Charlotte - LAME (Raleigh, Wilmington, Asheville: transplants, rent, house)

[jdelre13]

I lived in this piece of crap city for 6 years - never again. Terrible nightlife, no history, no character, no culture (Little Italy, Chinatown etc etc, NONEXISTANT). . . .I would NOT recommend Charlotte. everyone is phony. . .all about trying to keep up with the Jones'. . . the city has no personality whatsoever. Basically, either you work at BoFA or Wachovia. Your hard pressed to find any other employment. If it wasn't for these two banks, this city would be a complete ghost town (Other than the MS13 gangs that seem to be invading the area lately)

The only few relatively nice things I will say is that if you are married and are looking to have children, then it is a fine place to live. It is very pretty, clean, good weather, and you can still get a pretty decent price for a home. (Although traffic is an absolute nightmare - even with 485 complete it still didn't help)

If you would like to own a home somewhere other than a housing complex where every house looks to be created from a cookie cutter (ie - same blueprint as your neighbor, and your neighbor's neighbor) then I would recommend living moving out towards Indian Trail.

[Ms.Charlotte]

WOW.
No culture, no history, phony people, GANGS, but fine if you want to raise a family?

So, are you going to be moving out of Charlotte? If so, where too?

[jdelre13]

I left Charlotte last year. I accepted a job in Manhattan and am currently living in NJ. I am originally from CT so I am a little partial to this part of the country. As I stated, Charlotte wasn't really for me, as I am single and don't have children (that I know of anyway) )

After 6 years of living there, Charlotte lost it's charm for me. I prefer cities with more personality, culture, nightlife, and character. Examples - San Francisco, New York, Chicago etc etc. . .also grew tired of hanging out with the banker types all the time. . . .

If you are interested in relocating there, I would check out Lake Norman (Huntersville, Cornelius) Indian Trail/Matthews, or the Arboredum area. All very nice.

Just a warning, the traffic is absolutely horrible in every area of Charlotte. The roads/highways aren't built to handle the explosive population growth there. If you have any other questions, I'll be happy to help.

[Ms.Charlotte]

I've already purchased a home in Matthews so I'm glad to hear you say it's
nice place to live!

My situation is very different. I have 3 young children and am not too concerned about the city as far as nightlife and all. I can understand how you feel, though. I grew up 15 minutes from Manhattan and through all my years of traveling, couldn't imagine enjoying a city as much (except for San Fran!).

I just need to get away from this pace. Not too mention the cost of living.

So many different opinions about Charlotte. It's interesting.

How do you like where you're living now?

[mmdj43]

Hey jerseymom,

My family and I are looking to move to the Matthews area as well. How long have you been living there? We're actually coming down later this week to tour the Charlotte/Weddington/Matthews area. So how do you like it so far? There seems to be a lot of talk about Charlotte vs Raleigh, so what made you decide on the Charlotte area? How's the traffic? Is it as bad as I have read?

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by jdelre13

I lived in this piece of crap city for 6 years - never again.

Heh … reminds me of a wit who once wrote about Charlotte “it’s a nice place to live, but no one wants to visit.” I’d agree. We were glad to be shut of that area back in 1997, when we were given the opportunity to move to a more rural part of the state. We found it boring and congested and we weren’t even looking for a nightlife or good place to raise a family. However, we took a wider view of what living in this part of the country has to offer – which is a LOT. You can make long weekends to Atlanta or overnighters to Raleigh if you are looking to get busy. Hit Myrtle Beach for sun and surf, or Wilmington if you want that without all the tourist crap. There’s nothing like the mountains. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall for awesome scenery, or explore the mountain towns: ranging from the funky and eclectic Asheville, to the smaller Brevard and Highland. There’s the Smokies, which we avoid in the summer and fall, but there is plenty to do there in the summer if you have kids. You just have to mind the crowds. Cherokee for gambling or to experience the worst in tourist crap but the most interesting in Indian history and culture. If you want to river raft, there are plenty of places to do that or, to scare the crap out of yourself, try driving The Dragon: the 11 mile stretch of 129 that cross the NC/TN border. It has 314 curves.

We’ve made vacations centered on historic stuff by going up into Virginia and visiting Colonial Williamsburg (Busch Gardens is there, too), the plantations along the James River, and the homes of three Presidents who took up residence around Charlottesville. We also did a Civil War tour of all the battlefields and have attended several re-enactments. Washington, DC is an easy drive as is Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA.

The weather here can’t be beat, there hasn’t been a significant hurricane impact inland since 1989 (Hugo). We’ve had our share of droughts lately, but last winter was too negligible to be noticed. Spring and fall are fantastic.

We were unenthusiastic transplants from the Midwest, almost 20 years ago. It was a matter of “move or lose your job”. Now, we can’t imagine living anywhere else and think our old hometown in the St. Louis area is about as attractive as an armpit.

If you are looking for all your needs to be met in one metro area, then Charlotte will be a let down. Spend your free time exploring, like we have, and you might find a lot to like outside that area.

For those still keeping an open mind about the area, I’d strongly advise subscribing to The Blue Ridge magazine http://blueridgecountry.com/ and Our State http://www.ourstate.com/

[NC little foot]

Originally Posted by jerseymom

I've already purchased a home in Matthews so I'm glad to hear you say it's
nice place to live!

My situation is very different. I have 3 young children and am not too concerned about the city as far as nightlife and all. I can understand how you feel, though. I grew up 15 minutes from Manhattan and through all my years of traveling, couldn't imagine enjoying a city as much (except for San Fran!).

I just need to get away from this pace. Not too mention the cost of living.

So many different opinions about Charlotte. It's interesting.

How do you like where you're living now?

Does the schools in Matthews beat the kids too?

[mm34b]

No, Mecklenburg County does not.

[Ms.Charlotte]

mmdj43,
I haven't moved yet-I just spent a week down there and closed on my house. I know Charlotte gets some serious negative comments. I think you really have to explore on your own. Everyone comes from a different place, you know? I have spent my life in Jersey and my husband has been taking a 2 hour commute (ONE WAY) for years into Manhattan. So, when I buy a house that's 30 minutes to Charlotte and people are saying the traffic is horrific-it doesn't apply to us.
I found the whole area to be a breath of fresh air. I live in a very beautiful part of Jersey-by the shore but the people in NC are just different. To me, the city was clean. No city is NY as far as things to do, culture, etc. but I've been doing that all my life. So, as I said, it's where you are and what you're looking for in different stages of life.
To answer the question on Corporal punishment-Union County does allow it. I don't have any info on it occuring in the schools my children will be attending. They are Antioch Elementary, and Sun Valley Middle and High. If anyone does have information on these particular areas, I hope you share!

[jdelre13]

Hi Jerseymom,

To answer your question(s), I currently live in Hoboken, NJ. on the Hudson River waterfront. I've got a gorgeous view of NYC from my deck as well as an inground pool. It is very nice here, but I am looking to stop paying rent and purchase another home. I am beginning to cringe everytime I write out another rent check every month.

I still own my home in NC, on Lake Norman in Cornelius. I do love the waterfront there. Not sure if anyone has mentioned Birkdale Village to you or not, but it's very beautiful.

Matthews is nice, although I believe Charlotte has annexed it into the city limits for taxes. Either way, you've made a good choice in purchasing a home there. Did you check out Weddington at all? Very nice as well.

I didn't mean to discourage anyone from moving there, as I was just in desperate need of a change. Every city has pros/cons. You just have to weigh them against your own personal interests. I would definetely consider going back if I was married.

Good luck with everything down there and enjoy the lovely weather!!