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Currently living in the Bay Area and my husband and I are looking to move to Charlotte, NC primarily for the cost of living. We have visited several times and do enjoy the Lake Norman area, either Huntersville, Cornelius, or Davidson. Would love to hear any stories about others who have moved from the west coast and how you are adapting to NC. Also, any preferences for Huntersville, Cornelius, or Davidson. Thanks!
Political and ideological differences aside, you will love the cost of living difference. Gone tho' will be the easy access to the picturesque northern California Pacific coast, replaced by the rather blah (by west coast standards) East coast...and easy access to the Sierra mountains for summer/winter recreation. Gone will be mild summer and winter weather....however spring and fall are gorgeous. At 8 am today, Charlotte was 75 degrees, with 85% humidity (not the same humidity as summer fog in SF)...heading to 94 degrees (your heating/cooling days will increase, as will your power bill). Rapid Transit will consist of bus lines...maybe...but the positive side is that there are far fewer humans to transport. The multi-ethnicity that the Bay Area is known for does not exist to that extent in this area of the east....you may miss that, you may not miss it. There are no ethnic divisions here such as Alum Rock or East San Jose, you will however find some economic divisions.
I grew up in the Bay Area, San Jose to be exact, have lived all over the country, but truly enjoy this area of VA (NC and southern VA are very similar).
You will probably find the real estate pricing refreshing, as well as the lack of congestion on the roads. however you will probably not find the weather refreshing.
Thanks everyone! I appreciate your feedback! Last question, CA is very liberal, do you find Charlotte to be very conservative? I think that might be a difficult adjustment from growing up in CA.
I am from Orange County CA and live in Mooresville. Out of the cities you mentioned, I like Davidson the best. It is very quaint and seems to have a strong sense of community. Weather will be your biggest challenge, along with not finding as much to do. There are your regular things like dinner and a movie but the out of ordinary things that are scattered all over CA are a little harder to find. I don't find Charlotte to be overly conservative, and I am conservative. It is a huge transplant area now, so you get a little bit of everything. I am fine here but CA will always be home and I miss it.
Charlotte is more moderate but the outlying areas are more conservative. Note this is a general statement and you'll find pockets of both extreme liberal and conservatives even in the Charlotte area.
IMHO as long as you aren't someone who is completely obnoxious about your political beliefs you'll get along fine anywhere in the Charlotte Metro area. Most people here are polite enough to not bring that stuff up in casual conversation.
A lot of the Californians I know that live here struggle more with not constantly talking about how much better anything and everything in California is than anywhere else in the world. To be fair, Texans and people from NY/NJ (my people) can kind of be that way too.
I think if you embrace that you are the one that is moving, it is not going to be exactly the same as where you are from and make an effort to give the new place a chance you 'll do fine.
I'm from California and the adjustment has been great. I love how green it is here and while it is hot in summer, I lived in inland California about 15 miles from the beach, so it was still hot and regularly 85-100 degrees in the summer, but 4 times the housing cost. I've loved getting to know the area culture, and like the poster above, don't make comparisons all the time. For example, Bojangles is a local thing. Some people love it. If you constantly say "OMG, In N Out Burger out in California is the BEST, you don't even know how much better it is" you probably won't have many friends. Listen, learn, and enjoy this beautiful state and what is unique about it. Traffic is a million times better, it is way less crowded, but you can still be near the city and all the amenities. In OC we went to LA maybe 3 times a year just due to traffic and were stuck in inland suburban hell.
Charlotte as well as nearby Raleigh are, IMO, greener, less crowded, more socially conservative versions of Orange County. I know you're not from Southern California, but hopefully, that should give you some frame of reference.
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