Forbes Ratings of Raleigh & Charlotte

[DCMetroRaleigh]

I think its whatever your into im more into the hip hop scene. Either way it goes i still love NC. The only diffrence in Charlottes nightlife and Raleighs is what kind of bars and clubs they have.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I haven't been out in Raleigh or Charlotte lately, but when I live in Raleigh in 2000, I was bored to death. The city seemed to shut down at 5p.m. There are very few hip hop clubs that are diverse, and I don't know of one Latin club there that plays Reggaeton or Latin hip hop. I don't know about Charlotte.

[Sabaidee]

There are some clubs that catered to the Latin population in Charlotte, ooh I love some reggaeton. There's a nice reggae club I know of in Charlotte. The weird thing is it's up the street from a gay strip club and Jamacians have the sterotype of being very homophobic.

[catdaddy]

There are some clubs that catered to the Latin population in Charlotte, ooh I love some reggaeton. There's a nice reggae club I know of in Charlotte. The weird thing is it's up the street from a gay strip club and Jamacians have the sterotype of being very homophobic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I noticed that what is that club called i cant recall but i have many jamaican friends that hate homo sexuality. Its crazy how much they hate gay people.

[suburban george3]

Just incase you didn't know, Forbes dropped the 3 NC metros which had been included in their best cities for singles comparison. Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh were all dropped for inadequate 'central core population' (in other words, small downtown populations.) We were replaced with Jacksonville, FL; Buffalo, NY; Memphis, TN; and Baltimore, MD. (Nashville, TN also was dropped; this was due to Forbes now going by the census bureau's def of an 'urbanized area.')

MSNBC Article about Forbes ranking of Best Cities for Singles

[HopHead]

Just incase you didn't know, Forbes dropped the 3 NC metros which had been included in their best cities for singles comparison. Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh were all dropped for inadequate 'central core population' (in other words, small downtown populations.) We were replaced with Jacksonville, FL; Buffalo, NY; Memphis, TN; and Baltimore, MD. (Nashville, TN also was dropped; this was due to Forbes now going by the census bureau's def of an 'urbanized area.')

MSNBC Article about Forbes ranking of Best Cities for Singles

[suburban george3]

Buffalo? Did I read that correctly? Buffalo... Wow, these rankings really are out of whack. I know several people in Charlotte that moved from Buffalo. Said they couldn't wait to get out of there.

[krazeeboi]

What does that have to do with Buffalo having a larger urbanized area population than Charlotte???

[davidals]

Just incase you didn't know, Forbes dropped the 3 NC metros which had been included in their best cities for singles comparison. Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh were all dropped for inadequate 'central core population' (in other words, small downtown populations.) We were replaced with Jacksonville, FL; Buffalo, NY; Memphis, TN; and Baltimore, MD. (Nashville, TN also was dropped; this was due to Forbes now going by the census bureau's def of an 'urbanized area.')

MSNBC Article about Forbes ranking of Best Cities for Singles

[NcSc74]

Anyone who choses where to live from those lists are selling themselves short. I never take another persons opinion on something that affects my life. What may be uncool and boring to some may be the happening thing to others. I have heard the good and the bad when it comes to the Charlotte/Raleigh areas. I have had friends move away from Raleigh to Maryland for a more urban experience. I have also had friends move from more urban locations in Pittsburg and north Jersey for a more affordable educational location. So its all about what people want in life and right now Charlotte/Raleigh and on the hotlist for what they bring to the table. No they are not these huge urbanistic metros. But what they are is a growing compromise that offers decent affordablity that most young people look for.

[DB78]

Yeah, you read that correctly! I have a co-worker who moved to Charlotte from Buffalo after graduating college. He always tells me there's a "If you're the last one to leave, don't forget to turn out the lights" billboard as you leave town.

[clt29301]

I am not sure why anyone would think that Charlotte's road system is better than Raleighs'. Look no further than 485 being built 4 lanes instead of the 8 needed, no lights on 277, I-77 through Charlotte at 6 lanes (South Carolina built 8 in York county). And, it is amazing that 540 has flyover bridges at Brier Creek when 485 has traditional clover leaf designs at 74.

Also, I do not buy into these rankings. Anyone could make either city look better than the other depending on the cirteria selected. Both are good cities in what they are. Raleigh is a government center with major universities, Charlotte is a major financial, manufacturing & distribution center. But, in any measure, Raleigh is about 600k people less than Charlotte. I am not sure who said it but, Raleigh is not as big as Charlotte and does not feel bigger. I actually feel more like I am in Greenville SC when I am in Raleigh.

