NC the habitual underdog

[NcSc74]

I have been reading the southern forum with an unbiased and an open mind. What I have found is an undeniable animosity and boderline hatred sometimes for the developments that NC has strived for. I will go this far to say I am greeted with this even at work when I mention anything about NC. Some people just do not believe there are over 8 mil residents and that NC is one of the most industrialized states in the counrty. This is not limited to people from th west midwest or the northeast. Our own neighbors just can't understand why we(NC) have progressed in a fairly rapid pace. I think some of this is due to the slow development from colonial times and pre-and-post civil war times. Back then the old north state was lagging behind SC,VA,GA in terms of signifcant cities of importance. Coupled with a lack of a truly world class deep water port which was the most important means of commerce then. I am sure the jokes were numerous and condensending at best. I guess my point is since coming to this site I am little disheartened and it angers me to see the obvious lack of respect NC gets. My screen name tells where my heart is. I am for anything good for North Carolina and South Carollina. I have many ties to Georgia also and I would champion any of these states for accomplishments. Hard work, vision for the future and taking lemons and making lemonade is what NC should be known for. We have came a long way and I can't wait to see more developments but as for a very active poster on this site I don't know. RDU, RTP, uptown, south park, the Triad continue to blaze a trail for new growth and leading the way in cooperation and building for bright future. Well I am going to get off my soapbox now and I invite anyone to comment on if I have the Kobe Bryant syndrom or is this a valid argument. What I mean about kobe is he is so good that he believes everyone is out to harm him in some way.

[MZT]

NC has never gotten much serious attention during primary elections. The primary date falls so late (after a candidate is well in the lead and the outcome is pointless.) Attention is lavished on SC though, since it's primary comes after New Hampshire's.

When you mention NC on the other side of the country, people make associations with Jesse Helms, NASCAR, and Mayberry. Because that's the news we've exported.

Could be worse, though. What does anyone think of when you say Nebraska, or Iowa?

Even if we "don't get much respect" -- NC is predicted to be the 9th most populous state in the next census. It will be harder to ignore.

[jjasonham]

NC has never gotten much serious attention during primary elections. The primary date falls so late (after a candidate is well in the lead and the outcome is pointless.) Attention is lavished on SC though, since it's primary comes after New Hampshire's.

When you mention NC on the other side of the country, people make associations with Jesse Helms, NASCAR, and Mayberry. Because that's the news we've exported.

Could be worse, though. What does anyone think of when you say Nebraska, or Iowa?

Even if we "don't get much respect" -- NC is predicted to be the 9th most populous state in the next census. It will be harder to ignore.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I live in West Hollywood. Every time I mention I'm from North Carolina to anyone they always talk about how gorgeous it is. They say they want to visit because they hear the state is "absolutely beautiful" and everyone they've ever met from NC are the kindest people. Not much in the way of business, but I guess that counts for something?

[krazeeboi]

As I've stated in another thread, many folks in other parts of the country think that as far as the South is concerned, if it isn't coming from Georgia (b/c of Atlanta), Florida, or Texas, then it isn't noteworthy. I think that ALL of the progressive cities in the South (outside of the aforementioned ones) suffer from this. NC has certainly made great strides in the past 50 years or so; I think that as national exposure increases, many people will begin to take more Southern cities and states seriously. Everyone isn't moving to Charlotte, the Triangle, and other Southern metros for nothing.

[NcSc74]

First of all let me apalogize for the cynical tone of my post. I guess I had a bad day. I do realize the strides all southern states have made to erase the negative undertones of the past.

[urbanvb]

As NC has made major strides in some of its largest cities it still seems that a lot of the rural areas are still economically depressed and thus that may be the reason for some of the thoughts about the state. It really is amazing how one can be in the heart of an urban atmosphere that is economically thriving and 2-3 hours later be in some of the most depressed rural areas.

[Beany]

As NC has made major strides in some of its largest cities it still seems that a lot of the rural areas are still economically depressed and thus that may be the reason for some of the thoughts about the state. It really is amazing how one can be in the heart of an urban atmosphere that is economically thriving and 2-3 hours later be in some of the most depressed rural areas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that is true of most states in the U.S. though. And actually, I don't think rural areas in N.C. are comparitively all that bad.

[f0xym0p]

I have noticed a huge increase in the exposure of NC on various television shows. Wilmington was featured in HGTV's National Open House special and I've seen many HGTV shows take place in other NC cities, such as House Hunters in Apex and What You Can Get For The Money in Raleigh. I've seen While You Were Out and Trading Spaces on TLC take place in NC, as well as subjects on What Not to Wear from NC, noteably Matt from the Charlotte radio show Matt and Ramona. It seems like 5 years ago I rarely, if ever, saw anything about NC on national television. Although I acknowledge that many people still view NC as a backwoods, redneck sort of place, we are getting more national recognition and many people are quickly coming to the realization that NC is a great place!

[Tayfromcarolina]

I see a lot of movies and such where someone is talking to somebody and there saying. "Back when I was growing up I would go and visit my aunt/uncle.. and so on down south in North Carolina." Seems like everybody has family here.

But really, I have seen a lot of exposure in recent years on TV outlets CNN, Weather Channel, Radio. Saying how the state has grown so much, or discussing how the RTP is great area to live. Plus with recent fame of a couple American Idols it's easy to see why what we have known for a while is finally reaching america and the world. That North Carolina is IT.

