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 01-30-2013, 12:57 AM
 
Location: Florida
11,669 posts, read 17,867,888 times
Reputation: 8239

Advertisements

I'm a 28 year old gay single male from the Hartford, CT area and will be moving to the Charlotte area on Friday. I resigned from my job here in CT in November for personal reasons and am currently unemployed and living off of savings. I have $23,000 left in my bank account. I am supposed to be living with a roommate in Indian Land, SC just for a few months until I find a job in the Charlotte area. Part of me is excited for the change, but part of me is scared.

Do you think I will find a job within a 2-3 month time frame? I have a master's degree in accounting with 5 yrs of experience in corporate tax accounting. I have also worked with hedge funds in New York City. But about half of my experience is within the utility industry. I was pleased to see that Duke Energy is headquartered there (the largest utility in the nation). Here in CT, I am frequently contacted by recruiters who say they are impressed with my resume. I hope the same will be true in Charlotte.

My other concern is the singles scene in Charlotte. I have read numerous posts from other people saying that Charlotte is a bad place to be single. But I just don't understand how this can be true! If you look at the statistics, Charlotte metro has a larger-than-average population of people aged 25-34. Unless they're mostly married couples, I just don't see how there would be no singles scene...for gay men in particular. I was pleased to see that Charlotte metro has four times the gay population of Hartford metro though. Also, about 32.6% of all households in Charlotte metro are nonfamily households, which is about the national average. So I don't understand why people say it's such a bad place for singles. I mean, I do most of my dating through internet websites anyway; not much of a bar/nightlife person here.

Anyway, I will be rooming with someone for just $500 a month, no contract, so if I hate the area that much, I can just leave and head somewhere else. All I want is affordable, suburban style living with a substantial (doesn't have to be huge) sized gay population.

What are your thoughts?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-30-2013, 01:49 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC
76 posts, read 129,917 times
Reputation: 47
Hi nep!

First off, let's get you a job! I think you should check out the websites for McGladrey, Bank of America, Wells Fargo- you should find some things related to your field. Also check out the Charlotte Chamber website for newcomers.

Good luck!

Aly
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 06:40 AM
 
Location: Florida
11,669 posts, read 17,867,888 times
Reputation: 8239
Quote:
Originally Posted by alysonparsons View Post
Hi nep!

First off, let's get you a job! I think you should check out the websites for McGladrey, Bank of America, Wells Fargo- you should find some things related to your field. Also check out the Charlotte Chamber website for newcomers.

Good luck!

Aly
Bank of America and Wells Fargo sound interesting. But not McGladrey, as I'm not interested in public accounting. Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 06:58 AM
 
Location: Charlotte, NC
177 posts, read 446,347 times
Reputation: 159
Hi there, first of all you need to be prepared for some of the very negative people on this board to respond to your post. People are very pessimistic about the job market her. However, I have never had trouble finding work in this city and also have a masters degree and quite a bit of experience. I think the job market is tough for some job areas, but I don't think you would have a problem given your background, education, and the fact that we're in a financial "hub" here. Check out Careerbuilder, Simply Hired, and Linkedin for open positions.

About Indian Land...there's not much to it and I'm sure your friend has told you that. As soon as you get on your feet with a job and are ready to move out, I'd suggest South End, NODA (North Davidson), and Elizabeth areas for you. There seems to be a younger, more eclectic crowd in these areas and you will have MUCH more to do for singles than Indian Land (mostly families). Your stats show a larger-than-average population of people in the 24-35 range and I would bet that most of these are young parents or married couples...but not all. There are singles areas closer to the city in the areas I suggested but there are also a LOT of suburban areas with young families. Best of luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 09:04 AM
 
2,919 posts, read 5,788,212 times
Reputation: 2801
Posters are gonna be realistic/truthful with you about the Charlotte area. If im moving to a new area....I would want the truth. We have the 5th highest unemployment rate in the nation. Just know that the taxes are ridiculous and it's low to average pay compared to other states. As far as the gay community of Charlotte, can't really speak on it... But my boss is and says that Charlotte is not gay-friendly at all and just not that progressive. Grant it, he moved here from San Francisco.....Try it out for a year....who knows.. you make like it here.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 09:49 AM
 
Location: Florida
11,669 posts, read 17,867,888 times
Reputation: 8239
Quote:
Originally Posted by westcoastbabe View Post
Posters are gonna be realistic/truthful with you about the Charlotte area. If im moving to a new area....I would want the truth. We have the 5th highest unemployment rate in the nation. Just know that the taxes are ridiculous and it's low to average pay compared to other states. As far as the gay community of Charlotte, can't really speak on it... But my boss is and says that Charlotte is not gay-friendly at all and just not that progressive. Grant it, he moved here from San Francisco.....Try it out for a year....who knows.. you make like it here.
That's kinda scary lol.

