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Reuniting the Triad

beyonce245

By beyonce245
in The NC Triad

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beyonce245 Hamlet

beyonce245

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This is quickly turning into a Greensboro/Guilford is the mecca of the Triad CMSA thread. Winston-Salem/Forsyth is also adding jobs; with the hospitals, PTRP, and even facilities which will locate near Kernersville and Dell in the eastern part of the county. Hopefully 'ALL' our numbers will increase... then again..

We are talking about trying to unite us back into one MSA but it seems like most are only discussing how Greensboro benefits the area, as if no one else exists in the area. :angry:

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yadkinv Whistle-Stop

yadkinv

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Well, when it happened, I thought it would be problematic, but it has not proven to be so much of a problem. Further, I think any inter-regional rail has no dependency on the the two MSAs rejoining. In fact, it has only helped Winston-Salem, I think. So, I'm for keeping the two separte because at least that way W-S gets some recognition; it gets none in a combined MSA. It seems as if only the Greensboro folk want it rejoined - quel surprise. It is also correct that Charlotte is unquestionably the center of its MSA, but W-S & Greensboro are for all intents and purposes as well as practically the same size.

By the way, if Greensboro really wanted to cooperate, the airport would be straddling the county line (I know it was W-S's fault) instead of being the "Greensboro" Airport as all airlines indicate when landing, as all boards in the nation's airports indicate, and as even the folk in W-S say and believe.

So, I think W-S is doing just fine as its own MSA with some recognition instead of no recognition in a combined MSA just so Greensboro can have its name first in a metro of 1.6 million.

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beyonce245 Hamlet

beyonce245

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By the way, if Greensboro really wanted to cooperate, the airport would be straddling the county line (I know it was W-S's fault) instead of being the "Greensboro" Airport as all airlines indicate when landing, as all boards in the nation's airports indicate, and as even the folk in W-S say and believe.
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krazeeboi Gigalopolis

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In fact, it has only helped Winston-Salem, I think. So, I'm for keeping the two separte because at least that way W-S gets some recognition; it gets none in a combined MSA...So, I think W-S is doing just fine as its own MSA with some recognition instead of no recognition in a combined MSA just so Greensboro can have its name first in a metro of 1.6 million.
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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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Ok Well what do you suppose we do about it? The airport location was decided more than 80 years ago. Today's local leaders and economic development planners had no part in the citing decision. Despite the location, the airport is operated in very much a regional fashion. The board is governed by representatives of all three of the Triad's major cities.

My main reason for starting this topic was due to reading about corporate scouts only looking at sites in the top 50 metro areas, which the Triad is no longer a part of. Even if scouts normally looked at the top 100 metros, Winston-Salem would still not get looked at. It comes it at 104. So I don't see how Winston-Salem gets any recognition, as you argue it does with separate MSAs, at least in terms of corporate siting.

All the split does is prevent the entire region from getting looked at by a lot of companies. It up to the company to decide where in the Triad provides the most suitable location for their business needs. All I want is to make sure that our region gets a chance to be looked at.

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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What kind of "recognition" is everyone talking about? When I mention the Triad's combined population total, I do so merely because the recombination would once again make our region a top 50 metro, allowing for more recognition of the region as a whole in terms of jobs and economic development.

I dare say that anyone, but especially native North Carolinians, would try to argue that Winston-Salem is a suburb to Greensboro. That's simply not true. Greensboro and Winston-Salem have distinctive cultural, historical, and social identities, which adds to the richness of the Triad area.

But from an economic development perspective, I feel that all Triad residents stand to gain from a recombined Triad. The Triad has great infrastructure, research universities, and mostly business friendly leaders. But all of our resources will continue to be underutilized if the entire region is overlooked.

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sax184 Hamlet

sax184

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You guys realize that you are arguing about a methodology set up by the US Census bureau to assess all metropolitan areas in the US in a similar fashion, right? And that there's no way on earth they're going to change the methodology based on it being good or bad for one metro area?

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Beany Whistle-Stop

Beany

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We need a unifying project in the Triad. Something everyone can own. The major league baseball franchise, although a bit of a pipe dream, was the perfect idea. But there needs to be something to draw the cities together so that people will clearly identify the Piedmont Triad as one larger metro and not two smaller metros. With W-S and GSO both focusing efforts on their downtown (as they should) regional talk has fallen aside. An example, both W-S and GSO are establishing their own research parks. Don't you think a research park would do a lot better if HP, W-S, and GSO pooled their resources and built one research park between the cities? All of the universities in the area could be apart of it. I am not in favor of trying to focus lots of growth in the Kernersville area because I think that is just more sprawl. However, one large project on the county line could be just what the area needs to pull it together. Do we want each of our cities to fall into the same lists as the Knoxville, TN and Greenville, SC's, or do we want our cities listed with the Charlotte's and Nashville's?

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yadkinv Whistle-Stop

yadkinv

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When the latest airport was built it was a huge, and now uncorrectable mistake for Winston-Salem not to participate and insist that it should be straddling the county line. It was also a huge and uncorrectable mistake for Greensboro to think that it would work the way it was decided; thinking that Greensboro would easily dominate the transportation scene. Well, it actually does, which just makes W-S want to upgrade Smith Reynolds, and no one wins. As indicated, I am positive (through actual questioning) of the full spectrum of age groups that everyone in W-S refers to PTI as "the Greensboro" airport, and this just does not and cannot promote a unified Triad.

