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Great things:
- people (southern hospitality)
- weather (sunny and no extremes)
- city and sounding area (city in the park)
- driving distance to both mountains & beaches
- affordable cost of living
Who does not like it here and is overwhelmed by regrets should go back (or elsewhere). And I'm saying this in a good way, life is too short to live with regrets.
In life we tend to regret things we don't do rather then things we try out and did not like them.
Here is another fallacy...Charlotte is NOT near the beach! 3.5 hour ride is not close to anything. Mountains , yes..., 2 hours drive..I'd call that close enough
Kings Mountain National Park is only 30 minutes away (center of uptown). Shorter than 2 hours.
Beach sure is about 3 hours away to SC beaches. You can get down in one day, enjoy the beach, and can come home same day. To me, that is close enough i.e. nearness.
Outside some areas in California, not many can do the mountains one day and then the beach the next. Just saying.
I can only compare my salary here in Charlotte to N.Y. I am in the medical profession. I have worked in four medical offices in and around Charlotte. The doctors here charged much more than in N.Y. and booked more patients, yet my pay was cut in half and my living expenses were just as high as back east. I had to drive everywhere so my gas cost had tripled. my kids were bored to death as the schools are way behind here from what they are used to, and sports seem to take priority over math and science{ ie Weddington } We lived in a so called great area. I did all the research. All shiny and new with nothing to do. We are back home in N.Y. and thriving. I'll chalk it up to a learning experience but my kids lost three years they will never get back.
I don't see that much of a difference in medical costs that you refer to in my experience. Can't comment on the pay in that profession.
Are you from NYC and comparing being able to use MTA buses and the subway to a suburban town and its lack of mass transit?
Define "the schools are way behind here". I'd like to know what grade comparisons you are using. Weddington is a highly rated school and the grade levels/test scores don't suggest that sports takes priority over school work. Since the overwhelming majority of kids are not on sports teams, what's the affect of sports on their academic lives?
I have not read through this whole thread, so I may be repeating what other people have said. On paper, I do not fit in with the majority of (white) Charlotteans. I am a liberal from the northeast. I prefer walkable cities. I prefer to live in desegregated neighborhoods. I'm not religious. I detest hot weather. When I was younger I would never have thought I could be happy living in the south. But them something happened. I met a circle of friends like me. I started going to plays, symphonies, museums, etc, where I would continually run into the same people with the same interests as me. I joined the Charlotte Film society which screens foreign and independent films.
You know what? It really does not matter where you live. It's who you know. If you have close friends with whom you get together on a regular basis and with whom you have commonalities, you can be happy just about anywhere. And I am happy in Charlotte.
I can only compare my salary here in Charlotte to N.Y. I am in the medical profession. I have worked in four medical offices in and around Charlotte. The doctors here charged much more than in N.Y. and booked more patients, yet my pay was cut in half and my living expenses were just as high as back east. I had to drive everywhere so my gas cost had tripled. my kids were bored to death as the schools are way behind here from what they are used to, and sports seem to take priority over math and science{ ie Weddington } We lived in a so called great area. I did all the research. All shiny and new with nothing to do. We are back home in N.Y. and thriving. I'll chalk it up to a learning experience but my kids lost three years they will never get back.
Kings Mountain National Park is only 30 minutes away (center of uptown). Shorter than 2 hours.
Beach sure is about 3 hours away to SC beaches. You can get down in one day, enjoy the beach, and can come home same day. To me, that is close enough i.e. nearness.
Outside some areas in California, not many can do the mountains one day and then the beach the next. Just saying.
ok I see what your point is on that. I wouldn't call either near per se but the fact you could do either in a day trip makes the point valid.
Coming from Pittsburgh where the closest beach is 6 1/2 hours away and thats Ocean City MD....living 3 hours to beautiful Charleston SC is an absolute dream. Up north people save all year to go to the beach once a year.....we have been probably 8 times last year because its so close and affordable to go 1-2 days at a time! Can't beat it!!
If you care about the list thing, the latest "Best Places to Live in North Carolina (2012)" is dominated by Charlotte suburbs - especially when you consider Charlotte snags the top3...
#1 Marvin
#2 Weddington
#3 Davidson
They love these lists over at the Raleigh board - then again they only really post the ones where they come out on top... lol
If you care about the list thing, the latest "Best Places to Live in North Carolina (2012)" is dominated by Charlotte suburbs - especially when you consider Charlotte snags the top3...
#1 Marvin
#2 Weddington
#3 Davidson
They love these lists over at the Raleigh board - then again they only really post the ones where they come out on top... lol
Population: 6,823
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $177,058
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 60.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.04*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Charlotte, NC: 24 miles N
Raleigh, NC: 158 miles NE
I just dont know how you can ignore the summer months and say its great outdoor weather. I am baffled by it over and over here. It is NOT great outdoor weather, in fact its terrible outdoor weather 3 months a year. Northern relocators need to hear this.... such bs.
ok, sure winter is great if you hate snow and spring is quite amazing (hate the northern spring),...I agree with that.
That is hilarious. Yes it is warm - it is warm in the Northeast too. We have A/C for the day - go out after the sun is going down and it is lovely. Hot and intolerable? Let me introduce you to CALIFORNIA. Yes California.
Redding CA - try two weeks that it is in the 110s and 120s - it cools off at night to a balmy 90. THAT is miserable. Don't give me that it is a dry heat crap either.
For laughs we used to watch out of towners go into the phone booth (I am that old) and see them try and make a call and laugh when they realized THE PHONE WAS MELTING. Or when you walk accross the street and you see your footprint in the asphault THAT is hot.
electric bill in the summer which we only used between 5 pm and 5 am was SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. I will never complain about our summers.
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