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Florida or North Carolina?


Fruit Cove

Which state do you prefer more than the other?  

181 members have voted

  1. 1. Which state do you prefer more than the other?

    • Florida
      87
    • North Carolina
      94


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^ My point exactly,..

Florida has over 18 cities with more than 100,000 people..

It has a mix or urban and wilderness.

Its so much more than a tourist state, from the Alabama state line to the Keys, the state is so much more complex and unique than NC..

Yea, yea, .. mountains are nice, but there not the damn Alps.  :rofl:

We have more to offer as far as entertainment is concerned. The state is great for business, many corperations are based here.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I love FL, but I think you are beating up on NC a bit much. It is all a matter of opinion with respect to the beaches or the mountains. I think the NC mountains are GREAT ! No they are not the alps, but they have the highest peaks in all of Eastern North America. The lush vegitation actually set the Appilachian chain apart from most all mountain chains in the entire world. Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE fan of the Alps and even the Rockies, but they lack one thing. TREES. If you have ever come to NC mountains in the Fall, I gaurantee you would definately have a different opinion of NC's landscapes. If you are looking for cities NC has its fair share. The piedmont is full of plenty of metros of well over 1,000,000 people and each are unique and wonderful. Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh-Durahm are Great urban centers. Even our tier two cities rock. There are not many places like Asheville in the world. Nestled in the heart of the southern Appalachain's it has gained the recognition of being one of the most popular destinations for retirees across the US.

A2

(again I love FL :wub: , it's beaches and cities are great, but to knock NC is a bit harsh considering the diverse climate, cities, and terrain. And as far as corporations Charlotte leads the charge there in Finance and Trade and Raleigh does there fair share with the Reseach Triangle (A leading technology and bio-tech hub of the US)

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My opinion is surely biased since I have never been to NC except to drive through on I-95, but I have to say I voted for FL. First of all, FL has more than twice the population of NC. This translates to a large number of different cities to choose from. You could go to Miami with its huge hispanic population and influence. Then there is Orlando, world renowned as a tourist destination. Then Tampa gives you the big city feel more characteristic of other southern cities. And then Jax has probably the most southern feel out of the larger metros. Don't forget Ft. Lauderdale either which sometimes gets overshadowed by Miami even though it has nearly 2 million itself in Broward county. Plus there is still Palm Beach if you want another area with 1 million+ population. Then there are plenty of mid sized cities. If you really want to live out in the wild, you can do that to. But hey this is URBANplanet.org, right? I am guessing it is the love of cities that brought us to this site to begin with. That said I am sure you can find a city in FL that will feel like home regardless of your race/political affliation/social class/personal preferences. Some other great or unique things about FL: amazing beaches, everglades, oldest U.S. city (St. Augustine), home of NASA, Disney World (had to mention it), no state income tax, home to all top 3 busiest cruise ports in the world (Miami, Canaveral, Everglades), 4th largest state by population (soon to overtake New York), year round temperature is good (although hot in the summer), the keys, one county with over 2 million, 5 counties with over 1 million, 18 cities with over 100,000...i'm sure other people could add more stuff. Anyway, I am not really knocking NC (except at first when I said FL has twice the pop), but I am really just trying to point out that FL is a great state. I am sure NC is a great state also so don't hate me for loving my state. I have lived in FL my whole life so really I am as biased as you could expect. :D

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Well, IMO Florida is a nicer place to visit, but I definitely prefer NC and it is a nicer place to live. Florida has a lot of tourist attractions and all, but so does NC. NC actually has seasons, it actually snows here, and it actually isn't totally flat, unlike Florida. Sure Florida has some great cities like Miami and Tampa, but NC has Charlotte and some smaller cities like Asheville, Winston-Salem, and Wilmington. Yes, I am partially biased living here in NC, but then again I believe the majority of the population would prefer to live in a climate with seasons like NC and with changing topography. Anywho, that's my 2 cents.

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One might be surprised to learn that NC has more ocean shoreline than Fla. Both states have islands out in the sea that can be driven to. NC has the Outer Banks, Florida has the Keys. As far as I know, these are the only two states in the South with islands such as this. (where you can drive hours out into the open ocean)

Of course only NC has mountains including the highest peak in eastern North America. Its possible to snow ski and go to the beach over the same weekend in NC. This is the only state on the east coast with such a variety in climate and geography that would allow for this.

