Charlotte Now Over 750,000

[krazeeboi]

Originally Posted by CNB30

Metros 500k-1million. Richmond 900 million! in the range!

Uh, yeeeeaaahhhh....

Anyways, have we exhausted all details concerning the growth of the city of Charlotte?

[spencer114]

Yes, but not Richmond... Which is approaching 1.3 million people, not 900k
Now I'm done. Let's do this again soon!

[Dale]

Originally Posted by krazeeboi

Uh, yeeeeaaahhhh....

Anyways, have we exhausted all details concerning the growth of the city of Charlotte?

Not really. I can't figure out why Charlotte has such a high unemployment rate and people are beating the doors down to get to it. Not a flame. I'm just flummoxed.

Add to that that NC is not exactly business-friendly.

[IberiaCLT]

Originally Posted by Dale

Not really. I can't figure out why Charlotte has such a high unemployment rate and people are beating the doors down to get to it. Not a flame. I'm just flummoxed.

Add to that that NC is not exactly business-friendly.

If Im not mistaken, there is a bill proposed by NC Dems. To make us from having the highest corp. taxe rate in the south to the lowest. Haven't heard anything since the start of the election season.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by IberiaCLT

If Im not mistaken, there is a bill proposed by NC Dems. To make us from having the highest corp. taxe rate in the south to the lowest. Haven't heard anything since the start of the election season.

That would be nice. BTW, did you get my email ?

[krazeeboi]

Originally Posted by Dale

Not really. I can't figure out why Charlotte has such a high unemployment rate and people are beating the doors down to get to it. Not a flame. I'm just flummoxed.

The perception hasn't caught up with present-day reality.

Add to that that NC is not exactly business-friendly.

Of course it is. Nothing's more business-friendly than providing an educated workforce via a great higher ed system; taxes aren't everything. Otherwise you can be like my native low-tax SC that has just one F500 headquarters and just a bunch of manufacturing plants and fleeing college grads--many to NC--to show for it.

Originally Posted by IberiaCLT

If Im not mistaken, there is a bill proposed by NC Dems. To make us from having the highest corp. taxe rate in the south to the lowest. Haven't heard anything since the start of the election season.

That wouldn't be the wisest thing to do.

The GOP legislature wants to cut the budget by 10 to 15 percent, eliminating 15,000 jobs to address a budget shortfall that lawmakers estimate to be about $2.5 billion. Beyond that, the Republicans believe that if they can lower taxes, reduce regulations and other costs to business, they will make North Carolina among the most attractive states in the South for job growth...

[Gov. Beverly] Perdue and the Democrats have a different take.

They have argued that North Carolina has been a leader in the South for the past several generations precisely because it has invested more than its sister states in creating a nationally respected university system, a noted community college system, and has historically been a leader in roads and the arts.

That North Carolina - unlike other parts of the South - has not engaged in a race to have the lowest taxes in the South, the Democrats argue, has allowed the state to develop a more sophisticated industrial policy that has resulted in such success stories as the Research Triangle Park...

A third voice entered the debate last week, that of Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

Burr is as conservative as any of the Republican leaders in the legislature. Burr may be the closest thing in North Carolina to the political voice of the business community.

Burr said that despite the fact that North Carolina has the highest corporate and income taxes in the South, it is still winning most of the corporate and industrial recruiting battles.

"We've got a lot of warts in North Carolina," Burr said. "We are the highest-tax state in the Southeast. And we still win. We win more than our neighboring states."

The main reason, Burr said, is because of North Carolina's education system, particularly its university and community college system.

"When an employer looks at an investment in North Carolina, they are not looking at the return next year," Burr said. "They are looking at the return 30 years from now. They need a future workforce that has the skills and knowledge.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/...nc-can-be.html

[Dale]

Originally Posted by krazeeboi

The perception hasn't caught up with present-day reality.



Of course it is. Nothing's more business-friendly than providing an educated workforce via a great higher ed system; taxes aren't everything. Otherwise you can be like my native low-tax SC that has no F500 headquarters (anymore) and just a bunch of manufacturing plants and fleeing college grads--many to NC--to show for it.



