Cary, North Carolina: Visiting old classmates and seeing the B-side of small town America

Small towns in the United States are very different from small towns in our country, mainly because the population size of the former is several levels smaller. A small American town has only one to two thousand people, or even a few hundred people; a town with more than 20,000 or 30,000 people is considered very large; a town with more than 50,000 people is a developed town near a big city. .

Cary, a small town in North Carolina, has an area of ??155 square kilometers, which is about the same size as many towns in Guangdong, but its population in 2020 is only 170,000. Despite this, Cary is the largest town in North Carolina, and its population is among the largest among incorporated towns in the United States.

Very few people in China know Kerry. Before leaving for America, my only connection to Kerrytown was a classmate of mine.

Mr. Lu is my classmate in the same grade and different classes in junior high school, the same class in high school, and the same school and different departments as my master’s student. We separated from Nankai University in the early 1990s and never saw each other again. It was only many years later that we learned that he had made his home in Kailian on the other side of the earth.

The direct purpose of my last trip to the United States was not to see Mr. Lu, but to run the Chicago Marathon. The Chima Marathon is one of the six major marathon events in the world, and the winning rate is very low. When I signed up, I just had the attitude of giving it a try. I didn’t expect that I would be so lucky to win the lottery.

The Zhima Horse is probably the most suitable foreign event for mainland Chinese, because it is usually scheduled in early October, which coincides with our National Day holiday. I can have a lot of fun in the United States before the competition and have plenty of time to get over the jet lag.

It’s a rare trip to the United States, just in time to visit this old classmate whom I haven’t seen for more than 20 years and with whom I have a deep affection. So, after the international flight to New York landed, I did not go directly to Chicago, but turned a corner and boarded a flight to Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.

After studying the map, I discovered that Chicago is in the "Rust Belt" of the United States, which is the cold old industrial area in the north, while Kerry belongs to the emerging industrial area in the "Sun Belt" in the south. The spatial distance between these two cities is more than 1,300 kilometers, and their urban styles, industrial development models, and lifestyles are very different.

Chicago's latitude is equivalent to Shenyang in my country. Winters are relatively cold and the wind is biting. It is known as the "Windy City". The earliest industrial bases after the founding of the United States were concentrated in the northern part of the country. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, thousands of Americans moved south from northern cities along with the industrial migration.

Our country’s old industrial base in the Northeast is now declining, and the high-quality industrial population is flowing with industry to warmer areas in the south. This is very similar to the United States back then.

Kairui’s latitude is roughly equivalent to northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong, with four distinct seasons. Although it is not directly adjacent to the sea, it benefits from the warm and humid air currents of the Atlantic Ocean. It is warm and humid all year round, with less extreme weather and abundant rainfall. It feels more comfortable than other cities at the same latitude. Due to the well-protected natural environment and high forest coverage, harmony between man and nature has always been a label of life in North Carolina.

When I was about to arrive in Raleigh, I looked down from the plane. The entire field of view was lush forest vegetation and various lakes and water bodies. For a moment, I will have the illusion that I am not here to run a city marathon, but to travel and sightsee.

Twilight in Lake Johnson Park (Shu Dong/Photo)

Classmate Lu personally picked me up at the Raleigh Airport, driving a tall and powerful Ford F-150.

Unexpectedly, the road from the airport to his home is just over 10 miles, and the drive home takes no more than 20 minutes. It turns out that Cary and Raleigh are two cities right next to each other and both belong to Wake County.

After leaving the airport and taking the expressway, I didn’t see a single building with more than 5 floors along the way. Almost all buildings are no higher than the canopy of surrounding trees, and most buildings can only be seen through the gaps between trees; buildings are also quite alienated and far apart. In short, except for the blue sky, there are trees, forests and green spaces everywhere.

It’s no wonder that the F150 pickup truck, which is huge in size and displacement, has always been among the top ten best-selling models in North America. It is indeed particularly suitable for Mercedes-Benz in such densely forested, vast land and sparsely populated areas, where the sky is high and the birds can fly. place.

For three hundred years, North Carolina's traditional leading industry has been agriculture.

From this point of view, the lush greenery here is logical.

What perplexes me deeply is that in recent years, North Carolina’s economic aggregate has ranked among the top ten in the United States every year. Agriculture alone obviously cannot do this. Is there any secret hidden here?

