Talk:Peachoid

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The Peachoid has also been confused for a huge butt, leaving passing motorists confused at what the City of Gaffney meant by this enormous landmark.

What?!?1

I think it is understood exactly what the Board of Public Works "meant" by erecting this monument, after all, South Carolina produces more peaches than any other state, except California. As a matter of fact, at one time, one S.C. county alone could produce more peaches than the entire state of Georgia (The Peach State).

Sure that's what they meant. What's your point? The article has to state it, really, though, since SC being the "real peach state except California which is cheating because it's so big" is not general knowledge. Georgia, for its part, never set out to be the Peach State. It set out to be Empire State of the South. The whole peach thing is based on several misunderstandings. "Peachtree Street" is the center of Atlanta, but it's really named for a pitch tree rather than a "peach" tree. Hypercorrectives decided that old timers had been mispronouncing "peach." It was a pitch tree because the city was Cherokee territory, and the treaties for the land were conducted at a pitch tree (one with sap exuding). From Peachtree Street to Atlanta Peach to Georgia Peach to Peach State, all on a game of telephone. <shrug> We still need a GFDL photo of the thing, though. Surely someone is driving past it with a camera every day, and one will post a photo? Geogre 23:23, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and as for the big butt, that's because peaches themselves have had that association for a long time. See Eat a Peach. Geogre 23:24, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Images

For a long time, a really substandard photo sat in there that was shot through a car window with an Instamatic camera decades ago. The reason for it, though, was to show all the development on the stretch of I-85 by the Peachoid (i.e. the effects of building a folly on the local economy). I won't mourn losing the poor quality photo, but we need one from across I-85 N showing the context so that readers can understand how the Peachoid is visible to travelers. Geogre 09:58, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Makes sense. I was just going for a ground-level high-rez photo when I took that one yesterday. I made sure to get the telephone poles and power lines in front of it to give a sense of scale. I drive through that area at least once a month on business trips, so I'll try to get one that includes the interstate and some of the nearby businesses on my next pass. 'Card 13:45, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

That would be a godsend! I have wanted, ever since I wrote the first word of this article, to emphasize that this is a folly that worked. Most of the roadside attractions fail to do much for their towns, but the Peachoid started out as a single finger aimed at Atlanta and slowly began gathering service industries. I know that Charlotte's growth probably did more to boost Gaffney than anything, but still... that hideous thing has been turning heads for decades now. I noticed, in the new photo, the power lines, and I almost didn't re-insert the trashy context image from before, hoping that the lack of lines in the construction photo and presence in the new one could tell readers, "this area has grown so much that they need electricity for a lot of stores out there," but I thought it wasn't quite enough by itself. Thank you. Geogre 00:58, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Huh. Well, we may now have an embarrassment of riches. Still, better to have too many than too few. Geogre 10:37, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes. Well... I suppose there's something to be said for quantity, anyway. In a few weeks when I get the photo I mentioned in the earlier post (with highway and local businesses included) I may add a gallery to the page and put some of the new additions in there - if no one has any objections. 'Card 14:28, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

I doubt anyone will. The feature of this feature is its folly, so visuals are more germane than any number of words. The other thing, and this is something that the Gaffney folks could answer (and probably won't) is whether the Peachoid or Charlotte is responsible for the increase in commerce in the area. It would be telling, really, to see whether the place is getting more residential or agricultural revenues, as that might hint at the answer. Big weird features can make business...maybe. Geogre 23:11, 27 March 2007 (UTC)