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The Triad is also a great place to raise a family, part of what its known for. The Triangle may have a few more amenities and better pay jobs. But the Triad's slower pace of life and excellent park systems can't be ignored.
I agree with you. The only part of that I struggle with is "a great place to raise a family" is kind of generic and claimed by so many places, including the Triangle and Charlotte.
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Originally Posted by Charlotte485
I'm a little perplexed by the constant "But we are located between the Triangle and Charlotte."
I do think it depends on what someone wants to be near. For example, Raleigh is much more convenient to the beach for day trips, but the Triad definitely has the edge on getting to the mountains quickly.
I do agree with the OP on most of the points.
Another difference I've noticed in the Triad is that while you do have somewhat of a cosmopolitan feel in the core areas of the larger cities (Winston-Salem and Greensboro have been mentioned), if you drive about 20 minutes in almost any direction, you feel a different vibe, cultures, and accents that are more traditionally the upland South. Rockingham County, Davidson County, and Stokes County to name a few, and this is even apparent in some areas of Guilford and Forsyth counties (in places like Pleasant Garden).
In the Triangle and Charlotte, once you leave the core cities, you are still surrounded by suburban areas that, although nice, still feel more corporate and cookie cutter (no offense to anyone, but that's just how it feels). Maybe you have a different feel in Gaston County, or Franklin County, or parts of Johnston County, but it's not as apparent of a difference once you leave Charlotte or Raleigh compared to the feel of the Triad in its outlying areas.
Now that Downtown Winston has been revitalized, you can definitely feel that it is more of a "cultural" city than Raleigh, Durham, or Charlotte. Now I'm not just talking about performing arts venues or concerts or festivals. But Winston is known as the "City of the Arts" for a reason. Also it's one of the most important historical settlements in NC--Old Salem is a gem, similar to Williamsburg. Old Salem is probably my favorite urban neighborhood in the entire state of North Carolina. Then you have the Downtown Arts District centered around Trade St in Winston, the yuppie/hipster 4th Street in downtown centered around Camino Bakery, and the lovely Reynolda Village and Reynolda Estate grounds adjacent to Wake Forest University. The Reynolda/Wake Forest area in particular has a similar intellectual/upscale vibe as parts of the Triangle.
For the record, I think Winston-Salem is North Carolina's most beautiful city. I love the mix of old and new that it has. It's a very lush city with a tasteful dab of industry and some nice architecture. There are some nifty nooks and crannies in and around downtown. I could be totally content living there, if that's where my work took me--especially since I love the mountains, and it's the closest for convenient day trips to them.
As far as downtown revitalization goes... has it really been revitalized though?
A small amount has actually changed since the 90s, and it is still fairly quiet compared to Raleigh, Charlotte, and even Durham. Change has been much slower, but steady. They have very good plans for the city's future, they're just unfolding over a longer timescale due to the city's slower growth rate. I'm not convinced that it is more cultural than Raleigh, Charlotte, or Durham... whatever that means. Actually, I think a fair number of people would consider Durham the cultural capital of the state.
Of the five major cities in NC, Winston-Salem does have the best landscape with its rolling terrain. You see a little bit of that in the far northwest corner of Greensboro and northwestern Guilford County but its throughout the city in Winston-Salem.
As far as the downtowns go, Charlotte by far has the most cosmopolitan and largest downtown. On the opposite end, Durham has the smallest downtown and its downtown landscape looks like a much smaller city than Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Even with the few new towers going up, Durham still has the least impressive skyline.
Durham's skyline isn't very cohesive yet, but it's at least starting to get one now. The ground level urban environment its downtown covers is still pretty good, and filling in fast. I think Durham deserves some sort of 'most improved' award.
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Charlotte by far has the most cosmopolitan and largest downtown
It has a much larger skyline, but in many other measures its downtown is not very much ahead of Raleigh (hence why the 'vs' threads keep popping up). The walkable urban environment the two cities have is pretty similar in size. Raleigh will always benefit from having the largest university in the state just a few blocks away from its downtown. Driving into town along Hillsborough street, it definitely feels like you're entering a major city. It's a similar feeling to driving into Nashville past Vanderbilt University.
Still though, the Triad is cheaper, has better highway connections, and is closer to the mountains. And for some, the slower rate of growth is a plus. The cities have character and charm and don't deserve to be erased from discussions of the state the way they often are.
Durham's skyline isn't very cohesive yet, but it's at least starting to get one now. The ground level urban environment its downtown covers is still pretty good, and filling in fast. I think Durham deserves some sort of 'most improved' award.
It has a much larger skyline, but in many other measures its downtown is not very much ahead of Raleigh (hence why the 'vs' threads keep popping up). The walkable urban environment the two cities have is pretty similar in size. Raleigh will always benefit from having the largest university in the state just a few blocks away from its downtown. Driving into town along Hillsborough street, it definitely feels like you're entering a major city. It's a similar feeling to driving into Nashville past Vanderbilt University.
