NC Projections for the year 2030

[cityboi]

Winston-Salem's downtown is a underacheiver.

[cityboi]

I also agree with the statement that downtown Greensboro "feels" more urban than downtown Winston-Salem and downtown Winston-Salem "looks" more urban than downtown Greensboro.

There is no contest as far as nightlife goes. downtown Greensboro wins hands down and it makes the center-city feel more urban especially now with the new downtown ballpark. But Winston-Salem's downtown looks more urban because obviously there are more and taller office towers. Winston-Salem's towers are more spread out giving the appearance of a larger downtown even though both downtowns are about the same size. In Greensboro, most the towers are just clustered in one section of downtown. Another thing that makes downtown Winston-Salem look more urban is the fact that two freeways intersect downtown with a clover leaf intersection. There are no freeways that run through downtown Greensboro. The topography in Winston-Salem also gives the appearance that the buildings are much taller than they really are. Downtown Greensboro sits on a plateau. Adjoining neighborhoods to downtown Winston-Salem such as Old Salem give the center-city area a northern urban feel as well.

[teshadoh]

I honestly dont think wake countys population will ever pass mecklengburgs. They do have more space but charlottes development uptown will add residential towers some 50 stories all the way down to twelve. While i see most of wake countys development is going into houses as i seen this past weekend. They may have more land but i sont see them useing it wisely. If you build upward which i see charlotte is doing now and probbaly will continue to do for at least 10 years can support more residents than what wake county is doing which is extending nieghborhoods and housing projects. I may be wrong. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But what will be the household size for those units....

A 500 home subdivision will always have at least twice the population of a 500 story condo tower. Based on that rule, Wake County will easily take over Mecklenburg.

[gangstadisciple6]

But what will be the household size for those units....

A 500 home subdivision will always have at least twice the population of a 500 story condo tower.  Based on that rule, Wake County will easily take over Mecklenburg.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I disagree raleigh already is proposing protection laws for undeveloped land. I think Charlotte will have lots of living space in center city and have great large nieghborhoods and if you look around charlotte has tons of apartment complexes. Theres also a lot of room to grow. Think about 50 residential towers could most likely hold 1000s more people than 50 nieghborhoods. just saying

[catdaddy]

I disagree raleigh already is proposing protection laws for undeveloped land. I think Charlotte will have lots of living space in center city and have great large nieghborhoods and if you look around charlotte has tons of apartment complexes. Theres also a lot of room to grow. Think about 50 residential towers could most likely hold 1000s more people than 50 nieghborhoods. just saying

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is true. Maybe raleigh will have a skyscrapper boom one day. but most of there land uptown is already taken up by government property.

[twincity]

I also agree with the statement that downtown Greensboro "feels" more urban than downtown Winston-Salem and downtown Winston-Salem "looks" more urban than downtown Greensboro.

There is no contest as far as nightlife goes. downtown Greensboro wins hands down and it makes the center-city feel more urban especially now with the new downtown ballpark. But Winston-Salem's downtown looks more urban because obviously there are more and taller office towers. Winston-Salem's towers are more spread out giving the appearance of a larger downtown even though both downtowns are about the same size. In Greensboro, most the towers are just clustered in one section of downtown. Another thing that makes downtown Winston-Salem look more urban is the fact that two freeways intersect downtown with a clover leaf intersection. There are no freeways that run through downtown Greensboro. The topography in Winston-Salem also gives the appearance that the buildings are much taller than they really are. Downtown Greensboro sits on a plateau. Adjoining neighborhoods to downtown Winston-Salem such as Old Salem give the center-city area a northern urban feel as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lol @ the Winston-Salem skyline theory. It doesnt matter how you arrange Winston's skyline, if its on a hill or in a ditch, on an interstate or in the middle of no where, its a big downtown for a city of 191,000.

