Perception of Charlotte Nationwide

[NCMike1990]

“Charlotte is awful” and “Charlotte is a nasty, dirty city with a high crime rate” is what I heard from a couple of restaurant employees today. I struck up a conversation with them about Charlotte and that’s what they had to say.

I live in Randolph County so many locals here probably view big cities differently than we do but it still made me sad to hear. The “Charlotte is awful” comment came from a 20 something millennial which surprised me.

[kermit]

Honestly this seems fair to me:

 

[Miesian Corners]

12 hours ago, kermit said:

Honestly this seems fair to me:

 

BoHo's never been to Akron or Erie.

 

[abttown]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:02 PM, NCMike1990 said:

“Charlotte is awful” and “Charlotte is a nasty, dirty city with a high crime rate” is what I heard from a couple of restaurant employees today. I struck up a conversation with them about Charlotte and that’s what they had to say.

I live in Randolph County so many locals here probably view big cities differently than we do but it still made me sad to hear. The “Charlotte is awful” comment came from a 20 something millennial which surprised me.

The local media plays in huge part in this narrative. My family lives in Caldwell county and many of them believe Charlotte is one of the most dangerous city's in the country. The local media's constant coverage of shootings, police chases, robberies, etc, feeds into this belief. I've pointed out that the per capita crime rate is actually higher in their rural community, but it doesn't receive much coverage and is therefore out of sight and mind.

[kermit]

1 hour ago, Miesian Corners said:

BoHo's never been to Akron or Erie.

 

but it does sound like they have been to Ballantyne.

Edited April 6, 2023 by kermit

[LKN704]

1 hour ago, abttown said:

The local media plays in huge part in this narrative. My family lives in Caldwell county and many of them believe Charlotte is one of the most dangerous city's in the country. The local media's constant coverage of shootings, police chases, robberies, etc, feeds into this belief. I've pointed out that the per capita crime rate is actually higher in their rural community, but it doesn't receive much coverage and is therefore out of sight and mind.

I think partisanship plays a big part as well and the same narrative works conversely. 

If you asked anyone who lived in a deep Blue city in the northeast or west coast what they thought of rural counties in the south, they would likely think of gun-flinging residents who had multiple Trump/Confederate/"Don't Tread On Me" flags in their yard and lived in small towns run by a corrupt, tyrannical sheriff. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by LKN704

[Take2]

On 4/6/2023 at 2:36 PM, LKN704 said:

I think partisanship plays a big part as well and the same narrative works conversely. 

If you asked anyone who lived in a deep Blue city in the northeast or west coast what they thought of rural counties in the south, they would likely think of gun-flinging residents who had multiple Trump/Confederate/"Don't Tread On Me" flags in their yard and lived in small towns run by a corrupt, tyrannical sheriff. 

They would be somewhat correct I'm afraid. New commute has me going to Western Chatham County a few x a week. Hand to God, one of the 1st doublewides in Davidson County on 49, has a HUGE professionally made banner that spans the length of home reading "TRUMP WON!!"  So many TRUMP 2024 signs, posters etc the length of drive I stopped counting.  

Edited April 11, 2023 by Take2

[videtur quam contuor]

I was born with a head start in life on many of you and recall these characters well. Nothing funny about them, they were trouble to cross and I spent an hour in Madison County once during their period and was identified as an outsider immediately and made to feel so uncomfortable at the diner counter I drove away posthaste. There is history here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponder_machine

[Richhamleigh, DC]

Just getting back from a trip to Berlin.  I told people I was from North Carolina and was surprised by how much they knew about NC.  They said, of course we know Charlotte, and the Outer Banks and mountains.  LOL -- they thought Charleston was in North Carolina.

[videtur quam contuor]

What state is Berlin in? (I had to look myself)

[Richhamleigh, DC]

58 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

What state is Berlin in? (I had to look myself)

Right?  LOL.

