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.
Ok, I've gotta ask. You say that you moved here back in 1997. I assume that you moved to an area of Charlotte with character right? (ie, Noda, Plaza Midwood, 4th ward, Elizabeth, Madison Park, Dilworth, Myers Park, Sedgefield, South End, Wesley Heights, South Park etc). If not, your real estate decision is part of the problem don't you think?
There are Charlotte neighborhoods that look like the following:
If you chose the latter, first of all you're not in "Charlotte" (eventhough it's a "Charlotte" address). Finally, you have no one to blame but yourself. I'll admit that my neighborhood is kinda like the latter (but with townhomes instead of single family). I don't like it, but I know that it's NOT all that Charlotte has to offer. I made my decision based on price and location. One day, I plan to move to a neighborhood of Charlotte that is more my style. However, blogging about how Charlotte is nothing but character-less suburban styled neighborhoods are the remarks of someone who honestly doesn't know the entire city very well.
I've suggested this years ago and I think it applies here as well. I think all newcomers to Charlotte should (at least once) get a day pass and ride 25% of Charlotte's local bus routes. If people would do this, some of our transplants would probably discover a side of Charlotte they never knew existed.
Here's some more hints. If you're a Charlotte resident and you don't know where the uptown YMCA is (has basketball courts and a full sized pool), then you probably don't know Charlotte very well. If you don't know where the uptown Walgreens is (or how to get there), you probably don't know Charlotte very well. If you didn't know that one of Charlotte's zip codes has the largest number of same-sex couples in NC, you probably don't know Charlotte very well.
I'll put it like this. I grew up in Charlotte and left for about 10 years. I returned with a wife that is a transplant. My wife has been here for nearly 5 years now and she knows very little about Charlotte (and she's married to a guy who grew up here). It's safe to say that the average transplant doesn't know Charlotte very well. They might know their neighborhoods and the route to their jobs, but most of y'all just don't know Charlotte as a whole.
Good post... I've been here 3 years and I'm still figuring out some of the older neighborhoods and established areas. I frequent NoDa, Plaza, Elizabeth.. and some of the SouthEnd but I still haven't figured it all out yet.
I know some of the natives who have been here since birth so they put me onto a lot of hot spots that most transplants wouldn't know about...
I also bought into an older neighborhood so I can brag about having a house from the real Charlotte. lol..
and like Supelgeek just said. I like it.. so it really doesn't matter what others say. I find it odd that so many try so hard to force people not to like Charlotte. That pretty much tells you it's a popular place.
Ok, I've gotta ask. You say that you moved here back in 1997. I assume that you moved to an area of Charlotte with character right? (ie, Noda, Plaza Midwood, 4th ward, Elizabeth, Madison Park, Dilworth, Myers Park, Sedgefield, South End, Wesley Heights, South Park etc). If not, your real estate decision is part of the problem don't you think?
There are Charlotte neighborhoods that look like the following:
If you chose the latter, first of all you're not in "Charlotte" (eventhough it's a "Charlotte" address). Finally, you have no one to blame but yourself. I'll admit that my neighborhood is kinda like the latter (but with townhomes instead of single family). I don't like it, but I know that it's NOT all that Charlotte has to offer. I made my decision based on price and location. One day, I plan to move to a neighborhood of Charlotte that is more my style. However, blogging about how Charlotte is nothing but character-less suburban styled neighborhoods are the remarks of someone who honestly doesn't know the entire city very well.
I've suggested this years ago and I think it applies here as well. I think all newcomers to Charlotte should (at least once) get a day pass and ride 25% of Charlotte's local bus routes. If people would do this, some of our transplants would probably discover a side of Charlotte they never knew existed.
Here's some more hints. If you're a Charlotte resident and you don't know where the uptown YMCA is (has basketball courts and a full sized pool), then you probably don't know Charlotte very well. If you don't know where the uptown Walgreens is (or how to get there), you probably don't know Charlotte very well. If you didn't know that one of Charlotte's zip codes has the largest number of same-sex couples in NC, you probably don't know Charlotte very well.
