was certainly a turning point. NCNB (Bank of America) at one time had a equally dual headquarters in Greensboro and Charlotte. It was pretty much a fork in the road and the bank ended up in Charlotte. Charlotte laid a double whammy on Winston-Salem when it took Wachovia and now BB&T away from the city. The difference is Charlotte is now a major establishment banking center. It wasn't so much when Greensboro lost NCNB for good. There are a lot of woulda couda shoudas that could have led to a totally different Greensboro today. Both the NFL and bank situations changed the direction for both cities.
NCNB was always based solely in Charlotte. There were never any dual headquarters in any other city, only an initial press release stating the headquarters would be shared that never became a reality.
Quote:
Originally Posted by architect77
In keeping with Charlotte's postings about everything we should be envious of, The Triangle gets a small boost from Microsoft.
Maybe Apple will do something with their big RTP land purchase from last year sooner that 10 years from now:
Aside from the fact this has already been posted and ignored, how exactly is this supposed to be envious when Microsoft announced two months ago it was adding 400+ jobs in a $24 million investment at it’s campus in Charlotte?
Last edited by Austincool; 12-23-2019 at 04:14 AM..
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