Charlotte area population statistics

[KJHburg]

Check out this "Human Terrain" map which shows spikes in landscape for population density.   Charlotte has some spikes.

https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/

[CTiger]

50 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Check out this "Human Terrain" map which shows spikes in landscape for population density.   Charlotte has some spikes.

https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/

Thats an awesome map.  Looking at the US in the same view as China and India is absolutely staggering.

[KJHburg]

I have been to China multiple times people don't know density until you go to Asia.  NYC looks sprawled out and low density compared to Hong Kong and other Asian cities.  European cities even lower densities.  

[asthasr]

41 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

I have been to China multiple times people don't know density until you go to Asia.

This is what has struck me as well. You could take a single street from many East Asian cities and plop it down in Charlotte (or practically any peer city in the US) and it'd instantly become the best street in the entire city. Cities like Philadelphia or Washington DC might have a block or two of high density "stroll districts," but the major Asian cities have block after block after block, mile after mile. It's truly amazing.

[videtur quam contuor]

Know not where this best fits, so...

https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/resources/linkedin-workforce-report-january-2019

[DeleteMe]

On 1/4/2019 at 10:51 AM, CTiger said:

Thats an awesome map.  Looking at the US in the same view as China and India is absolutely staggering.

I imagined the spikes are high-rises -- which in effect they could be -- it gives me a real sense of the urban form of places.  In the Triangle -- the vast open space of Umstead Park is going to eventually be one the greatest features of the Raleigh-Durham metro.  A gigantic central park left largely in its natural state.  The juxtaposition between that space and the massive city to be around it will be something to behold.  In effect, Umsted will be a huge historic site -- the historic landscape of central NC on one side of the road and the city of the future on the other.  Now, that will be something people will want to visit.  

Edited January 6, 2019 by MACyr

[navigator319]

23 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Check out this "Human Terrain" map which shows spikes in landscape for population density.   Charlotte has some spikes.

https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/

This map is fascinating indeed.  You can really see the migration from rural to urban in the 1990-2015 change tab.

[Merthecat]

On 1/4/2019 at 10:00 AM, KJHburg said:

Check out this "Human Terrain" map which shows spikes in landscape for population density.   Charlotte has some spikes.

https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/

What really impresses (and confuses) me is the one extra tall spike in Norfolk.  It's far taller than anything in North Carolina.

[teeg]

2 hours ago, Merthecat said:

What really impresses (and confuses) me is the one extra tall spike in Norfolk.  It's far taller than anything in North Carolina.

Wild guess, but could the spikes represent US Navy personnel aboard ships that have Norfolk as home port?  

[videtur quam contuor]

Maybe so. I saw an anomalous spike near Red Springs and assumed it was Fort Bragg.

[DeleteMe]

10 hours ago, navigator319 said:

This map is fascinating indeed.  You can really see the migration from rural to urban in the 1990-2015 change tab.

Observations...

 

The move from urban edge to urban core is really strong in Boston:

Sprawl is alive and well in Denver and Nashville (where growth is surprisingly tepid) for the all the attention BNA gets:

Atlanta is also sprawling but growth is also being focused at nodes.  Unfortunately, though so much in the center of the city.

The same is happening in Charlotte, EXCEPT, growth has also exploded in the city center.

Except for Atlanta, growth in Georgia is unimpressive or depressed.:

In NC, growth is shared and like Massachusetts, big spikes in center cities.

Atlanta's growth is north and east toward the Carolina's.  Growth to the west and south is paltry. 

Charlotte growth in the center city, along the light rail corridor, generally focused at nodes.

Edited January 6, 2019 by MACyr

[DeleteMe]

Last obs...

Raleigh-Durham with "central parks" surrounded by density.  Three -- 1.) Umstead, 2.) Falls Lake, 3.) Jordan Lake.  With the completion of the East End Connector and continued revitalization of downtown and Northgate Durham, expect growth to really start spilling over Falls and into Butner and southern Granville.   The Falls Lake "wrap" will come from Wake Forest and Butner and up the 85, US 1 and NC 50. 

Edited January 6, 2019 by MACyr

[Richhamleigh, DC]

1 hour ago, MACyr said:

Last obs...

