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I don't Even today...who wants 70 degrees in January?? .... Was up north for a few days. They had nice crisp 45 degree days and even that was a little warmer than normal but it felt like the proper season at least. Its gonna be a LONG summer down here i have a feeling and I am thrilled to not have to deal with it ever again.
Why didn't you move to the mountains or foothills of NC? The weather is similar to that of New England and Upstate NY, but only shorter seasons. You still get snow in the winter and summers are only in the 80's.
Again, a LONG summer is in the eye of the beholder. One and one half months of 90 degree weather is not too bad considering you can still go out in the mornings or evenings and during the day you can go swimming. Many don't mind the trade off from 6 months of 50 degree or below weather.
Why didn't you move to the mountains or foothills of NC? The weather is similar to that of New England and Upstate NY, but only shorter seasons. You still get snow in the winter and summers are only in the 80's.
Again, a LONG summer is in the eye of the beholder. One and one half months of 90 degree weather is not too bad considering you can still go out in the mornings or evenings and during the day you can go swimming. Many don't mind the trade off from 6 months of 50 degree or below weather.
I know..its nice right now...everybody forgets
As for the mountains..a good idea but not gonna happen. New England is home and home it shall be again Hello high taxes!@! haha...na, this place can't hold a candle to Northeast living in my eye. Glad I tried it though! Don't know till you try.
I've never seen it hail when there wasn't a storm...
Are you a meteorologist/weatherman?
A thunderstorm creates uplift which is the only time you get hail. Its the recycling and lifting of ice particles in a summer thunderstorm. The ice gets thick enough to make it all the way to the ground even in warm temps...thats hail. What the poster saw was sleet which falls during a regular storm in winter.
Minor in meteorology...long time ago I remember little.
First let me start by saying that I have lived in various big city areas all my life, both single and married with kids. I lived in NYC (loved it) and suburbs including North Jersey (loved it), CT (not as much), Philadelphia (fun town, not NYC, but really liked it), Philadelphia suburbs off main line (loved it), Tampa, FL (liked it), and now Dallas suburbs (love it). All job transfers or better opportunities.
And then there was Charlotte, NC. I will try to stick with facts or statistics as much as I can. If I can help someone not commit my mistake in moving there then I will be happy for you.
The negatives:
- Weather, Charlotte has a higher annual rain fall than Seattle. Even people from Charlotte are surprised by this stat. You can go weeks at a time when there is nothing but daily rain. If that sounds slightly depressing it is. That is the price of everything being very green.
- Public schools are really sub-par. Either drugs are the norm at the richer schools or the poorer schools are sorely under funded or have a lot of big city school problems: guns, violence, over-crowded. Charlotte has per capita the most home-schooled children for a reason. So if you home school or don't plan to have children you'll be fine.
- Medical facilities and doctors also sub-par. Know of people who had to take their families to Raleigh/Duke for treatment (2+ hours away). Here I don't have an actual stat to back this up. If you are young and single and maybe only see your doctor for annual physicals then you'll be fine. If you're older, need a specialist, or have young children not so much.
- Restaurant and food scene is sub-par. The plus side is you will cook at home more and save money. Friend from Miami agreed on this one. Again I don't have a stat for this one but trust me.
- You will need that extra money. Things cost more here. Unless you are coming from NYC then it's relatively cheaper, relatively. Gas prices much higher here than most of country. You'll be driving to SC to fill up weekly if you live in S Charlotte. Grocery prices are higher. Bar prices compare to NYC. Yes I paid $11 for a drink in uptown.
- Roads are pretty bad but generally most infrastructure here is sub-standard, other than south Charlotte light rail. Found that NC and SC have a lot of potholes in general.
- Finally, and this one really surprised me, the people are less than friendly. It wasn't just me or my family I had other co-workers who moved to Charlotte agree with me. Don't expect too much southern hospitality even from native people. And no not because we were in Matthews or South Charlotte or Ballentyne, we found unfriendly people in Huntersville and North Charlotte too, probably worse than South Charlotte.
Positive things:
- Light rail train is great if you live near southwest Charlotte.
- South Charlotte commute by car to Uptown is distance-wise better than most cities, 30-40 minutes each way from most areas north of Ballentyne. And many options in terms of different routes. Work commute was by far the best thing about Charlotte.
- Uptown bars and restaurants are fun just very limited in options, not much outside of that one area. I forget the name.
South Park does have some options but sparse and expensive. Make your way to Uptown for Halloween or go to a minor league game in the summer via the light rail.
If I don't have many nice things to say why don't I just move? I did. Got my family out of there in just under a year. Kids needed tutors to catch up on school after we moved. They had fallen behind in just a year. No it's not just them. They were before and are now again A and B students. So glad to have made it out relatively unscathed. Lesson learned. There is a reason most companies are offering big $$ for you to relocate there. The experience really made me appreciate my area now better. I LOVE Texas.
