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What is wrong with you people? Negative Nancy? What did I write that is negative? The whole purpose of this thread is trying to imagine POSITIVE things that could be done to benefit the city and the region and make it more unique. You do not have any famous parks in Charlotte. I lived there. I know what's there. Apparently you think everything about Charlotte is already perfect and never could be improved upon. You've probably never traveled and experienced very much. I've been reading comments on the Raleigh forum that this forum is full of people that worship everything about Charlotte and take offense if anyone dares to suggest it's not perfect. Wow! They were so right. This is just ridiculous. It's probably attitudes like this that caused Atlanta to become the mess that it is.
Its pretty much your negative tone of how you're trying to promote your "positive" suggestions that incite other posters. How else do you think people are going to take a supposedly "positive" comment that tears down the place by calling it boring (something which is subjective by the way), and only NASCAR country (another snarky comment as we all know what the stereotypical NASCAR fan is)?
You could've easily just said "I think Charlotte lacks in this and I think they should do that to improve it". You would've probably found more posters agreeing with you more than disagreeing. Go search the Raleigh forums for threads where people attack it by calling it boring and you see similar reactions (and probably any other city forums on this site).
Speaking of San Diego, I've lived there (loved the place), but let's be honest no one visits that place for culture either. It's mostly for the amazing weather. It's cool what they did downtown, but without that weather and ocean most wouldn't care. It's not really a tourist destination, but a large city with perfect weather where many wish they could live.
Then on the Raleigh posters, they do exactly what you're doing as well. Except they go as far as to create entire threads and discussions tearing down this place. Their attacks are really ironic considering that the region composed primarily of the same "Anywhere USA" sprawl that makes up most of Charlotte outside the central parts and most of their discussions center around the desire for those "typical Big City things" that Charlotte already has anyway. You see you don't necessarily have to tear down and attack a place in order to promote a place that you like better (their issue), nor tear it down in order to make positive suggestions on what you think they could do better (your issue).
I personally do think the city could create some of the things you mentioned or something similar, but I definitely don't find it boring. Even then those things still won't make it a tourist destination as places like Charlotte's growth is recent and it will never have the history of places like Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, etc. I don't see how one could be bored in a metro of over 2 million people even crazier to be bored in Atlanta of over 5 million. It's a place that is worth living, the city leaders have done a good job at making it that. Plus one could always hop on a plane and fly to those places worth visiting (which usually aren't the same places I would want to live).
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Downtown Gastonia has good bones. Replacing the mills is essential to getting it moving again. There has been some progress, but what's been going on in Raleigh has been been an impediment. The best bet to speed up recovery would be approval of the casino. It's also the method most likely to get a rail line to Gastonia.
The light rail will kill any towns it goes through. The Baltimore/ Annapolis light rail destroyed all the little towns in between and turned them into war zones. They went from nice little safe towns to bars on the windows and people frightened to leave their homes. All the crime and thuggery from Baltimore jumps on the light rail, wreaking havoc on the little towns. If they bring the light rail from Charlotte it will bring the crime with it. Don’t do it.
The light rail will kill any towns it goes through. The Baltimore/ Annapolis light rail destroyed all the little towns in between and turned them into war zones. They went from nice little safe towns to bars on the windows and people frightened to leave their homes. All the crime and thuggery from Baltimore jumps on the light rail, wreaking havoc on the little towns. If they bring the light rail from Charlotte it will bring the crime with it. Don’t do it.
Charlotte already has light rail and most areas it goes through have just gentrified and become expensive / full of yuppies with high incomes living in luxury apartments and townhomes. If anything, the light rail is one of the biggest factors in transforming some formally rough neighborhoods into expensive neighborhoods with new residents. What happens in the Baltimore region won't necessarily be a 1:1 for what happens in other regions.
The article below touches on an idea that occurred to me a number of years ago when I drove through downtown Gastonia and lamented at the unrealized potential. I posted the idea here, back in August 2008: http:////www.city-data.com/forum/cha...d-class-6.html
Unlike downtown Charlotte, most of Gastonia's old historic buildings are still standing. But when I was there, the area looked pretty seedy and run down. But with the right commitment, it seemed like it could be transformed into a hip, artsy, fun and vibrant place like downtown Asheville. And having a train run between Charlotte and Gastonia would make it possible for Charlotte folks to come into town and have a few drinks without worrying driving back. I looked at a map and it just so happens that these same railroad tracks from downtown Gastonia, through downtown Belmont, then goes right by the airport before continuing on into uptown Charlotte. I'm assuming these are the same tracks CATS is hoping to one day possibly provide light rail service from Uptown to the airport. So why not extend the light rail line to Belmont and Gastonia? I've long thought it was a huge shame that the city planners in Charlotte in decades past decided to raze so much of the old inner-city neighborhoods, rather than restore, re-purpose and revitalize. They lost the heart and soul of the city in doing so. But a rail connection to a revitalized historic downtown Gastonia could be the second best thing. It would be good for Charlotte (and struggling west Charlotte), good for airport transit, good for Belmont, and wonderful for Gastonia.
"Gastonia is currently moving forward with plans to revitalize its downtown, like many other eastern cities, seeking to both restore and reinvent itself. As part of revitalization, city is also working on plans to create a multi-modal center closer to downtown. A study has begun to determine the best location and strategy for developing the multi-modal hub that would ideally combine terminals for Greyhound, Amtrak, Gastonia Transit, Gaston Access, Charlotte Area Transit, and perhaps light rail to downtown Charlotte along the old Piedmont and Northern (P&N) interurban tracks."
People will not go to Gastonia for a drink. Why would they? How are you can you be an expert on Asheville, Charleston, and Nashville after two weeks visiting those places? I spent two weeks investigating the Charlotte area before moving here and I still missed a lot.
Obviously, people that move here from other places prefer bitching to action in regard to rail, growth patterns, etc. things they probably know nothing about anyway. Maybe this city of outsiders should stop electing and putting inept individuals into office. A weekend in Asheville or Greenville by rail would be a nice get away. Going to Gastonia for a drink an inconvenience. Mentioning Charlotte losing its heart and soul through replacing the old with the new instead of restoration doesn't make much sense. You should understand that most of Charlotte didn't exist until WWI when there is was an army training center on Greene Street. The population of Charlotte during the civil was less than the population of Cornelius. Charlotte has become the great place it is in a very short span of time. As they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day."
The light rail will kill any towns it goes through. The Baltimore/ Annapolis light rail destroyed all the little towns in between and turned them into war zones. They went from nice little safe towns to bars on the windows and people frightened to leave their homes. All the crime and thuggery from Baltimore jumps on the light rail, wreaking havoc on the little towns. If they bring the light rail from Charlotte it will bring the crime with it. Don’t do it.
Except Charlotte isn't Baltimore....not even close.
Except Charlotte isn't Baltimore....not even close.
There is always the potential. Parts of Charlotte is like parts of Baltimore. I believe that the Red Line would be fine probably. The others lines, god knows. I would be happy with regular express buses that also ru on weekends to the lake area etc. A rail that goes up Wilkinson Blvd. to Gastonia would not be a ride which I would enjoy or feel actually safe As a former westsider I know.
There is always the potential. Parts of Charlotte is like parts of Baltimore. I believe that the Red Line would be fine probably. The others lines, god knows. I would be happy with regular express buses that also ru on weekends to the lake area etc. A rail that goes up Wilkinson Blvd. to Gastonia would not be a ride which I would enjoy or feel actually safe As a former westsider I know.
The point that person was making wasn't about passengers but property owners. Nobody living on the westside needs light rail to commit crimes in Gastonia lol.
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