And just for you fans of obscure American history, there is a legend that Abraham Lincoln was actually born in Rutherford County, North Carolina while the Lincoln family was en route to their homestead in Kentucky. Fascinating bit of historical minutiae if I do say so myself.

And now to steer this thread back to its original course, I maintain that Charlotte is a clean, green, pleasant, and bustling city. It offers more history than people expect of acknowledge, charming old neighborhoods, thousands and thousands of acres of parkland, good schools, good colleges and universities, adequate culture, great museums, good restaurants and decent nighlife. It's ever-growing and ever-changing, and has set a course for itself that guarantees a bright future as a vibrant urban area. Downtown (Uptown), and the districts along the proposed rail lines are especially thriving and bursting with new urban development such as condominum towers and street-level retail. Charlotte offers a lot, though it's no New York, much more actually than people realize. It's only going to get better as the city continues to plan a smart future for itself rather than one of endless sprawl. The city is doing all it can to steer development into the central city and into already established areas rather than sprawl outward into undeveloped areas. Because of its commitment to smart growth, Charlotte is already one of the most livable cities around and will only improve as time goes by. It's a beautiful and pleasing big city that offers a stellar quality of life, and it might just be the thing for any easygoing couple from New York who are looking for a slower pace, that stellar quality of life, and an opportunity to more easily and more affordably experience what Charlotte has to offer from inside the city than they could experience what New York offers (even though the Big Apple offers so much more from a suburb a long commute away.

Meanwhile, there's quality in what North Carolina has to offer as a whole, be it in restaurants, high culture, history and more.

Thanks everyone for the laughs on this boring Friday. This thread has truly been amusing.

Now, without getting into the merits of either side of the debate, I've got to state the obvious here: The true irony is hauntedheadnc's constant admonishments of "There, there, Gekko. There, there. Calm yourself," when a quick scan of this thread shows that while Gekko is simply posting a few brief thoughts, it's hauntedheadnc who's pounding out diatribe-like essays on the issue. I'm getting an image of a blood vessel throbbing on his/her forehead. Why so intense? It's only a message board, and these types of obsession can't be healthy.