While chatting with classmate Lu, I habitually opened the map on my mobile phone to study the surrounding geographical environment. Suddenly I discovered that Kerry is not only next to Raleigh, but also next to a city and a town: Durham. (Durham) and Chapel Hill (ChapelHill).

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill! Isn't this the famous triangle belt?

Anyone who has done industrial research knows that the "development model" that has provided a surging impetus to China's economic development in recent years refers to the "industrial park model" promoted by the government to a large extent. The originator of the government-promoted industrial park model is not in China, nor is it Silicon Valley, but in a place called The Research Triangle Park (RTP).

Our Ford F150 is currently running within the scope of the RTP park!

I was a little confused for a moment, unable to connect a highly respected and highly developed high-tech industrial park with this endless green sea.

There are a lot of materials and books on RTP. People outside the industry may not imagine that in the United States, which has private land ownership and a high degree of marketization, government-promoted undertakings can be so successful.

The reason why RTP has the word "research" in its name is because the real starting point of this park is three universities. The three universities are: Duke University (located in Durham), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (located in Chapel Hill), and North Carolina State University (located in Raleigh).

RTP’s land is located within this triangular area, hence its name.

In 1959, the government, universities and enterprises jointly formed the Research Triangle Park Committee and formally established RTP. Through policy support and guidance, the government has closely integrated the teaching capabilities and scientific research capabilities of these three universities with the local technology companies, forming the one-stop industrial ecology of "government, industry, academia, and research" that we are now familiar with.

The day-to-day management and operation of the park is handled by the non-profit organization "Research Triangle Foundation". The foundation is also jointly participated by the government, universities and settled enterprises.

RTP is very unique in terms of administrative jurisdiction. It is an unincorporated area (Unincorporated area), which is an administrative system with typical American characteristics.

The so-called unincorporated area actually means that all entities on this land do not pay taxes to the government. So how to carry out corporate management? The situation in each unincorporated area is different. In RTP, companies and individuals pay taxes to the foundation; the foundation is responsible for providing public products in the region. Obviously, the unincorporated area model is more autonomous, more flexible and efficient than the British-style "statutory agency" model popular in Hong Kong and Singapore.

The foundation owns all the land and infrastructure in the park and is responsible for the planning and construction of the park. It leases or sells land in the park to technology companies in a planned manner. The land property rental, transfer income and tax revenue it obtains through operations are all used to improve the infrastructure and service improvements of the science and technology park.

After more than 60 years of operation, RTP has now gathered more than a dozen industrial clusters, the largest of which are biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, followed by information technology and software. RTP has attracted nearly 300 scientific research companies and employs tens of thousands of people.

Once the science and technology park and surrounding universities form a synergy, their driving role will be very considerable. RTP not only changed the industrial structure of North Carolina in one fell swoop, but also promoted a leap in North Carolina's overall economic strength.

It is worth mentioning that after Lenovo Group acquired IBM's computer business as a whole, it moved its US headquarters here.

After the reform and opening up, the industrial park model has been regarded as a standard by governments across the country. On this basis, industrial parks and new industrial cities that are now blooming all over China have gradually formed. Many people even travel thousands of miles to come to RTP to learn from it.

A middle-class residential area in the small town of Kairui (Shu Dong/Photo)

Kairui, this originally inconspicuous town, has caught up with the good times. It happens to be in the center of this huge triangular area, geographically close to RTP. Despite this, it is still a standard incorporated township, and its residents and businesses are required to pay taxes to the government.

In the 1960s, Kerry's total population was only more than 3,000, and the town's main industry was the tobacco industry. Since the establishment of RTP, it has naturally transformed into a living area supporting the park.

Over the past few decades, the town's population has increased dozens of times, and it has undoubtedly become one of the wealthiest towns in the United States.

Classmate Lu lives in a typical middle-class community. The house is very new, the style is uniform, and the community environment is clean and tidy. Most of the community residents are new immigrant families.

Classmate Lu also specially took me to see another apartment he invested and rented in a small town. This newly developed three-story apartment has a compact layout and is suitable for renting by lower income earners or single residents who work here for a short period of time. According to domestic standards, these low-density apartments surrounded by forests and with ample parking spaces can be called "villages."

Kairui’s apartment complex (Shudong/Photo)

With a strong industrial base and ample employment opportunities, this town is undoubtedly a strong attraction for new immigrants - this It is also the foundation on which all American towns thrive. However, simply having the opportunity to make money is not enough. The American elite attaches more importance to education and quality of life than we do.

