Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Charlotte
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-19-2011, 02:42 PM
 
Location: Midwest
238 posts, read 693,950 times
Reputation: 180

Advertisements

Hello!

I am considering moving down to Charlotte/surrounding area from the DC/Northern Virginia region. After spending a few days here wandering around the city and 'burbs, I have enjoyed my visit and the people here were very friendly! (Pleasantly surprised.)

I have a few questions, if you folks would be kind enough to share some of your knowledge and experience:

1. If money was not an option, what luxury apartment complexes would you recommend? (They don't necessarily have to be in the city, I'm looking for quality over location within reason of a Charlotte-based job and no kids/pets.) Bonus points if they have tennis courts and/or a water view.

2. For folks that have either lived or spent significant amounts of time in DC/NoVA, how do these two cities compare in terms of COL, attractions/things to do, 20s-30s population, traffic, diversity, etc?

3. While I may be prompted to move down to NC depending on my job offer(s), my partner will need to find new work as he cannot transfer. Is there much work in the city/surrounding area for civil engineering firms? My partner is a CAD designer with ~decade of experience and a major factor in our decision to relocate will be his ability to secure a job.

Thanks so much for your help!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-20-2011, 11:44 AM
 
Location: Midwest
238 posts, read 693,950 times
Reputation: 180
Anyone?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 01:51 PM
 
Location: Mooresville, NC
13 posts, read 20,445 times
Reputation: 10
Hey Pequeno-I really do not know too much about Charlotte Luxury Apartmets, but there are many places on Lake Norman, which is north of Charlotte. We relocated here about 5 years ago and love it!! Plenty of nighlife in Charlotte - Amos' downtown or at the lake have great live music/bands-excellent restaurants like Ruth Chris Steak house & McCormick & Schmick's Seafood. Plenty of fun things to do. I am sure there are others who know more than I do in regards to Charlotte, I am in Lake Norman area, so hopefully you will get some responses from them. Hope this helps a little bit!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 06:19 PM
 
4,039 posts, read 4,911,551 times
Reputation: 4772
My DH and I moved down to the Charlotte area from the DC/NoVa area almost 5 years ago and the two areas really don't compare. There are far more things to do in the DC/NoVa area, but if you are looking for 20-30's somethings your best bets are the lake area (Cornelius, Huntersville, LKN) or the uptown area. It's nothing like the Arlington area or even the DC club scene if you are into that.

I'm not sure about any luxury apartment areas how much are you looking to spend? There are a couple of condo's on the LKN that you could perhaps rent....

Where would you be working? The Charlotte job market isn't that great and if you couldn't afford to support the both of you until he found a job I wouldn't move. We have since moved back to the DC/NoVa area for that reason.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 09:28 PM
 
Location: Midwest
238 posts, read 693,950 times
Reputation: 180
ALeslie, thanks for your response!

Riley09swb, thanks to you also. While we're young, we prefer the Old Town Alexandria area instead of Arlington/DC. (We haven't been into the club scene for a long while.) I'd be comfortable paying up to ~$1,000/month on rent if that helps narrow down the options.

I'd be working for a major IT company down that way for ~1-2 years before launching to another site in the nation. I can afford to support both of us comfortably until our next move although it would be preferable if we both can find employment.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 09:31 PM
 
Location: Up above the world so high!
45,218 posts, read 100,295,459 times
Reputation: 40193
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pequeño_Bonsai View Post
ALeslie, thanks for your response!

Riley09swb, thanks to you also. While we're young, we prefer the Old Town Alexandria area instead of Arlington/DC. (We haven't been into the club scene for a long while.) I'd be comfortable paying up to ~$1,000/month on rent if that helps narrow down the options.

