- I-85 Corridor
).
A number of studies have identified parts of the region as a developing megalopolis [ [http://www.cqgrd.gatech.edu/megaregions/PAM.php Georgia Institute of Technology :: CQGRD : MegaRegions ] ] or "
megapolitan area " [http://www.mi.vt.edu/uploads/megacensusreport.pdf "Beyond Megalopolis" by the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech] . In particular, the metro areas of the Triangle, Triad, Charlotte (together as thePiedmont Crescent ), Greenville-Spartanburg and Atlanta are growing toward each other. The area also appears to be growing toward theBosWash megalopolis by way of two corridors throughVirginia ; indeed, both Petersburg and itstwin city , Richmond, are considered part of BosWash. It is also growing toward a developing megalopolis centered on Atlanta, stretching fromChattanooga, Tennessee toBirmingham, Alabama .Cities
Specific major cities include:
*Anderson, South Carolina
*Atlanta, Georgia
*Auburn, Alabama
*Birmingham, Alabama
*Burlington, North Carolina
*Charlotte, North Carolina
*Concord, North Carolina
*Durham, North Carolina
*Gastonia, North Carolina
*Greenville, South Carolina
*Greensboro, North Carolina
*High Point, North Carolina
*Kannapolis, North Carolina
*Montgomery, Alabama
*Petersburg, Virginia
*Spartanburg, South Carolina Transportation
Various other interstates have junctions with Interstate 85: I-95,
I-40 ,I-73 ,I-74 ,I-77 ,I-26 ,I-75 ,I-20 andI-65 .Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport is the busiest airport in the world andCharlotte/Douglas International Airport is among the top 30.Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport ,Piedmont Triad International Airport ,Raleigh-Durham International Airport andRichmond International Airport also serve the region. It is also important to note that there are currently feasibility studies in the works to extend Interstate 85 from Montgomery to I-20/59 atMeridian, Mississippi . This would carry the interstate through Alabama's deeply impoverished "Black Belt" and is viewed as an opportunity to bring commerce to the region.Geography
The corridor is located in the Piedmont region between the
Blue Ridge Mountains and theAtlantic Coastal Plain . TheAtlantic Ocean lies between two and four hours' drive to the southeast of the region.Economy
The region boasts a diverse economy - traditions of manufacturing and transportation have grown to include technology, biotech and finance. Atlanta has been identified as a gamma
global city [ [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/citylist.html GaWC - Inventory of World Cities ] ] , and is a regional cultural and business mecca, Charlotte has emerged as the second largest banking center in the U.S. and is home toUniversity Research Park (7th largest research park in the country),The Triangle (North Carolina) is home toResearch Triangle Park , the largest research park in the country,The Upstate has one of the highest per capita rates of foreign investment in the country, and thePiedmont Triad remains an important national manufacturing hub. ThePiedmont Triad Research Park is found just off Future I-285 inWinston-Salem, North Carolina .Education
The area is home to several colleges and universities, including:
*Agnes Scott College
*Auburn University
*Belmont Abbey College
*Bob Jones University
*Catawba College
*Clark Atlanta University
*Clayton State University
*Clemson University
*Converse College
*Davidson College
*Duke University
*Elon University
*Emory University
*Furman University
*Georgia Gwinnett College
*Georgia State University
*Georgia Tech
*Greensboro College
*Greenville Technical College
*Guilford College
*High Point University
*Kennesaw State University
*Limestone College
*Morehouse College
*North Carolina A&T State University
*North Carolina Central University
*North Carolina State University
*Oglethorpe University
*Peace College
*Saint Augustine's College
*Salem College
*Savannah College of Art and Design
*Shaw University
*Southern Polytechnic State University
*Spartanburg Community College
*Spelman College
*Tuskegee University
*University of Georgia
*University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
*University of North Carolina at Charlotte
*University of North Carolina at Greensboro
*University of North Carolina School of the Arts
*USC Upstate
*University of Richmond
*Virginia Commonwealth University
*Virginia State University
*Virginia Union University
*Wake Forest University
*Winston-Salem State University
*Wofford College References
External links
* [http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/i85corr/ I-85 Corridor Alliance]
* [http://www.developmentalliance.com/docu/pdf/43223.pdf I-85 Booming Business Belt]
* [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/boombelt.htm I-85 Boom Belt]
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2002/04/29/story6.html CTC boosts connections along I-85 corridor]
* [http://www.salisburypost.com/2000march/030500e.htm I-85 Corridor Plans]
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