Charlotte is an enigma. You either like and accept it for what it is, or you move on to somewhere else.
My immediate neighbors are from MD, UK, MI, FL and NY with a few locals scattered about (such as myself). They range from young couples to retirees. Their impressions of living here are always positive. Maybe it's our cute neighborhood and great neighbors. They have all mentioned they love the southern hospitality here. Maybe it's the luck of the draw. I always find it interesting how it is some transplants see it, some don't. I guess it depends on where you go but I experience it daily.
Charlotte just experienced one of it's worst droughts in the city's history during the summer of 2015. Unusual, yes. Typically our rain storms are the quick 20 minute deluge type, then the sun comes back out, not the 24/7 depressing drizzle that you find in the NW which hardly add up to inches of rain. I have friends in Portland OR and Seattle and they love visiting here to enjoy the hot sunny days.
Funny, that when my job transferred me to TX some years ago, it made me appreciate Charlotte more. I worked in Dallas and Houston and found it to be large, flat and uninviting. I gave it more than a year and I moved back to NC and couldn't be happier.
My point being that what is important to some people, are not important to others. Agree that Charlotte roads have much to be desired as well as schools but that's not just a Charlotte problem. Houston was much worse. The influx of newcomers is too much for the current roads and not much is being done about it.
What matters most is that you be happy where you are. Not everyone likes to live in the hustle & bustle of mega cities. Not everyone has to have top notch everything to feel whole. These types of topics have been endlessly discussed here in this forum. Personally, I wish the people would STOP coming. The city cannot handle it.
First let me start by saying that I have lived in various big city areas all my life, both single and married with kids. I lived in NYC (loved it) and suburbs including North Jersey (loved it), CT (not as much), Philadelphia (fun town, not NYC, but really liked it), Philadelphia suburbs off main line (loved it), Tampa, FL (liked it), and now Dallas suburbs (love it). All job transfers or better opportunities.
And then there was Charlotte, NC. I will try to stick with facts or statistics as much as I can. If I can help someone not commit my mistake in moving there then I will be happy for you.
The negatives:
- Weather, Charlotte has a higher annual rain fall than Seattle. Even people from Charlotte are surprised by this stat. You can go weeks at a time when there is nothing but daily rain. If that sounds slightly depressing it is. That is the price of everything being very green.
- Public schools are really sub-par. Either drugs are the norm at the richer schools or the poorer schools are sorely under funded or have a lot of big city school problems: guns, violence, over-crowded. Charlotte has per capita the most home-schooled children for a reason. So if you home school or don't plan to have children you'll be fine.
- Medical facilities and doctors also sub-par. Know of people who had to take their families to Raleigh/Duke for treatment (2+ hours away). Here I don't have an actual stat to back this up. If you are young and single and maybe only see your doctor for annual physicals then you'll be fine. If you're older, need a specialist, or have young children not so much.
- Restaurant and food scene is sub-par. The plus side is you will cook at home more and save money. Friend from Miami agreed on this one. Again I don't have a stat for this one but trust me.
- You will need that extra money. Things cost more here. Unless you are coming from NYC then it's relatively cheaper, relatively. Gas prices much higher here than most of country. You'll be driving to SC to fill up weekly if you live in S Charlotte. Grocery prices are higher. Bar prices compare to NYC. Yes I paid $11 for a drink in uptown.
- Roads are pretty bad but generally most infrastructure here is sub-standard, other than south Charlotte light rail. Found that NC and SC have a lot of potholes in general.
- Finally, and this one really surprised me, the people are less than friendly. It wasn't just me or my family I had other co-workers who moved to Charlotte agree with me. Don't expect too much southern hospitality even from native people. And no not because we were in Matthews or South Charlotte or Ballentyne, we found unfriendly people in Huntersville and North Charlotte too, probably worse than South Charlotte.
Positive things:
- Light rail train is great if you live near southwest Charlotte.
- South Charlotte commute by car to Uptown is distance-wise better than most cities, 30-40 minutes each way from most areas north of Ballentyne. And many options in terms of different routes. Work commute was by far the best thing about Charlotte.
- Uptown bars and restaurants are fun just very limited in options, not much outside of that one area. I forget the name.
South Park does have some options but sparse and expensive. Make your way to Uptown for Halloween or go to a minor league game in the summer via the light rail.
If I don't have many nice things to say why don't I just move? I did. Got my family out of there in just under a year. Kids needed tutors to catch up on school after we moved. They had fallen behind in just a year. No it's not just them. They were before and are now again A and B students. So glad to have made it out relatively unscathed. Lesson learned. There is a reason most companies are offering big $$ for you to relocate there. The experience really made me appreciate my area now better. I LOVE Texas.
