Bloomberg uses Rockingham County vs. Chatham County to show 'how the industrial boom is following a familiar pattern, rather than altering it. Keith Debbage, an economic geographer at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has spent more than 30 years studying development in the state and says the Rockingham-Chatham divide illustrates a rule at the heart of his discipline: “It’s just a fundamental fact of economic geography. There are winners and losers.” ’
Even with manufacturing, as with services, the greater Triangle is growing faster than the greater Triad.
Great article, I encourage anyone to just input their email to read it. I grew up in Siler City. The changes that will occur there over the next decade are hard to even imagine. Decades old investments in these 3 meagasites along with Chatham County’s investments in education is really paying off.
A difference between between Chatham County and Johnston County from what I’ve seen, heard and read seem to suggest:
Chatham getting more large businesses first?
Johnston getting more housing first?
Johnston is more convenient to Downtown Raleigh than Chatham is to RTP. But the growth is coming. My dad’s family has deep roots in Chatham, and I grew up going to my grandparent’s farm. Seeing Pittsboro change over the last few decades has been an experience.
Chatham borders all 3 core counties in the Triangle. That’s a differentiator. Cary pushes west into it and both Chapel Hill and Durham press against it. RTP is just to its northeast. It’s the edge county with the most upside IMO, despite it continuing to be outgrown by Johnston. Jordan Lake is obviously it’s biggest logistic challenge to growth and development, and the county would benefit from Durham and Chapel Hill stepping up their growth games.
Right now Wake is really driving the growth in the Triangle’s eastern and southern directions, while it’s also driving growth in eastern Chatham.
Just a few more car break ins, condo assessments, noisy neighbors, lack of privacy. I said the same thing. We are more alike than you acknowledge. Brothers with a different mother.
Johnston County and Chatham County are the polar opposite culturally and politically. Not disparaging Johnston County at all, but they are hyper businesses and housing friendly.
No. It’s not going to happen. Trust me.
If I ever did move from where I am, I could imagine going to the Village District if there was a suitable condo that I liked, but that’s about it. Even then, I am not interested in moving anymore. For the better part of the last 40+ years, I’ve been in the general area from NC State to the Cotton Mill.
Even for a Millbrook guy, Johnson Co seems crazy rural, even as we know it is not.
At least for some it is hard to get past the imagine you have of a place like it was when you were young.
Hell, my wife won’t even discuss moving some place like Wendell!!
I remember as a young child the big billboard sign, riding into Smithfield, NC. I Won’t say what the sign said, but I will reflect on the postive and say Johnston County has come along way, and it’s actually a nice place to live for everybody now.
i lived there in the late 90s in sold farmland to make a new small neighborhood in the cleveland area near clayton…ex-military now in the trades, and numerous Raleigh commuters at banks, schools, etc. at the time it wasnt as ‘im not sure what conception you have’ bad. salt of earth people that got cheap housing at the time. 25 years later…im sure stuff has changed.
off topic…ill stop after this. not trying to convince you of the areas attributes, but the folks i lived around didnt have complaints. and seemed in good cheer for the most part and were getting ahead. they may live in raleigh now. yeah we drove places (3 miles on a two lane road to food lion, pizza, etc) but had acre lots and played with our dogs and soccer in them.