Kerry is similar to Shenzhen to some extent. It can be said to be a brand-new city where immigrants have an absolute advantage and are dominated by well-educated elite families. But the difference is that Kerry’s education , medical and other living supporting resources are more sufficient.

Compulsory education in the United States is from kindergarten to 12th grade (ie K-12). Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) is the largest public school district in North Carolina and is located in Cary.

Wake County has a total population of 1.1 million. There are more than 190 primary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of WCPSS, including 27 high schools, 33 middle schools, 104 elementary schools and 8 vocational schools. In addition, there are 9 charter schools and 31 private schools (all K-12) in the county.

Such abundant educational resources are enough to put many cities in our country to shame.

The town is unequivocal in terms of quality of life.

CaryTowneCenter is one of the major commercial centers in Cary, with a commercial construction area of ??more than 90,000 square meters, partially on the second floor, more than 4,800 parking spaces, and more than 100 merchants. The department store alone includes JCPenny , Belk, Dillard's three. It has been more than 40 years since it opened in 1979.

Looking at small towns in China, if the resident population does not reach more than 500,000 people, probably no business will dare to open such a large-scale Mall.

CaryTowneCenter is not the only shopping mall in the town. I searched on Google Maps for shopping malls near Lu’s home. Within a 20-minute drive, there were at least a dozen! Among them, there are four or five within the small town of Kairui.

The favorite shopping mall for Lu’s children is SouthPoint Mall in Durham, which is also less than 20 minutes’ drive away. This shopping mall is even larger, with a total area of ??120,000 square meters and more than 6,400 parking spaces.

Only after visiting the Mall in an American small town can I realize the development of American business culture. American business life has penetrated into every remote corner of the United States.

At the same time, I also feel that small towns in the United States are actually cities, and there is no substantial difference in the quality of life between them and central cities. On the contrary, the neighborhoods here are closer and enjoy more sunshine and greenery.

Twenty or thirty years ago, perhaps the biggest cost of living in a small American town was commuting to work. Now, with the industrial park model, even this only shortcoming has been made up for.

In recent years, Kerry has become a star town in the United States.

Because the United States calls both small towns and big cities "City". Kerry has won awards such as the safest city in the United States and the most popular city among professionals. In 2016, it was even named one of the top ten most prosperous cities in the United States. The head of the city.

In South Point Mall, there are only a few customers on weekdays. (Shu Dong/Photo)

After visiting two or three shopping malls in Kairui Town and nearby, while sighing at the quality of life of residents in small American towns, I felt sorry for the operators of the shopping malls. A sweat.

Shopping malls in major cities such as New York and Chicago are not bad. In smaller cities, especially small towns like Kerry, the daily flow of people in shopping malls can be described as "empty" - the epidemic That's how it was before. From my perspective as a Chinese, how can a store survive with so little traffic!

If you look closely at the expressions of the waiters, they are very calm; the product prices are fair and consistent, maintaining an almost completely coordinated price system across the United States. Everything is so natural and peaceful.

Kerry’s government website shows that a new shopping mall will be opened in the town in 2022!

In terms of name, Lake Johnson Park should be regarded as an official city park in Kerry. After dinner, classmate Lu would take me for a walk here.

Here there is no habit of lighting up lights at night in domestic parks. The twilight sky blends with the endless, dark forest in the distance, just like the background of the deep stage. The lake forms a broad stage, and the lakeside is dotted with stars. The lights are like actors performing hard, and pedestrians whispering in twos and threes are completely melted into the light and shadow of nature, becoming the audience.

Without looking at a mobile phone map, it would be difficult for a non-local in a small town like Kerry to accurately determine where a park is. By my standards, the entire town is one big park; from a walker's perspective, most of the time in the town, only trees and sky are visible.

An environment like Cary's is perfect for warm-up miles before a marathon. I did not choose a formal park, but ran into the dense jungle.

There is a very famous running trail deep in the dense forests of Kerry - the American Tobacco Trail (ATT). A few decades ago, the tobacco industry and trade in Kerry and its surrounding areas were relatively developed. The original site of ATT used to be a railway, belonging to the famous American Tobacco Company, specializing in transporting tobacco.

In the 1970s, most of the railway was demolished due to the construction of the Jordan Lake Reservoir. But it was in the 1980s that the use of this abandoned railway line was seriously considered at the planning level. It was not until 1992 that a formal ATT master plan was formulated. Since then, construction of the trail has only begun step by step. In fact, some sections were not put into use until 2014.