[SouthEndCLT811]

Had a similar experience in Paris walking by the artists in Montmarte.  As we looked through someones art they asked where we were from and started with NC then Charlotte and the guys face lit up saying he has come to visit a friend in Greenville, SC and they ended up coming to Charlotte and spending a lot of time here.  He started rattling off all the places they went, it was pretty funny.  Small world

[videtur quam contuor]

My uncle with the same name as I, each first son in our generation,  was a teen age volunteer in WWI (1917-18). He told me a few stories when I was young and some may have been true. One which rings true is that he and a fellow soldier slipped from camp one night to a nearby French village looking for some decent food. There was a light in the bakery shop which they discovered was also the residence of the baker, a common arrangement. The baker invited them to come to his home and with some hand gestures and pidgin-speak the three of them realized the baker wanted to know where they were from (Indiana). Baker pulled a map from his shelf which my uncle said looked like one drawn by Vespucci himself with parts of the Western Hemisphere nearly unidentifiable. Useless. They tried Indianapolis. Quizzical look was returned. Fellow soldier punched him in the ribs and said "You rube! He knows nothing of Indiana. Tell him we are from Chicago!" Chicago it was. quizzical look. Finally everyone agreed that the two soldiers were from New York as that was the only US city the baker recognized. Pronunciation may have been an issue here as  French speakers often use French terms for place names such as Nouveau York for New York.

[Hushpuppy321]

Just an FYI - Charlotte looked fantastic today (and all week) during the Wells Fargo PGA Tournament. Have fun at the Championship Round today and then went home and saw some awesome Aerials of Uptown and South End along the Lightrail.  Looked fantastic with their high resolution cameras and drones.  Almost looked like a large Urban City, lol…

[rancenc]

I could imagine a resident in Istanbul, Milan, Frankfurt, or Tokyo watching the beginning of this video and think.."Wow! what a quaint pedestrian oriented shopping street in Charlotte.....not a lot of people, but very clean and organized" and then realize after the end it's a shopping center with a big ole gigantic parking lot...... WELCOME TO THE USA!! 

 

[15895]

Grumblings in national media gearing up to throw NC into the Florida, Texas & Tennessee pot of “extreme” laws on abortion, etc. 

In context of growth, etc. I doubt it’ll change the course of NC. TN, TX & FL haven’t seem to have been effected by their shenanigans so not sure NC would be any different. 

Of course that’s mostly leaving out my personal opinions on what I think of the states & their laws. But it’ll be interesting to see what goes down should NC override Coopers veto on that abortion bill. I assume initials outrage, business as usual. 

[kayman]

On 5/15/2023 at 2:17 PM, AirNostrumMAD said:

Grumblings in national media gearing up to throw NC into the Florida, Texas & Tennessee pot of “extreme” laws on abortion, etc. 

In context of growth, etc. I doubt it’ll change the course of NC. TN, TX & FL haven’t seem to have been effected by their shenanigans so not sure NC would be any different. 

Of course that’s mostly leaving out my personal opinions on what I think of the states & their laws. But it’ll be interesting to see what goes down should NC override Coopers veto on that abortion bill. I assume initials outrage, business as usual. 

I'm acutely aware of national media, and follow media regularly actually due to my political activities. Many so-called national media pundits actually said Cotham represented a state legislative district in Wake County instead of Mecklenburg County.  That let's me know many of these individuals in the national media don't even know where Charlotte nor the Raleigh/Durham area are in the state.

NC (22%) is more in the same boat as GA than those other aforementioned states of TN (16%), TX (12%), & FL (15%). We have a larger black population percentage & a larger number of HBCUs along with huge memberships of the 9 Panhellenic organizations (historically black American fraternities & sororities) than any of those other states. As a black person, I'm aware of how black Americans are more politically active due to the direct negative affects of bad policies have on where we're economically mobile and higher in population percentages.

North Carolina is more like Georgia, a clear political battleground state, than some borderline lost cause like TN, TX, & FL due our huge black and upward mobility of black population here. Charlotte is the hub for both of those latter groups. 

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by kayman

[kermit]

On 5/15/2023 at 2:17 PM, AirNostrumMAD said:

Grumblings in national media gearing up to throw NC into the Florida, Texas & Tennessee pot of “extreme” laws on abortion, etc. 

In context of growth, etc. I doubt it’ll change the course of NC. TN, TX & FL haven’t seem to have been effected by their shenanigans so not sure NC would be any different. 

Of course that’s mostly leaving out my personal opinions on what I think of the states & their laws. But it’ll be interesting to see what goes down should NC override Coopers veto on that abortion bill. I assume initials outrage, business as usual. 

No expert here and I apologize for taking a painfully economic approach to very human issues but...

