If you're a resident of the third largest city in North Carolina, you've probably accepted that you aren't one of the metropolitan elites that grace I-40 and I-85 near their big city hubs. You like things a little slower, a little smaller. You like living in a state with less than a million people in any given city, and you love that you have all of the amenities of city life just a twenty-minute drive from the "country." There are ten things we Greensborians just know to be true.
1. Cook Out is not just a fast food chain.
The original location, off of Battleground Avenue in Greensboro, was built in 1989. The restaurant was founded by a family who wanted to spread Christian values. Bible verses are often printed on the inside of wrappers or the sides of milkshakes. The restaurant now serves citizens of many southern states and has become a college student's dream come true, with a cheap and delicious menu. Though we don't like to admit how much we love the hamburgers, shakes, and all things fried, our beloved chain is now so much more.
2. Dolley Madison is the G.O.A.T.
She was born in Guilford County. The only first lady born in North Carolina, and she hails from our very own, Guilford County! She's the ultimate example of what any woman from Guilford County should be, having seen one husband through a death from yellow fever, and then standing by another, James Madison, who became the president of the United States. She was upset at the burning of the Capitol and refused to allow it to relocate to Philadelphia. She is also widely credited with popularizing ice cream. Let's face it, if we were all a little more like her, the world would just be a better place.
3. We were shocked most by HB2's economic impacts.
We didn't like the bill for what it was, but when it took away our ACC tournament, we were outraged. And it hurt, seeing the (soon to be) NATIONAL CHAMPIONS from just an hour and a half away play in Greenville, SC, rather than in the Greensboro Coliseum this year. Greensboro is the site of the Atlantic Coastal Conference's founding and had been the home of our beloved conference for over 50 years, before losing it in 2016. And it hurt.
4. The road construction will never end.
Most of it has been in the works since at least the 1990s. Granted, the highway infrastructure may be what put us on the map, but we're already there now! It's rough driving down NC 220, I-40, I-85, NC 68 or even NC 150, when you're down to just one or (if you're lucky) two lanes. And unfortunately, it all comes together right here.
5. Directional schools are the only important schools.
Sorry, Page and Grimsley. But really, who gave you the right to have a high school named after a person when the rest of us are forced to accept that we are class-based solely on our situation in Guilford County? Eight to two here.
6. Our town was built in a forest.
This is clear in the fact that there are highway accidents involving deer and other forest animals (sorry, squirrels) on a semi-daily basis. Moreover, we recognize it in our beautiful parks (special shoutout to Burmil), where the forest makes us nearly forget the road noise we should be hearing.
7. We've made a difference in history.
A few times, actually, we did. The sit-ins brought us into the fold with the Civil Rights Movement, and every kid knows that Woolworth's is the single coolest museum downtown. UNCG is the first and only school in North Carolina to have been founded for the sole purpose of educating women. The battle fought at Guilford Courthouse had us involved in the Revolutionary War. And all of this history gave us our name.
8. We have the ideal location.
Three hours from the beach, three hours from the mountains, less than three hours from Blue Ridge Parkway, and smack dab in the middle of a center of commerce - need I say more?
9. We will defend it with the ferocity of a tiger.
For the most part, we love our city. We love that it's a little boring, and we love that we know exactly what there is to do, who there is to do it with and where we need to go. We love that we have a rich history, and we love being a part of it. Greensboro is in our bones, and we like it that way. So whether we leave or stay forever, we know that we'll treat it as we would a sibling: We can make of it, but you never can.