The downtown area of Charlotte is simply more dense....as a comparison, the SouthPark area (about 1/3 the size of downtown) of Charlotte has as much office square footage as downtown Raleigh. In addition, there more than 3 times as many residents in downtown Charlotte as there are in Raleigh....and with 20 highrise condo projects in different stages of construction, that will not change.

Some of the things that Charlotte does poorly on in this particular survey comes back to the state.......crime can be related to the state's position of not properly funding Charlotte's courts and education is easy, UNCC, although one of the fastest growing universities, gets the least funding. It is still amazing to me that ECU has a medical school while UNCC does not. Even more amazing is that UNCC does not have a law school.

As for cultural & entertainment, that depends on what you want. If you want professional sports, Charlotte wins easily.....college sports, Raleigh.......culture is a toss up depending on what you consider cultural. Shopping is easily a Charlotte win.

So, these rankings can mean anything you want them to mean because there are stories behind each number that is not always defined by the number.

[RALBOI]

I am not sure why anyone would think that Charlotte's road system is better than Raleighs'. Look no further than 485 being built 4 lanes instead of the 8 needed, no lights on 277, I-77 through Charlotte at 6 lanes (South Carolina built 8 in York county). And, it is amazing that 540 has flyover bridges at Brier Creek when 485 has traditional clover leaf designs at 74.

Also, I do not buy into these rankings. Anyone could make either city look better than the other depending on the cirteria selected. Both are good cities in what they are. Raleigh is a government center with major universities, Charlotte is a major financial, manufacturing & distribution center. But, in any measure, Raleigh is about 600k people less than Charlotte. I am not sure who said it but, Raleigh is not as big as Charlotte and does not feel bigger. I actually feel more like I am in Greenville SC when I am in Raleigh.

The downtown area of Charlotte is simply more dense....as a comparison, the SouthPark area (about 1/3 the size of downtown) of Charlotte has as much office square footage as downtown Raleigh. In addition, there more than 3 times as many residents in downtown Charlotte as there are in Raleigh....and with 20 highrise condo projects in different stages of construction, that will not change.

Some of the things that Charlotte does poorly on in this particular survey comes back to the state.......crime can be related to the state's position of not properly funding Charlotte's courts and education is easy, UNCC, although one of the fastest growing universities, gets the least funding. It is still amazing to me that ECU has a medical school while UNCC does not. Even more amazing is that UNCC does not have a law school.

As for cultural & entertainment, that depends on what you want. If you want professional sports, Charlotte wins easily.....college sports, Raleigh.......culture is a toss up depending on what you consider cultural. Shopping is easily a Charlotte win.

So, these rankings can mean anything you want them to mean because there are stories behind each number that is not always defined by the number.

[Durhamite]

These ratings can impact the growth of an area or region. For instance, Raleigh was growing at a steady place and was voted No. 1 place to live in 1994 by some group. This intensified the growth IMO as more people began to inquire about the area.

As far as roads, the NCDOT seems to be 40 years behind in terms of highway development and design. It seems as if though the interstate system was built by a bunch of Goobers. Both Raleigh and Charlotte's interstate systems seem to have been designed for towns the size of Kinston and Goldsboro. For instance, Raleigh (the state capitol mind you) was not served by a connecting interstate highway until the late 80's/90's. I-40 ended in Raleigh, I-95 is 30 miles east or Raleigh and I-85 passes through Durham.

Most cities have freeways that past near downtown with optional freeways to bypass downtown. Downtown freeways don't require uprooting bulks of infrastructure if developed properly (ie., I-277 could have been built over existing structures, if not done on the cheap). I-277s radius should have been equivalent to that of I-440 in Raleigh or not done at all. At that radius, most of these areas in Raleigh & Charlotte were woods 30-40 years ago.

Two freeways that should've been built in Raleigh & Charlotte:

1. Raleigh - a connecting freeway from I-40 (South Saunders St. area) to Capitol Blvd (which should have been designed as a freeway all the way to I-85).

2. Charlotte - a connecting freeway that peels off I-85 ( somewhere near Billy Graham Parkway) that uses the western route of present day I-277 (which shouldn't exist) to Independence Blvd ( that should have been designed as a freeway all the way to Wilmington).

If the feds were not going to fund these roads, tolls should have been used - I'm afraid it's too late now and what we have is what we have.

For some reason, Greensboro seems better served by the interstate system as well as US Hwys (220, 29) that are essentially interstates near the Greensboro area.

[krazeeboi]

Raleigh is a government center with major universities, Charlotte is a major financial, manufacturing & distribution center.