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My boss asked me last Friday what I thought of moving to Charlotte.
I've never been.
I've been to RTP (sis went to NCSU and best friend Duke) and I really like the RTP area but have only seen Charlotte airport.
Can someone that moved there from the Northeast provide input on what to expect?
About me: Fiscal conservative, social liberal. I like spending time in museums, enjoy ethnic food (e.g., dim sum, Korean...), no opinion on guns (though I don't own one), not into religion... love Mountains (over beach). I love exploring country roads (own high powered scooter). I have allergies (get shots) to trees and grass so allergies/humidity can be issue
You did not say if you are bringing a family with you. Depends on where in the Charlotte area you live. The suburbs of Charlotte still have plenty of staunch conservatives, chain restaurants, and a bias towards your social life revolving around your church. As you get closer into the center of Charlotte, you will find more people like yourselves. There are plenty of transplants due to Charlotte being a financial center. The main reason to look on the outskirts is the newer (well priced) housing stock and better schools (the Charlotte school system is known if a lot of redistricting of school boundaries.) You will probably find things a little slower here than the northeast - no one seems in quite as much of a hurry. Summers are much hotter and more humid than Boston (most people hide in air-conditioning in the summer in Charlotte) but the mountains will be cooler, the beach is still very hot when the breeze is not blowing on you and the water bathtub warm (although not very close by.) The fall is glorious and the best time for outdoor activity followed by the spring. Winters can get quite cold at night (in the teens) but rarely stays above freezing during the day. Having lived in the northeast amongst other places in the country, you will find Charlotte more traditional and less scholarly than Boston which attracts many graduates of progressive nearby universities.
We moved from Boston to Union County, and it was a bit of a culture shock. No more Indian delivery, not too liberal at all, more religious for sure. People are very nice, schools are great, houses are new, and there are a ton of people from the NE. Fantastic place to raise a family if you have one.
I was afraid to move here because I had a lot of stereotypes stuck in my head. While things are different, it's not necessarily bad. No one's asked me to join their church or told me to move back up north or anything. Everyone has been very accepting. And my allergies are much better down here too, but I think I'm in the minority there.
If you like museums you better have a lot of available frequent flier miles to go visit some. The summers are HOT, but I love the heat. More pollen here because there are more trees, the spring brings a major dusting of pollen. You will get runover on a scooter here, leave it in Boston. The country roads are narrow and barely fit 1 car in the lane, you will end up in a ditch. . Close to the mountains if you enjoy that and somewhat of a night life with many venues to see live music. Comedy Zone has good headlining acts. Ethnic food is available but you'll search for it. The Spring and Fall here are wonderful and you will find many outdoor events, Octoberfests, St. Patricks Day parties (Galway Hooker Huntersville -awesome), Warrior dash. Many events at the National Whitewater Center (awesome place). The city is small as you will find you are walking in a city and 3 blocks later you are "outside looking in". Always tickets available for Panthers, Bobcats. Favorite-short winters. Come for a week or two and familiarize yourself first. Don't worry about the area being too Religious, nobody will grab you and take you to church, by the way a few prayers never hurt anyone, and if people are praying for the city than it can't be a bad thing. Good Luck!
Thanks for the input. I do like NC and have always thought I could live in RTP.. I just have never been to Charlotte
Now I just have to research how bad allergies are there. As for my scooter, its the same size as a small motorcycle with 500cc I can keep up with traffic. Lol
New Englander here in Charlotte. It is a big change, no question. But, I have witnessed no racism, classism, or any real "ism" of any sort. It is a diverse city.
That said, there is a lot of religion, a lot of "normalcy", intellectualism, however you define it, is few and far between, but people seem smart enough. Have not discussed politics/religion/ideas with anyone. I asked a few educated people who NC senators were, and they could not name them. Do not know if that is the fault of the people or the senators.
Commercials are actually worse than up north, if that is possible.
Food is okay at first, then you find that you have been here a year and have been to only two good ethnic places continually.
That all said, we are buying a house here, and it is a good place to raise a family.
All that said,
Thanks for the input. I do like NC and have always thought I could live in RTP..
You mean RDU. (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) RTP = Research Triangle Park which is a business only park between Durham & Raleigh. Towns around it would include the above along with Carrboro, & Cary,
Just like the OP i am a new yorker who was in Boston for 9 years before moving to Charlotte last July.
Im very very happy with my decision to move to Charlotte. For me though I only considered moving to Uptown, Southend and immediate surrounding neighborhoods to center city. I ended up right in Uptown in a highrise.
My suggestion to the OP is you need to come visit and get a feel the city the first trip concentrate on the immediate city. On my subsequent trips i explored the whole region north south east and west. I found lots to do in these area and loved that I had so many things to do so close. That's not even taking into account the mountains 2 hours away. That being said I would not want to live in those outlying areas, not that anything wrong with them some very nice other not so much, just was not what I was looking for coming from Boston.
Yes RTP I meant Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill.. I've been there at least 10 times or so and I have always thought in the back of my head that if I were to move south, I would not move further south than that area.
I was chatting with a woman from work and she told me Plaza Midwood might be good for me.. thats where she wants to meet me for dim sum and pho. so thats a plus.
I was checking cost of living.. another plus..
the only unknown variable for me are allergies. I used to live in Adelaide (Australia) and my allergies to trees (eucalyptus) was so severe I was hospitalized.. eventually I had to move back stateside. I will need to investigate allergy information further.
I've been getting allergy shots for 2 years so I should be able to handle CLT (hopefully). During pollen season (when your cars are covered in green) how long does that last down there?
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