Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You think I don't know that? That's what I have been doing. And I'm tired of sitting back and "dealing with it" because I'm seeing the bad effects that it's having on the environment. Now, what you said about Denver, NC no longer issuing building permits sounds more like what I want to see happen across the state.
Sunnykayak - thanks for the list of places, I've been to many of those - change can be a good thing as long as it's done appropriately. That's what I don't see. I see the same neighborhoods with the same houses being constructed in such a short time that it blows my mind that anyone would think them safe and reliable. I see less and less green everyday - what happened to Raleigh being the City of Oaks? I see greed overtaking sensibility. I see litter all over the side of the road and in the lakes. It all makes me sad.
Smaller metro areas (Greensboro/W-S, Hickory, etc) are growing slower than Raleigh or Charlotte, but I can see those cities going in the same direction. So many people are moving to NC now that they're finding out that the Triangle and Charlotte areas aren't the only viable options.
But hey, I guess all I can do is sit back and "deal with it"; I'll watch the same developments spring up around town and I'll watch traffic get worse, and in turn watch the air become more and more polluted. I'll watch the beach become even more overcrowded and the ugly mountain houses continue to ruin the western landscape.
I agree with your sentiment about growth in general. I think it is definitely a bad thing for the environment. But, I don't think there's any shortage of small towns. There are tons with very little growth going on. Most of North Carolina is covered in small towns.
As I understand it, the growth is occuring in the metro areas, and the small towns that are within about 1 hour of those metros.
But hey, I guess all I can do is sit back and "deal with it"; I'll watch the same developments spring up around town and I'll watch traffic get worse, and in turn watch the air become more and more polluted. I'll watch the beach become even more overcrowded and the ugly mountain houses continue to ruin the western landscape.
Sitting back and dealing with it might be a better option for you than coming on to a message board and whining about it. Are you doing anything to improve the situation? Are you taking any proactive measurements against the negative impacts that you feel your town/city/state is (are) experiencing?
Don't get me wrong, I certainly understand your objections, and I sympathize with your dissatisfaction. I am probably leaving Phoenix pretty soon for many similar reasons. I'm going from one area dealing with overgrowth (Phoenix metro) to another (Charlotte). You probably think that it's crazy to leave one city that has grown very rapidly to move to another city experienceing some of the same problems, but the fact is that I've gotta live somewhere, right? Charlotte, despite it's problems, has many things that I can't get in Phoenix, and would like to have for myself and my family....like lower real estate costs, lower taxes, green trees and a plot of land that allows for my house to be more than four feet from my neighbors' homes, nearby ocean and mountains, less traffic, proximity to my relatives in VA and FL, and great weather.
The poster that mentioned that you must "deal with it" was correct. You have to. You don't really have any other option, besides becoming proactive in your desire to help NC to become more "livable" again, for you, at least. You could organize a group to help pick up "litter all over the side of the road and in the lakes" that you mentioned bothers you. You can join a committee, association, or organization that oversees and/or regulates development, or propagates developmental, environmental, or economical awareness in your community or the entire state. Properly research issues that matter to you, and vote accordingly. Write letters to the proper politicians and other authorities on the matters you feel should be addressed. Heck, if you're passionate enough about it, run for office yourself. Otherwise, sitting back and dealing with it is about all you can do...besides moving somewhere else.
You have to understand that there are A LOT of people in this country, and they ALL need to live somewhere. People are free to move wherever they wish, and for whatever reasons (cost of living, environment, health, proximity to other locations and family, jobs, traffic congestion, etc), many end up leaving big or overcrowded cities in search of smaller, less expensive, growing cities and states that have what they are looking for. You can't change it, and it won't stop. It's just how it is.
Someday, Charlotte and Raleigh might grow to be huge, overcrowded cities, and people will move on to start filling up other places like Greensboro or Columbia (SC). Then those places will fill up, and people will find alternative smaller cities to populate. It'll just keep going. It's a fact of life that many Americans who live in these cities will need to come to grips with. Until Americans stop reproducing (which doesn't seem to be a possibility anytime soon), cities large and small will continue to grow (some more than others) and change, to accommodate population and economic growth and change.