Ballpark, Ballpark,Ballpark. Greensboro is banking too much on that ballpark. U cant measure the success of a downtown from 1 project. First Horizon park is a great addition and any city would be lucky to have a facility like that in the center-city. but aside from that, what else is going to help revitalize downtown when the baseball stadium begins to age...physically and in popularity? Where are the new office/mixed-use buildings? What companies are moving downtown? Is there a group working on job creation in the CBD? Why arent any of the empty towers currently being restored? Isnt it strange that city leaders seem cool with the fact that Greensboro hasnt seen a new building of substantial height in 15+ years. As of right now, the city is spending millions to develop a Greenway loop around downtown, a central park and extending the downtown borders. these things should be lower on the to-do list, for right now. IMO the city's priorities are mixed up.

DT Greensboro is vibrant...but not in a big city way. Like I said before, its a "college towns" downtown...just like Charleston, Savannah, Greenville SC, Athens Ga, and Asheville. The streets have heavy foot traffic at night, the strores are trendy and restaurants/bars pop up every month. During working hours, its a different story.

outside of downtown, Greensboro feels a lot more urban. Wendover, High Point Rd., Guilford College Rd., Battleground and Summit all have a "big city" feel. the 10 lane I-40 also helps.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

What is the latest on the new ballpark proposal for downtown Winston?

[twincity]

Right now, W-S's milleneum fund is offering checks to the remaining people who reside on the site to relocate. A church on the site also agreed to move...there was an article about it a few weeks ago.

[CapeFearRiver10]

I think Cumberland county will reach 500,000 atleast by 2030 & New Hanover will reach 300,000. Also Brunswick county will reach 250,000. Because of the recent development & Southport (NC new mega port). Plus Harnett county 310,000 because of development in Raleigh & Fayetteville.

[Jerseyman4]

Plus Harnett county 310,000 because of development in Raleigh & Fayetteville.

Not a lot of people are even aware of Harnett County's explosive growth from nearly all ends of the county. You really have to go to the extreme western end of the county near Cameron, Moore County to see nothing. Eastern Harnett (east of Campbell University) has some really nice countryside just before you start getting the eastern carolina feel of the state.

[Roger67]

I have to agree, I believe the estimates for Cumberland, New Hanover, Brunswick and Harnett counties are lower than what they will actually be. I don't know if Cumberland's population will reach the 500s (I wish), but I do believe it will be well into the 400s. I also believe that Harnett will be in the 200s. I think many are under-estimating the changes that BRAC will bring to the region. In just the next 5 years 30,000+ new residents in the Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke and Moore county region. And, quite possibly some of the surrounding counties to this area not mentioned. I also believe that with this population increase, there will be some big announcements in this area (in terms of business relocations and expansions). Which, in turn, will further increase the population. Just in this past sunday's Fayetteville Observer classified section was a company looking for 400 customer service reps in the Fayetteville area. I know these are not the high-paying jobs that I would like to see come to the area, but I believe that it is a start. I still believe that Fayetteville will see spill-over growth from the Triangle region. We are already seeing this with all the new subdivisions being built in northern and northeastern Cumberland County. I also feel that businesses will see that land is cheaper in Cumberland County and will start to look closer at us for relocations and expansions. I still hold on to the belief that Fayetteville is the best-kept secret in NC. And, as I believe, many on this site think of Ft. Bragg as a liability; however, it is a great asset. I have heard that many contractors are looking to locate in Fayetteville and can't find enough office space. The next couple of years will bring a building boom to Fayetteville. I project Cumberland County's population which is now at about 310,000 will blossom to at least 350,000 within the next 5-10 years.

[Metropolitan's]

What will be the 10 ten cities and there Pop and the Top ten counties in NC? Also by square miles?

[blburton]

Cary, Apex, Zebulon, Knightindale, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, etc, and other sub/exurbs of Raleigh are continuing to grow like CRAZY. For example, 20,000-40,000 residents are expected to be added to Cary's within the next 10 years with JUST 1 new development in the works. By 2016, their population could be 150,000 residents. Wake County will soon be the most populous county in NC. Raleigh will never catch up in population with Charlotte, though.