That wouldn't be the wisest thing to do.

The GOP legislature wants to cut the budget by 10 to 15 percent, eliminating 15,000 jobs to address a budget shortfall that lawmakers estimate to be about $2.5 billion. Beyond that, the Republicans believe that if they can lower taxes, reduce regulations and other costs to business, they will make North Carolina among the most attractive states in the South for job growth...

[Gov. Beverly] Perdue and the Democrats have a different take.

They have argued that North Carolina has been a leader in the South for the past several generations precisely because it has invested more than its sister states in creating a nationally respected university system, a noted community college system, and has historically been a leader in roads and the arts.

That North Carolina - unlike other parts of the South - has not engaged in a race to have the lowest taxes in the South, the Democrats argue, has allowed the state to develop a more sophisticated industrial policy that has resulted in such success stories as the Research Triangle Park...

A third voice entered the debate last week, that of Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.

Burr is as conservative as any of the Republican leaders in the legislature. Burr may be the closest thing in North Carolina to the political voice of the business community.

Burr said that despite the fact that North Carolina has the highest corporate and income taxes in the South, it is still winning most of the corporate and industrial recruiting battles.

"We've got a lot of warts in North Carolina," Burr said. "We are the highest-tax state in the Southeast. And we still win. We win more than our neighboring states."

The main reason, Burr said, is because of North Carolina's education system, particularly its university and community college system.

"When an employer looks at an investment in North Carolina, they are not looking at the return next year," Burr said. "They are looking at the return 30 years from now. They need a future workforce that has the skills and knowledge.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/...nc-can-be.html

What perception is lagging ? Based on what I've read (1) unemployment rate is high (2) population is exploding.

And couldn't disagree more with your perception of what constitutes business-friendly.

[krazeeboi]

Originally Posted by Dale

What perception is lagging ? Based on what I've read (1) unemployment rate is high (2) population is exploding.

The pre-recession perception. A lot of people really don't understand how hard Charlotte in particular was hit by the economic downturn.

And couldn't disagree more with your perception of what constitutes business-friendly.

LOL, ok. Just know that whatever NC has done with respect to business within the past 50 years has been a rousing success and its higher ed system is among the best in the region. You can't argue with the results, particularly taking into account what the state had to work with--and all of this with higher taxes, which is directly proportional to the quality of businesses it has grown and landed. And I'm not one that puts a whole lot of stock into lists, but the vast majority of the "best places for business" lists has NC at or very near the top.

[CNB30]

Originally Posted by spencer114

Yes, but not Richmond... Which is approaching 1.3 million people, not 900k
Now I'm done. Let's do this again soon!

Oh yeah, I forgot the Richmond Petersburg was 1.3 mil

[Dale]

Originally Posted by krazeeboi

The pre-recession perception. A lot of people really don't understand how hard Charlotte in particular was hit by the economic downturn.



LOL, ok. Just know that whatever NC has done with respect to business within the past 50 years has been a rousing success and its higher ed system is among the best in the region. You can't argue with the results, particularly taking into account what the state had to work with--and all of this with higher taxes, which is directly proportional to the quality of businesses it has grown and landed. And I'm not one that puts a whole lot of stock into lists, but the vast majority of the "best places for business" lists has NC at or very near the top.

Yes, I'm aware that Charlotte was particularly hard it. But apparently it never stopped growing. So, the question continues to beg.

As to business favorability rankings, how do you suppose they're compiled ? Do you suppose they poll businesses ? Do businesses prefer to relocate to high-tax climes ? Do corporate bigwigs and six-figure salaries send their kids to public schools and live in subsidized housing ?

So many questions, so little time ... especially when people would rather talk about Richmond on Charlotte threads.

[krazeeboi]

Originally Posted by Dale

Yes, I'm aware that Charlotte was particularly hard it. But apparently it never stopped growing. So, the question continues to beg.

