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14 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

Pretty soon, if not already, we will pass Indianapolis. A little later down the road Columbus, SF, and Jacksonville are real possibilities. Anything beyond those will be quite a while if at all.

This. I can’t see Charlotte surpassing any of the Texan or Californian cities. 

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On 6/2/2018 at 6:20 PM, KJHburg said:

don't know where to put this put I will here.  Charlotte Business Journal asked each of the 40 under 40 Awards winners this question:

What do you like about living the Charlotte region?      they work all over and live all over the region but there were some clear answers that seem to be pretty representative 

12 of them cited closeness to the Mountains and Beaches (Location) as a reason they like living here ( I have always said this myself)

Then 8 people said these reasons:  (three way tie)

Weather (again I agree not too hot not too cold 4 seasons etc)

People (this would be one of my choices about the people here several cited welcoming to newcomers etc)

and lastly 8 people cited Big City Small Town attributes (again I agree many of the advantages of a larger city without the problems and still small town charms especially in neighborhoods and areas of the region)

You can not underestimate  our location in terms of mountains and the sea.  Within 2-3 hours you can hiking in the highest mountains in the east in wildernesses and within 4 hours you can be at every beach in South Carolina and half the NC coast up to Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle NC Cape Lookout. 

How this affects the economy? a lot because people move here and stay and then they encourage others to relocate here. 

Outliers?  3 of the 40 said beer. LOL 

 

 

I would love to see how these answers have changed over the last 20-30 years.  I'm sure the dataset is there.

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On 6/29/2018 at 6:52 AM, go_vertical said:

Pretty soon, if not already, we will pass Indianapolis. A little later down the road Columbus, SF, and Jacksonville are real possibilities. Anything beyond those will be quite a while if at all.

Looking at Jacksonville next to San Francisco on the list, it's easy to see why population lists are so problematic. 747 square miles versus 47 square miles, it's so hard to find a way to make these decently apples-to-apples comparison. 

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1 hour ago, tozmervo said:

Looking at Jacksonville next to San Francisco on the list, it's easy to see why population lists are so problematic. 747 square miles versus 47 square miles, it's so hard to find a way to make these decently apples-to-apples comparison. 

And why people arguing about density are often using useless stats as well. Best way to do it is using census tracts or census defined urbanized areas. But yeah, it's hard 

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That's why a number that carries weight with me is population density. When you look at the raw population of Jacksonville (approx. 900K) you would assume the city is packed with attractions. There is fun to be had, but a first time visitor expecting a big city feel would be quite disappointed. 

To put it into perspective take Greenville, SC and Jacksonville. If you knew nothing about them and wanted to plan a long weekend in one of their downtowns you would most likely pick Jacksonville. The thing is Greenville has almost exactly double the population density which tells me I could more than likely find more to do in a smaller area. In many ways Greenville is more urban than Jacksonville within its central core. Sure, you could fill a weekend with activities in Florida's largest city but it would require a car rental, a few tanks of gas, and a couple of hours in a car. 

Every once in a while I will do just what I described. Pick a city I have never visited or haven't been to in a while and spend a weekend there. I will focus on places with at least a density of 4000 to 5000 and up and get a room in the CBD or an adjacent neighborhood and simply stroll around or use transit and just take in the city. That isn't a guarantee, but it pays off more often than not.

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I’ve gotten to know a father on my oldest son’s soccer team who is originally from North London (and a big Tottenham fan).  He’s been in Charlotte for approximately five years and I enjoy discussing the city with him.  He and his family really enjoy living here.  For example, he’s adjusting to the fact that his family can live in a 3000+ sq ft single family home close to the “CBD” (as he calls it).  Essentially, he characterizes Charlotte as a large town, not as a city.  He makes exceptions for uptown (the “CBD”) and Southend.  That is, he views those areas as urban.  I’d say that’s a pretty accurate assessment.

Just sharing given the conversation above...

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I would agree with that. I think the whole center city area has pretty darn good density and even that is improving at a healthy rate. There are a few pockets a little further out that are improving. Southpark is one and I think University area will surprise us all in ten years. Aside from spots like that Charlotte feels like it is a mid-sized city. It just doesn't feel like you're in a city approaching 1,000,000 fast.

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39 minutes ago, hinsp0 said:

I’ve gotten to know a father on my oldest son’s soccer team who is originally from North London (and a big Tottenham fan).  He’s been in Charlotte for approximately five years and I enjoy discussing the city with him.  He and his family really enjoy living here.  For example, he’s adjusting to the fact that his family can live in a 3000+ sq ft single family home close to the “CBD” (as he calls it).  Essentially, he characterizes Charlotte as a large town, not as a city.  He makes exceptions for uptown (the “CBD”) and Southend.  That is, he views those areas as urban.  I’d say that’s a pretty accurate assessment.

Just sharing given the conversation above...

That’s my assessment of pretty much any city. 

