Favorite North Carolina cities

[cityboi]

Here is a list of the favorite NC cities according to a ppp survey. Wilmington tops the list, Greensboro is in the middle and Fayetteville is at the bottom of the list.

Wilmington 67% favorable 4% unfavorable

Raleigh 67% favorable 11% unfavorable

Asheville 61% favorable 12% unfavorable

Charlotte 59% favorable 18% unfavorable

Greensboro 56% favorable 11% unfavorable

Winston-Salem 55% favorable 8% unfavorable

Chapel Hill 53% favorable 18% unfavorable

Durham 38% favorable 29% unfavorable

Fayetteville 29% favorable 30% unfavorable

[krazeeboi]

Interesting. Would have thought Asheville would've topped the list.

[NCMike1981]

My favorite NC city is probably Wilmington just b/c it has a cool downtown on the river.....and I looooooooove the beach. If Wilmington wasn't on the coast then my fav would probably be Asheville :-)

[Temeteron]

I'm sure all of these cities have their unique characteristics, but Charlotte beats all of them hands down. It is the only city that actually feels like a metropolitan city in NC. None of the others compare with restaurants (except for Asheville), culture, sports/entertainment, diversity, International festivals, nightlife, museums, fashion/shopping etc....

[krazeeboi]

I'm sure all of these cities have their unique characteristics, but Charlotte beats all of them hands down. It is the only city that actually feels like a metropolitan city in NC. None of the others compare with restaurants (except for Asheville), culture, sports/entertainment, diversity, International festivals, nightlife, museums, fashion/shopping etc....

This is a completely subjective issue and everyone doesn't prefer a "metropolitan city." Some people prefer smaller niche cities with more established identities, a relatively intact, historic, and walkable urban core, and distinct geographical settings. Those would be Asheville's and Wilmington's fortes.

[49er]

Heck, I'm from Charlotte and live here, but my favorite would be Asheville. Vibrant downtown with actual shopping, actual historic building stock, interesting culture and of course the beautiful setting.

[kermit]

I'm sure all of these cities have their unique characteristics, but Charlotte beats all of them hands down. It is the only city that actually feels like a metropolitan city in NC. None of the others compare with restaurants (except for Asheville), culture, sports/entertainment, diversity, International festivals, nightlife, museums, fashion/shopping etc....

I gotta respectfully disagree about Charlotte restaurants. IMO the Triangle has a far better restaurant scene than Charlotte. Given Charlotte's size, there are very few decent choices for mid-range dining (there are plenty of banker expense account type joints however). And the Charlotte burbs are just a big wad of chains unlike the Triangle (at least the Durham and Orange county portions of it).

[101_ce]

To be honest I really don't like this state that much. Really the only 2 cities I like out of all of them is Asheville and Charlotte. I don't like the Raleigh/Durham area because it just seems boring. The only thing there I know of is work and school. I don't know. It's just there's more to do in Charlotte and it's a fun place! I don't really know much about the restaurants, but Charlotte's shopping blows Raleigh/Durham's out of the water. I just really don't like the feel of the area from really the part of the state past Charlotte. There's no reason to go to the coast. I greatly prefer Charleston and definitely Florida. Florida is just about the same distance from me than the NC coast is. Plus it seems like it has better weather and more people (which is a good thing).

Raleigh/Durham is just a depressing area IMO. At least I lived there and it's not like I have never been there! I don't really like W-S or Greensboro either. It's just my personal preference so don't take offense to this!

[Urbanity]

I've only been to Charlotte (where I live), Asheville (which I love), and Winston Salem (which was an overnight trip and not a fair judge). So far I lean towards Asheville as my favorite NC city.

On a related note - I have an upcoming trip to Greensboro for the Stevie Nicks concert and a visit to the International Civil Rights museum, and I'll be attending a wedding in Wilmington this summer - so I'll have greater perspective at that time. I have no plans at this time to visit Raleigh though. There's no reason outside I have no reason to visit.

[Durhamite]

To be honest I really don't like this state that much. Really the only 2 cities I like out of all of them is Asheville and Charlotte. I don't like the Raleigh/Durham area because it just seems boring. The only thing there I know of is work and school. I don't know. It's just there's more to do in Charlotte and it's a fun place! I don't really know much about the restaurants, but Charlotte's shopping blows Raleigh/Durham's out of the water. I just really don't like the feel of the area from really the part of the state past Charlotte. There's no reason to go to the coast. I greatly prefer Charleston and definitely Florida. Florida is just about the same distance from me than the NC coast is. Plus it seems like it has better weather and more people (which is a good thing).

Raleigh/Durham is just a depressing area IMO. At least I lived there and it's not like I have never been there! I don't really like W-S or Greensboro either. It's just my personal preference so don't take offense to this!

No offense taken, but as a whole, Charlotte shopping doesn't blow Raleigh/Durham out of the water. I think the beaches are based on preference, sometimes I enjoy the beach crowd, and other times hate seeing high-rise condo development behind while on the surf....now, the Outer Banks is one of the most unique experiences in my opinion.

Eastern NC with quaint sea-side towns like New Bern should not be discounted.

My favorite city in NC is of course, Durham. It's gritty, historic stock, collegiate (Duke, NCCU with UNC around the corner), most tolerant and diverse city in the state, some of the best non-chain restaurants in the state, slowly gaining in vibrancy. It has the old Black "wall street" or Parrish street, Asheville and Wilmington are great cities to visit but would not want to live in either for more than a month.