I would bet that the yall-qaeda found a 'good enough' [not my words]  compromise on abortion to keep us out of the worst of the culture war heat -- I think the rightists learned from the HB2 debacle as well as abortion bans elsewhere. However, the place where the new restrictions will hurt is with maintaining/growing the medical/scientific community. New restrictions in the law will increase the reluctance of physicians to practice here (nobody wants to be forced to deal with fuzzy 'life of the mother exceptions), students to attend medical school here and scientists to conduct research here. When coupled with some serious budgetary and political pressure already coming down on the UNC System (it is already much more difficult to hire talented faculty in this political environment), NC's research capacities are going to take a HUGE hit from anti-choice legislation.  I would actually argue that NC has already begun this process of decline and abortion restrictions will reinforce the problem. Economic initiatives to spread university research into local firms and new medical schools are going to fall flat when we discover that very few professionals with options will choose to deal with NC's political BS. 

While this impact may appear to be marginal to most folks, medical research has been the primary driver of wage growth in much of the state since RTP gained traction. As we loose our comparative advantages with that, NC will drift into the Texas and Tennessee category of states which continue to see substantial population growth, but those folks are almost entirely lower than average skill levels, so productivity will decline. Population growth tends to mask economic decline pretty effectively, but I think that the associated productivity declines will start to become more visible in NC shortly. NC has in fact seen our relative incomes (NC income as a % of the US average per capita income) decline for 25 years. There is no indication that this trend will change anytime soon.

^ This shows that, despite billions being spent on incentives, North Carolinians are getting poorer when compared to most other American's. In short, our economic development policy blows.

Edited May 22, 2023 by kermit

[elrodvt]

@kayman, I think that's overly optimistic but I hope you're right. My opinion is if the gerrymandering is allowed to stick I think we're more AL for the next 20 years. If the GOP madness folds nationality, which doesn't seem very likely, then things may shift rapidly. 

 

I can't quote others posts any more for some reason. Does anyone else have that issue? 

Edited May 17, 2023 by elrodvt

[kayman]

22 hours ago, elrodvt said:

@kayman, I think that's overly optimistic but I hope you're right. My opinion is if the gerrymandering is allowed to stick I think we're more AL for the next 20 years. If the GOP madness folds nationality, which doesn't seem very likely, then things may shift rapidly. 

 

I can't quote others posts any more for some reason. Does anyone else have that issue? 

 

I'm originally from Alabama, Birmingham to be exact. I grew up & lived there for 2 decades, you don't know what you're talking about so stop trying to compare NC to AL because it's nowhere near being like that.  In AL, you can barely absentee vote there nor early voting because the former have several restrictions and the latter is plain illegal. Parts of rural Alabama where the black population makeup the majority of the local population don't even have  indoor plumbing or potable water due to the state's abject racist state 1901 written constitution to malign its black citizens. Birmingham is the only place even comparable to anywhere in modern NC and that's it. I'm just scratching the surface of my long list of comparisons, how is NC going to be like AL?

NC is like GA, which I did live there for a decade as well. Both have the same exact problems and issues, trust. 

I'm not overly optimistic, just honest. Gerrymandering is only working because of people aren't engaged and not voting at the moment. Georgia is overly gerrymandered yet their state Democratic Party is beating the Republicans back from having a supermajority because they are better funded by the DNC and are getting their black voters more engaged.

I'm politically involved and active aside from my professional capacity here.  In other places I have lived so this type of cynicism isn't new to me.  You're just now seeing what happens when you don't include non-white,  progressive voices nor have any major influence in the process. 

A decade ago with the Moral Mondays protests and sit-ins, Rev. William Barber was just a face with mostly white progressives as his backers. However,  this current progressive movement forming at the moment is the most racially diverse ever seen and reflects the huge underutilized political force that us black voters have on NC politics.

Edited May 18, 2023 by kayman

[Richhamleigh, DC]

On 5/17/2023 at 7:56 AM, kayman said:

 

I'm originally from Alabama, Birmingham to be exact. I grew up & lived there for 2 decades, you don't know what you're talking about so stop trying to compare NC to AL because it's nowhere near being like that.  In AL, you can barely absentee vote there nor early voting because the former have several restrictions and the latter is plain illegal. Parts of rural Alabama where the black population makeup the majority of the local population don't even have  indoor plumbing or potable water due to the state's abject racist state 1901 written constitution to malign its black citizens. Birmingham is the only place even comparable to anywhere in modern NC and that's it. I'm just scratching the surface of my long list of comparisons, how is NC going to be like AL?

NC is like GA, which I did live there for a decade as well. Both have the same exact problems and issues, trust. 

I'm not overly optimistic, just honest. Gerrymandering is only working because of people aren't engaged and not voting at the moment. Georgia is overly gerrymandered yet their state Democratic Party is beating the Republicans back from having a supermajority because they are better funded by the DNC and are getting their black voters more engaged.