Florida

Elevation Range 0-345 ft.

Mean Elevation - 100 ft

Ocean Shoreline - 2276 miles

Land Area - 53,997 sq/mi

North Carolina

Elevation Range 0 - 6684 ft (highest point in Eastern North America)

Mean Elevation - 700 ft

Ocean Shoreline - 3375 Miles

Land Area - 48,708 sq/mil

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One might be surprised to learn that NC has more ocean shoreline than Fla.  Both states have islands out in the sea that can be driven to.  NC has the Outer Banks, Florida has the Keys.  As far as I know, these are the only two states in the South with islands such as this.  (where you can drive hours out into the open ocean)

Of course only NC has mountains including the highest peak in eastern North America.  Its possible to snow ski and go to the beach over the same weekend in NC.  This is the only state on the east coast with such a variety in climate and geography that would allow for this. 

Florida

Elevation Range 0-345 ft. 

Mean Elevation - 100 ft

Ocean Shoreline - 2276 miles

Land Area - 53,997 sq/mi

North Carolina

Elevation Range 0 - 6684 ft (highest point in Eastern North America)

Mean Elevation - 700 ft

Ocean Shoreline - 3375 Miles

Land Area - 48,708 sq/mil

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here are some more numbers pointing to the diverse climate. I thought these extremes were really neat and interesting.

Climate

Highest Temperature The highest temperature recorded in North Carolina is 110

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Now here are some reasons behind picking NC (please remember I Love FL though). As MB stated you can go snow skiing and then back to the beach in the same weekend.

Here are some breathtaking pics.

Mountains:

http://www.alleneasler.com/cashiers6.jpg

http://wgntv.trb.com/news/weather/weblog/w...fairview_nc.jpg

Blowing Rock in the Winter

http://www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2003.../brparksnow.GIF

Cities:

Charlotte

http://www.equitability.com/customers/1040...tte_skyline.jpe

Winston-Salem

http://wespatterson.com/images/ws_skyline_night.jpg

Raleigh

http://www.airlawus.com/images/cw_raleigh_...0011_440_pa.jpg

Greensboro

http://www.backporch.org/images/skyline_1.jpg

Asheville

http://www.keswickhills.com/images/skyline%201.jpg

Beaches:

Believe it or not this is at Wrightsville, NC

http://www.follysurfcam.com/images2/toproll_1.jpg

http://www.coastalservices.com/Pawleys/eri...r-seq2-pic3.jpg

Cape Hatteras

http://www.coastalbeacons.com/Websales6x9/...,%20NC%20-K.jpg

Talk about a diverse topography. BTW, my favorite pic is the one with Ahseville's skyline in the valley beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains. You have to love that, even if you are from FL. :thumbsup:

A2

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Am I right to conclude that this shoreline factor leaves out the Gulf Coast?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TheLakelander I was floored when I saw that figure as well. I did research on it and monsoon is correct. However when people view the map there is probably the illusion that Florida has more statute miles of coastline. These people would be correct. It all depends on what figure one uses.

Florida

Coastline: 1197 Statute Miles

Tidal Shoreline: 2276 Statute Miles

Nort Carolina

Coastline: 301 Statute Miles

Tidal Shoreline: 3375 Statute Miles

I'm not extremely proficient in geography. It's not my expertise and I will not pretend that it is but I would take an educated guess and summize that the discrepancy between coastline and shoreline has alot to do with the barrier islands. Someone who really cares can take the time to either prove me right or wrong. I would be interested in seeing the results.

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I think I mentioned it a while ago, but my biggest reason for picking Florida is its urbanity. When it comes to urbanism and city living, it flat out excells in this category.

Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, etc. are nice and growing rapidly, but they still lack the degree of urbanism and architecure found in Florida's major cities.

However, Asheville and Wilmington are two pretty special small and unique cities.

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That does not have anything to do with it.  The total listed, and confirmed by Lady Celeste" counts all of the Fla mainland.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm pretty confused about that one, yet its still interesting to know, but in the grand scheme of things, like mountains and snow and other than urban waterfronts (like Wilmington's), it doesn't mean much to when you get down to urbanism.

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"I think I mentioned it a while ago, but my biggest reason for picking Florida is its urbanity. When it comes to urbanism and city living, it flat out excells in this category.

Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, etc. are nice and growing rapidly, but they still lack the degree of urbanism and architecure found in Florida's major cities."

I disagree 100% TL. I know you are biased since you are in FL and I am biased since I live in NC, but all the cities that you listed for NC, take second place to none in FL in being Urban EXCEPT maybe Miami, which by and large is FL's biggest city and the only one that can claim a truly Urban status above the NC cities you listed. How can you say Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville have more of an Urban Fabric than the NC cities you listed ??? All the other FL cities OUTSIDE of Miami have NO more of an Urban Fabric than ANY of the cities you listed in NC. ;) They are ALL car dependant, they all have CBD (some small, some large), they all have the same basic populations both in City and Metro. C'mon, More Urban, that is truly your opinion. I though we were speaking of state preferences anyways. I guess with the philosophy that you have FL would be MORE urban that NY since it only has NYC, right. I mean what else is there Buffalo, maybe Syracuse. People do not move to a state simply because it has five sizable metros within a 5-8 hour drive, they move to a specific place for a job, quality of life, climate, ammentities, etc, etc. When I moved to CLT, I did not stop and say "Hmmmm Maybe I should check out Jersey since it is more of an Urban Environment. No. I chose Charlotte first because of my job. But before I commited to the job I took, I checked the place out to see if I would REALLY like the place. I mean I looked at the downtown, I checked out Housing. I did not decide to move becasue Raleigh was 2.5 hours up the road and its urban density was such and such a number per square mile.

BTW, since we are talking about poplutaion and being urban, NC's looking to be in the TOP FIVE IN POPULATION by 2030. Here's the list 1)California, 2) Texas, 3)NY, 4) Florida, 5) NC & GA will share in this honor as they mirror one another in total state popluation. So to say that NC is smaller is less Urban is a bit naive.

A2

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The question at hand, is which state do you prefer?  If urbanism is your bag, then definately Miami wins in this category.  The rest of Florida's cities however fall into the bad sprawling anti-transit, automobile dependant category.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

True, but this is an urban forum, which puts the general focus on urbanism. Nevertheless, with all of Florida's bad planning, its secondary cities are still denser than all of NC's big cities, which also suffer from bad sprawl and auto dependancy.

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and another

Sand beaches, a Florida signature, account for 1,100 miles (1,770 km) of the state's 1,800 miles (2,898 km) of coastline. Actually, Florida has more than 8,460 miles (13,620 km) of tidal shoreline, second only to Alaska in that category.

http://www.visitflorida.org/index.cfm?fla=web&webpageid=206

There are obviously different figures for what Florida's "Tidal Shoreline" is. That we have to argue over who has a longer "tidal shoreline" to begin with seems rather silly. We all know Florida is tops when it comes to coastlines and beaches. I'm more inclined to believe Florida's higher figure. We also have long areas of barrier islands, lagoons and islands, along both coasts.

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Yet, this website puts the figure at 8,426 statue miles for Florida's tidal shoreline.

http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_general.html

and another

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:Dn7Xz0...shoreline&hl=en

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

that has to be including lakes. I am checking all sites and can not see where they got 8K plus. Every site I am checking gives this figure. Here is the one I got from Google.

http://www.floridanetlink.com/floridafacts.php

A2

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This is from the US Census.

Density (people/sq mile)

Florida Secondary cities

  • Jacksonville - 758

  • Orlando - 1988

  • Tallahassee - 1573

  • Tampa - 2707

  • Daytona Beach - 1092

NC Cities

  • Chapel Hill - 2466

  • Charlotte - 2232

  • Winston-Salem - 1706

  • Greensboro - 2138

  • Durham - 1976

  • Raleigh - 2409

  • Fayetteville - 2059

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What's amazing to me is that you guys are going to prove one issue or the other until you can't prove it any more. People will make their choice of Florida or North Carolina for very different reasons. I think, in the long run, you are not going to convince someone who is hell bent on calling Florida home to move to North Carolina.....and vice versa.

Both states are very distinct in what they offer. They are very different. You just can't argue why an apple is better than an orange. They offer different benefits. We all can agree, some will choose Florida and some will choose North Carolina. That's not a knock on either state.....it's just the person's personal prefrence. No harm, no foul........right? ^_^

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