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13 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

That’s my assessment of pretty much any city. 

My assessment of 99% of american cities.  Truly urban American  cities I have visited; NY, Phila, Boston, NO, SF.  Just a different feel versus; ATL, DFW, CHA.  What most cities lack is dense urban fabric that isn't afraid of rubbing elbows with everyone.  Nothing wrong with sprawltopias that define the boomtowns.  I just think sunbelt cities have to come to grips with what "urbanism", new not old, means for their citizens.

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On 6/30/2018 at 9:49 PM, go_vertical said:

That's why a number that carries weight with me is population density. When you look at the raw population of Jacksonville (approx. 900K) you would assume the city is packed with attractions. There is fun to be had, but a first time visitor expecting a big city feel would be quite disappointed. 

To put it into perspective take Greenville, SC and Jacksonville. If you knew nothing about them and wanted to plan a long weekend in one of their downtowns you would most likely pick Jacksonville. The thing is Greenville has almost exactly double the population density which tells me I could more than likely find more to do in a smaller area. In many ways Greenville is more urban than Jacksonville within its central core. Sure, you could fill a weekend with activities in Florida's largest city but it would require a car rental, a few tanks of gas, and a couple of hours in a car. 

Every once in a while I will do just what I described. Pick a city I have never visited or haven't been to in a while and spend a weekend there. I will focus on places with at least a density of 4000 to 5000 and up and get a room in the CBD or an adjacent neighborhood and simply stroll around or use transit and just take in the city. That isn't a guarantee, but it pays off more often than not.

Agree on Greenville vs Jax. I lived in Jacksonville in the late 90s. I recently stopped in there for a couple of nights and stayed downtown on the river because I was curious to see how much downtown had changed in the past 20 years. I was pretty disappointed, it's just not a good pedestrian experience. 

 

 

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@Vitamin_N 

I remember back in the day the landing (I think that is what it's called) was THE place to be. Huge crowds on the weekend but once you left there nothing but crickets. Not sure if that place is still there but I was downtown about three years ago and I agree it is still pretty sad. Many empty storefronts (and they don't have a ton to begin with either) and a general stale vibe. Like the life had been sucked out of it.

@Cadi40

Not only are many of them ugly, they have some of the worst street integration too. The Wells Fargo (former Modis) tower is, in my opinion, one of the worst offenders for a building its size.

Edited by go_vertical
Correct tower name.
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On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:51 AM, AirNostrumMAD said:

That’s my assessment of pretty much any city. 

Bang-for-buck is the new hip. I just got back from Vancouver, "World's Most Livable City" ... for multi-millionaires. I saw fairly well-groomed people sleeping on sidewalks. They were probably the unfortunates who didn't have a car to sleep in.

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2 hours ago, go_vertical said:

@Vitamin_N 

I remember back in the day the landing (I think that is what it's called) was THE place to be. Huge crowds on the weekend but once you left there nothing but crickets. Not sure if that place is still there but I was downtown about three years ago and I agree it is still pretty sad. Many empty storefronts (and they don't have a ton to begin with either) and a general stale vibe. Like the life had been sucked out of it.

@Cadi40

Not only are many of them ugly, they have some of the worst street integration too. The MetLife (former Modis) tower is, in my opinion, one of the worst offenders for a building its size.

You have to feel for Jax's lack of urbanism.  Great grid network on a wide river and only ~20 minutes to the beach.  The fire in 1901 still has an impact.  Riverside/Avondale is a beautiful area but nobody actually lives downtown.

Meanwhile, the Riverside Arts Market under the interstate bridge is really a fantastic 

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@Vitamin_N 
I remember back in the day the landing (I think that is what it's called) was THE place to be. Huge crowds on the weekend but once you left there nothing but crickets. Not sure if that place is still there but I was downtown about three years ago and I agree it is still pretty sad. Many empty storefronts (and they don't have a ton to begin with either) and a general stale vibe. Like the life had been sucked out of it.
@Cadi40
Not only are many of them ugly, they have some of the worst street integration too. The MetLife (former Modis) tower is, in my opinion, one of the worst offenders for a building its size.

You’re right. It’s very ugly!5743b279570009031a67cdb79caf8c41.png


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37 minutes ago, Dale said:

The river is unquestionably Jacksonville's greatest asset. It's one feature that I wish we had.

And as I recall, the river doesn't make Jacksonville particularly muggy (for a FL city), like, say, the Congaree does to DT Columbia, which is during August maybe the closest thing to hell on earth.

Well, to be fair, the Congaree and its swamp downstream, which is a National Park.

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15 minutes ago, Exile said:

And as I recall, the river doesn't make Jacksonville particularly muggy (for a FL city), like, say, the Congaree does to DT Columbia, which is during August maybe the closest thing to hell on earth.

Well, to be fair, the Congaree and its swamp downstream, which is a National Park.

You may be right about that. And of course some areas of Jax get the benefit of a sea breeze.

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