Raleigh-Durham with "central parks" surrounded by density.  Three -- 1.) Umstead, 2.) Falls Lake, 3.) Jordan Lake.  With the completion of the East End Connector and continued revitalization of downtown and Northgate Durham, expect growth to really start spilling over Falls and into Butner and southern Granville.   The Falls Lake "wrap" will come from Wake Forest and Butner and up the 85, US 1 and NC 50. 

 Those three natural areas create three very cool, and massive, natural areas.  I know Falls Lake is protected by at least a 500' undevelopable buffer, but  not sure about Jordan.  Reminds me of Berlin's massive natural areas surrounded by dense urban landscapes.  Not to debate which is better, but I do like the way development is able to come right up to Lake Norman, and imagine one day...with land values rising, we'll start to see mid and high-rise residential at least proposed in north Meck along the lake.  It would provide spectacular views of the countryside and of Uptown.

[KJHburg]

Both Raleigh area lakes  Jordan Lake and Falls of the Neuse are owned by the Corp of Engineers thus they block lakefront right on the lake development like we have on our Duke owned lakes in this area.  My friend lives on a Corp lake in Georgia but the lakefront houses are way back from the lake behind a natural buffer.  There are all kinds of rules for even unpaved paths around those Corp lakes too.  

[Popsickle]

6 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Both Raleigh area lakes  Jordan Lake and Falls of the Neuse are owned by the Corp of Engineers thus they block lakefront right on the lake development like we have on our Duke owned lakes in this area.  My friend lives on a Corp lake in Georgia but the lakefront houses are way back from the lake behind a natural buffer.  There are all kinds of rules for even unpaved paths around those Corp lakes too.  

Just to piggyback on your post. With what I think is interesting and might shed some light on why houses are far back from the water. 

So, the majority of lakes initially created to cool powerplants, for example Hyco Lake, north of Durham, which I am very familiar with.  Even if you own lake front property, the power company, which was during my time, CP&L and then Progress, which is now that company who will hopefully build a sexy tower (sorry got off topic) actually owns all the land up to 10 feet in elevation above normal lake level.

So, besides a boat dock, you cannot build a structure below this elevation as this land technically belongs to the power company, so they can regulate water levels and not have liability against damages. 

This inturns due to topologies the distance from the water of houses. 

[videtur quam contuor]

Water supply is an issue with the Raleigh region. Raleigh sits much closer to the headwaters of its drainage system and Falls Lake, the main water supply reservoir, collects from a far smaller region than Mountain Island Lake for Charlotte. The Catawba and its tributaries drain a much larger area than the Neuse and are far above, in distance and elevation, than the Neuse. Drought will always be a greater threat to the Raleigh area. Geography is destiny.

compare:

http://wallace-stevens.wikia.com/wiki/File:Catawba_Wateree_River_basin_map.jpg

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-Neuse-River-Basin-and-public-water-intake-locations_fig1_261252620

[kermit]

So help me understand these maps, I am confused.

Based on the comment about the astronomical growth in Norfolk I took a look. That bar is no where near the base, it appeared to be over downtown Norfolk (which has very little residential but appears to have two, low-rise, public housing developments on either side ).

So that brings me to Charlotte:

Orienting myself around I-77, 277 (a tiny sliver is visible just to the left of the C in Charlotte and another sliver just beneath the big green bar) and 485 in the South of the county I have the following questions:

WTF is the giant bar in Uptown? I put it as the Second Ward right where the Sharaton and Le Meridian are -- there was no residential anywhere near that stuff in 2015.

My best guess for the biggish bar out near the airport (just east of Billy Graham) is that it is Boulevard Homes -- I really don't think it was built after 1990 (but may be wrong) and it certainly hasn't seen much growth since it was first built. The recent rebuild occurred after 2015 so that can't be the thing creating an increase.

Southend shows very little growth. Again, WTF?

Just NE of the 485 - 77 interchange shows lots of concentrated population growth.  I am guessing that this is the Montclair South and Sharon Crossing areas (South blvd runs though the middle of it). I just cant see how this area creates wayyy more growth than Southend.

Finally, we are a city growing at 3% per year. What is up with the spots of population decline in North Meck, Tega Key, and the South Charlotte (485 area) boomburbs?

Confused.....

