Forget the election. It’s the concentration of population growth in the state’s urban areas, especially Charlotte and the Triangle while rural areas stagnate. Or worse. As the Winston-Salem Journal reports:

The state grew by 1.3 percent from 2010 to 2011, but new U.S. Census Bureau estimates show that 44 of the state’s 100 counties — including most in Northwest North Carolina — lost residents. The state’s economic powerhouses of Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham led the way, contributing almost 45 percent of the state’s growth during the first year since the 2010 census.