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.
Well we're roughly the same age. It was a breeze for me.....hang out with my co workers who are young and I know a lot of people from college and high school who live here and I joined my college alumni chapter up here.....but if you're from a totally different region and have no connections I know how it can suck without having a circle....there is plenty to do though.....
Websites don't tell you everything. People who are intimately familiar with a city and have lived there for a while constitute a MUCH better source of information about getting plugged into a city's social scene than random websites here and there.
But instead of coming online, why not actually ask around? That's an easy way to get to know someone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
It is absolutely not common knowledge that Charlotte's CBD is locally referred to as "Uptown." I've seen forumers pose questions in this forum, long before you got here, about if there was a difference between Uptown and downtown, which makes sense since most other cities that have an "Uptown" (or "Midtown") also have a traditional downtown: Uptown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Common knowledge? No. I've seen people confused as to why it's referred to as Uptown and I've seen people refer to it as downtown. But I've never once seen anyone use both to describe an area they've went. Does Charlotte have a downtown (as in not Uptown)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
If he were bashing Charlotte, then I might consider it to be trolling--but he's not doing that at all. And if he didn't do his research before moving here, then he's correcting his mistake by posting here. After all, that's the purpose of the City Data forum: to research cities by getting firsthand information from the people who actually live there. And his issue isn't necessarily finding things to do, but establishing a social circle with people his own age. I can imagine it would be easier to do that in the other cities he's lived in or visited since they are more college-oriented cities. It's a common refrain on this forum (and in real life) that Charlotte's not quite as fun for the late-teen/early-twenties crowd as it is for the post-undergrad crowd, especially compared to cities like Lexington, Raleigh, etc.
I've lived here for a month and a half; had no trouble meeting new people. I first ran into someone at the Boardwalk in the University City area, and then again at both Northlake and SouthPark mall, not to mention Uptown where I've met majority of the people I'm familiar with now. So it has the be him.
Does traveling there mean he 's lived in all those places for an extended period of time by the age of 25? And maybe he had relatives or extended circles of friends, etc to launch a social circle in those other places. Meeting people has more to do with personality and passion and varies from person to person (introvert, extrovert, etc). I don't think you can place the blame on a city the size of Charlotte with tons of professional, recreational and meeting outlets. Also, moving anywhere (NYC, Miami, etc) without knowing anyone extends the social circle development process. After a few months? Really? I think 25 is really when reality sets in that college life is over and that scene is played out...basically, a transitional period for this person growth wise in a totally new scene...it'll happen for them but it has more to do with where they are in life professionally and maturity versus the scene in Charlotte.
Your not doing anything wrong. This is the way it is here. People move to Charlotte to work. The draw is jobs, so obviously everyone is too busy working to make friends. Who would live here if there werent jobs around? I am also to busy to make friends with you.
People say the only way to "possibly" make friends is by going to church,
Seriously? We made a ton of firiends almost right off the bat when we moved here in 2008, and our social circle has continued to grow since then. And neither my wife or I have seen the inside of a church (except for an occasional wedding or funeral service) in at least 20 years.
Try some of the local meetup groups. We met a few people with common interests who then introduced us to others. We like hockey so started going to the Checkers games and started making friends there.
I have to be honest: this is one of the least sympathetic and borderline meanest threads I've read on here in a while. Instead of accusing the OP of doing something wrong and chastising him for asking advice on this forum (which is designed to provide folks with advice!), why not give him some tips to help him along? Just because your experience transitioning into the city went smoothly doesn't mean everyone else's did. Luckily, CLT is a much friendlier place than (some of) the knee-jerk comments on this thread might suggest - it's actually more like those who have been friendly and helpful here.
But instead of coming online, why not actually ask around? That's an easy way to get to know someone.
How do you know he HASN'T? Just because he's posting here doesn't mean he's also not asked for suggestions from people in person. Why must the two be mutually exclusive?
Quote:
Common knowledge? No. I've seen people confused as to why it's referred to as Uptown and I've seen people refer to it as downtown. But I've never once seen anyone use both to describe an area they've went. Does Charlotte have a downtown (as in not Uptown)?
Dude, it's not that serious. He's only been in Charlotte for a few months and probably used both terms because, as noted, most cities that have an Uptown also have a traditional downtown. He could have been referring to the newly-minted "Midtown" area for all we know. And it could have just been a simple repetitive mistake on his part. At any rate, I think you're reading way too much into this, especially with him being a newcomer.
Quote:
I've lived here for a month and a half; had no trouble meeting new people. I first ran into someone at the Boardwalk in the University City area, and then again at both Northlake and SouthPark mall, not to mention Uptown where I've met majority of the people I'm familiar with now. So it has the be him.
Your experience is not everyone else's, and again, why is he being lambasted for actually WANTING to get plugged in and form a social circle in the city? Now if he had up and left Charlotte in a huff after a month and a half saying he couldn't meet new people and form a social circle, you'd be the first one to be up in arms, saying why didn't he use this board as a resource to help him get settled in the city.
I don't get it. The guy is TRYING to give Charlotte a fair shake and some people still aren't satisfied.
Everyone who has a tough time feeling at home in Charlotte initially isn't an internet troll looking to bash the city. Those who think so only provide fuel for those who actually seek to do such.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastcoast127
I have to be honest: this is one of the least sympathetic and borderline meanest threads I've read on here in a while. Instead of accusing the OP of doing something wrong and chastising him for asking advice on this forum (which is designed to provide folks with advice!), why not give him some tips to help him along? Just because your experience transitioning into the city went smoothly doesn't mean everyone else's did. Luckily, CLT is a much friendlier place than (some of) the knee-jerk comments on this thread might suggest - it's actually more like those who have been friendly and helpful here.
....
Also, I knew Charlotte's CBD was referred to as "Uptown" before I even moved here; the fact he said he's been to Uptown (which would mean he's aware of where it's at), and downtown (which would be the exact same location) doesn't fit......
There are many many long time residents of this city who would disagree with you and who commonly refer to it as downtown. "Uptown" seems contrived and pretentious to these people. Until recently, there was a big NCDOT sign on I-77 that called it "Downtown".
This seems like an unfair criticism that really doesn't have much to do with what the OP is posting about.
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.