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by kermit

[QCxpat]

100 Most Populous U.S. Cities Ranked by Pop. Density

U.S. Census Bureau Pop. Ests. as of 07/01/2017

Pop. Rank is indicated within parentheses at end of each line

Rank        Pop. Density/sq. mi.          City

1                 28,708                                      New York City, NY (1)

2                 18,854                                      San Francisco, CA (13)

3                 18,300                                     Jersey City, NJ (75)                   

4                 14,171                                      Boston, MA (21)

5                 12,875                                      Miami, FL (43)

6                 12,309                                      Santa Ana, CA (57)                   

7                 11,949                                      Chicago, IL (3)

8                 11,811                                      Newark, NJ (70)

9                 11,782                                      Philadelphia, PA (6)

10              11,351                                      Washington, D.C. (20)

11              11,160                                      Hialeah, FL (94)                     

12                 9,332                                      Long Beach, CA (39) 

13                 8,645                                      Seattle, WA (18)

14                 8,534                                      Los Angeles, CA (2)

15                 7,821                                      Minneapolis, MN (46)

16                 7,607                                      Oakland, CA (45)

17                 7,556                                      Baltimore, MD (30)

18                 7,061                                      Anaheim, CA (55)

19                 6,404                                      Buffalo, NY (81)  

20                 6,191                                      Milwaukee, WI (31)

21                 5,900                                     St. Paul, MN (63) 

22                 5,832                                      San Jose, CA (10)

23                 5,787                                      Honolulu, HI (56)

24                 5,461                                      Pittsburgh (65)

25                 5,450                                      Chula Vista, CA (76)

26                 5,141                                      Sacramento, CA (35)

27                 5,033                                     Stockton, CA (61)

28                 4,981                                     St. Louis, MO (62)

29                 4,962                                      Cleveland, OH (51) 

30                 4,852                                      Detroit, MI (23)

31                 4,845                                      Portland (26)

32                 4,762                                      Las Vegas, NV (28)

33                 4,644                                      Fresno, CA (34)       

34                 4,596                                     Denver, CO (19)

35                 4,593                                     Norfolk, VA (88)

36                 4,371                                     San Diego, CA (8)

37                 4,262                                     St. Petersburg, FL (79)

38                 4,231                                     Irvine, CA (73)

39                 4,173                                     Garland, TX (95)

40                 4,147                                     Glendale, AZ (87) 

41                 4,138                                     Arlington, TX (48)

42                 4,033                                     Riverside, CA (58)

43                 4,022                                     Columbus, OH (14)

44                 3,993                                     Plano, TX (69)                

45                 3,945                                     Dallas, TX (9)

46                 3,901                                     Chandler, AZ (84)

47                 3,867                                     Cincinnati, OH (66)

48                 3,789                                     Richmond, VA (97)

49                 3,644                                     Atlanta, GA (38)

50                 3,633                                     Houston, TX (4)

51                 3,597                                     Mesa, AZ (36)

52                 3,585                                     Irving, TX (93)

53                 3,563                                     Gilbert, AZ (91)

54                 3,426                                     Toledo, OH (74)

55                 3,398                                     Tampa, FL (52) 

56                 3,388                                     Omaha, NB (40)

57                 3,314                                     Madison, WI (82)

58                 3,280                                     San Antonio, TX (7)

59                 3,204                                     Raleigh, NC (41)

60                 3,141                                     Phoenix, AZ (5)

61                 3,065                                     Lincoln, NB (71)

62                 3,033                                     Fremont, CA (96) 

63                 2,984                                     Albuquerque, NM (32)

64                  2,964                                    Austin, TX (11)

65                  2,889                                    Henderson, NV (64)

66                  2,806                                    Charlotte , NC (17)

67                  2,764                                    Boise City, ID (98)  

68                  2,664                                    Orlando, FL (72)

69                  2,656                                    El Paso, TX (22)

70                  2,623                                    Baton Rouge, LA (99) 

71                 2,544                                     Bakersfield, CA (53)

72                 2,535                                     Fort Worth, TX (15)

73                 2,504                                     Laredo, TX (80)

74                 2,479                                     North Las Vegas, NV (90)

75                 2,460                                     Des Moines, IA (100)

76                 2,432                                     Wichita, KS (50)       

77                 2,427                                     Durham, NC (77)

78                 2,404                                     Fort Wayne, IN (78)                        

79                 2,388                                     Indianapolis, IN (16)

80                 2,388                                     Aurora, CO (54) 