[cityboi]

Each of those cities are totally unique and have their own distinct vibes. It really is a matter of personal preference. But based on the polls, Its not about the size of the city. Bigger doesn't always mean better.

[cityboi]

I will say Asheville is my favorite on the list. The city has a lot of culture, interesting architecture and has a very pedestrian friendly urban core. Asheville is the best example in NC of a city with an urban walkable core. It's North Carolina's Charleston and at the same time it has a similar vibe to Greenville, SC. I also like Charlotte and Winston-Salem's downtowns. No offense to anyone from these cities but Durham and Fayetteville are my least favorite. I love a lot of the cities on the list but for different reasons.

[po-boy]

Out of the cities listed, I've been to Charlotte, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Asheville.  I made a quick pass through Durham once, but not long enough to form an opinion.  I haven't been to Wilmington, but would like to visit. Overall, I liked most of the NC cities, but didn't love any of them.

 

Raleigh:  Generally a nice place.  Downtown was nice, although small.  The entire area seemed a bit spread out for my taste.  Seems like it has a ton of potential and I really liked the Five Points neighborhood.

Charlotte:  Also a nice place with some really cool buildings.  But kind of generic (maybe even more so than Raleigh).

Chapel Hill:  a great college town.  Pretty limited as a city though.  Seemed like it would be a great place to go to school.

Asheville:  I liked it and thought it was pretty.  Enjoyed walking around downtown and visiting the Biltmore was fun.  I had high expectations going in because people speak so highly of it, and I didn't quite get what all the fuss is about.  

 

gap

 

Greensboro:  seemed the most run down of the NC cities.

[15895]

I hate to be vain, but my hometown CLT is above and beyond my favorite. Wilmington comes in a strong 2nd. I love wrightsville beach and the Mayfair area. They have great neghborhoods.

My least favorites would be Asheville and Chapel Hill. I'm not into the artsy, hipster scene. It makes for a nice district in a big city... I vacationed at both and I would choose Lake Lure/Chimney over AVL.

Im neutral on Raleigh, Greensboro, and Winston. I'd rate them in the order of Winston, Raleigh then Greensboro.

I've never been to Durham.

I think Asheville and Chapel Hill have a strong identity and I'm glad they're part of our state btw.

[NCMike1981]

I personally love the Triangle region as a whole, in large part b/c it is considered to be one of, if not the most socially progressive regions in the state. When it came to the Amendment One vote back in May 4 of the 8 counties that voted against the amendment in NC were in the Triangle (Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham), and when you average out the percentages (just percentages as I'm not digging up actual # of votes lol) of the 3 county core of the Triangle (Wake 57%, Durham 70% and Orange 79% against) it comes out to the Triangle voting against amendment one by 69%, only 31% for. I imagine if you were able to find the breakdown of the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill instead of just the counties the percentages would be even more against. Certainly the cities in NC are progressive compared to rural areas, however in places like Asheville and Wilmington they are so isolated geographically it sort of feels as if you are in an island of civilization surrounded by nothingness. Charlotte itself is pretty progressive however that seems limited to Mecklenburg County, as the surrounding counties are quite conservative. I'm rather suprised none of the Triad counties voted against the amendment, however to be fair it was extremely close in Guilford. Of course there is alot more to a city or region then social acceptance and tolerance but it is definately a plus for gay/lesbians and their friends and families.

 

 

[DCMetroRaleigh]

I too love the Triangle and Asheville because those are the most culturally progressive and modern-thinking parts of the state, as the recent elections (Amendment One and November 6) confirm.

[cityboi]

Out of the cities listed, I've been to Charlotte, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Asheville.  I made a quick pass through Durham once, but not long enough to form an opinion.  I haven't been to Wilmington, but would like to visit. Overall, I liked most of the NC cities, but didn't love any of them.

 

Raleigh:  Generally a nice place.  Downtown was nice, although small.  The entire area seemed a bit spread out for my taste.  Seems like it has a ton of potential and I really liked the Five Points neighborhood.

Charlotte:  Also a nice place with some really cool buildings.  But kind of generic (maybe even more so than Raleigh).

Chapel Hill:  a great college town.  Pretty limited as a city though.  Seemed like it would be a great place to go to school.

Asheville:  I liked it and thought it was pretty.  Enjoyed walking around downtown and visiting the Biltmore was fun.  I had high expectations going in because people speak so highly of it, and I didn't quite get what all the fuss is about.  

 

gap

 

Greensboro:  seemed the most run down of the NC cities.

Every city has a run down part of it. Unfortunately for Greensboro, I-40 between the city limits  on the east side of town to the I-40/Business 85 split looks a little run down. When driving along the interstates, thats the first impression people get of a city and I know Greensboro gets a bad rap because  of it but the VAST majority of the city is not run down. In fact it's just the opposite. Once you get off the interstates, Greensboro, is one of the greenest and most beautiful cities in the state. 

 

Winston-Salem and Durham are similar in a number of ways. Both have a tobacco heritage and both are leaders in research and biotechnology. Also both have similar iconic historic towers that were used as models for the Empire State Building (RJR Building & Suntrust Building) But there are  differences. Winston-Salem is more artsy and Durham has a smaller town feel. Of NC's five largest cities, Durham feels the smallest.

 

Durham's Suntrust Building

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/2008-07-05_Sun_Trust_in_Durham_4.jpg

 

Winston-Salem's RJ Reynolds Building

http://curiouserandcuriouserdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/buch1037.jpg