There are steps we can all take to improve the WAYS in which our cities/states grow and change (become adequately environmentally conscious, establish appropriate infrastructural improvements and plans for the future, etc), but we can't really change the RATE of growth. People will move where they want to move , and they will commonly choose less populated, and/or growing cities and states with good economies, weather and living conditions like NC. Development and change will naturally follow them. For instance, as long as people keep buying the homes that you feel are "constructed in such a short time that it blows (your) mind that anyone would think them safe and reliable," developers will keep building them. It's simple economics. Whining and complaining about it, or letting it "make you sad," won't change anything, though, and it won't help to improve the situation at all. Embrace it and get over it...it's inevitable.
See, I came to this forum not to "whine" about it but to see if others had any other proactive ideas. I think only locals can understand what I'm feeling. And no, I won't just "deal with it", I have been taking some measures to help the environment - what I wanted was more ideas. sheesh.
See, I came to this forum not to "whine" about it but to see if others had any other proactive ideas. I think only locals can understand what I'm feeling. And no, I won't just "deal with it", I have been taking some measures to help the environment - what I wanted was more ideas. sheesh.
I understand that your sole purpose in starting this post was not to whine and complain, and that you were *also* asking for ideas/solutions, which is why I gave you some ideas, and offered that there is no *real* solution.
The changes WILL happen. The development WILL happen. The homes WILL be built. Traffic WILL become worse. The environment WILL change (for better or worse). The air WILL become more polluted (until we can come up with cleaner fuels and power, but that's another discussion altogether). The beaches WILL become more crowded. These are all things that you complained about (yes, you WERE whining in your previous post regarding these changes), and they are all inevitable with population and economic growth. You can't ask for the good aspects of growth, without accepting the bad, as well. You also can't expect that everyone who moves to *your* city/state, will "convert to (your) laid-back ways," as you put it. I agree that that would be ideal, and it would be nice if you could expect that to happen, but the fact is, you just can't. You cannot expect that North Carolina (or any state, for that matter) will always remain laid-back and full of small towns. The population is growing, and people need to live somewhere. They don't all want to live in already-established, big cities, so they seek out places like NC, which, in turn, changes NC to mimic the places they left behind.
I wasn't personally attacking you, and no, NC locals/natives are not the only people who feel your pain. This same thing is happening in many cities/states all over the country. People everywhere are going through the exact same changes you are going through in your community, and many people all over the country are upset about it. I was just trying to point out that there really isn't anything you or anyone can do about it. As long as our population continues to grow, it's going to happen...we all just need to learn to deal with it, and try to make it work.
In all honesty, if the environment is your primary concern, then population growth probably isn't even the biggest problem. I'd be more concerned about the 10 million hogs that are pooping straight into wastewater lagoons in the ground.
TILover, I know exactly how you feel, as do many more. I don't see any of your posts as "whining," I'd categorize them more as "mourning."
We are all having to deal with the fact that NC is changing pretty rapidly, and lots of great things that we used to have (like uncrowded beaches) are vanishing. It's great to think back when we went to the beach, had free parking with no trouble find a parking space, and sometimes the beach pretty much to ourselves. Will my child ever experience that? Probably not here. Am I whining? No. Am I dealing with it? Yes. Change is a fact of life, and we all know that. Just know that you are definitely not alone, if that is of any comfort.
TILover, I know exactly how you feel, as do many more. I don't see any of your posts as "whining," I'd categorize them more as "mourning."
We are all having to deal with the fact that NC is changing pretty rapidly, and lots of great things that we used to have (like uncrowded beaches) are vanishing. It's great to think back when we went to the beach, had free parking with no trouble find a parking space, and sometimes the beach pretty much to ourselves. Will my child ever experience that? Probably not here. Am I whining? No. Am I dealing with it? Yes. Change is a fact of life, and we all know that. Just know that you are definitely not alone, if that is of any comfort.
Well said. Most cities and states grow slowly over a long period of time and people adjust gradually. We have had such mega growth it's been a little like finding out you are pregnant and the next week the baby is born!!
Above two posters - thank you. NCSC - "mourning" is exactly what I feel and I was having trouble putting my finger on it. I appreciate the support, and it is a comfort knowing I'm not the only one who feels this way.
To the ones who say "get over it". Well its just not that simple. Sounds like a great to avoid an issue though.
The growth, in particular certain areas, is phenomenal. Its not only the individual person who has lived here all these years being affected , its the infrastructure. Seems like every year or two the CMS schools request millions in bonds, 541 million requested this year. Where is this money coming from? You. What about cities and towns adding roads, fire, police, hospitals, schools...this money has to come from somewhere.
Future facts for NC will be an over crowded state, over priced land and homes, and high taxes. That simple.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
