In 1993, Hendersonville elected a new town government that is addressing hard issues, such as annexation, congestion, infrastructure improvements, and long-range planning.
Businesses move for a number of reasons: consolidation, bankruptcy, better offers. Some cities coping with recent losses are Greenville (Glaxo Wellcome) and Tarboro (Black and Decker).
Southport, a town that prides itself on public service and close community relations, depends mostly on tourists and retirees to boost its economy. While prospect of a new movie studio offers growth, it could also affect the community's lifestyle.
Neotraditional communities, or communities with houses, condos, shops, schools, and offices patterned like old-fashioned neighborhoods, are developing in reaction to the isolation of suburban sprawl. Chapel Hill's Southern Village is the state's first.
Summer parks and recreation programs offer young people across the state a variety of activities, including adventure, clown, and drama camps; music and art camps; and sports camps.
Hurricane Bertha, which struck the eastern part of the state in July, 1996, left her mark on a number of towns, including Emerald Isle, New Bern, Southport, Beaufort, and Wrightsville Beach.
The exodus of businesses from downtown to shopping malls can be debilitating. The National League of Cities Downtown America program shows cities how to rebuild downtown areas. Monroe is one of the eleven pioneer participants.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 raises a number of issues for municipalities, including regulation of public rights-of-way, zoning for cellular towers, and taxing authority.
Some things local government observers predict for North Carolina in 2005 include financially sound cities; a clean environment; expanded information networks; an older, more diverse population; and the Triad, Charlotte, and the Triangle coalescing.
Begun in 1980 as a project for the National Trust for Historic Preservation the North Carolina Main Street program has assisted cities like Tarboro, Mocksville, and Waynesville in revitalizing and preserving their central business districts.
Recycling by the state's municipalities has become profitable, bringing higher prices than two years ago. Because of previous contract commitments or insufficient personnel for handling recycling, however, not all cities are benefitting from the trend.
Many state cities, like Jacksonville, are resorting to curfews to set limits for youth whose parents will not. The curfew helps curb vandalism, control juvenile crime, and reduce chances for young people to become victims or be lured into crime.
When Hazelwood and Waynesville in Haywood County consolidate July 1, 1995, it will be only the fifth city-city merger in the state this century. Mergers of cities and counties are even rarer.
To bring companies and jobs to their area, competing cities sometimes offer attractive incentives, like use of a speculative building. While this can be a sound business approach, it can also be detrimental, creating costs that have not been budgeted.