I'd be working for a major IT company down that way for ~1-2 years before launching to another site in the nation. I can afford to support both of us comfortably until our next move although it would be preferable if we both can find employment.
Check out the places I listed in this thread:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/charl...nt-search.html

You might want to also check into Birkdale Village, which is up near the lake and popular with younger folks.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 09:39 PM
 
111 posts, read 321,957 times
Reputation: 96
I don't think you can really compare D.C. and Charlotte. D.C has twice the population of Charlotte. But for a city our size there is plenty to do. I am in my 20's and think Charlotte is a great city for people in that age group. Uptown Charlotte is filled with different clubs, bars and restaurants. The Epi Center always has something going on. NoDa, Charlotte's art district is also a cool place to be. As is Plaza/Midwood. When I first moved here back in 2002, I thought Charlotte was the most boring place on earth. But it has come a long way. As far as luxury apartments I would look in Ballantyne, located South of Charlotte. It doesn't have "water views" but I know for a fact that some of the pools these apartments have are quite amazing. And actually Ballantyne has a lot to do around it. Traffic is pretty bad, but I am sure it is no worse then D.C.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 10:27 PM
 
Location: Charlotte
66 posts, read 122,201 times
Reputation: 56
You could google Charlotte apartments. I would consider apartments in these areas: Carmel, Providence, Cotswold, Ballentine, Beverly Woods, Foxcroft, Landsdowne, Montibello, Myers Park, Old Providence, Myers Park and Quail Hollow. All of these apartments are in southeast Charlotte. This is a very good area to raise a family. I believe that is what I hear that you are saying. You have evolved beyond your days of frequenting bars. I lived in SE Charlotte, for many years, before moving to an outlying county. If you could locate near South Park Mall, you would do well. SE Charlotte would have all of the amenities that you would need from shopping to dining to schools etc. This is a great area to live in. I believe that it is the best area to live in the Charlotte area. And if you decide to venture beyond South Park area for dining and entertainment, downtown does offer a lively nightlife with 175 restaurants and bars. But as Riley09swb pointed out, it cannot compare to DC. But that should go without saying. However, if you were totally happy DC then you wouyld not be moving, would you?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2011, 11:33 PM
 
34 posts, read 63,418 times
Reputation: 28
I lived in the DC/NOVA area for a few yrs right after college and while I loved it I really do enjoy Charlotte much more - moved here a couple yrs ago. A few of the positives: cost of living much better than DC area - able to rent a nice apt. uptown for less than $1200 which after living in DC was definitely a deal, I've found people to be very friendly here, the weather is milder, and although traffic can get bad here it's definitely much better than the DC/VA area. It's also a pretty diverse city but what I've found lacking is the high # of great ethnic restaurants that DC has (but maybe I just haven't found them yet). There definitely won't be the high # of museums, clubs, bars, etc. that you have in DC but there is still plenty to do here: http://www.charlottesgotalot.com/resources/pdfs/101-things-to-do-letter.pdf (broken link) I can't comment too much on the places to live part since I now live in the burbs but did enjoy living uptown because I enjoyed walking everywhere including the sporting events. Uptown might remind you more of Ballston than Old Town though. GL!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-21-2011, 06:54 AM
 
7,051 posts, read 12,262,818 times
Reputation: 6407
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pequeño_Bonsai View Post
I'd be comfortable paying up to ~$1,000/month on rent if that helps narrow down the options.
You might not find "luxury" in Charlotte (or even DC metro) for that price. Most places in Charlotte that are considered "luxury rentals" start at $1200 per month. Personally, I think you and your partner would enjoy uptown, southend, or the southpark areas of Charlotte the most. Here are some areas to start with.

Southend
Circle at South End, Crescent Resources
1406 South Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina - Google Maps

Ashton South End Luxury Apartments For Rent in Charlotte NC | New Premier High-end Apartments Near the Bank of America Stadium.
1700 camden road charlotte nc - Google Maps

Charlotte Luxury Apartments for Rent | The Millennium South End (http://www.themillennium.com/North-Carolina/Charlotte/Millennium-South-End/Home-1916.html - broken link)
1312 South College Street, Charlotte, NC - Google Maps (don't let the dated google image fool you, they are built now).

Uptown
Uptown Charlotte Apartments at Quarterside, Luxury Uptown Charlotte Apartments
820 east 7th street charlotte nc - Google Maps

Charlotte, NC Apartments - Camden Cotton Mills
520 West 5th Street, Charlotte, NC - Google Maps

Luxury Uptown Charlotte Apartments for rent, Catalyst
255 W. MLK Jr. Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28202 - Google Maps

Southpark
http://www.theresidenceliving.com/
4300 sharon road charlotte nc - Google Maps

This location is on the mall's property. Here is the list of stores at this mall.
SouthPark Directory of Mall Stores | Charlotte, NC 28211 (click "view alphabetically" to see the store listing)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Charlotte
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top