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A lot of northerners have been moving to Charlotte for many reasons over the last 20 years. 30 years ago Charlotte was a truck stop on the way to Atlanta. Now it is a destination. I have to ask. Is it worth leaving all family and friends and your community and digging up all of your roots just to have some more sunny days? I am native to Charlotte. The weather is a real selling point for sure. The weather seems to come up as a number one reason why a lot of northerers want to move down south and then when they get here, they won't shut up about how great it is up north. Upon being asked why they relocated, the weather is usually their first response. Charlotte is a great city. Most of the success of this city is organic. It was built into what it has become from the ground up. So if you want to come here and be a compliment to what we do, then great. Just pack everything up but leave the bagels in the fridge, because this is cornbread country down here.
Actually, we're coming to Charlotte because of family. My daughter and son-in-law are already there and we have no family whatsoever in Connecticut, except for our son, who's coming with us. We're from New York City originally, but moved to northeastern Connecticut 35 years ago so we could raise a family surrounded by trees and fresh air. We never looked back, embraced the local culture and even lost our New York City area accents! We've spent the last 35 years exploring every nook and cranny of New England, enjoying every new sight, custom, and food that we encountered. I'm interested in history and geography, and have spent a good portion of my life attempting to understand how the folds and contours of this land, its valleys and rivers, its soil and its rocks, have helped shaped that history.
I'm going to all miss that, but I look at Charlotte as the next adventure in our lives. Your area has a long and rich history. Our intellectual curiousity has not diminished, and we love to meet interesting people and learn and experience new things. I hope to be able to say after a few years in Charlotte that we never looked back, met a lot of nice people, and enjoyed all the wonderful new things we learned and saw. I just can't promise that we'll lose our western New England accents and start to sound like native Carolinians! Haha.
As to the weather, there were periods this winter when my son and I spent 5 or 6 hours a day, for several days in a row, shoveling snow. I shoveled several tons of snow first from one roof to a lower roof, then from that roof to the ground, and then away from the house so that the doors and windows wouldn't be blocked. That was OK when I was a younger man, but I'm looking for an easier retirement.
fromCT
P.S. When we first moved to Connecticut our neghbors didn't know what a bagel was! And cornbread's OK, but I love grits - a taste I acquired in the army and never lost.
I don't know the costs up north anymore as we've been here over 12 years. Though, between our electric bill (lights, A/C, stove and wall ovens) and natural gas bill (water and heat), we averaged $225 per month on a 3300 sq.ft new brick home over the last 2 years.
Keep in mind, I said "average." I took my 2009 and 2010 totals from a spreadsheet I keep and divided by 24 (months).
I know some of our family members up north in homes half the sq.footage are paying $400 -$600 month in winter for heating oil.
Location: livin' the good life on America's favorite island
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I moved from Cleveland over 6 years ago. My high heating (gas) bills back then were in the $300s, I imagine they would be higher now. The weather was a big driver to me moving here and I still get up north 1-2 times a month and have become less tolerant to the cold and snow. I like warm weather and have no problem with the hot humid days we get in Summer, it's been a great trade off. I suspect our utiilities are still lower here. My average in CLT for gas(heat) and electric(AC) is $328/mo. for 4500sf.
No one has answered her second question re: costs of AC vs. heat in NE. This is an interesting question.
Don't know about NE but the heat runs non-stop from November till April essentially in Chicago (ok for me b/c I like to be fairly warm). So my gas bill there was pretty high. Conversely here my electric bill is higher during the summer than it was in Illinois.
I also suspect I have an insulation issue here due to cold spots during the winter that I never experienced in my IL house. That is a totally different issue tho.
Looking back at my post, I don't think any of this is answering your question.
If I was to compare, I believe I spent more on gas heating during the winter than I do here in the summer for AC. Guessing the NE area probably costs more to heat than the midwest, just due to overall cost of living.
True unbearable summer heat in Charlotte is very short-lived (July and August), compared to many more months of snow, ice and cold you guys get up there in New England
Charlotte is a very treed city, so everything is just very lush and green in the summer. I find it very pretty! And the summer heat has never prevented me, or anyone I know, from getting outside and doing yard work, taking a run or just shooting the breeze in the driveway with neighbors.
Now, be forewarned, we have one regular poster here who HATES the Charlotte summers. He will be along shortly I'm sure to tell you ALL about it and how dreadfully awful it is
Oh and another thing green ENDS around July 4th weekend and brown/burnt out grass begins..and unless you want to put an irragation system in....forget it...
But honestly, I think the absolute worst of the worst is about only about 3 weeks long - the end of July to about the end of August. You can endure it for that short a period of time, I'm sure!
Here I am!!! hahaha.... Summer starts here in May and ends in late September...its BRUTAL. I'll take the snow. 2months???? Don't let these people fool you..if you hate heat , you will suffer...trust me.
Beautiful day today by the way...wow..perfect day. This time of year here is just incredible I do admit.
Here is the deal, it IS a trade off. If you tolerate heat better, you are better off here..if cold , up there..its really that simple.
The worst is trying to cool off by jumping into the pool only to find the water warm enough to boil eggs..
I guess that for now I will have to take your word for it. I am from New England, so I have never had the opportunity to swim in water that wasn't either A) cold or B) really, Really REALLY cold. I am doing my level best to move closer to your neck of the woods, so when I do, I'll go for a swim and report back with my findings
We are moving from Wisconsin to Charlotte, though we spent a year in Charlotte 3 years ago as well.
I would say cost wise, a/c vs heating, it equals out. But I have to say, Charlotte is VERY PRETTY, and the WEATHER UN-PARALLEL'D. San Francisco/Bay Area is better though too expensive to live. Houston/Dallas is warm but too humid. Charlotte I feel is just the perfect blend. Wear anything comfortable and be outside or work in your backyard - life in Charlotte is precious and we are so eager to make it home.
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