Is NC still too humble?

[archiham04]

I think that the nation has a lower opinion of NC because of our low cost of living and low wages. It is often cited during relocation announcements. When people hear this NC is automatically lumped in with all the other Southern States that also have similar economic conditions, and as a region have this negative rural stigma.

[krazeeboi]

I honestly think you guys are overblowing this issue. How can you look at the massive population influx the state has received over the past couple of years and not think the word isn't out about NC? Sometimes it just takes perception some time to catch up with reality and a little patience is all that's needed. Like it was stated, it's really only rather recently that NC has had cities to make noise on a national level whereas that's been the case for other city/states for some time now.

[Boricua]

It does seem as if the only time you see NC advertised it is for the mountains or the beaches....rarely does one see an advertisement for anything in between....which probably leads many folks to think there's not much there to see...

I agree. When I see the state profiled in any travel mag you would think there is nothing between the beach and the mountains but tobacco fields...

[15895]

I agree. When I see the state profiled in any travel mag you would think there is nothing between the beach and the mountains but tobacco fields...

Well, to be fair, most people probably rather travel to the mountains and beach than a city. Given the choice between say, Pittsburgh/Detroit/Minneapolis/Dallas, The Carolina Beaches, or the Carolina Mountains, which would you think would be more popular in a travel mag? A lot of states don't have beaches or mountains. imagine living in heartland... No beaches or mountains (At least I don't think there are any mountains?)

I think this is true about all states. I bet most people think Texas is a honky cowboy state full of republicans who fling around guns. I bet most people have no idea St. Louis is in Missouri and think Missouri is a backwater Midwestern Cornfield State. Heck, I bet most people think Illinois is a backwater cornfield and have no clue Chicago is in Illinois. Same can go to Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and probably all states except Florida, New York, and California.

[Spatula]

Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri have the Ozarks. Central Texas has hill country. They're not big mountains, more like big hills, but they're scenic in their own unique way.

Most of the great plains/midwest is very empty though.

[NCMike1981]

I love the beach/mountains combo but while it may be unique for the inland states almost every east coast and west coast state that borders an ocean has the combination (except for Florida, tiny Rhode Island and Deleware, New Jersey has High Point Mountain at almost 2,000 ft). I think it may be wise if NC tried to promote itself in a manner that still showcases the beaches and mountains but maybe also mentions more points of interest in the hundreds of miles of land area between the two regions (aka the piedmont). The distance between Murphy to Manteo is about 550 miles....the beach and mountains make up only a small percentage of that land mass. :-)

[krazeeboi]

Honestly, there's not much in the Piedmont that has wide tourist appeal. The best one can do is highlight niche things like historic tourism in Winston-Salem (Old Salem), the vineyards, etc.

The Piedmont is great to live in but not necessarily to visit. It is what it is. Piedmont cities are doing great when it comes to marketing their livability.

[NcSc74]

I do think what krazee said is kinda true that perception hasnt caught up with reality. I think the picture of Richmond and Greensboro sums that up. NC cities started their golden age in the 90's I would guess. Whether good or bad the shape, size, texture and culture can be related to that time except maybe Asheville. However the one dominate city argument is very valid given how fractured and segmented the state is and has been. Georgia and NC really parallel each other in terms of the power struggle between regions except Atlanta seems to nullify the rural city/states that make up a fragmented state. I like to call it the ATL effect. Suddenly someone from GA can simply say I live x amount of hours from ATL and magically most is forgiven. ATL cast a huge halo over the perception of GA. Where is NCs halo effect. I feel it would take decades for the 3 metro areas to become large enough to grow a true big city culture. Ohio has had 50 to 60 years for its urban centers to be large enough to have seperate cultures emerge.

[Lee street bully]

I honestly think you guys are overblowing this issue. How can you look at the massive population influx the state has received over the past couple of years and not think the word isn't out about NC? Sometimes it just takes perception some time to catch up with reality and a little patience is all that's needed. Like it was stated, it's really only rather recently that NC has had cities to make noise on a national level whereas that's been the case for other city/states for some time now.

TIME. They say time heals all "wounds"(and most people suck when it comes to geography anyway ). I pretty much agree with this post, even though I think NC is a very underrated state. And just like someone stated in this thread before, NC doesn't really need just ONE overpowering city to outshine the rest of the state for NC to gain more prominence. Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland and Missouri all have multiple mid-size/large cities. NC is one of the most fastest growing states in the nation and is gaining more popularity by the day. The main cities in North Carolina(Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro) have started making a name for themselves in the past 20-30 years. But before that, North Carolina was known as mostly "rural" and a "Good ol' boy" image. With that being said, it's only a matter of time until NC becomes the next "Georgia" or "Florida" in terms of perception and reputation. I think everything just needs to fall into place IMO. Our Pro- teams, job market, colleges, major events, Mountains/beaches, the DNC, etc will help. In the meantime, lets just be happy with all of the things we have in this wonderful state and not get to down from what other people think about our home. People are always gonna have a dense-minded perception towards what they don't know about.

[Lee street bully]

And another thing, I think we already have an identity. It's our southern heritage and culture. It may not be as popular as say the Louisiana and Georgia culture, but we are indeed southern. NC produced influential musicians in Bluegrass, Country, Jazz and Piedmont Blues. Georgia and Texas have a strong presence in music and pop-culture but they still manged to maintain their southern identity/roots. People also forget about the explosive growth of Florida as well. Florida became a powerhouse in literally a couple decades. Our main draw in NC is not tourism, but that's OK. Texas gained more people and power from it's industry. So did Georgia. Miami has a MAJOR port (the tourism was really just a bonus). The population growth, job opportunities and local culture all fell into place and made those states more influential. People are already coming here, and that alone is getting us more exposure. We already have things we can push, people are just now finding out.

[Lee street bully]

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