First let me start by saying that I have lived in various big city areas all my life, both single and married with kids. I lived in NYC (loved it) and suburbs including North Jersey (loved it), CT (not as much), Philadelphia (fun town, not NYC, but really liked it), Philadelphia suburbs off main line (loved it), Tampa, FL (liked it), and now Dallas suburbs (love it). All job transfers or better opportunities.
And then there was Charlotte, NC. I will try to stick with facts or statistics as much as I can. If I can help someone not commit my mistake in moving there then I will be happy for you.
The negatives:
- Weather, Charlotte has a higher annual rain fall than Seattle. Even people from Charlotte are surprised by this stat. You can go weeks at a time when there is nothing but daily rain. If that sounds slightly depressing it is. That is the price of everything being very green.
- Public schools are really sub-par. Either drugs are the norm at the richer schools or the poorer schools are sorely under funded or have a lot of big city school problems: guns, violence, over-crowded. Charlotte has per capita the most home-schooled children for a reason. So if you home school or don't plan to have children you'll be fine.
- Medical facilities and doctors also sub-par. Know of people who had to take their families to Raleigh/Duke for treatment (2+ hours away). Here I don't have an actual stat to back this up. If you are young and single and maybe only see your doctor for annual physicals then you'll be fine. If you're older, need a specialist, or have young children not so much.
- Restaurant and food scene is sub-par. The plus side is you will cook at home more and save money. Friend from Miami agreed on this one. Again I don't have a stat for this one but trust me.
- You will need that extra money. Things cost more here. Unless you are coming from NYC then it's relatively cheaper, relatively. Gas prices much higher here than most of country. You'll be driving to SC to fill up weekly if you live in S Charlotte. Grocery prices are higher. Bar prices compare to NYC. Yes I paid $11 for a drink in uptown.
- Roads are pretty bad but generally most infrastructure here is sub-standard, other than south Charlotte light rail. Found that NC and SC have a lot of potholes in general.
- Finally, and this one really surprised me, the people are less than friendly. It wasn't just me or my family I had other co-workers who moved to Charlotte agree with me. Don't expect too much southern hospitality even from native people. And no not because we were in Matthews or South Charlotte or Ballentyne, we found unfriendly people in Huntersville and North Charlotte too, probably worse than South Charlotte.
Positive things:
- Light rail train is great if you live near southwest Charlotte.
- South Charlotte commute by car to Uptown is distance-wise better than most cities, 30-40 minutes each way from most areas north of Ballentyne. And many options in terms of different routes. Work commute was by far the best thing about Charlotte.
- Uptown bars and restaurants are fun just very limited in options, not much outside of that one area. I forget the name.
South Park does have some options but sparse and expensive. Make your way to Uptown for Halloween or go to a minor league game in the summer via the light rail.
If I don't have many nice things to say why don't I just move? I did. Got my family out of there in just under a year. Kids needed tutors to catch up on school after we moved. They had fallen behind in just a year. No it's not just them. They were before and are now again A and B students. So glad to have made it out relatively unscathed. Lesson learned. There is a reason most companies are offering big $$ for you to relocate there. The experience really made me appreciate my area now better. I LOVE Texas.
Being that half of the places you've lived were suburban areas, I would have thought you would have picked the Charlotte 'burbs to live in as that's where the best schools are. It's pretty much well-known that CMS sucks.
The weather argument is interesting. I'd take Charlotte's weather over the scorching summers and relatively high probability of tornadoes in the Dallas area any day. Sure Charlotte gets its fair share of rain, but it's not perpetually overcast like the PNW (or at least that's the reputation that region has).
Roads can be hit or miss and Charlotte isn't really a foodie city, that's true. But mass transit is advancing pretty well, ahead of many of its peers.
COL is essentially the same for Charlotte and Dallas according to several COL calculators I saw. Housing appears to be cheaper in Dallas but other than that, overall cost differences are negligible to the point that they essentially even out.
I guess the saying 'to each his own' definitely rings true here. How can anyone like Dallas better than Charlotte. I spent a year there and couldn't wait to get out. Its hot, horribly ugly, NO GREEN at all, and the air is deathly sickening. Every spit of land is being built on (a concrete oasis), road construction can kill you (because of signing and other stupid stuff they do), people are unfriendly and think they are better than you. Great place for being uppity if you ask me. Most people there are tense and unhappy. Oh maybe that was me. LOL
Although I've only been here 3 months I can say Charlotte is much better, green, laid back, most people pretty nice. It is fairly clean for a big city. Most people are pretty conscientious about their jobs and I can usually get a hello and thank you when taking care of business here in Charlotte. I don't have kids so I don't have to worry about schools.
Now on to the not so great stuff:
-Food prices seem really high here.
