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Playing devil's advocate, in VA you also have Lynchburg and Roanoke. I really like Lynchburg especially around the fall. It's funny when I hear folk say VA isn't southern. Think Lynchburg and there's nothing left to say.
But getting back on topic. Some other nice areas in NC include Boone,NC. I'm surprised no one has brought up this nice college town.
Virginia has 2,622 historically significant structures and North Carolina has 2,618. The two states are very similar in that respect.
I wasn't talking about the number of historic structures, but the significance of them. Virginia wins in that category due to more events occurring there that have historically help shaped the South and the nation. That's why it may appear that Virginia does better when it comes to historic preservation, because it is blessed with an abundance of sites and structures that are more historically significant than others--which is largely due to the state playing a much larger role historically than North Carolina has.
(I really hope this doesn't lead to a post with pictures of Kitty Hawk, New Bern, Old Salem, etc.--which I already know about.)
First, I always think it helps to define "best". Best in what way?
2nd, I can't take anything away from NC's cities & this is not an attempt to do so.
Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham have made great progress in the last few decades that has been well documented.
However, I think the well-documented progress has led to "hype" that has made it hard for some to see the big picture.
For all the growth (population) that has occured in Charlotte it is easy to forget the less hyped growth that has taken place in Northern VA.
NoVA (which is part of VA) is still part of a MSA which is substantially larger than Charlotte's MSA.
For all the talk of how Raleigh has progressed/grown (population) and left Hampton Roads and Richmond in the dust the truth is that Hampton Roads is not much smaller than Charlotte's Metrolina and Richmond's MSA is comparable to the combined Raleigh/Durham MSAs.
This is just a discussion of population (something not as subjective as "looks" or "nicer").
Also, some point to the fact that NC has pro sports and VA doesn't. Technically, that is true. However, large numbers of VA residents can get to professional sports in DC as quickly as many NC residents can get to pro sports.
No VA city/region has had its growth and progress hyped like the hype surrounding some NC cities. That's OK. I just think that the progress has not put NC cities in leagues beyond VA cities.
If anything, many of the cities (excluding the NoVA region) are comparable.
IMO there is no run-away winner.
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On the map NC seems to have a lot more cities yet none of them seem to be really famous; not on the level of a place like Richmond. I knew of Charlotte as a kid from the Charlotte Hornets basketball team but apart from that I would not have known until it until much later. Talking from a foreigner's pov. I know little of the actual cities.
I wasn't talking about the number of historic structures, but the significance of them. Virginia wins in that category due to more events occurring there that have historically help shaped the South and the nation. That's why it may appear that Virginia does better when it comes to historic preservation, because it is blessed with an abundance of sites and structures that are more historically significant than others--which is largely due to the state playing a much larger role historically than North Carolina has.
(I really hope this doesn't lead to a post with pictures of Kitty Hawk, New Bern, Old Salem, etc.--which I already know about.)
I only post photos when it feels necessary to prove a point...I don't need to do anything here but disagree with your theory that Virginia has more significant history than N.C. You're the one that would need to post photos and support that assertion...but it just isn't true.
First, I always think it helps to define "best". Best in what way?
2nd, I can't take anything away from NC's cities & this is not an attempt to do so.
Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham have made great progress in the last few decades that has been well documented.
However, I think the well-documented progress has led to "hype" that has made it hard for some to see the big picture.
For all the growth (population) that has occured in Charlotte it is easy to forget the less hyped growth that has taken place in Northern VA.
NoVA (which is part of VA) is still part of a MSA which is substantially larger than Charlotte's MSA.
For all the talk of how Raleigh has progressed/grown (population) and left Hampton Roads and Richmond in the dust the truth is that Hampton Roads is not much smaller than Charlotte's Metrolina and Richmond's MSA is comparable to the combined Raleigh/Durham MSAs.
This is just a discussion of population (something not as subjective as "looks" or "nicer").
Also, some point to the fact that NC has pro sports and VA doesn't. Technically, that is true. However, large numbers of VA residents can get to professional sports in DC as quickly as many NC residents can get to pro sports.
No VA city/region has had its growth and progress hyped like the hype surrounding some NC cities. That's OK. I just think that the progress has not put NC cities in leagues beyond VA cities.
If anything, many of the cities (excluding the NoVA region) are comparable.
IMO there is no run-away winner.
You're leaving out the growth of the Triad cities - Greensboro and Winston-Salem - and Asheville, Wilmington, and Fayetteville. The difference in N.C. and VA cities is not necessarily in the size of the cities and metros, but in the growth and development.
On the map NC seems to have a lot more cities yet none of them seem to be really famous; not on the level of a place like Richmond. I knew of Charlotte as a kid from the Charlotte Hornets basketball team but apart from that I would not have known until it until much later. Talking from a foreigner's pov. I know little of the actual cities.
Richmond is famous? I would imagine that Raleigh would be famous for RTP and for N.C. State, UNC Chapel Hill, and Duke...and at least equally famous to Richmond for its status as a state capital.
Other reasons one might have heard of N.C. cities: Charlotte and Winston-Salem for products made by locally based companies (Winston and Salem cigarettes, Bank of America banking); Asheville for Biltmore Estate and the Grove Park Inn; Fayetteville for Fort Bragg and Pope AFB; High Point for furniture and the furniture market.
In addition to pro sports, college sports bring a certain amount of notoriety to Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Durham, and Chapel Hill - not to mention the academic excellence of the universities.
For all the growth (population) that has occured in Charlotte it is easy to forget the less hyped growth that has taken place in Northern VA.
This is true, but much of NoVa's growth and prosperity is simply the result of geography. Being immediately adjacent to the capital of the most powerful nation on earth has its economic advantages. On the other hand, Charlotte has historically had to work for its growth. And it doesn't have some of the built-in advantages that other cities do, like being located directly on a river/large body of water or being a state capital.
North Carolina's cities offer a better quality of life. The Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham areas are beautiful. Greensboro and Winston-Salem aren't bad either.
I only post photos when it feels necessary to prove a point...I don't need to do anything here but disagree with your theory that Virginia has more significant history than N.C. You're the one that would need to post photos and support that assertion...but it just isn't true.
OK then, let's remove the word "significant" and just say that more historical events have occurred in Virginia that have had a more profound impact in shaping the future trajectories of the region and the nation as a whole. This is largely due to when and how both states were settled. Virginia has simply played a larger role historically than North Carolina has. Surely I don't think you would disagree with that.
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