Distinct Intra-State Urban Structures of Georgia and North Carolina: An Analysis of the Relationship between Intra-state Urban Structure and Interurban Inequality

abstract: The Southern United States has experienced an economic and population boom since the end of World War II, leading to the growth of the States and metropolitan areas across the region. This growth has been uneven in nature, with two states, Georgia and North Carolina, emerging as leaders within the region. While the two states are similar across many aspects, especially in population and economic terms, one major difference between the two states is their distinct intra-state urban structures: Georgia is characterized by a more concentrated intra-state urban structure and North Carolina by a more balanced one. This paper first identifies the varying distinct intra-state urban structures for both states, then classifies each metropolitan area into one of four development groups based on economic performance to assess whether less developed metros are converging with more developed ones or if they are falling behind. It then assesses certain socioeconomic characteristics for each development group and examines the differences across development groups, before measuring interurban inequalities within each state. Our results show that, although both Georgia and North Carolina exhibit a degree of interurban inequality, Georgia has higher levels of interurban inequalities than North Carolina.