81                 2,384                                     Colorado Springs, CO (42)

82                 2,356                                     Louisville, KY (29)

83                 2,321                                     New Orleans, LA (49)

84                 2,290                                     Reno, NV (86)  

85                 2,260                                     Tucson, AZ (33)

86                 2,258                                     Greensboro, NC (68)

87                 2,055                                     Memphis, TN (25)

88                 2,034                                     Tulsa, OK (47)

89                 1,988                                     Lubbock, TX (83)

90                 1,865                                     Corpus Christi, TX 59)

91                 1,846                                     Winston-Salem, NC (89)

92                 1,841                                     Virginia Beach, VA (44)

93                 1,553                                     Kansas City, MO (37)

94                 1,403                                     Nashville, TN (24)

95                  1,359                                    Scottsdale, AZ (85)

96                  1,193                                    Jacksonville, FL (12)

97                  1,135                                    Lexington, KY (60)

98                  1,062                                    Oklahoma City, OK (27)

99                      710                                    Chesapeake, VA (92)

100                   173                                    Anchorage, AK (67)

12 Most Populous N.C. Cities Ranked by Pop. Density

2017 U.S. Census Bureau Pop. Ests. for N.C. Cities with 90,000+ residents

Pop. Rank is indicated within parentheses at end of each line

Rank             Pop. Density/sq. mi.       City

1                     3,600                                       Greenville (10)

2                     3,204                                       Raleigh (2)

3                     2,904                                       Wilmington (8)

4                     2,846                                       Cary (7)

5                     2,806                                       Charlotte (1)

6                     2,427                                       Durham (4)

7                     2,258                                       Greensboro (3)

8                     2,073                                       High Point (9)

9                     2,047                                       Asheville (12)

10                  1,846                                       Winston-Salem (5)

11                  1,527                                       Concord (11)

12                  1,439                                       Fayetteville (6)

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau Pop. Estimates Program

Pop. Ests. as of 07/01/2017 were released in May 2018.

Edited January 18, 2019 by QCxpat
Charlotte bolded

[tozmervo]

4 minutes ago, QCxpat said:

Population density is a key aspect of analyzing data on cities, their transport, infrastructure, and quality of life.  UP'ers are constantly discussing Charlotte's density & especially the impact of density on Charlotte's CBD.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2017 pop. estimates program, there are 35 American cities with 500,000+ residents.  For comparison's sake, below are the pop. densities of the 35 largest U.S. cities as well as the 12 largest N.C. cities.  Pop. density specifies the # of persons per sq. mile of land area.

Est. Pop. is as of 07/01/2017.  Pop. Density Rank of each city is indicated at the end of each line within parentheses ( ).

Density of the 12 Largest North Carolina Cities - 2017 Census Est. Pop. (90,000+ residents)

1.  Charlotte.  Pop.:  859,035   Land Area:  306.2 sq. mi.   Pop. Density:  2,806 / sq. mi. (5)

2.  Raleigh.  Pop.:  464,758   Land Area:  145.1 sq. mi.   Pop. Density:  3,204 / sq. mi.  (2)

The problem with this methodology, as the Charlotte/Raleigh comparison alludes to, is that it is mostly useless in describing the real experienced density. Charlotte has much denser areas of population than Raleigh, but because its city limits are much much larger that is lost in the number. 

[JacksonH]

On 1/16/2019 at 9:53 AM, CLT2014 said:

I grew up in the San Diego area and moved away at 24. I'm back home every 6 months or so though (please take me home right now until Spring, it is too cold haha!) There definitely are lots of tall towers in San Diego and lots of new buildings going up, just meant the stubby skyline and lack of standout architecture due to the height restrictions doesn't make it feel like a superior skyline that Charlotte needs to "overtake" to join a big league. I would say the two skylines are already in the same league. With 800,000 more people in the metro area (32% bigger), San Diego's skyline just doesn't look much bigger than Charlotte's in my opinion given the population difference.

Now ground level density and walkability... San Diego blows CLT out of the water. Also, the San Diego skyline has a way more beautiful natural setting. 

The comment above is from a conversation in another thread (page 33 of "509 South Tryon | Possible Duke Energy Tower"), but the discussion seems more appropriate here so I'm continuing it in this thread.  Anyway . . . .

