Advice for People Moving to Charlotte (new house, restaurants, housing)
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When I was working in Flint Michigan I had too started to focus on the negative. Which was the weather. It was too cold for me to deal with and I was spending time over the holidays there. I had to get use to not ask for sweet tea unless I wanted to twirl sugar that would just spin in a glass.
I had to focus on the good side. The people had a great attitude towards work and you knew you could rely on them to get things done. I love how the streets and town was laid out and I had my first roasted duck in cute Frankenmuth.
I focus on what was good and what good can an area bring me.
I love smell and mystery of burning log fire and I always see selling of logs at grocery store and think who are they selling these to? Everyone I know has gas.
You worked in Flint and you're still alive? I think I would rather be in Detroit.
Frankenmuth is an awesome Bavarian Village. My family still drives from WNY to go there once a year.
i must say.. i've been here for 3 days while on a trip to prepare for my relocation in early january, and so far i've yet to find anything bad to say about Charlotte, except maybe that the traffic kind of bites compared to where i came from. but that was a metro area of about half the population, so when you take into account the significant lack of crime (look up Jackson, MS in the crime statistics), i can handle a little bit of extra traffic. not to mention the cultural opportunities are much greater here in Charlotte. i'm pretty excited to get moved in and start assimilating to the NC state of mind. (:
now if only i could get my stomach to move to eastern time. i keep taking lunch at 11 and everyone keeps asking me why... (:
Other things came to mind after I posted the original post. When we had a chance to visit Charlotte before we moved, we did the following as well. Everyone can sort of gauge the mortgage cost, and that's probably the biggest component of the expense, but there would be others.1. DH went to a Harris Teeter and a Lowe's Foods and priced out our basic staples - milk, bread, meats, fish and our "basic" food items like coffee, so we had an idea of what our grocery bill was going to look like. As an aside, he almost fainted at the price of bell peppers! Needless to say, we don't cook much with it now.2. Water is like gold around here. Our water bill in CT was $45 a quarter. Here, well...regardless of the water restrictions...a neighbor ran up a $500 water bill the first month running his sprinklers. It stopped really quick. A front-loading washing machine is one of the best investments we ever made. I suggest asking your realtor to ask the sellers of the house you are looking at what the utility bills look like per capita and figure out your estimate based on your family size. Electricity seems comparable and would replace your oil bill, but it probably is a combination of electric and gas. In Fort Mill, we were offered a separate meter for the sprinklers (an investment of $700) so you won't get charged a separate sewage fee for water running down the drain. We opted out for this since we felt we could not recoup the investment from the promised benefit in sewage fees.3. Most new homeowners will be visited by pest control people. We signed up for one during the first year since the pitch was, all the digging around you as houses get built bring up all kinds of critters unique to the south on the first year. We did not want those creepy-crawlies inside the house, so chi-ching it goes, and you sign up for this bi-monthly fee.4. One good thing, and I think it's unique to the south in general (I mean including FL, GA, TN, etc.) is the presence of urgent care facilities. There were none that I knew of in CT, so that provides people down here the option at less cost than going to the ER, the ability to walk in for ear infections, and such without having to set an appointment and without having to wait for the weekend. Very good in my mind and wish it was available nationwide.5. For those going into escrow, ask your agent, escrow company, etc. what the law is on title searches regarding reservation land. It was very interesting to us. I still strongly encourage the use of an agent even when dealing with new developments...does not cost you any, and offers you some level of comfort when dealing with the sales people.More to follow as I remember....
Good post. Most things tend to be what you make of them. No doubt there will be things I will miss (Fenway Park @ top of the list) when I move but I will be gaining so much. If I'm ever grumbling about something after I move down...please remind me of the 10 inches of snow I just shoveled.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bibit612
I'm fairly new to this forum and already have read many posts inquiring what Charlotte is like. If you are moving to Charlotte, as my family had last year, here's what I have to say:
1. Wherever you are coming from, leave your BAD baggage behind. Bring the GOOD baggage with you as you will find that there will be plenty of good company here.
2. Stop comparing your old place to the new as it will delay your assimilation process. It's okay to gripe occasionally,but the sooner you get over it and accept, the happier and content you will be.
3. There is a place, price point, entertainment, schools, activities etc. and everything you ever wanted in Charlotte, like where you came from, and probably more if you gave it half a chance.
4. Unless you place yourself in that situation, there is less crime, drugs and riff-raff here than wherever I have lived. Most schools are performing well and raise the bar. For those concerned about constant redistricting and don't have the desire for newer homes, established communities along Providence (Old Providence, Elizabeth Lane, South Charlotte, etc.) are decent. Grade points are higher than some states: A=93+. In CT, A+92+. In Fort Mill, they aggressively prepare you for college and their AP program in HS is the best I have seen and they have ZERO tolerance for bullying. At least the schools here don't need metal detectors at the gates.
5. It's okay to be nostalgic for certain things. My son misses the smell of burning wood in the fireplace (new homes have gas) and my daughter misses mature trees and squirrels. But I don't miss old plumbing and the constant expense of renovation and lack of square footage. Like I said, there's a lot of good...look for it.
6. There is a great deal of tolerance, and a great deal of civility, and that included in our experience government employees (DMV, IRS, the state agencies), hospital staff,restaurant servers, etc. I am SO done with RUDE elsewhere! The people on my block are all from out of NC (3 from NY, 1 from Canada/Eastern Europe, 1 from CT, 1 from Maine, 1 from Virginia, 1 from Pittsburgh & W. Virginia), of different creeds, race, age brackets, family size and have differing political leanings, but NONE were ever in each others' faces. At least where I live, people live by the code of gentility of the south.
7. While there is industry, well and alive, you will notice a different culture even at work, and for one who came from the rat-race North and West, I am loving it.
8. There will be things you may not like, but I'm sure there were those in the place where you are now.
9. In closing, Charlotte is as good a place as any. It's up to you to make it that way.
"...please remind me of the 10 inches of snow I just shoveled."
Amen to that, my fellow New Englander! As I sit here (in the woods, an hour north of Portland, Maine), preparing myself for the impending Nor'eastah, ayuh, I must admit, climate is one the main reasons I'm leaving New England after 10 years; this native Texan is looking forward to leaving the arctic temps behind.
For those in the know - is it true that the city shuts down for snow? I could make a killing selling rides to work for those who don't like to drive in yuck weather (close your eyes, hold on tight & trust me!).
Hey to - thecherif -Sun, GO PATS!!! (a little snow won't slow them down!)
Yes we are New Yorkers relocating to North Carolina/SOuth Carolina.
Today it is 10 degrees outside & Windy. We are tired of the cold weather.Keep the memories close to your heart, but....
We want to make "new" memories.
Experience each day and embrace it.
Yes we are New Yorkers relocating to North Carolina/SOuth Carolina.
Today it is 10 degrees outside & Windy. We are tired of the cold weather.Keep the memories close to your heart, but....
We want to make "new" memories.
Experience each day and embrace it.
When are you gonna be here, Poochie?
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will miss it ,but want to move anyway....
