I miss Charlotte... (Wilmington, Asheville, Matthews: homes, job market, neighborhoods)
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I moved from Charlotte to Oklahoma City last July. I loved Charlotte when I lived there but had to leave for economic reasons. I lived in Charlotte for three years and worked in a call center the entire time and got to the point where I could not longer mentally handle being cursed out and screamed at for eight hours per day. Due to the extremely competitive job market in Charlotte and some unique circumstances, I was not able to find another job there so I had to leave. Over the past year though I have come to miss Charlotte tremendously. It really was the perfect fit and I think a lot of people don't realize how great it is.
First, I miss the beauty and location. Charlotte is a beautiful city with the greenery and the integration with nature. Though some people may discount the fact it is suburban, it is probably the nicest suburban city I've ever been in. I miss the tall, majestic trees, the nearby mountains and the beach just a few hours away. I miss the weather that was seasonal and benign and I didn't have to constantly worry about losing everything in an F5 tornado like I do in Oklahoma City. If you make it from April 1 to June 1 with your stuff and your life, you have an entire summer of 115-120*F temperatures to look forward to with no rainfall for sometimes 60 consecutive days.
Second, I miss the culture. To me, Charlotte was a perfect fit. Its large enough to have everything I would desire in a city but small enough to not have a lot of the problems cities like Atlanta have. Charlotte is also Southern, but not backwards which I greatly appreciated. I miss the great nightspots in Charlotte as well as the 24-hour establishments like Amelie's and Midnight Diner. I miss downtown Charlotte which was constantly bustling every time I went and I really miss the Epicentre and the NC Music Factory. I really miss the vibrancy of downtown Charlotte. I miss the neighborhoods like NoDa and Southend, which OKC has nothing that compares. I miss the light rail and all the urban development that was emerging around it. I miss the beautiful parks like Freedom Park. I miss the nature trails at Colonel Francis Beatty park. I miss the suburban areas like Matthews, Ballantyne, and Pineville which had their own perks, beauty, and character. This may sound trivial, but I miss decent radio stations. In Oklahoma City, pretty much my only choices are country, classic rock, sports talk, or top 40 thats 2-3 years out of date. I miss the political zeitgeist in which conservatism and liberalism could easily co-exist and did.
Third, I miss the shopping and dining. I miss having decent grocery stores like Harris Teeter, Trader Joe's, and Earthfare. Most people take these things for granted but when you live in Oklahoma City and have to live with the Super Wal-Mart, little things like that you really start to miss. I miss being able to buy a real beer or wine at a grocery store and buy it cold I miss good malls like Southpark Mall, Carolina Place Mall, and the numerous lifestyle centers like Blakney and Stonecrest and the events hosted there like the live music on Friday nights in the summer. I miss the restaurants. Charlotte had great upscale-casual ethnic restaurants with character as well as great fine-dining options. Charlotte had great seafood (in OKC there is nothing but Red Lobster) and sushi. I miss restaurants like Cantina 1511, Chima, and Copper. I miss restaurants like Fontanella's in Matthews, Rock Bottom in uptown, and Wild Wing Cafe. I miss Aria and Primo Tuscan Grille.
I miss the great day trips. I miss being within a hop, skip, and a jump from places like Charleston, Wilmington, Asheville, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. I miss being with driving distance of Washington DC and Florida.
I greatly miss Carowinds and other attractions like the Whitewater Center.
There are many more things in which I did not mention, but I've lived in six cities over the course of my life and Charlotte was by far my favorite. I am hoping one day I will be able to move back.
After spending 2 yrs, 2 months and 13 days in Oklahoma City - I concur. And they didn't even have the Ford Center back then, so no pro sports and no big concerts
Understandably you became fond of Charlotte, developed friendships and enjoyed many of the amenities Charlotte has to offer. But don't let that impede you from exploring OKC and surrounding areas, and taking advantage of what you currently have.
Cherish the memories and visit when you can, but move forward and don't dwell too much on the past. Who knows what the future holds, so don't let geographics or location hold you back.
Time to move on and don't take the current opportunity for granted.
Understandably you became fond of Charlotte, developed friendships and enjoyed many of the amenities Charlotte has to offer. But don't let that impede you from exploring OKC and surrounding areas, and taking advantage of what you currently have.
Cherish the memories and visit when you can, but move forward and don't dwell too much on the past. Who knows what the future holds, so don't let geographics or location hold you back.
Time to move on and don't take the current opportunity for granted.
I think I remember the OP posting about his move to OKC, and at the time he did seem somewhat excited about the move to OKC as he was frustrated with the economy in Charlotte, so IIRC it didn't seem like he was dragged away kicking and screaming or anything like that. Just seems like he didn't expect to miss Charlotte as much as he actually does...
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this – it’s great to hear your perspective, which isn’t one we usually see on CD. I have to say that this is a pretty resonant topic for me, as I also left CLT after living there for a couple of years and after a while began to struggle with missing it as well. I moved to CLT as a transplant, but strangely once I left I began to feel homesick for it. I think the fact that I felt that way is a testament to how quickly this city can become a meaningful home to so many people.
While I am content in my current city, I do still experience moments in which I truly miss good old CLT. Sometimes I wonder if I hold CLT in such high regard simply because it was the first city to which I moved after leaving home (sort of like a first love); and other times I believe that CLT really is that good of a city. It’s a tricky thing to negotiate, because memory can make things so much rosier.
All of the characteristics you’ve noted are true. Despite what many people might say, CLT is a wonderful city with a lot to offer. The good news is that its economy is improving slowly but surely, and if you feel certain that it is not simply a fleeting homesickness that you’re feeling, there’s a good chance you can move back and find a better job. Remember – you can always return to a place that’s meaningful to you. I wish you a lot of luck and thanks again for sharing!
I think I remember the OP posting about his move to OKC, and at the time he did seem somewhat excited about the move to OKC as he was frustrated with the economy in Charlotte, so IIRC it didn't seem like he was dragged away kicking and screaming or anything like that. Just seems like he didn't expect to miss Charlotte as much as he actually does...
It came down so that it was between keeping my mental sanity and staying in Charlotte. I never wanted to leave Charlotte but the low-level call center/telemarketing job I had been working for three years was getting to the point where I could not handle it. Being that I have a college degree in IT, I was very underemployed in that job. After being in the market for three years and not being able to find anything I had to do what I had to do for my health and my career before they were permanently damaged.
As for OKC, I realized it would be a step down in quality of life from Charlotte but I didn't quite realize how big of one it would be. However, jobs are plentiful and competition is low and found a job here very quickly, so I did make the right choice for my career.
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