Do North Carolinians view D.C. or Atlanta as their closest major city? (Charlotte: houses, neighborhoods)
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I would probably think it's Atlanta, but I live in Charlotte, which is quite a bit closer to Atlanta than DC. I would guess folks in the Triangle would probably go with DC, and people in the Triad are kind of stuck. I'd say overall probably Atlanta but NC's kind of in the middle of both.
D.C. was the top desitnation for straight and gay young professionals in the Raleigh area 20 years ago, not sure about now.
I think both Atlanta and DC are cool, for different reasons.
I haven't lived here long enough to have an opinion or know these things, but I have met many people of my age and older (35-45) who seem to consider NY to be their "true north". Many seemed to live there for a while after graduating UNC/NC State/Duke and came back here. A few of my co-workers' kids seem like took jobs either in NY or Boston after graduation. Not sure what's that all about, but that's what I've noticed.
PS. I should add that pre-covid when I looked for international flights and couldn't find what I liked in RDU, by default I always checked Atlanta first.
PS. I should add that pre-covid when I looked for international flights and couldn't find what I liked in RDU, by default I always checked Atlanta first.
IAD is a lot closer. I check CLT, too. I have flown internationally out of IAD, but probably won't drive up there to do it again. It's a pain, especially on the return. I would not bother going to ATL. Too far. IAD is in Virginia, so about 4ish hrs vs 6ish hrs for ATL
IAD is a lot closer. I check CLT, too. I have flown internationally out of IAD, but probably won't drive up there to do it again. It's a pain, especially on the return. I would not bother going to ATL. Too far. IAD is in Virginia, so about 4ish hrs vs 6ish hrs for ATL
For international travel, you can't really beat Atlanta. It's a Delta hub after all. For domestic flights, RDU works for me. I wouldn't drive anywhere to save $$. But, for example, if I wanted to go to Beijing or Shanghai, you can easily do that from Atlanta. Pre-Covid we planned a trip to Lima, we were planning it last year in February -- but it didn't happen. When we were looking, the best and cheapest were from Atlanta. CLT sucks for international travel. Most of the time, when I check prices RDU (which smaller) has almost the same prices as CLT. For some destinations, RDU is much better. I never understood why RDU has better flights to Tokyo, for example.
So, I still believe that Atlanta is way to go for international flights, unless you want to go to JFK. Nothing beats JFK in my book. I used to get cheapest tickets to Europe. Is there anyone here who was a student in mid-2000s? Do you remember STA Travel? What a sweet deal! You could get weirdest routes, like NY - Moscow - Budapest > Birmingham UK > NY .. and everything would cost you a little over $350 haha. I think I still have my STA Travel ID card somewhere.
You’re not “curious”, but perhaps provocative. No, I am not “slamming” Atlanta, I just prefer Washington, DC to Atlanta. Please don’t pretend to read my mind or speak on my behalf.
I wasn’t trying to read your mind. I was replying to you calling Atlanta a cultural backwater (compared to DC). Atlanta isn’t a cultural backwater, really, compared to any US city.
And I was genuinely curious if it was lost on you that if Atlanta is a cultural backwater, Raleigh & Charlotte are are probably even more cultural backwaters.
I wasn’t trying to read your mind. I was replying to you calling Atlanta a cultural backwater (compared to DC). Atlanta isn’t a cultural backwater, really, compared to any US city.
And I was genuinely curious if it was lost on you that if Atlanta is a cultural backwater, Raleigh & Charlotte are are probably even more cultural backwaters.
I am not surprised. In this forum alone people couldn't believe that Atlanta could go for Biden, or win two run off elections. I have noticed that many people in this forum look up to VA but look down to SC and GA. Tons of threads about whether or not NC is true South, or if it is or isn't close to VA or SC culture just shows that people have weird feeling about the place they live in. It could just be the transplants. They may want to feel good about the choices they have made. I dunno.
But, not always. I remember reading some guy's post here who wasn't only ashamed but truly disgusted that he had a slight Southern accent. He was telling this other person who was planning to move here to not to, because {shock!!} their kids would end up having a southern accent. Being a gay person, I do understand what internalized shame means -- every gay person experiences it, you can't change the world, because whether you like it or not, you being who you are is not the way the world works by default. But, anyway, I have never thought there could be an internalized shame for being a Southerner. I found it completely shocking and sad. There is nothing you can do about it.
As the crow flies, the distance from Charlotte to Atlanta is nearly identical as the distance from DC to the Triangle.
The Triangle is actually closer to DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia, than it is to Atlanta.
I think depends what part of the state you live in. Growing up in the triad we visited DC. I actually never went to Atlanta till I was older. Most of the people I knew also talked about going to DC more than to Atlanta. Even now living in the triangle, I would be more likely to visit DC if the mood to travel to a large urban area came about.
For us it's Atlanta. We have a few daytrips under our belt to the Georgia Aquarium. When we want that next major city experience besides Charlotte, we do pick Atlanta.
That shame is more of a childhood 'coming of age' thing. Eventually you learn to recontextualize the southern thing into your identity in a positive way and make the most of it.
As for Atlanta vs DC, I think it splits down the middle of the state. The Triangle has more ties to VA and Charlotte has more ties to GA. But both are far enough away they have little influence though. We have our own cities here, with their own distinct character. It's not like New Jersey. They don't blend into other regions. There is a large stretch of wilderness separating NC's Piedmont cities from other states.
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-- but it didn't happen. When we were looking, the best and cheapest were from Atlanta. CLT sucks for international travel. Most of the time, when I check prices RDU (which smaller) has almost the same prices as CLT. For some destinations, RDU is much better. I never understood why RDU has better flights to Tokyo, for example. 
What a sweet deal! You could get weirdest routes, like NY - Moscow - Budapest > Birmingham UK > NY .. and everything would cost you a little over $350 haha. I think I still have my STA Travel ID card somewhere.
