news-record.com

"But exactly what is it that makes the area fun? Is it the Sunday Evenings in the Park, Triad Stage or the Grasshoppers? What about the abundance of college students, our rollicking civic debates or events at the Coliseum? Maybe Fun Fourth, monster truck rallies or high school football?"

Yes, YES, yes, YES, er, yes, Yes, er, ok.

It's "funny" how several different magazine publications post stories like this of what city is the best for this, or the best for that. It's very apparent in many such pieces, that the people who conceive stories like this, have never lived in some of these towns, and thus have no idea what they are talking about. If there is a comment section on forbes.com regarding this, you will probably get the reality from people that actually live in that city.

Greensboro is a great place to be settled with a family and kids, but as far as fun things to do here, you have to be very easily entertained (you enjoy watching paint dry) to think that this is a fun place to live under any circumstances, starting a business or otherwise.

The rearview mirror?

What makes Greensboro fun? Well that depends on how old you are. We got 5-6 colleges in town, but does it really feel like a college town? Not to me. I went to college in Athens, GA, so I will use that as my comparison. Athens has a vibrant downtown with lots of bars, live music venues and very good restaurants. There is something to do seven days a week in downtown Athens. You might find something fun to do in Greensboro about once a month. I moved to Greensboro in 1998, when I was 27 years old, married with no kids. There was not a whole lot to do here then. I used to joke that the last person to leave downtown at 5 o'clock had to shut the lights off. Now, downtown has come a long way. Places stay open later and there are many more restaurants and bars. As for decent live music, this town is still disappointing. We ocassionally get a good ban in town, but it's always during the middle of the week. People always told me, Greensboro is a great place to raise a family, and I agree. Now that I have children, we really enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the boro, it's proximity to the mountains and the beach. The is virtually no traffic in this town compared to cities of similar size. The Grasshoppers games are always a good time. But to rank Greensboro as a fun town to live, I agree with an earlier comment, the writer has probably never even been here. I like Greensboro and I like living here, but I know there are places with a lot more to offer. I would not call Greensboro a fun place to live.

Define "fun."

NC you took the words right out of my mouth. Greensboro is a college town that does nothing to retain or welcome students who come here. The Cultural scene is dead. Race relations are on a decline due too elected city officials corruption in the police department . A city that was against the Grass Hopper stadium even when a private owner wanted to use his own money we had people who was against it but in the same breath waste tax payers dollars on a swimming pool which will not be used by all citizens. Downtown Greensboro business owners are people who are not from NC bringing there ways to the city basing ever thing off of another areas bringing New York, New Jersey rabbish ways here to our night life the city has lost its soul.. No more city stages like say 20 years ago Fun 4th is not as big as it used to be . There is a lot to be done here room to grow but small minds in power will never let the city shake mayberryism..

It's fun as in we're close enough to RDU to fly somewhere even funner... because our airport sucks monkey balls.

Well, a combination of things. I am a single mother (one of the invisible groups in this city). It would be a lot of fun if people would stop trying to make it homogeneous and suburban. I was surprised when I moved here from Raleigh, NC a few years ago to find that 90% of the city rolls up the sidewalks after 7-8 pm. An aversion to out-of-doors activities, over regulation (think anti-loitering ordinances) of people's desire to be outside in groups, a lot of "us" v. "them" politics, Greensboro has no soul, and no heart, and no welcome mat, and poor customer service in general, and no pitch. I went to a popular seafood place and they were closing up doors at 8:45 on a Friday... a FRIDAY. When I asked someone behind the counter why this was the case, he said that everyone from here knows they close up at 9. I told him it was news to me, because I am NOT from around here. Then he made another interesting comment, and that was that said popular restaurant has no liquor license. Interesting.
I lived near NC State in Raleigh, and it was the needs and demands of the students that determined the practices and locations of the businesses in that area. Kentucky Fried Chicken closed at 11pm on Western Blvd. and closes at 8pm on Battleground Ave.
And about the guy who has kids now... well, kids of privelege and wealth have a great time here, but everyone else has it kind of difficult. 22% of the population was between 0-17 in 2007 in Greensboro, but you can't see it or feel it. Once your kids get to 12 or so, it is better to leave because that age group is the most scorned and unwelcome in the city. And if you have a boy, he had better be an excellent student or play a sport because if not, he is sure to be in a gang because where there are 3 or more in this town, there is a gang. Well, at least that is the mindset.
Greensboro is NOT for single unmarried people, people who were not born and raised here or within a 50 mile radius, and definitely not for you if you come from a foreign land.
So, get out of Dodge as soon as you are able, I haven't yet because I haven't been able, but I'm working on it!