Not that the past is in any way an accurate predictor of the future, but just for fun, I looked at the population growth rates of these two metros between 2010 and 2017.  If the respective metros continued growing at those same rates (7.83% for San Diego over the seven years and 13.91% for Charlotte), the Charlotte metro would catch up with and surpass the San Diego metro in about 2052 or 2053, some thirty-three years from now.  If I'm still alive then I'll be pushing 90.

	SAN DIEGO				CHARLOTTE
	Population	Growth Rate			Population	Growth Rate
2010	3,095,313			2010	2,217,012
2017	3,337,685	7.83%		2017	2,525,305	13.91%
2024	3,599,035	7.83%		2024	2,876,469	13.91%
2031	3,880,850	7.83%		2031	3,276,464	13.91%
2038	4,184,732	7.83%		2038	3,732,082	13.91%
2045	4,512,409	7.83%		2045	4,251,058	13.91%
2052	4,865,744	7.83%		2052	4,842,201	13.91%
2059	5,246,745	7.83%		2059	5,515,547	13.91%
2066	5,657,581	7.83%		2066	6,282,528	13.91%
2073	6,100,586	7.83%		2073	7,156,163	13.91%

 

  

Edited January 17, 2019 by JacksonH

[JacksonH]

On 12/19/2018 at 12:27 PM, Crucial_Infra said:

^ North Carolina has multiple economic engines and MSA's upon which to build around. Ultimately, this is the reason why we'll pass GA and why we're currently growing faster. Also, NC's geographic diversity offers huge potential for coastal and mountain population growth. Yes, GA has some coastline and a few mountains but nowhere near what NC offers. And as sad as it may be to some, those coastal and mountain areas are going to continue to boom for years to come. Georgia may have a Savannah to compete with NC's coastal city of Wilmington but there's no Asheville equivalent. In general, NC has much more diversity for potential development imo. Both states will be powerhouses in the next century.   

I do NOT want to see a population boom in NC's mountains.  Let people visit there but not keep building houses and condos all over the place.  The reason people go there is to enjoy the natural scenery.  If it's overbuilt the very reason it's so special will be forever destroyed.  The last time I was at Grandfather Mountain and went out on that swinging bridge, I had a perfect view of CONDOS!  That was not the view I had there as a kid.  There needs to be a moratorium on building in some of these areas.  

[videtur quam contuor]

From Governing,  a measure of segregation. 

http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-segregation-main-feature.html

Read the methodology page and there is a list also of cities. Median is .526, Charlotte .521. Higher means more segregated. Greenville SC and Raleigh-Cary have lower (better) numbers. Milwaukee is highest number, a feature I have encountered several times before so these figures support for Milwauakee, at least.

[Windsurfer]

On 1/17/2019 at 3:44 PM, JacksonH said:

I do NOT want to see a population boom in NC's mountains.  Let people visit there but not keep building houses and condos all over the place.  The reason people go there is to enjoy the natural scenery.  If it's overbuilt the very reason it's so special will be forever destroyed.  The last time I was at Grandfather Mountain and went out on that swinging bridge, I had a perfect view of CONDOS!  That was not the view I had there as a kid.  There needs to be a moratorium on building in some of these areas.  

Here, here.  Same goes for Crowders Mountain and many other views in this state.   It's not just an issue of views either.  Watersheds are very important, not to mention all the other wonderful features of undeveloped land.  The number one cause of species extinction is urbanization and habitat fragmentation.

[videtur quam contuor]

I recall the hue and cry that accompanied the construction of Sugar Top condos in 1982-83. It was (is) a twelve level mistake sitting right on the ridge top and a monument to the pride of man. As construction began the legislature created a "ridge law" that made such construction impossible in the future. The sales office refers to it as a fortress and paints this pig as well as one could. 

http://www.sugartop.com/about-us/

[tozmervo]

37 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

I recall the hue and cry that accompanied the construction of Sugar Top condos in 1982-83. It was (is) a twelve level mistake sitting right on the ridge top and a monument to the pride of man. As construction began the legislature created a "ridge law" that made such construction impossible in the future. The sales office refers to it as a fortress and paints this pig as well as one could. 

http://www.sugartop.com/about-us/

I remember my first time in Banner Elk, coming around a bend, and seeing that monstrosity. I can't wait until that thing is at the end of it's life and it's demolished.