Tagged: A Trifling Place

Last week, the U.S. Olympic Committee sent a letter to the mayors of the 25 largest cities (Charlotte ranks 19th) and ten other cities that expressed interest in hosting in the past. But as The New York Times notes, many of the cities on the list don't even meet the requirements the USOC demands.

Let's take a look at Charlotte:

WFAE listeners have e-mailed me about how we should probably change the title of this podcast. They find it offensive. One listener says it reminds him of  "small, off-the-beaten path, lonely, dismal, dark places" and surely, surely, it's not Charlotte that President George Washington was talking about. 

• 49: Percent of tree canopy lost between 1995 and 2008
• One: Public tree for every seven residents
• $11.83: Amount spent per person on its street trees
• 215: Tree species in the city's inventory. Predominant tree species are willow oak and crapemyrtle
• $166: Total benefits of an average street tree
• 28: Million cubic feet of stormwater intercepted annually 
• $2.1: Million dollars in stormwater management savings