I'll put it like this. I grew up in Charlotte and left for about 10 years. I returned with a wife that is a transplant. My wife has been here for nearly 5 years now and she knows very little about Charlotte (and she's married to a guy who grew up here). It's safe to say that the average transplant doesn't know Charlotte very well. They might know their neighborhoods and the route to their jobs, but most of y'all just don't know Charlotte as a whole.
True, I live in Union County and I commute to Charlotte and I also drive around the city a lot for work and leisure.
So what I'm talking about here is the impression of Charlotte as a whole, not the differences between Ballentyne and Noda.
One could walk around and give impressions about a particular street or neighborhood in any city that is different from the rest but you still come away with an impression based on everything you see and experience.
I think that even long time Charlotte residents would have to admit that a lot more of Charlotte looks like the second pic than the first.
OP you're right it is terrible here. Probably best to steer clear of here at all costs! Plz tell your friends and family that as well. Especially if they live in NY, NJ, or OH!
True, I live in Union County and I commute to Charlotte and I also drive around the city a lot for work and leisure.
So what I'm talking about here is the impression of Charlotte as a whole, not the differences between Ballentyne and Noda.
One could walk around and give impressions about a particular street or neighborhood in any city that is different from the rest but you still come away with an impression based on everything you see and experience.
I think that even long time Charlotte residents would have to admit that a lot more of Charlotte looks like the second pic than the first.
That second pic is the Steele Creek area of Charlotte. It is an area that didn't exist in 1997 (the year you moved here *cough* I meant Union County ). Much of the pre-2000 Charlotte looks like the following:
So YES, the typical Charlotte neighborhood is very much so suburban (which can be said about almost any American neighborhood more than 5 miles away from downtown; the exceptions to this rule are far and few between). However, most of Charlotte does NOT look like Steele Creek. Take it from someone who does local driving for a living (used to do cross country driving years ago). Only cops and taxi drivers know Charlotte streets better than guys like me. I'm not bragging btw, I'm just being honest.
With that said, I'd highly suggest that folks (like yourself) simply plan a day to get familiar with the city of Charlotte. Not everything in Charlotte is "beige" like you seem to think. Also, not everything in Charlotte is suburban either.
Then again, I wouldn't expect a Union county transplant to know any of this. Especially given how you don't even know the proper spelling of Charlotte's 3rd largest business district.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dooleys1300
So what I'm talking about here is the impression of Charlotte as a whole, not the differences between Ballentyne and Noda.
Just a few short months ago, Charlotte was down in the 30s on that list instead of #23. Kansas City is a city that most folks recognize as being older and MUCH more urban than Charlotte (which it is in some ways). However, we can still find Charlotte-like neighborhoods even in that city. Observe...
My point here is that Charlotte isn't all that different from its peers. It's younger and newer (which is somehow a bad thing on the forums), but it is not all that different. Also (for the Charlotte posters who believe Charlotte has torn down its history) Charlotte NEVER had neighborhoods like The Fan in Richmond or Rainbow Row in Charleston so let's stop with the bull. The harsh truth is that Charlotte went from Mayberry to Metropolis; and Mayberry never had beautiful urban neighborhoods. The urban push that Charlotte has now is all post-1990; end of story.
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 04-17-2013 at 11:55 AM..
That second pic is the Steele Creek area of Charlotte. It is an area that didn't exist in 1997 (the year you moved here *cough* I meant Union County ). Much of the pre-2000 Charlotte looks like the following:
So YES, the typical Charlotte neighborhood is very much so suburban (which can be said about almost any American neighborhood more than 5 miles away from downtown; the exceptions to this rule are far and few between). However, most of Charlotte does NOT look like Steele Creek. Take it from someone who does local driving for a living (used to do cross country driving years ago). Only cops and taxi drivers know Charlotte streets better than guys like me. I'm not bragging btw, I'm just being honest.
With that said, I'd highly suggest that folks (like yourself) simply plan a day to get familiar with the city of Charlotte. Not everything in Charlotte is "beige" like you seem to think. Also, not everything in Charlotte is suburban either.