[Damien]

Raleigh was actually on What You Get For The Money tonight. During the show there was a commercial for Fine Living Network that mentioned Raleigh. Not sure if that is a commercial that runs regularly or just during that specific show, but pretty darn cool at any rate.

[Irobot704]

North Carolina has been more exposed over the past few years. On BET charlotte was mentioned 3 times at the bet awards because of emeka okafar bieng rookie of the year and bob johnson bieng the owner. It was also on lil romeos show on one of those chanels my daughter watches.

[NCMike1981]

When I lived in MA I lived in the country, because i couldn't afford to live in Boston or the very expensive yet pretty um ghetto cities of Springfield and Worcester. When I told people I was from NC a few polite people talked about it's beauty but everyone else immediately mentioned rednecks and the country. This was while I was living in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere MA. So I'd get out a map and show them that I was going to be living in Cary and all of the towns and cities around it, trying to get into their heads that not everyone in NC drove huge pickups with confederate flags, and were named Bubba. I just found this amusing that even in small town New England NC was viewed as redneck and backwoods...

[f0xym0p]

Raleigh was actually on What You Get For The Money tonight. During the show there was a commercial for Fine Living Network that mentioned Raleigh. Not sure if that is a commercial that runs regularly or just during that specific show, but pretty darn cool at any rate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think almost every episode of that show has featured a home in NC. The last one I saw was for $400,000 homes and there was one in Chapel Hill. I love seeing NC on TV--maybe this will help people realize we aren't all backward rednecks.

[raleightransplant]

I find this funny that people in here find NC to be an underdog. I'm from another part of the country and moved here 5 years ago, so I feel qualified to speak on NC's image outside of this state or region. NC is ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS considered a desirable place to vacation, move, etc. Yes, people view NC as a southern state...but more in a Mid-Atlantic kind of way. This lends it a certain credibility, and contributes to the enormous influx of people here. All of these people (myself included) wouldn't be moving here if the place was viewed as some kind of backwater. NC's on the move! Raleigh and Charlotte have both garnered tons of attention for at least 10-15 years, so this is nothing new!

[Jerseyman4]

What burns me up are when northerners who travel to Florida, judge North & South Carolina based on what they see along I-95 and off the highway within a mile. It is a occasional pain in the butt ritual being up north defending the Carolinas. I am not picking on the greater NY/NJ/CT tri-state area where i am at the moment, i am including all of the northeast states north of Mason-Dixon line.

[raleightransplant]

Really, it ultimately depends on who you're talking to. Some people are territorial and inward-looking, and others grasp the concept that there is a big, broad world out there. What's that saying "You can't talk sense to a fool"? If someone wants to avoid the reality that NC is a booming, forward moving region..fine the joke's on them, because the census doesn't lie. MOST people tend to look at the world with a sense of perspective, which in that world..NC is absolutely getting the credit it deserves. Blanket statements about the south are just as bad as someone from the south making a blanket statement about people in NY. Contrary to stereotype, there are some actual caring good people up there.

In my line of work, I deal with people from the Northeast quite frequently, and they are some of the more understanding, cool people I deal with. In an odd twist, the uptight weird people I've dealt with have largely come from out west. Go figure, right?! Aren't they supposed to be the laid-back lifestyle people?

[krazeeboi]

Interestingly enough, in my trip to Los Angeles last year around this time, the people that I came across were quite hospitable and very kind; kinda made me feel guilty for pre-judging them as hostile, rude, and "weird."

[MR-2]

Funny really that this forum's opinion of NC is contrary to that of the US in general. It's winning NC vs FL and NC vs GA vs TN.

Granted, I think we all recognize that the state can't match Florida, California, or New York for their combination of tourist destinations and industry, but our state certainly has the potential to. Perhaps, as someone said earlier, if we surpass Georgia and New Jersey in population, that'll put us on the map.

Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro are our three "primary" cities, but they've developed somewhat unusually for their size and they need to urbanize a lot to reflect their newfound populations. Once all of those have good skylines, good nightlife, and good mass transit, then we'll have stuff to show the rest of the country in return for their sending their college students over here.

[sean]

I'm kinda hoping that NC can continue to fly under the radar. Anecdotal stuff: I travel to rockclimb all over the US. I get two responses when I say I'm from NC. First, there's the incredulous "there's climbing in NC?" Second, there's the respectful, "Holy s*^#!, you guys got it going on!" In my experience, the later is becoming more and more common.

[teshadoh]

I think most knowledgable people do realize that the power states / regions of the southeast are north GA, central/south FL, east TX, north VA, & NC. Otherwise most assume the rest of the south is largely dormant & little economic activity exists. And to some degree, those regions do certainly overshadow the progress being made in Jacksonville or Nashville. But nationally people do usually consider those 5 regions in the south for relocation / business.

[RiverwoodCLT]

I think the southern states are all doing pretty good. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana will recover. What I have see here on UP, I see a lot of excitement in the southern states in terms of development and tourism.

Everyone is proud of their city, and wants to share it with us. All I can say is thanks.

I think where you hang your hat at night and call it home, is probaby your favorite city.

[MR-2]

Yes--that ties into it. I'd like us to develop a little more before the state becomes well-known.