LOL, I already answered it. WE are aware that Charlotte was particularly hard hit, but a lot of others aren't. Everyone isn't as knowledgeable about these things as us urban geeks.

As to business favorability rankings, how do you suppose they're compiled ? Do you suppose they poll businesses ? Do businesses prefer to relocate to high-tax climes ? Do corporate bigwigs and six-figure salaries send their kids to public schools and live in subsidized housing?

A variety of metrics are used to compile such rankings; the ones Forbes uses can be found here.

All businesses aren't created equally; those that don't necessarily need a large pool of educated, talented workers can easily head to a low tax state to take advantage of cheap labor, more incentives, and just import the people needed to fill the highly skilled positions. There's a difference between landing a F500 corporate headquarters and a tire plant.

[OK2TX2NJ2NC]

Originally Posted by Dale

Not really. I can't figure out why Charlotte has such a high unemployment rate and people are beating the doors down to get to it. Not a flame. I'm just flummoxed.

Add to that that NC is not exactly business-friendly.

LOL NC is not exactly business-friendly? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. NC ranks 2nd in business friendly in the USA.


http://thrivenc.com/newsandevents/no...according-ceos

[Dale]

Originally Posted by krazeeboi

LOL, I already answered it. WE are aware that Charlotte was particularly hard hit, but a lot of others aren't. Everyone isn't as knowledgeable about these things as us urban geeks.



A variety of metrics are used to compile such rankings; the ones Forbes uses can be found here.

All businesses aren't created equally; those that don't necessarily need a large pool of educated, talented workers can easily head to a low tax state to take advantage of cheap labor, more incentives, and just import the people needed to fill the highly skilled positions. There's a difference between landing a F500 corporate headquarters and a tire plant.

Yes, but not many F500 corporations are not relocating, certainly not enough to explain Charlotte's torrid population growth, hard as it's been hit economically.

In any case, people don't move to cities because comparatively high taxes and onerous regulations suggest to them an attractive place to live. That was my point.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by OK2TX2NJ2NC

LOL NC is not exactly business-friendly? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. NC ranks 2nd in business friendly in the USA.


http://thrivenc.com/newsandevents/no...according-ceos

^ Take it up with your own newspaper:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/07/...l-a-dixie.html

[diablo234]

Originally Posted by Dale

Yes, but not many F500 corporations are not relocating, certainly not enough to explain Charlotte's torrid population growth, hard as it's been hit economically.

In any case, people don't move to cities because comparatively high taxes and onerous regulations suggest to them an attractive place to live. That was my point.

Not many F500 corporations are relocating period, as relocating in itself costs companies large amounts of money to start with.

Anyways I would say that North Carolina is very business friendly since it's lax banking laws and regulations have allowed Charlotte to become the second largest finance center in the US after New York even when you take into the fact that several banks formerly based in the area such as Wachovia that are now dissolved. North Carolina also provides assistance to companies located within the state that looking to export products outside the US which is why the state was mentioned in the book "The Next American Economy".

[JorgiPorgi]

I don't understand why people can't be happy for Charlotte. Just because your southern city isn't doing so well, doesn't mean you need to pick apart the more successful, larger cities. Give Charlotte it's props. THe only reason why this became a "Richmond thread", is because a Richmond person made it that way, for no reason. Charlotte has done great during the recession with population growth. It didn't stop. THe atmosphere here is still very forward thinking. Now if the local government could work on the infrastructure and Education, we would definetely be on fire.

[krazeeboi]

Originally Posted by Dale

Yes, but not many F500 corporations are not relocating, certainly not enough to explain Charlotte's torrid population growth, hard as it's been hit economically.

I'm taking the longer view here. Throw in companies that move significant operations to the Triangle as well from a statewide POV.

In any case, people don't move to cities because comparatively high taxes and onerous regulations suggest to them an attractive place to live. That was my point.

So are you also perplexed as to why people moved to Charlotte and NC pre-recession as well? It's not like relatively higher taxes are anything new for NC.

