Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Boeing finds lots to like in South

A few weeks ago I wrote about the bloggers in Seattle and their fury over the possibility that Boeing would choose Charleston over Seattle for a major aircraft production facility.

At the time, it was getting pretty ugly.

One writer said he would never fly in a plane built by guys wearing camouflage caps with a fish hook in the bill

Others called us everything from uneducated rednecks to backwoods boobs who wouldn't know a Phillips screwdriver from a vodka screwdriver.

I think we can safely assume these were people who never visited South Carolina or even bothered to check us out on Wikipedia.

To get a better picture, The Seattle Times sent a reporter to Charleston in search of intelligent life.

What he found convinced him that Charleston was indeed a formidable foe for Seattle.

And he was proved right Wednesday when Boeing decided to build its 787 Dreamliner in North Charleston - the biggest manufacturing coup in the state since BMW moved to the Greenville area.

In a front-page story published before that decision was made - "Why Charleston could land 787 line'' - reporter Dominic Gates wrote that "Charleston has more going for it than is generally recognized in Washington [state].''

He found a mild climate, a thriving tourism industry, a rich cultural tradition, a deep-water port, sandy beaches, a nonunion work force and millions of dollars worth of tax incentives.

He also found nice places to live at prices lower than comparable Seattle homes and volumes worth of American history that began even before the birth of Starbucks back in Seattle.

As for education, Gates visited nearby Wando High School and noted that the school's principal had just been named National High School Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Some boobs, eh, Seattle?

Gates summed up his findings with a warning to his fellow Washingtonians.

"Will [Boeing executives] find decent houses and schools?'' he asked. "Will their quality of life take a dive?

"If your Southern stereotypes run to rednecks and rural poverty, think again.''

Well, thanks for setting it straight, Dominic. Maybe I'll stop by Starbucks and toast you and The Times. And welcome, Boeing, to our fair Palmetto State.