35 replies to this topic

[ERJ170]

Euphorius, on 19 June 2011 - 03:10 PM, said:

There are several states that have more than one big city. Texas, California, and Florida come to mind. All three of those states seem to have their own brand, or culture. A lot of people I talk to seem to think that N.C. is full of a bunch of yokels and hillbillies. I don't think it's the lack of one clear cut power city. I think it has more to do with the fact that N.C. was a mostly rural state until a few years ago, and that so many of our elected leaders seem to have a rural mindset.

Now THIS is a statement I can agree with. It is not that NC doesn't have a power city.. in fact, it does in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham.. I agree that the biggest problem is that people still see North Carolina as "Mayberry".. Huckleberry town.. Hillbilly.. and many people.. and a lot of those people have never even been to the majority of the state to find out..

And why is that? probably because they don't have anything to change their perception. I have seen advertisements for Michigan, Texas, Florida, and California all over the tv. But nothing for NC.. I see other cities and states advertised in magazines and print.. but not really anything for NC..

If you tell them, they will come. NC needs to serious PR revamp.. and not just nationally but also INTERNATIONALLY..

I'm just saying...

[AirNostrumMAD]

Euphorius, on 19 June 2011 - 03:10 PM, said:

There are several states that have more than one big city. Texas, California, and Florida come to mind. All three of those states seem to have their own brand, or culture. A lot of people I talk to seem to think that N.C. is full of a bunch of yokels and hillbillies. I don't think it's the lack of one clear cut power city. I think it has more to do with the fact that N.C. was a mostly rural state until a few years ago, and that so many of our elected leaders seem to have a rural mindset.

My point exactly. Big city.


I think Charlotte is the only city in NC that will be able to have the "big city" voice and "big city" recognition for some while. I think it would be tough to sell Raleigh as a big city as opposed to Charlotte which seems to be reaching that point right now if it hasn't already (In the leagues of Orlando, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Austin, etc.). I'm not trying to be offensive or anything or disrespectful to Raleigh or try to be arrogant or anything. I'm just saying what I honestly think.

[NCMike1981]

It does seem as if the only time you see NC advertised it is for the mountains or the beaches....rarely does one see an advertisement for anything in between....which probably leads many folks to think there's not much there to see...

[The Escapists]

Does anyone else thing that the Southern drawl is a big reason NC doesn't get recognized as more than just Mayberry?
I hate to admit it (and I've lived in the South for 14 years) but I still can't hear the Southern drawl and NOT thing "clueless."
I am sure Jerry Orr is a very smart and savvy business man...but every time I hear him speak...yikes. And the fact that he celebrated the DNC with a nationally broadcast "yeehaw!" made me shudder.

[kermit]

The Escapists, on 20 June 2011 - 08:00 AM, said:

Does anyone else thing that the Southern drawl is a big reason NC doesn't get recognized as more than just Mayberry?
I hate to admit it (and I've lived in the South for 14 years) but I still can't hear the Southern drawl and NOT thing "clueless."
I am sure Jerry Orr is a very smart and savvy business man...but every time I hear him speak...yikes. And the fact that he celebrated the DNC with a nationally broadcast "yeehaw!" made me shudder.

^ Jerry has enough sense not to do that. It was Camerion Harris who did the yeehaw bit -- that really did make me cringe.

It  has been my experience that when a Southern drawl is pronounced in a  business setting it is often to encourage the yankies in the room to  assume he drawler is clueless (with the exception of Cammie Harris --  who knows what he was thinking). This strategy can produce an  advantageous position in negotiations by encouraging the opposition to  underestimate you. My very successful NYC based investment banker cousin  (from eastern NC) swears by this technique. Hugh McColl has also admitted  to occasionally using this strategy.

Edited by kermit, 20 June 2011 - 12:30 PM.

[archiham04]

I think that the nation has a lower opinion of NC because of our low cost of living and low wages.  It is often cited during relocation announcements.  When people hear this NC is automatically lumped in with all the other Southern States that also have similar economic conditions, and as a region have this negative rural stigma.

[krazeeboi]

I honestly think you guys are overblowing this issue. How can you look at the massive population influx the state has received over the past couple of years and not think the word isn't out about NC? Sometimes it just takes perception some time to catch up with reality and a little patience is all that's needed. Like it was stated, it's really only rather recently that NC has had cities to make noise on a national level whereas that's been the case for other city/states for some time now.

[Boricua]

NCMike1981, on 20 June 2011 - 07:45 AM, said:

It does seem as if the only time you see NC advertised it is for the mountains or the beaches....rarely does one see an advertisement for anything in between....which probably leads many folks to think there's not much there to see...

I agree.  When I see the state profiled in any travel mag you would think there is nothing between the beach and the mountains but tobacco fields...

[AirNostrumMAD]

Boricua, on 21 June 2011 - 03:12 PM, said:

I agree.  When I see the state profiled in any travel mag you would think there is nothing between the beach and the mountains but tobacco fields...