I disagree raleigh already is proposing protection laws for undeveloped land. I think Charlotte will have lots of living space in center city and have great large nieghborhoods and if you look around charlotte has tons of apartment complexes. Theres also a lot of room to grow. Think about 50 residential towers could most likely hold 1000s more people than 50 nieghborhoods. just saying

[Roger67]

Check out the following article that is in the Fayetteville Observer regarding growth trends to 2030. It is quite interesting. Here is the link:

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=231693

This article is about expanding the number of libraries in Cumberland County. What really raised my interest was the population growth thrend every 5 years to 2030. Cumberland's population is expected to be at 470,000 by 2030; according to the article this does not include the residents on Fort Bragg. They expect the post population to be in the 30,000 range - so with this figure added, Cumberland could very well be approaching the 500,000 mark.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Cary, Apex, Zebulon, Knightindale, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, etc, and other sub/exurbs of Raleigh are continuing to grow like CRAZY. For example, 20,000-40,000 residents are expected to be added to Cary's within the next 10 years with JUST 1 new development in the works. By 2016, their population could be 150,000 residents. Wake County will soon be the most populous county in NC. Raleigh will never catch up in population with Charlotte, though.

I wonder if Cary will still call itself "Town of Cary".

[sax184]

I wonder if Cary will still call itself "Town of Cary".

Of course it will. The logic behind this decision is the same that makes some CHapel Hill suburbanites believe they live in a "village."

[Tayfromcarolina]

Cary falls in a unique class I like to call a "Super Suburb" Not quite a city, but way to big to be a town. Sort of like Arlington (Dallas/Ft. Worth) Texas. or Aurora (Denver Met.) Colorado. Both of these places are now cities as to keep calling them towns was silly.

"Arlington, not so much a city as an area of confusion that manages to combine the worst features of Dallas (just to the east) and Fort Worth (just to the west)."

-- Roads

Larry McMurtry

Once you pass 100,000 it's pretty much a wrap for calling a place a town. Cary, though unofficial is a city and definetly will be by 2030.

[rjp212]

I'm wondering what the Lake Norman area is gonna look like by 2030. I have a feeling the North Meck towns will be filled with midrises along the transit line, while Mooresville will eventually give in to the demands of putting resort hotels on the Lake and will have a mini skyline because of it.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

How far will Charlotte's sprawl and exurban tentacles reach up I-77? Will it go all the way up to Statesville by 2030? I was down there for the first time in years last week and was amazed at how far up I-77 the development has reached.

[AuLukey]

I'm actually amazed at the low population forcast for Cabarrus County with it's unending sprawl in everywhere but its east side. Both Concord and Kannapolis are listed in the top 15 cities in NC population wise. Figured that (seeing as most of K-nap's population is in Cabarrus) those two cities combined would boost them up to the top ten somewhere. I wonder if this study was made before the concord mills and harrisburg sprawl started up and the new Biotechnology Campus in Kannapolis was announced.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

I have noticed that Cabarrus has not been growing as fast as one might think, in comparison to Union and Johnston Counties. It seems more developed than these counties, but doesn't have the redhot population growth rates of these counties, which have garnered national attention for their skyrocketing populations. WHy is Cabarrus not growing even faster in population? How did Union leapfrog ahead of Cabarrus?

[AuLukey]

I have noticed that Cabarrus has not been growing as fast as one might think, in comparison to Union and Johnston Counties. It seems more developed than these counties, but doesn't have the redhot population growth rates of these counties, which have garnered national attention for their skyrocketing populations. WHy is Cabarrus not growing even faster in population? How did Union leapfrog ahead of Cabarrus?