[IberiaCLT]

. I never quite understood how we gain so much population also despite unemployment. I think I read in the Observer a year or 2 ago that our work force was back up to pre-recession levels. I guess our economy can't keep up with our population growth.

Lots of people move here with no jobs lined up. Just savings.

[Durhamite]

Originally Posted by spencer114

I think I'm a pretty good judge of what I find familiar

I'm not sure why it's so hard for people to believe that some people like Greensboro better than Winston-Salem. While Greensboro may not be Richmond's twin, it does seem more like a Virginia city to me than pretty much any other NC city... thus the familiarity.

NC cities in general don't seem like cities in any other state, (TN may be an exception, that's one of handful of states i haven't visited) IMO. They aren't intuitive (when trying to travel from one side of town to another) and seem to function like towns that grew beyond expectations, lacking the infrastructure and street grid of most US cities (even KC and Miami). Neighborhoods seem disconnected from the core, major arteries don't originate or lead to downtowns, universities like Duke and Wake Forest seem to function as islands...

There's a lot to like down there and certainly a lot to celebrate. There are few cities more photogenic than Charlotte. I've tried to celebrate the city's success but keep getting drawn into this stupid discussion that started somehow about annexation?

I know city on city action is frowned upon here. That said, i do think discussing differences and similarities is really interesting, even if/when I am either too close to the source to be objective or not literate enough to articulate what is about places that set them apart.

Duke Univ. on an island? West campus is right off main st. and practically surrounded by the "hood". Neighborhoods disconnected from the core? Maybe somewhat as it pertains to Charlotte with the I-277 loop but totally untrue about other NC cities. Matter of fact, UNC-Greensboro has a nice campus that is totally integrated within the core. I don't think some of you have spent as much time in these places as advertised and making impressions based on northeastern style urban architecture.

Again, I think that is the draw of NC cities like Gboro and Durham, a touch of urban but plenty of room to breath...as you can tell, I'm not a big fan of the rowhouse environment; lived in rowhouses on capitol hill (DC area) for a few years...parking was a bear, not a lot of amenities and usually had to travel out to burbs to shop...some of the stuff downtown or in the city is priced for tourist (restaurants, etc)....just not my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, neighborhoods in Georgetown, Cleveland Park, etc. are exceptional but in my opinion, they'll never offer the full range of amenities readily available/accessible in the burbs. Most times, trying to get anywhere in the city can be bit** (grid or no grid)....that's why some people love the burbs.

[IberiaCLT]

Originally Posted by Durhamite

Duke Univ. on an island? West campus is right off main st. and practically surrounded by the "hood". Neighborhoods disconnected from the core? Maybe somewhat as it pertains to Charlotte with the I-277 loop but totally untrue about other NC cities. Matter of fact, UNC-Greensboro has a nice campus that is totally integrated within the core. I don't think some of you have spent as much time in these places as advertised and making impressions based on northeastern style urban architecture.

Again, I think that is the draw of NC cities like Gboro and Durham, a touch of urban but plenty of room to breath...as you can tell, I'm not a big fan of the rowhouse environment; lived in rowhouses on capitol hill (DC area) for a few years...parking was a bear, not a lot of amenities and usually had to travel out to burbs to shop...some of the stuff downtown or in the city is priced for tourist (restaurants, etc)....just not my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, neighborhoods in Georgetown, Cleveland Park, etc. are exceptional but in my opinion, they'll never offer the full range of amenities readily available/accessible in the burbs. Most times, trying to get anywhere in the city can be bit** (grid or no grid)....that's why some people love the burbs.

Only someone not familiar with Charlotte at all would say our neighborhoods are disconnected... And uptown is not cut off from Southen and Midtown, both of which surround Dilworth. I often bike and walk uptown/SouthEnd/ Dilworth/ Midtown/ uptown. Fun walk with a lot of quirky stores, ma and pop stores, landmarks, statues, and pretty urban street scale

Looking at a map, I could see how someone would think so. But in reality...


Anyway, isn't Charlotte bigger than Richmond? Why is someone from Richmond, a smaller city with no major league teams and less amenities, poking at us???