The greater piedmont triad north central regional area, NC

GREENSBORO, NC -- I have long been of the opinion that the concept of "regionalism" is a detriment to the people of the largest city of the "piedmont triad." It works against the efforts and accomplishments of the people of Greensboro to have us blended away into the amalgam of the "region." I've never been able to articulate it, however, with the skill and clout of Guilford County's former economic development head Rob Bencini, who adds some perspective in When Regionalism Does a City Wrong.

An excerpt:

Perhaps that’s the source of all this “piedmont triad” marketing effort at the expense of your own brand.  You were trying to prove you weren’t the bully any more.  Well, it’s really not working.  By year 2000 the McKinsey study commissioned by Greensboro’s foundations found Greensboro to be falling behind and the city was labeled “pleasantly mediocre”.  Now, it’s even worse.

The acceptance of "The Triad" as a place, with meaning only to those insulated in its nebulous boundaries, has become so engrained that, at this point, I'd be happy with small steps, like removing "Triad" from among the real places plotted on WGHP's weather maps. Every little burgh gets a point on the map but the area's largest city is invisible.