Charlotte has always been neglected by Raleigh, even more so than any other NC city. This lack of attention has even, from time to time, led to calls of secession by Mecklenburg residents. Residents of the “Great State of Mecklenburg”. And honestly, I don’t know how much secession would hurt the county since all of our financial resources could actually be used in improving the surrounding areas as opposed to paving new eastern roads with gold.
But now that Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory is running for governor, with recent polls showing him as the GOP pick for the position the banter is becoming even more heated. Take for example a recent editorial by the Observer’s own Mark Washburg entitled, “Find Love in Raleigh — Then Move”. I found the piece brutally hilarious and a perfect example of the rivalry between the two regions. I imagine this kind of dialogue will continue to increase as the election approaches because the leading Democratic nominee is Beverly Purdue who has an almost perfect East NC voting record.
Some of the best quotes from the Find Love in Raleigh — Then Move writeup:
Raleigh is the nation’s best city for dating.
No, not carbon dating. Romance dating.
This comes from no less an authority than the Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine, widely respected in the news industry for its crusading views on dumplings.
Having lived there, I feel a few words about that love nest to the east are in order.
And then…
But first, it would be ungentlemanly and unquestionably rude to speak ill of Raleigh, a suburb of Cary.
but there’s more,
It’s [Raleigh's Downtown] now as arousing as Times Square because a TV station installed a storefront studio where star-struck lovers gather to watch newscasters do their stuff.
And of course a dig on Raleigh’s architecture,
At the heart of Raleigh’s alluring skyline is one tall building. It’s a rather sinister-looking affair, but theatrically inspiring, like it fell off the set of a Batman movie.
For lovebirds, it provides a first-date ice-breaker.
She: “That Batman building down there? It like, ewww, gives me the creeps.”
He: “Oh, you know, like totally, me too.”
She: “Let’s have babies.”
