Put it all together and what do you get?

[JDC]

I just had this wild idea. Just imagine for a moment if you could take everything in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill (okay, Carrboro, you too) and put it all in one city. Forget the multi-city, sprawling metro we have here in the Triangle and imagine all the downtown areas were in the same city.

Imagine Franklin Street in Chapel Hill intersecting with the Fayetteville Street Mall in Raleigh. Imagine Brightleaf Square just around the corner from City Market. Imagine seeing Raleigh's tallest buildings just beyond the DBAP's "blue monster".

You'd have a somewhat more impressive skyline, looking mostly like Raleigh's but with a few mid-rises in the mix from Durham.

You'd have three large universities in one city and one smaller university, plus a few colleges.

Plus more street-level attractions, more dining options, more parks, and more people in one place. Plus people wouldn't have to drive as much from place to place because everything would be closer together.

Imagine that.

[bdp]

it would be like boston without water. i have been saying for ever that if raleigh and durham were one city, this area would be about perfect in my book.

ps what if wake forest university had not moved to winston salem? it was in the town of wake forest for 120 years or so...

[ChiefJoJo]

SO funny! I have fantasized about the very same thing. It would be perfect, really... I imagine it like Portland with more universities and warmer weather. We'd have our gritty part of town (Durham), our Haight Ashbury (Carrboro), our college town (Chapel Hill), our state capital (Raleigh), suburbs (Cary/Apex), tech center (RTP), all woven together by an extensive transit network of commuter rail, light rail, and streetcars.

[CapeFearRiver10]

The city would be another ATL with smarter growth.

[Durhamite]

I've always imagined that as well! If the Triad or Triangle had been built as one city, the cores would be two of the largest in the south (Each city would boast more midrises and 30-40 story bldgs and stronger entertainment districts). Either area would've been able to support at least one major league sport. Especially the Triad, if the area would've been one city - with the NFL & NBA in Charlotte and the NHL in Raleigh, the Triad would've been prime for MLB.

I've also imagined the Tidewater area (Norfolk, Hampton, VA Beach, etc) as one area. These areas loose out as a result of having smaller cities vying for growth (duplicate newspapers, city government, public transportation, etc).

I've always wondered why did these three areas (Triangle, Tidewater and Triad) develop in this manner....