I'm politically involved and active aside from my professional capacity here.  In other places I have lived so this type of cynicism isn't new to me.  You're just now seeing what happens when you don't include non-white,  progressive voices nor have any major influence in the process. 

A decade ago with the Moral Mondays protests and sit-ins, Rev. William Barber was just a face with mostly white progressives as his backers. However,  this current progressive movement forming at the moment is the most racially diverse ever seen and reflects the huge underutilized political force that us black voters have on NC politics.

To be fair, NC isn't like Georgia - it's more like Virginia.  

 

[kayman]

17 hours ago, Phillydog said:

To be fair, NC isn't like Georgia - it's more like Virginia.  

 

It is like Virginia with political trends as true swing states. However,  it's more like Georgia when it come to on the ground demographic trends of quickly becoming multiracial, racially pluralistic states.  Also the black population of both are significant  compared to Virginia's.

Edited May 26, 2023 by kayman

[Professor]

Can and will you please tell me specifically what, in regards to early or absentee voting, is illegal as you mentioned. 

Secondly, you stated that there was no indoor plumbing or potable water due to the racist state 1901 written constitution" to malign its black citizens.  What specifically are you talking about (Section, Article, etc.)

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by Larry Singer

[JHart]

2 hours ago, Larry Singer said:

Can and will you please tell me specifically what, in regards to early or absentee voting, is illegal as you mentioned. 

Secondly, you stated that there was no indoor plumbing or potable water due to the racist state 1901 written constitution" to malign its black citizens.  What specifically are you talking about (Section, Article, etc.)

 

The part where Alabama doesn't have early voting?

Are you curious if the state constitution was racist? Here is it's purpose defined by the chairman of the convention to ratify it “The new constitution eliminates the ignorant negro vote, and places the control of our government where God Almighty intended it should be — with the Anglo-Saxon race,” John Knox, president of the constitutional convention.

And specific sections since you asked:

"Section 102. Miscegenation laws - The legislature shall never pass any law to authorize or legalize any marriage between any white person and a negro, or descendant of a negro."

"Section 256 - Duty of legislature to establish and maintain public school system; apportionment of public school fund; separate schools for white and colored children. To avoid confusion and disorder and to promote effective and economical planning for education, the legislature may authorize the parents or guardians of minors, who desire that such minors shall attend schools provided for their own race, to make election to that end, such election to be effective for such period and to such extent as the legislature may provide."

If you're asking how the constitution is related to indoor plumbing: the constitution makes it the responsibility of the owners of private properties to provide wastewater services and makes it illegal if not done properly. It also limited how many taxes could be raised and for what purposes they could be used for from lack of state funds due to the post civil war reconstruction period. In addition to plenty of other things like poll taxes to minimize representation in government. 

This might appear sound but the way incorporated areas are defined left large sections of Alabama without the means to fund local wastewater treatment and local health departments officials issued tickets to poor residents who couldn't build their own septic systems instead of working to help provide the services. The DOJ settled with the Alabama health department because it found that it discriminated against citizens due to their race.

No, the constitution didn't say we will only provide water to white people but like other systemic issues, laws and their enforcement were targeted at specific groups of people to prevent them from improving their situation, which at this time was literally being released from imprisonment in the middle of nowhere with nothing. 

[CLT2014]

19 hours ago, kayman said:

It is like Virginia with political trends as true swing states. However,  it's more like Georgia when it come to on the ground demographic trends of quickly becoming multiracial, racially pluralistic states.  Also the black population of both are significant  compared to Virginia's.

North Carolina's demographics seem closer to Virginia to me. The white and African American percentages seem much closer, with Virginia being slightly more diverse than North Carolina thanks to a larger Asian population. Also, while Georgia's percentage of African American residents has been steadily increasing from 27% in 1990 to 30.6% in 2020, it has been flat or slightly decreasing in both North Carolina and Virginia and the increasing diversity is largely coming from Hispanic and Asian residents. 

North Carolina:
White alone: 60.5%
African American alone: 21.8%
Hispanic of any race: 10.7%
Asian: 4%
Native American: 2.5%
Pacific Islander and Other: 1.3%

Georgia:
White alone: 50.1%
African American alone: 30.6%
Hispanic of any race: 10.5%
Asian: 5.2%
Native American: 1.5%
Pacific Islander and Other: 1.3%

Virginia:
White alone: 58.6%
African American alone: 18.3%
Hispanic of any race: 10.5%
Asian: 7.1%
Native American: 0.2%
Pacific Islander and Other: 0.6%