Governments at all levels in the United States are not that rich, and the decision-making procedures are also very cumbersome. The efficiency of urban construction is really low. If it weren't for the RTP's growing momentum in recent years, the rapid increase in population, and the rapid increase in tax revenue, this running track would most likely still be on the drawing board.

ATT Wake County Section (Shu Dong/Photo)

The first impression when visiting the site is the typical North American style, simple and simple. The overall length of the ATT is more than 20 miles (approximately 40 kilometers) and runs through Durham, Chatham and Wake counties. Since the ATT was built almost on the original railway line, its most notable feature is that it is long and straight.

Many sections of the road through Durham and Chatham have been converted to asphalt. Only this section of Wake County is still a traditional gravel road, which is very comfortable to run on, feels great on your feet, and can effectively protect your knees.

The pure air has a high concentration of negative ions. After a run, not only will you not feel tired, but on the contrary, the "lung cleansing" effect is very obvious; in an extremely quiet environment, there is only the rustle from the friction between running shoes and the road. I am accompanied by my voice; occasionally I will meet children who are training with the coach, and they will cheer me enthusiastically.

ATT has many entrances and parking is very convenient. There is an entrance only a few minutes' drive from Lu's home, and he is responsible for picking up and dropping off the car with a simple effort.

I just ran a few experimental miles. Logically speaking, if you don't run more than 20 kilometers at a time, you will be sorry for such an environment.

Unfortunately, I was about to run the marathon in two days, so I had no choice but to give up.

While running, I caught a glimpse of one or two old houses standing alone in the jungle on the roadside, as if they would be "swallowed" by nature at any time, which seemed a little weird.

The explanatory signs on the roadside cleared up my doubts. It turned out that these old houses were tobacco warehouses along the railway line. The explanatory board is illustrated with pictures and texts, and it emotionally recalls the contribution of the tobacco industry over the past three hundred years - supporting the lives of thousands of families for several generations, and supporting the construction of cities, hospitals, and universities. There were once nearly 500,000 of these tobacco warehouses across the United States. They carry the memory of history, but not many remain. Finally, we call on every passerby to pay attention to this and work together to protect this piece of history.

The old tobacco warehouse next to the trail (Shu Dong/Photo)

I stayed at classmate Lu’s house for three days. I haven't seen this friend for many years, so I would take advantage of the chat to look at him silently, hoping to see his current life situation from his face. It was a face full of contentment, tranquility, and firm faith. He seemed to be completely integrated into Kerry's natural and indifferent environment, and there was no trace of worry or pressure about life.

Mr. Lu also pays great attention to sports and fitness. According to domestic standards, his figure belongs to a young man in his twenties who is active in the gym. He is a typical muscular man.

Not impetuous, sincere and true, this is also reflected in Mrs. Lu. During my stay in Kerry, the couple took turns being my driver.

During a chat, classmate Lu suggested that I consider moving to Kairui for a long time after retirement. His suggestions were not just casual remarks, but well-founded. Kerry is an open town dominated by new immigrants, and is quite tolerant of new immigrants. Today, there are about 30,000 Chinese people living here, accounting for more than 20% of the total population. No wonder I feel friendly everywhere when I wander and run in the town. In recent years, Kerry’s Chinese Lantern Festival has become a business card, attracting tens of thousands of tourists every year.

On the other hand, Kerry's high-quality population structure is also well-known in the United States. In 2016, it was counted as the city with the highest proportion of Ph.D.s in the United States; the 2017 American Community Survey showed that 65% of adults in Cary have a college degree, which is the highest proportion among cities in any developed country.

Demographic structure in turn determines the city’s lifestyle. With such a high proportion of high-quality population and a large concentration of Chinese, it is not surprising that there are abundant educational resources.

Unlike small towns in China that were born out of traditional agricultural societies, most residents of American small towns are gathered together because of corporate work relationships. Although the residents of these small towns are not related by blood to each other, because everyone's family life is closely related to local industries and enterprises, their neighborhood relationships are closer and more interdependent.

According to statistics from the town government, even in 2020 when the epidemic was raging, the property tax and sales tax of the Kerry government increased compared with 2019. This shows that the local economic development is still strong and residents' willingness to invest and consume is still sufficient.

So, when I heard Lu’s suggestion, I was actually a little moved.

Shudong