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Even given their criteria, it doesn't seem to follow the data.......at least as I know it. I don't feel as though the rankings are accurate, but I'm not surprised. I also don't see Chicago on this list for some reason, and it's one of the best cities in the world, if not America. Want a REAL top 10 list?:
1. New York
2. Chicago
3. D.C.
4. San Francisco
5. L.A.
6. Boston
7. Philadelphia
8. Seattle
9. Atlanta
10. Minneapolis/St. Paul
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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so about Raleigh.......
you know the # 1 spot on the list. It's not the most exciting city for sure, and it's a better place to live than to visit, but it has its merrits. I'm a frequent visitor, my sister lives there. I have some questions for some who many chime in that are in the know.
Are there any serious plans for development of light or commuter rail transit in the area?
Are they going to complete I-540 beltway constructing the south arc of it through Cary and Apex completing the entire loop freeway around the city?
Raleigh has started urbanizing it's downtown somewhat, but I always got the impression Durham has more urban bones not to mention the beautiful Duke campus, I wonder if Durham will gentrify its downtown a bit more in the future. When I'm in the area I always hear locals knocking it as the armpit of the Triangle. I don't think its that bad, and it certainly has potential, not to mention many attractive areas within the city.
Population growth projections for the area are staggering. Some have pojected that the Trinagle may almost double in size to reach near 2 million by 2025. Is that far fetched or realistic?
you know the # 1 spot on the list. It's not the most exciting city for sure, and it's a better place to live than to visit, but it has its merrits. I'm a frequent visitor, my sister lives there. I have some questions for some who many chime in that are in the know.
Are there any serious plans for development of light or commuter rail transit in the area?
Are they going to complete I-540 beltway constructing the south arc of it through Cary and Apex completing the entire loop freeway around the city?
Raleigh has started urbanizing it's downtown somewhat, but I always got the impression Durham has more urban bones not to mention the beautiful Duke campus, I wonder if Durham will gentrify its downtown a bit more in the future. When I'm in the area I always hear locals knocking it as the armpit of the Triangle. I don't think its that bad, and it certainly has potential, not to mention many attractive areas within the city.
Population growth projections for the area are staggering. Some have pojected that the Trinagle may almost double in size to reach near 2 million by 2025. Is that far fetched or realistic?
Okay…so, here's some answers for you.
1. Yes. There is some serious discussion about both the HSR connecting through DT Raleigh and how it links to light rail for the Triangle. A bond issue is up for a vote this year to fund the "Union Station" project that's the linchpin to its success.
2. The I-540 loop will continue its march toward being the second loop around the city of Raleigh. Still years in the making, I wouldn't hold my breath for it to be done anytime soon. Traffic patterns and the public's appetite for more toll roads will drive what happens next. In today's US economy where any infrastructure spending seems to be the target of a loud and politically active minority (tea party), I don't place bets on anything anymore. That said, at least Cary and Apex will soon have access on their west sides with the nearly completed NC540 section to be opened relatively soon. In the meantime, expect more widening of local roads like HWY 55.
3. The conundrum for Durham is that its DT is a tale of two cities. On the one hand, the area around Duke is thriving, funky and established. Its future is bright. On the other hand, much of the rest of Durham's DT (east side) remains "stuck" due to real and/or perceived crime and poverty issues. Despite the best efforts of Durham to change that image, the fact remains that it still has the highest crime rates in the Triangle. While the crime rates in Durham are actually lower than Charlotte, it doesn't help that its rates are juxtaposed with Raleigh's and Cary's: which are the lowest of NC's major cities. That all said, Raleigh and Wake Co. continue to grab the lion's share of the Triangle's growth and likewise the lion's share of the urban development. I don't expect that to change anytime soon. In fact, I expect to see it accelerate in Raleigh. As an example, I was typing this reply, I received and email from a DT friend on yet another DT apartment project that was submitted to the city of Raleigh.
4. The Triangle and Raleigh/Wake in particular have typically grown faster than projections. The doubling by 2025 that you refer to is actually projected just for the Raleigh-Cary MSA side of the Triangle since 2005 (when Raleigh-Cary MSA was nearing 1 million). The total of the Triangle is already at 1.8 million. Raleigh-Cary is now nearing 1.2 million with 900,000+ of that being in Wake County. I think that the current Raleigh-Cary MSA will be nearing 2 million by 2025. The entire Triangle (which I suspect will be re-unified as ONE MSA by then) should be closer to 2.5-2.6 million.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Wow, that's some astronomical growth. The land is there. I wonder how adequate the water supplies are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl
In today's US economy where any infrastructure spending seems to be the target of a loud and politically active minority (tea party), I don't place bets on anything anymore.
ah that's OK, we can let China lead into the 21st century and our 20th century infrastructure will do just fine 50 years. Let's privatize the sidewalks......
Wow, that's some astronomical growth. The land is there. I wonder how adequate the water supplies are.
Water is always an issue but it's not dire at the moment with multiple resevoirs already in place. I don't know how long their capacity will support but they seem to be doing fine in non-drought years.
As for growth, here's some ways to look at how fast it's growing:
In the previous decade, Wake County (Raleigh's county) added more new residents than the current total population of Durham County.
At over 900,000 (as of Census 2010), Wake County has tripled in population since 1980.
Cary, Raleigh's largest suburb, is now about the size Raleigh was in 1980
Raleigh's municipal population has almost doubled since 1990
Raleigh city grew by over 46% in the previous decade and added more people to the city than existed in the entire city through 1970.
While annexation is certainly at play in Raleigh as in other fast growing US cities, its population grew faster than its annexed land.
Growing up in Raleigh It's nice to see it grow, and in the 90's and 00's every week in school there was a new kid coming in. I'm hoping we get the light rail up and running up in the next decade. I'm about to move away for a few years for a more "Exciting" City. But that said I do hope to move back and see how urban the city has grown. Raleigh and the triangle have enough of the right things to make life on a day to day basis, generally painless. Affordable cost of living, decent traffic, Diverse and well interegrated. Brilliant minds with the help of the universites. A varied economy with Education, Government, Hightech/Pharmaceuticals, Medical Leading the way. Also as far a recreation. More Parks than neccessary (Which isn't a bad thing), Great Museums and Arts Scene. Mild climate with all 4 seasons and easy access to the beach and mountains. It really is hard to beat when stacked up with all the negative issues that bigger cities face. As vanilla as it seems there is a reason it keeps growing at break neck speed.
And whenever things get a little to regular, we have a nice new gleeming airport to fly out of to shake things up.
Last edited by Taynxtlvl; 09-27-2011 at 09:18 AM..
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so about Raleigh.......