Well, to be fair, most people probably rather travel to the mountains and beach than a city. Given the choice between say, Pittsburgh/Detroit/Minneapolis/Dallas, The Carolina Beaches, or the Carolina Mountains, which would you think would be more popular in a travel mag? A lot of states don't have beaches or mountains. imagine living in heartland... No beaches or mountains (At least I don't think there are any mountains?)


I think this is true about all states. I bet most people think Texas is a honky cowboy state full of republicans who fling around guns. I bet most people have no idea St. Louis is in Missouri and think Missouri is a backwater Midwestern Cornfield State. Heck, I bet most people think Illinois is a backwater cornfield and have no clue Chicago is in Illinois. Same can go to Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and probably all states except Florida, New York, and California.

Edited by AirNostrumMAD, 21 June 2011 - 08:20 PM.

[Spatula]

Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri have the Ozarks. Central Texas has hill country. They're not big mountains, more like big hills, but they're scenic in their own unique way.

Most of the great plains/midwest is very empty though.

[NCMike1981]

I love the beach/mountains combo but while it may be unique for the inland states almost every east coast and west coast state that borders an ocean has the combination (except for Florida, tiny Rhode Island and Deleware, New Jersey has High Point Mountain at almost 2,000 ft). I think it may be wise if NC tried to promote itself in a manner that still showcases the beaches and mountains but maybe also mentions more points of interest in the hundreds of miles of land area between the two regions (aka the piedmont). The distance between Murphy to Manteo is about 550 miles....the beach and mountains make up only a small percentage of that land mass. :-)

Edited by NCMike1981, 22 June 2011 - 07:29 AM.

[krazeeboi]

Honestly, there's not much in the Piedmont that has wide tourist appeal. The best one can do is highlight niche things like historic tourism in Winston-Salem (Old Salem), the vineyards, etc.

The Piedmont is great to live in but not necessarily to visit. It is what it is. Piedmont cities are doing great when it comes to marketing their livability.

[NcSc74]

I do think what krazee said is kinda true that perception hasnt caught up with reality.  I think the picture of Richmond and Greensboro sums that up. NC cities started their golden age in the 90's I would guess.  Whether good or bad the shape, size, texture and culture can be related to that time except maybe Asheville.  However the one dominate city argument is very valid given how fractured and segmented the state is and has been.  Georgia and NC really parallel each other in terms of the power struggle between regions except Atlanta seems to nullify the rural city/states that make up a fragmented state.  I like to call it the ATL effect.  Suddenly someone from GA can  simply say I live x amount of hours from ATL and magically most is forgiven.  ATL cast a huge halo over the perception of GA. Where is NCs halo effect.  I feel it would take decades for the 3 metro areas to become large enough to grow a true big city culture. Ohio has had 50 to 60 years for its urban centers to be large enough to have seperate cultures emerge.

[Lee street bully]

krazeeboi, on 20 June 2011 - 02:44 PM, said:

I honestly think you guys are overblowing this issue. How can you look at the massive population influx the state has received over the past couple of years and not think the word isn't out about NC? Sometimes it just takes perception some time to catch up with reality and a little patience is all that's needed. Like it was stated, it's really only rather recently that NC has had cities to make noise on a national level whereas that's been the case for other city/states for some time now.

TIME. They say time heals all "wounds"(and most people suck when it comes to geography anyway ). I pretty much agree with this post, even though I think NC is a very underrated state. And just like someone stated in this thread before, NC doesn't really need just ONE overpowering city to outshine the rest of the state for NC to gain more prominence. Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland and Missouri all have multiple mid-size/large cities. NC is one of the most fastest growing states in the nation and is gaining more popularity by the day. The main cities in North Carolina(Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro) have started making a name for themselves in the past 20-30 years. But before that, North Carolina was known as mostly "rural" and a "Good ol' boy" image. With that being said, it's only a matter of time until NC becomes the next "Georgia" or "Florida" in terms of perception and reputation. I think everything just needs to fall into place IMO. Our Pro- teams, job market, colleges, major events, Mountains/beaches, the DNC, etc will help. In the meantime, lets just be happy with all of the things we have in this wonderful state and not get to down from what other people think about our home. People are always gonna have a dense-minded perception towards what they don't know about.

Edited by Lee street bully, 24 June 2011 - 08:32 PM.

[Lee street bully]

And another thing, I think we already have an identity. It's  our  southern heritage and culture. It may not be as popular as say  the  Louisiana and Georgia culture, but we are indeed southern. NC  produced influential musicians in Bluegrass, Country, Jazz and Piedmont  Blues. Georgia and Texas have a strong presence in music and pop-culture  but  they still manged to maintain their southern identity/roots.  People also  forget about the explosive growth of Florida as well.  Florida became a  powerhouse in literally a couple decades. Our main  draw in NC is not  tourism, but that's OK. Texas gained more people and  power from it's  industry. So did Georgia. Miami has a MAJOR port  (the  tourism was really just a bonus). The population growth, job  opportunities and local culture all fell into place and made those  states more influential. People are already coming here, and  that alone  is getting us more exposure. We already have things we can  push,  people are just now finding out.

Edited by Lee street bully, 24 June 2011 - 09:35 PM.

[Lee street bully]

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Edited by Lee street bully, 24 June 2011 - 09:34 PM.