County Day

ALL THE COUNTIES

2006 Big Sweep Unusual finds: http://www.ncbigsweep.org/strange.html

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WATAUGA COUNTY


Accomplishment!

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GROWTH COUNTIES

Union, Brunswick, Currituck, Mecklenburg and Wake counties in North Carolina were among the 100 counties nationwide with the largest increases in housing units between 2000 and 2005.

Wake County ranked 97th on the basis of the number of homes added from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005. The county posted an increase of about 21 percent, growing from 258,961 units to 314,400 units.

Charlotte's home county and a nearby bedroom community also cracked the list. Mecklenburg County added 64,261 homes over five years -- a 22 percent increase and a rank of 91. Union County, ranked 24th, added 14,194 homes.

Currituck County, on the state's northern coast, ranked 81st, with a nearly 23 percent increase in housing units. Brunswick County, at the southern end of the coast, ranked 55th, with a nearly 26 percent increase in housing.

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COUNTY MONIES

http://www.srdifedfunds.org/similar.aspx

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ALL THE COUNTIES

Check out this county breakdown of philanthropic assets in the SE:

posted by Esse Quam @ 9:23 AM 0 comments

ROWAN COUNTY

The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education has banned South Rowan High School's Gay/Straight Alliance. They are trying to skirt around banning all clubs by arguing that they just want to ban "sex-oriented clubs." Read more here

posted by Esse Quam @ 10:18 AM 0 comments

MECKLENBURG COUNTY

Notes from Charlotte:

I'm not sure this message will reach you because I'm sending it via a
portable satelite connection courtesy of a National Geographic photographer
I was lucky enough to run into down here. Of course, there is obviously no
internet here in Charlotte.

I'm a having a great time. The people here are so friendly even though they
have so little. It just goes to show that you don't need all the things we
have back in Chapel Hill to be happy.
The culture here is so different: the customs, the clothing, greetings, etc.
Can you beleive that they don't have sensors that turn on your water
faucets for you. You have to do it by hand!!! The hardest part has been
getting used to the food. You wouldn't believe the things they eat here.

I don't know when I'll be able to contact you again, but I just wanted to
tell you that I made the trip safely and I'm doing all right here so far.

Wish me luck,

Matt

posted by Esse Quam @ 9:30 AM 0 comments

CHATHAM COUNTY

From this site detailing Piedmont North Carolina growth trends:

Bynum, North Carolina is an easy place to miss if you don’t know where you are going. There is one little state road sign on 15-501 South that points the way. The small mill village is located approximately 8 miles south of Chapel Hill and 4 miles north of Pittsboro in Chatham County. With its “close-but-far” proximity to Chapel Hill and the Research Triangle Park, this quaint community has become the perfect target for rural gentrification.

Introduction to Bynum

The commonly accepted territory of Bynum includes the area immediately off of Bynum Road. The town grew up around the mill, which was set on the Haw River. The mill would later become the sight of the Bynum Manufacturing Company, established in 1872 to make cotton goods (Hadley: 1971). Originally, the company built 14 cotton mill houses available for rent to its employees (Eventually that number increased to 38). As the mill grew, the town grew and became a vibrant community. In the 1930’s there were five stores, a movie theater, and a high school in Bynum. As one native Bynum resident said, “You never had to leave Bynum at all back then. Everything you needed was walking distance” (interview: 2003).

Today, Bynum is much different. The mill is gone; closed down and burnt out. New houses have been added to the landscape. The only store that remains in town is the Bynum General Store which also serves as a post office and social gathering space. And the native residents of Bynum are disappearing.

Rural Gentrification

As with urban gentrification, rural gentrification begins with an area in decline. This decline is both economic and aesthetic. In the case of Bynum, the decline was the closing of the mill. This forced some people to leave the community which opened up vacancies for new people to move in. The company sold off the houses, but due to the company credit system, many of the native residents were too poor to purchase the houses in which they had lived their entire lives. Attracted to Bynum by the low property values and its quaint, down-home feel, new people quickly bought up the properties and the process of rural gentrification in Bynum came into full swing.

The gentrification of Bynum has both proponents and opponents. But regardless of where you stand on the issue, it is clear that the effects of gentrification have changed Bynum’s, physical, economic, social, and cultural landscape.

posted by Esse Quam @ 9:06 AM 0 comments

ROWAN COUNTY

From today's News & Observer:

But Decker's lawyer, David Freedman of Winston-Salem, said the $50,000 deal was made at a Salisbury IHOP, a location midway between their districts. And, while not confirming that Black was the mystery man, he noted a Winston-Salem Journal report in March that Black and Decker made the deal for Decker's vote at the restaurant just off Interstate 85.

posted by Esse Quam @ 10:29 AM 0 comments