In this thread we discover that Charlotte, NC is not a “world class” city because the popular press “needs” to follow the name of the city with the name of the state.
While I can understand the need to distinguish “Portland, Maine” from “Portland, Oregon” and other such things, what city would be confused with “Charlotte, NC?”
I just looked at my weather page on my local paper, and discovered that “Washington” is followed by “DC.” Charleston is followed by “SC.” Lexington is followed by “KY”
I understand that there are multiple city names and we need some help. But pick up a copy of a newpaper which shows the temps. from around the US. and see if you need to know all of the states listed after the city. Washington, DC. Does that mean that it isn’t a major city?
Truly not ranting here, just looking for info on why the append states to some cities. I don’t think the size of the city has anything to do with it.
World-class cities are like Sting or Madonna. They need only one name to be instantly and uniquely identified. Try this simple test: ask a random, reasonably well-educated person from London or Berlin or Tokyo or Bejing where Charlotte is. Then watch their blank expressions.
(Note that I didn’t have to say “London, England,” “Berlin, Germany,” etc…)
There are lots of regionally important but nationally unmemorable US cities with unique monikers. But just because there’s only one, say, Milwaukee, doesn’t mean that people in Charlotte or Portland or Lexingon instantly remember where it is. Hence the state name is added afterwards as a helpful hint for those who were not as attentive in geography class as we were.
(Incidentally, Washington D.C. is always called Washington D.C. because that’s the name of the city–in other words, it’s not that the city is named Washington and it’s in the District of Columbia, it’s that the actual name of the city is Washington, District of Columbia.)
I travel alot and, sadly, I get alot of blank looks when I tell people I’m from Charlotte. “Charlotte…?” I always have to tell people that it’s in NC. One point that was made in the other thread though (yes, I noticed it too :D) was that there are no other big cities or even large suburbs around Charlotte. Charlotte is actually like the 24th or 25th largest city in america but the population of the surrounding area is not even close to that of, say, Miami, which is actually a rather small city.
Well, maybe, but you’ve already pointed out why Portland (my neck of the woods) needs that OR trailing after it. Well, sometimes I can get away without the OR, but only when talking (emailing) with someone in the west. People in the east often think of the one in Maine.
Every once in a while, someone has the idea to rename Portland to Multnomah (the name of the county it’s in) which would certainly make it unique. It’d take some getting used to, which is probably why no one gets behind the idea.
Well, actually, if you just say Milwaukee in Portland OR, many people will think you are talking about Milwaukie (note spelling difference), a local suburb.
As far as Washington, I think the main reason it carries that DC baggage around is to distinguish it from the state. Washington state is the only one that is inevitably trailed by the word ‘state’ for the same reason. There are other towns named Washington, but the largest is the one in PA which has only about 15,000 people.
Charlotte is not even listed in my newspapers weather section. I have a cousin living in the Charlotte area and if I want to check on the weather, I have to look at Raliegh instead. Other than being the known center for stock car racing, what else is Charlotte know for?
Listen, I really have to question how the term “World Class” became synonomous with no last name i.e. Madonna.
I would posit that cities like Chicago EARN their titles of W.C.
Charlotte, as much as the residents would love to believe, is still a rather small town. The fact that they have all the crime of a big city and twice the traffic of a big city doesn’t negate the fact that they have the culture of a city roughly the size of a Charlotte ,say.
For years Charlotte has been shouting “Yo, over here!” but aside from miles and miles of urban sprawl in the form of malls and tract houses, what have they got to back it up?
No offense, Charlotte, but chill out and be who you are. A big little town in the middle of nowhere with too much traffic, and your STILL too far from the beach!
Boy, am I gonna get it!
:smack:
My boyfriend lives in Charleston, SC, and whenever I mention where he is, I always have to add the SC part. Although it’s much better known, many people DO confuse it with Charleston, WV. I also must admit that, while I did know a bit about Charleston, SC, prior to meeting my boyfriend, thanks to HS history, I’ve not spent much time on the east coast, and really had nothing notable(for myself) to equate it with, so I was a bit on the naive side, when he told me Charleston…hell, I was barely even aware of where SC was located, I knew it was over there…somewhere. Never in my life would I have imagined myself going to SC, but I have, and am very thankful for it.
As for Charlotte, I don’t see any reason for confusion, while it doesn’t exactly rank up there with NY, or LA, Chicago, or Miami, for notariaty, it’s pretty unmistakable, at least to me, and this also coming from someone who knew very little about either of the Carolina’s. I was far more confused by Charleston, than Charlotte.
What is Charlotte known for? Uh, well, there’s an awful lot of hub-bub regarding the wright bros, for one.
Not from me…that’s why I moved out. Charlotte sucks, and the city council is a bunch of overpaid yuppies that need to get a clue. They’re building a loop around the city, 4 LANES!!! It’s already overcrowded. Typical of the short-sighted thinking of the local government.
To address an earlier comment, we are a NASCAR stronghold, but there’s also a shitload of bankers here…but I don’t see World Class status in their future.
There’s a local message board, which I won’t link because it’s SO offensive, but it’s sponsored by one of the local news stations…the racist rhetoric is unbelievable.
Eh? I don’t think Charlotte has much at all to do with the Wright Brothers. They did all of their work in Dayton, OH, took the train to Elizabeth City, NC, and caught a boat to Kill Devil Hills, south of Kitty Hawk, NC, and the rest…
I’ll avoid the obvious cliché. But Charlotte has nothing to do with the Wright Bros., except that people in Charlotte have a picture of the Wright Bros. plane on their license plates and possibly on their driver’s licenses.
Why the necessity to say London, England, Paris, France, and Dublin, Ireland? Surely if one of these city names is mentioned, it is more likely to refer to the biggest and most important of these cities rather than some puny town.
'Cause ah maht git 'em confused with London, Texas, Dublin, Texas (home of the Dr. Pepper bottling plant where they still use pure cane sugar–is your Dublin famous for something?), and Paris, Texas (the second-largest Paris in the world!)
There’s a World Class city.
See how easy it is to be easy. Just relax and be yourself.
Ahhhhhhh takin’ it easy on the water, relaxin’ downtown on the river, goin up to Norfolk for a concert. Perfect blend of this and that.
cheers