Then again, I wouldn't expect a Union county transplant to know any of this. Especially given how you don't even know the proper spelling of Charlotte's 3rd largest business district.
Just a few short months ago, Charlotte was down in the 30s on that list instead of #23. Kansas City is a city that most folks recognize as being older and MUCH more urban than Charlotte (which it is an some ways). However, we can still find Charlotte-like neighborhoods even in that city. Observe...
My point here is that Charlotte isn't all that different from its peers. It's younger and newer (which is somehow a bad thing on the forums), but it is not all that different. Also (for the Charlotte posters who believe Charlotte has torn down its history) Charlotte NEVER had neighborhoods like The Fan in Richmond or Rainbow Row in Charleston so let's stop with the bull. The harsh truth is that Charlotte went from Mayberry to Metropolis; and Mayberry never had beautiful urban neighborhoods. The urban push that Charlotte has now is all post-1990; end of story.
Really? As if attacking my spelling somehow proves your point?
Yes, I live in Union County but I've spent 8 hrs a day for the past 16 years working and driving around the area including all the neiborhoods in your links.
With out allowing for vacation time or overtime that totals out to aprrox. 33,280 hrs I've spent in Charlotte.
Really? As if attacking my spelling somehow proves your point?
Yes, I live in Union County but I've spent 8 hrs a day for the past 16 years working and driving around the area including all the neiborhoods in your links.
With out allowing for vacation time or overtime that totals out to aprrox. 33,280 hrs I've spent in Charlotte.
I think I know what it looks like.
So....end of YOUR story.....not mine.
The following comment of yours is what got me started:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dooleys1300
If Charlotte had an official color it would be Beige.
Let me fix that statement for you:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dooleys1300
If Union County had an official color it would be Beige.
All these pictures of Charlotte, it's a rather beautiful and modern looking city.
Which is also where much of the hate comes from. Most of Charlotte still leaves much to be desired for the hardcore urbanites of America, but things are getting better every year. Some folks like to bash Charlotte's efforts rather than give Charlotte its due.
As I type, Charlotte is putting the finishing touches on an area South of uptown called South End. When the current projects are completed, Charlotte (for the first time ever) will have a 3 mile long non-stop (non-downtown) true urban district. Here is a short video of Charlotte's South End.
Like I've stated before, there is really nothing "wrong" with Charlotte (with the exception of the city's current high unemployment). Charlotte is just a city that has moved up quickly (MSA ranking as well as other rankings) and some folks like to throw stones at the quick growers in the Nation. There are certainly MUCH better candidates out there for true hate than Charlotte.
Also, some folks are just negative in nature. We have some people who were born and raised here (I wasn't even born here, though I was raised here) who bad-mouth Charlotte constantly. Guess what though; they never leave. Proof that even the Charlotte haters often have difficulty finding a "better" place.
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 04-17-2013 at 12:35 PM..
....It's younger and newer (which is somehow a bad thing on the forums), but it is not all that different. Also (for the Charlotte posters who believe Charlotte has torn down its history) Charlotte NEVER had neighborhoods like The Fan in Richmond or Rainbow Row in Charleston so let's stop with the bull.....
Charlotte was incorporated in 1768 making it one of the oldest cities in the USA. It certainly did have neighborhoods like The Fan and similar. As an example, many now in the city have no idea there used to be a row of lovely antebellum homes right Trade St. The last one of these was torn down ~1990 or so. There was an effort to preserve it, but business interests won out and it's gone.
You have demonstrated exactly the complaint being alleged in this topic. That is that Charlotte has destroyed anything having to do with it's history, places that people like to visit, etc. and replaced them with monolithic baubles that hold little interest with anyone. The excuse for this is that "Charlotte is a young city". Except that it isn't. It predates the USA.
I've found that Charlotteans are particularly thinned skinned when it comes to constructive criticism about this place. It's one of the reasons they can't ever seem to get it right when it comes to development. IMO, it's because there is a refusal to honestly admit the mistakes and learn from them.
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.
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.
). Much of the pre-2000 Charlotte looks like the following:
