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I'm a 21 year old art student from Florida trying to find a liberal, gay-friendly, and artsy city. I want to be somewhere with nature and a laid-back vibe, with young people, with things to do, and lots of public transit.
Seattle and Santa Cruz were my first choices but I'm from Florida and don't want to be so far from home. I've never been to NC or Colorado but have done some research and found that they're gay friendly? Really?
I was somewhat in your situation a little over a year ago. I'm from the Orlando area, and 2 years older than you.
You're going to be torn between Raleigh and Charlotte, as both have some of the things you're looking for. Raleigh is a bit more liberal, Charlotte is more gay-friendly and artsy IMO.
I'm not sure which would have more young people. but Charlotte definitely has more to do and public transit compared to Raleigh where there isn't really much to do than visit some museums and what not. Charlotte also has great public transportation.
NC got lucky with having the mountains to the west and the coast to the east. A lot of the state is very natural and laid back.
I'm a student looking into moving to NC after graduation aswell! I can't speak for NC, but if you're looking for liberal and laid-back you can't beat Oregon and Washington! Have you considered looking into Portland, OR? I go to Oregon State and grew up in Oregon, and Portland is literally exactly what you describe as what you are looking for to a tee!! Very liberal, laid-back yet a fun city, as artsy as it gets, super gay-friendly, also gay night life, and tons of people our age out of college! Plus, two things oregon is famous for: nature and incredible public transit! Sometimes Oregon gets stereotyped as being a little hippy, but I think it is just our incredibly laid-back, very liberal, earth loving nature that people see as being "hippy". I know you want to stay close to family, but I really think you would love Portland, just something to consider
If Oregon & Washington are your ideals, then you won't find what you are looking for in Charlotte. If you want to come to NC then your best bet is to look in the Triangle. (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) Chapel Hill/Carrboro and points near there are where you want to be looking. Downtown Raleigh isn't bad and Cary, if you are looking for something suburban, is a city of highly educated people.
I've never thought of Charlotte as particularly artsy, but there are artists and I think you could find your niche here. To be honest, I think Asheville would be the ideal place in NC.
The Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill area - (Triangle area) would seem to be a better fit for your requirements. I would suggest you consider Asheville in the western part of NC. It's beautiful, but a bit pricey when you start looking for real estate.
I wouldn't say that most people refer to CLT primarily as "liberal" and "artsy," but that doesn't mean that it isn't either of those things. There are a lot of young transplants in CLT - I moved to the area from the Northeast in my mid-20's and found it to have a lot going on. It was easy to make friends, felt really open and inclusive, and I was particularly struck by how very pretty it is. I certainly took advantage of CLT being near the mountains and explored the fantastic spots that are nearby in the piedmont, too. Also, I was told by a lot of folks that CLT had no art scene to speak of. It almost deterred me from going there in the first place, since my work is grounded in the arts. However, I took a chance and what I found was that CLT's art scene is definitely there and is emerging more and more by the year. There are a lot of really cool arts projects going on there (both arts education as well as gallery shows, performances, and public art) that the more typically "artsy" cities I've lived in don't even have. All of these fantastic features are there, you just have to find your way into them.
And don't listen to folks who claim the city is heartless or without character - most of the time, these people have never even spent a good amount of time in CLT to begin with.
I've never thought of Charlotte as particularly artsy, but there are artists and I think you could find your niche here. To be honest, I think Asheville would be the ideal place in NC.
I was thinking the exact thing as I read the OP's wish list. Asheville checks off your list perfectly if not Oregon. Have you also considered Key West? Granted it's been years since I visited but I loved it there. And it's also beautiful and artsy.
Obviously there's more than one area in NC that would work for you. But you being from Florida, Charlotte offers more than any other city in the state. Especially for young people.Raleigh, not so much.
Asheville is super gay-friendly, but I've always got the impression of wanna-be hippies. If you're into that, then you can look in Asheville.
Overall, if the ideal city for you is liberal and fun while still laid back, go with Charlotte.
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