Under the headline:
Why Midsize Cities Struggle to Catch Up to Superstar Cities
..the New York Times parachutes into Winston-Salem to ponder that question:
Winston-Salem has been overshadowed within North Carolina by the Raleigh-Durham area, an early success in building a research-driven economy, and Charlotte, a financial hub. The last time that the Winston-Salem area had a higher income per person than Raleigh, 100 miles to the east, was in 1977. By 2017, Raleigh was ahead by 22 percent.
While Winston-Salem lacks many of the amenities Amazon was seeking, city leaders claim it has plenty of selling points: a low cost of living, a lively downtown and uncongested streets among them. The sources of venture capital are more limited than in California, but the investment goes further. And there is a greater opportunity to stand out.
There’s not a lot here you didn’t already know if you’ve been paying attention to the goings-on here in the Piedmont Triad area for the past several years. Note the article drew 279 reader comments, which I always find interesting. There some insightful comments, but also comments that you would pretty much expect from NYT readers:
In a gerrymandered Republican state, is this really a surprise? Republican lawmakers are downright hostile to public transit, being, as a party, quite well subsidized by road builders. Of course the result is cities that close down at night when everyone retreats to the burbs plus total dependence on the car and consequent traffic – something younger generations are less enamored with than their elders. A change of leadership may be in order.
And:
Why would any young person live where laws are passed that reflect the bigotry, misogyny, and xenophobia of Trump and the GOP?
Anti LGBT, anti abortion, anti science, anti climate change, anti Muslims, and to top it off, a Confederate state with a racist heritage.
I live in Greensboro, which–while it has issues of its own–is a very livable city. I don’t travel to Winston often, but when I do I see a sister city with no more or no less to do culturally. One thing I would point out that the NYT didn’t–both Winston and Greensboro have overwhelming liberal city councils. But that’s true of most midsize and large cities.