No matter what is said, in every condition (not just MSAs), say what you will, but the name that is first gets the recognition and nod, and nothing can change this percepably or psychologically. So, if you are for W-S then separate MSAs are the only logical choice, and I think W-S actually just broke the 100 mark anyway. Examples can be seen in that when the national chains locate to the Triad, it's always Greensboro first because Greensboro is first by name, and to many (I know they should know better because they should have professional geographers or locational analysts on staff or contracted) companys this means that Greensboro is way yonder larger than W-S, which it ain't. The Triad is an anomaly in that it does not look like, perform like, or in any way resemble most other MSAs. And yes, the comment is correct, Dallas gets way yonder more attention and consideration than does Fort Worth - it only takes one visit to that area to note that immediately.

Even the so-called Heart of the Triad thing clearly, I mean clearly favors and benefits Guilford over Forsyth.

The MLB thing was the one true chance at a real cohesive and functional Triad and we saw what happend to that. Interstingly, Winston-Salem and Forsyth County narrowly defeated it as did I recall Guilford County, but Greensboro soundly defeated it, which seems to have made a clear statement.

So, no thanks, it's time for W-S to strike out on its own, and try to make a name for iteself in the medical field and any other way it can diversify.

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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I think the decision for PTI being the region's airport was in part due the fact that I-40 and I-85 merge in Greensboro. But the airport debate was over decades ago. As far as Major League Baseball, even if Greensboro supported the prepared food tax to build the stadium, the Twins would not have moved here. The Triad was used as a pawn to get a new stadium built in Minnesota. Don Beaver had good intentions but the owners of the Twins had other motives. I even heard that the owners even made snide comments about the Triad. Even if it had come here the franchise would not have survived because some years later the trend was to build these major league ballparks downtown. The owners would have demanded another stadium in a downtown location which would cause a battle between Greensboro and Winston-Salem. They would say they are losing money in the suburban stadium. Because of the nature of our region, I doubt The Triad will ever get a AAA team because it requires a regional fan draw. There is a reason why Raleigh's baseball team is in Zebulon instead of Raleigh. Raleigh is Durham Bulls territory. Can you imagine a AAA team being in Greensboro and Winston wouldnt be able to have its own baseball team because of it? Greensboro and Winston will get no higher than AA. At one time Raleigh even tried to lure the bulls away from Durham. Raleigh sought to displace the Bulls by seeking a higher level (AAA) but that backfired. It was a brief bitter battle back in the late 1980s. Thats why Durham officials pushed for a new stadium in downtown Durham. The Triangle is known for working together and they briefly fought over baseball. The Triad is notorious for infighting so id hate to see what would happen in a similar situation. It would drive the cities a part instead of bringing them together. If Greensboro got to AAA level, Winston's team would be displaced. Now there is talk of building a stadium for major league soccer in the heart of the Triad as well as a PGA golf course for a regional PGA event. Greensboro isn't going to give the PGA up for a regional event, I can tell you that right now. and Major League Soccer isnt like the NBA, NHL and MLB. It doesn't get a lot of TV coverage or national attention the way the other three sports do. I doubt sports at this point is the answer but I think this "regional project" has to be unique, bold and something that gets national attention. It really has to be a ground breaking project that no other region has done before.

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Beany Whistle-Stop

Beany

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I like the idea of some type of unique tourist attraction. Maybe an amusement park with a different theme. Too bad the zoo was built in Asheboro. Could you imagine what it would have done for the Triad had it been built straddling Forsyth and Guilford counties? It is great for Randolph County and I am glad they have it but that is the type of thing I am talking about.

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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I like the idea of some type of unique tourist attraction. Maybe an amusement park with a different theme. Too bad the zoo was built in Asheboro. Could you imagine what it would have done for the Triad had it been built straddling Forsyth and Guilford counties? It is great for Randolph County and I am glad they have it but that is the type of thing I am talking about.
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Beany Whistle-Stop

Beany

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Thanks for the history cityboi. I never knew all of that. It is funny looking at the dollar amounts on those projects. Times have really changed.

Why couldn't they just refer to a combined MSA as "Piedmont Triad MSA"? If there was a way to make all references to the region Piedmont Triad we could get around this thing about having one city listed first.

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sean Whistle-Stop

sean

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^ out of that group... chattanooga hands down! in addition to a very vibrant city center, it has wonderful physical attributes such as the tennessee river, signal mtn, and lookout mtn. today's professionals are looking for cities that offer recreational opportunities that they can access after work (think mountain biking, climbing, boating, trails, etc).

those census rankings don't really mean much to businesses.

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twincity Burg

twincity

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Im not buying it. If this was Greensboro, I GUARANTEE that it would have been posted on this board with the quickness...probably with its own thread. And you know what, theres nothing wrong with that. If a magazine features your city in a positive light, by all means share.

My intentions of posting that link was to show what people have been debating about on this thread. And that is Winston-Salem, being separate, is finally being seen for what it is. Nothing more.

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