-Too many new (and not so pretty houses). I wouldn't mind a new house if they would make them pretty, sturdy and keep the trees.
- I don't like how they build big houses on little streets/little land. Not just the new ones either. I think young people don't care about this type of thing. Young meaning like under 40. They seem to want the big houses with the fancy inside. I personally like my outdoor space.
- Not enough big parks with open spaces where you can go to sit down and not have anyone pass right in front of you.
-Development of North Charlotte is lacking. I hope that improves. I like North Charlotte. It has some great affordable neighborhoods and its not so crowded. I absolutely love the Mallard/Clark greenway. Shopping is not great though except for Concord Mills. And according to the crime map, the areas above Harris are relatively safe. I do notice though that some people buy homes that they can't afford and don't take care of them. I think that mainly comes from lack of knowledge, however.
First let me start by saying that I have lived in various big city areas all my life, both single and married with kids. I lived in NYC (loved it) and suburbs including North Jersey (loved it), CT (not as much), Philadelphia (fun town, not NYC, but really liked it), Philadelphia suburbs off main line (loved it), Tampa, FL (liked it), and now Dallas suburbs (love it). All job transfers or better opportunities.
And then there was Charlotte, NC. I will try to stick with facts or statistics as much as I can. If I can help someone not commit my mistake in moving there then I will be happy for you.
The negatives:
- Weather, Charlotte has a higher annual rain fall than Seattle. Even people from Charlotte are surprised by this stat. You can go weeks at a time when there is nothing but daily rain. If that sounds slightly depressing it is. That is the price of everything being very green.
- Public schools are really sub-par. Either drugs are the norm at the richer schools or the poorer schools are sorely under funded or have a lot of big city school problems: guns, violence, over-crowded. Charlotte has per capita the most home-schooled children for a reason. So if you home school or don't plan to have children you'll be fine.
- Medical facilities and doctors also sub-par. Know of people who had to take their families to Raleigh/Duke for treatment (2+ hours away). Here I don't have an actual stat to back this up. If you are young and single and maybe only see your doctor for annual physicals then you'll be fine. If you're older, need a specialist, or have young children not so much.
- Restaurant and food scene is sub-par. The plus side is you will cook at home more and save money. Friend from Miami agreed on this one. Again I don't have a stat for this one but trust me.
- You will need that extra money. Things cost more here. Unless you are coming from NYC then it's relatively cheaper, relatively. Gas prices much higher here than most of country. You'll be driving to SC to fill up weekly if you live in S Charlotte. Grocery prices are higher. Bar prices compare to NYC. Yes I paid $11 for a drink in uptown.
- Roads are pretty bad but generally most infrastructure here is sub-standard, other than south Charlotte light rail. Found that NC and SC have a lot of potholes in general.
- Finally, and this one really surprised me, the people are less than friendly. It wasn't just me or my family I had other co-workers who moved to Charlotte agree with me. Don't expect too much southern hospitality even from native people. And no not because we were in Matthews or South Charlotte or Ballentyne, we found unfriendly people in Huntersville and North Charlotte too, probably worse than South Charlotte.
Positive things:
- Light rail train is great if you live near southwest Charlotte.
- South Charlotte commute by car to Uptown is distance-wise better than most cities, 30-40 minutes each way from most areas north of Ballentyne. And many options in terms of different routes. Work commute was by far the best thing about Charlotte.
- Uptown bars and restaurants are fun just very limited in options, not much outside of that one area. I forget the name.
South Park does have some options but sparse and expensive. Make your way to Uptown for Halloween or go to a minor league game in the summer via the light rail.
If I don't have many nice things to say why don't I just move? I did. Got my family out of there in just under a year. Kids needed tutors to catch up on school after we moved. They had fallen behind in just a year. No it's not just them. They were before and are now again A and B students. So glad to have made it out relatively unscathed. Lesson learned. There is a reason most companies are offering big $$ for you to relocate there. The experience really made me appreciate my area now better. I LOVE Texas.
So many half-truths, mistakes and falsehoods in that post I literally don't know where to start correcting it. Total trash.
So many half-truths, mistakes and falsehoods in that post I literally don't know where to start correcting it. Total trash.
The biggest thing that stood out to me was the statement that bar prices compare to NYC, almost had a literal laugh out loud at that one. Maybe at the Ritz-Carlton or something but I've had several friends come here and comment that the bar prices were really cheap (usually compared to Philly, which is cheaper than NYC).
The only thing that I agree with which I've agreed with on similar posts is that the price of groceries are high.
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Even today...who wants 70 degrees in January?? .... Was up north for a few days. They had nice crisp 45 degree days and even that was a little warmer than normal but it felt like the proper season at least. Its gonna be a LONG summer down here i have a feeling and I am thrilled to not have to deal with it ever again.
