Surely you've heard the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure," that's the thought that comes to mind when thinking about the huge movement from states like New York, California, New Jersey and Texas to North Carolina. At the same time, banging my head against the wall for a good answer on why someone would leave the "City That Never Sleeps" or "The Golden State" to North Carolina, has failed to yield a good answer. Jobs nope, economy nope, tropical weather nope, diversity nope - on the other hand cold yes, cheap housing yes, low wages yes, social segregation yes, appreciation of nature maybe.
Areas such as Raleigh and Charlotte are the main destinations for incoming residents. That's not surprising given IBM and Duke University are heavy hitters in the Raleigh area. Likewise, Charlotte, is home to quite a few big banks and auto industry fat cats. Yea, so what? Well the great state of NC wasn't doing that well, economically speaking, with jobs for the pre-existing residents, so how in the world is the state expected to employ all these new residents? After all, most of the population growth in NC is "people" not "companies" bringing people with them. That might explain why Obama was just over in North Carolina touting the need for job growth for the local economy. Good luck with that. Just because "North" precedes Carolina, the state is still in the South. More importantly, North Carolina's sister state is South Carolina -- you know home of hillbilly Hank. The bottom line - that region likes and plays up a depressed economy, low wages, sub par housing and job shortages. Wake up people and smell the coffee.
So granted North Carolina's population continues to see strong growth but what about the local economy? Don't ask...even economist are saying growth and jobs are virtually none existent. So clearly, this is not a case of "Go West young man...or in this case go East." Instead, this is more likely a case of wishing and hoping that North Carolina turns out to be the place that so many new residents think about the state. Again, good luck with that. Undoubtedly, they will see the light sooner versus later.
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