Well, when I was visiting there a few weeks ago, I was shopping in a grocery store and overheard a woman who just found out that her friend was a lesbian. I thought it would be funny to tell her that I was gay too, and so I did...out of the blue. Her reaction? She smiled at me, said I was cute and said she had no problem with it. She was a completely random shopper.

I'm not the type of guy who is obviously gay or holds hands in public or advertises my sexual orientation with bumper stickers, etc. But if asked, I will admit it with no shame. Heck, there are some people here in CT who don't feel comfortable with gay people. It's not exclusive to the South. But Charlotte does have 4x the gay population of Hartford. Not bad for a city that only has 50% more population than Hartford.

I was also talking with another gay guy from Charlotte who said that all of his co-workers and friends know he is gay, and none of them took an issue with it.

Besides, times are changing and need to change, with respect to homosexuality. It's just a human reality. And I would be interested in being a part of that change....even in a place like Charlotte. If gays never move there, then the place will never become gay friendly. Kind of like Atlanta has been transformed over the years with regard to this matter, and is now considered to be a gay mecca of the South.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 10:26 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,620,862 times
Reputation: 43652
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321 View Post
I'm a 28 year old gay single male from the Hartford, CT area
...currently unemployed and living off of savings.
What are your thoughts?
Find some other gin joint.

Of all the gin joints - YouTube
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 10:31 AM
 
2,919 posts, read 5,788,212 times
Reputation: 2801
Quote:
Originally Posted by nep321 View Post
That's kinda scary lol.

Well, when I was visiting there a few weeks ago, I was shopping in a grocery store and overheard a woman who just found out that her friend was a lesbian. I thought it would be funny to tell her that I was gay too, and so I did...out of the blue. Her reaction? She smiled at me, said I was cute and said she had no problem with it. She was a completely random shopper.

I'm not the type of guy who is obviously gay or holds hands in public or advertises my sexual orientation with bumper stickers, etc. But if asked, I will admit it with no shame. Heck, there are some people here in CT who don't feel comfortable with gay people. It's not exclusive to the South. But Charlotte does have 4x the gay population of Hartford. Not bad for a city that only has 50% more population than Hartford.

I was also talking with another gay guy from Charlotte who said that all of his co-workers and friends know he is gay, and none of them took an issue with it.

Besides, times are changing and need to change, with respect to homosexuality. It's just a human reality. And I would be interested in being a part of that change....even in a place like Charlotte. If gays never move there, then the place will never become gay friendly. Kind of like Atlanta has been transformed over the years with regard to this matter, and is now considered to be a gay mecca of the South.
- Totally agree with you....Things need to be "shaken up" a bit in Charlotte....Definitely needs more spice here.....but as far as the unemployment rate is concerned...doesnt look too good for Mecklenburg County, as I have posted the below link to an article in todays paper.
Mecklenburg unemployment rate rises to 9.3% | CharlotteObserver.com

Not enough jobs to go around for the influx of people who moved or in the process of moving here. Charlotte's down fall was it was a banking town without the diversification of other industries. We are in the process of trying to diversify the work industry, but obviously it takes time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 10:32 AM
 
39 posts, read 65,218 times
Reputation: 52
I quit my job in NJ, bought a house in Charlotte and had a job at a major company within 2 weeks of my arrival. It can be done regardless of what others may post. I'm married with children so I can not comment on the single scene.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-30-2013, 10:37 AM
 
2,919 posts, read 5,788,212 times
Reputation: 2801
Not everyone is so fortunate. Im fortunate to have only 1 job that meets my individual needs, before I landed it, I worked another full time job and a part time job just to make ends meet. Did that for 2 years. Needless to say, I dont want to go back to that.
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. The time now is 10:21 PM.

© 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