[Matthew]

The reason North Carolina is more competitive in elections is due to the presence of several good-sized cities, including five of the nation's 100 largest cities in population. Cities colleges and research (California, Massachusetts and North Carolina are the nation's top research states) attract a different type of transplant. Not the older conservative looking to escape the big city and/or big taxes, but the younger liberal transplant. The state's noteworthy research parks are spread-out in suburban Charlotte (food research), downtown Winston-Salem (regenerative medicine) and suburban Durham (well-know Research Triangle Park).