Still though, the Triad is cheaper, has better highway connections, and is closer to the mountains. And for some, the slower rate of growth is a plus. The cities have character and charm and don't deserve to be erased from discussions of the state the way they often are.
It’s because people are unfamiliar with the cities they’re taking about. Uptown is much ahead of downtown Raleigh in many aspects (the big buildings aren’t just pretty objects. Transits, stadiums, entertainment, number of people, etc) it’s like me trying to assert Gastonia or Concord is the equivalent to Durham.... People compare the two because both are exceptionally good in what they are. Charlotte, the cosmopolitan bigger city, corporate financial hub, big entertainment things, etc. Raleigh is a major metropolitan area, still a big southern city, with World class universities, very liberal region, college sports, capital of NC, Durham is great, etc. Both are of the same importance in their respective ways.
Greensboro and Winston just need to capitalize on what they are and what they want to be. Raleigh and Charlotte both have strong identities of what they are. Asheville and Fayetteville, Durham and Wilmington all have strong identities.
Greensboro and Winston. They’re just big NC cities so far. I’ve always just thought of the two as content. I can’t think of any industry they particularly are strong in. Can’t really point my finger on where they are going.
They’re obviously both nice cities. But a thread was created asserting why it’s the best needs to back it up. Cheap place to live (which RDU & CLT are), being between the two cities aren’t particular stand out reasons and talking about historical charm in their downtowns, I’m not buying over Charlotte & Raleigh/Durham.
Austin carved out a very strong identity in the shadow of Houston & Dallas in the past 15 years and really shines on its own. I can’t imagine the Triad can’t. But they’re both great. And all 3 metros are good choices
i see the triangle as something similar to austin and charlotte as similar to dallas
I think on culture and identity charlotte sucks I don't care who cares to argue with me. No history, no good schools, no government infrastructure it's only ever had "we have more tall things high in the sky"
Anyway that is something and I would say
Some sort of orbit (big city cities?): Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, NY, LA
Some sort of orbit (cultural cities?): Austin, Portland, Seattle, Boston, The triangle, Charleston, San Fran
The problem with Charlotte is that it kind of destroyed its soul basically wiping the vast majority of its historic downtown buildings out. Its great skyline came with a cost. It doesnt have the unique character and heritage that Greensboro and Winston-Salem have. Its a very generic city. There is something special about South Elm Street/Old Greensborough and venues like the Carolina Theatre in downtown Greensboro or the old tobacco plants/warehouses and Old Salem in Winston-Salem. They tell the story of those cities. They are unique. The old is combined with the new. Its the kind of thing that make cities such as Boston or Memphis what they are. The Triads downtowns have that aged urban vibe while Charlotte looks like a city that popped up 25 or 30 years ago. You can see a lot of elements from the late 19th/early 20th century in the Triad's two largest cities. You'll find a number of buildings from the 1800s in downtown Greensboro and both historic rail stations in Greensboro (the first one from 1895 and the current depot from 1926) have been preserved. Greensboro and Winston-Salem are like fine wine. They get better as they age. While Durham's downtown is small and has a small skyline, they have done a great job preserving their historic downtown architecture as well. RTP kind of spared the destruction of their urban core.
Mass transit and land use policies are rapidly transforming central Charlotte into a true urban experience (one where bikes, walking, and transit actually competes with driving). No offense, but Raleigh ain't there yet...
As for the Triad, it is certainly NC's most underrated region. There are nearly 1.7 million residents who call the area home. Traffic is a non-issue. The people are extremely friendly. The area has decent growth that doesn't overwhelm the infrastructure. Guilford county has some of the best high schools in the state. Big concerts often make a stop in Greensboro. The list goes on and on.
The only thing that is lacking in the Triad are the thousands of jobs that Charlotte and the Triangle add each year. Also, the quality of the jobs (pay, hours, benefits) tend to be less in the Triad.
For example, I'm a company employed trucker in Charlotte. On a bad year, I earn about 60k; 85k can be made on a good year. I personally know several drivers in the Triad who would kill for my "bad year" salary. Some of them have relocated to Charlotte just for that reason alone.
On the other hand, a higher income professional such as a doctor will most likely earn the same in Charlotte as they would in the Triad. In many cases, there are Triad doctors who earn more than many Charlotte doctors.
My point is that your average Joe who drives a fork lift or works in a kitchen will earn more in Charlotte and the Triangle. And let's face it, the average Joe is the majority of the work force. Median incomes are NOT 150k annually (not even close).
Let’s exclude Charlotte from the conversation for a second because there are obviously too many differences.
What differentiates the Triad from the Triangle and why is the Triad “better” than the Triangle?
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