Actually, now that I think about it, Cabarrus is putting a freeze on new subdivisions due to the sudden crowding this decade and the 90's brought to their school system. They built a completely new high school in 2001 for the first time in over a decade (Jay M Robinson, of which I was in the first graduating class, booya) and they are already building another high school which is forcast to be overcrowded two years after opening its doors. Their school system can't keep up so I think they are trying to hold off too much residential growth. I didn't realize that due to all the commercial and industry build up in Concord in the past five years.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Aussie, that would explain it. The only thing is that when you clamp down on growth in one place, it just goes to the another more hospitable place. If Union County clamps down on growth, it will go to another pro-growth county. In the Triangle, Orange County's anti-growth policies has only meant that Wake, Chatham, and Johnston Counties have grown that much more than they would if Orange was willing to take in some of the growth. Growth will not be denied.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

What county that is not growing now will explode on the scene as new exurban hot spots? I don't mean counties like Davie, Harnett and Lincoln that are already experiencing high growth rates, but counties that have not yet begun to grow majorly.

1. Anson County--Charlotte Metro's smallest, most rural county could take in some of the spillover growth from Union County in the coming decades. The new Monroe Bypass will mean shorter commutes for Wadesboro and western Anson residents. The county could also benefit from its plentiful water resource, the Pee Dee River. The county needs to pursue four-laning Highway 52 to Salisbury.

2. Stanly County--bordered by Cabarrus and Union Counties, this Charlotte exurb is poised to receive spillover growth from its neighbors. An upgrade of Highway 52 will do much to improve the county's attractiveness.

3. Surry County--This county could benefit from having Highway 52 upgraded to an interstate and spillover growth from northwest Forsyth.

4. Lee County--This Sandhill County could benefit largely from the relatively new expanded Highway 1, as more people see the county as a nice place to live while commuting to Raleigh to work.

5. Wilson County--If Wake and Johnston Counties crack down on development, western Wilson could benefit greatly, particularly after the completion of the eastern portion of the outerloop. THe completion of the Knightdale Bypass and the wide open four lane 264 makes getting to western Wilson easy from downtown Raleigh and eastern Wake County. Moreover, Wilson's position along I-95 makes it a prime spot of industrial recruitment. Western Wilson is already starting to see the first signs of growth.

6. Rockingham--This Greensboro-area county could benefit from any curtailment of growth in Guilford county, particularly after the new interstate is completed. Being sandwiched between Danville and Greensboro is bound to eventually pay off for the county.

7. Sampson County--This southeast NC county along I-95 could become a suburb of suburban Johnston County. It has been experiencing decent growth in recent years.

8. Nash County--Like Wilson, Nash could benefit from the sprawl of Wake county and completion of road projects that make the county an exurb of the Triangle.

9. Pender County--Already starting to pop, this county's abundant land will become more attractive in future decades for those who want to live in the Wilmington area.

10. Lincoln County--Charlotte exurb

10.

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Population growth almost always follows job growth.

The Winston-Salem metropolitan statistical area of Davie, Forsyth, Stokes and Yadkin counties hit a 10-month low in its jobless rate, dropping to 4 percent from 4.6 percent in February. Forsyth County's jobless rate fell to 4 percent from 4.5 percent.

Other Triad counties also had sizable decreases, including Davidson County dropping from 6.3 percent to 5.5 percent, Surry County from 6.1 percent to 5.3 percent and Stokes County from 5 percent to 4.2 percent. Davie County had the region's lowest rate at 3.7 percent, down from 4.4 percent in February.

The Winston-Salem MSA had a net gain of 1,600 jobs in March, led by 600 in professional and business services and 300 in leisure and hospitality. The region lost 100 manufacturing jobs.

But the region has had just 0.9 percent job growth, or 1,800 jobs, since March 2005.

By comparison, Wilmington's job growth is up 4.8 percent (6,200 jobs), Raleigh-Cary is up 4 percent at 18,300), Durham is up 2.5 percent (6,700 jobs), and Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord is up 2.4 percent (19.100 jobs).

The Greensboro-High Point MSA, which consists of Guilford, Randolph and Rockingham counties, gained 2,700 jobs during March, primarily in leisure and hospitality, government and the trade, transportation and utilities sectors.

But the region has had a decrease of 0.9 percent in employment, or 3,200 fewer jobs, since March 2005.

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellit...s=1037645507703