Charlotte- really that lame? (Raleigh: best cities, job transfer, neighborhood)

[silverwing]

........as an addendum to my previous post. Google "llama trek+north carolina" [or Virginia or Tennessee]. Some people do that as a living, or part-time, though it usally involves living in a scenic area with trails that allow the animals, or a B&B that accentuates its tweeness by advertising the ambiance of having a personal llama companion (and I don't mean that in a dirty way ) for the duration of your stay. We did the trek thang and stayed at a place called Windsong (google windsong+llama) as part of the investigative cycle when deciding on whether or not to become llama people. We found the owners to be ever so helpful on letting us know what it was like to keep the creatures, though you might also have to endure a bit of shilling: "oh, and by the way, I have a beautiful young llama that is ready to take home."

One very surprising thing we found was that you don't have to have a horse trailer to transport llamas. Our two boys were delivered to us from the llama farm in the back of a Ford Aerostar van. The llama farmers had taught the boys to cush and stay down; they made the 3 hr journey without fuss, hanging over the shoulders of the driver and passenger and humming their comments about the scenery that passed

[lstevenson]

Originally Posted by jdelre13

Even all of my born and bred North Carolinian friends (bless their hearts) that love NC, are disgusted with Charlotte because of all the BS that is going on there.

What BS? Please do tell. I'm planning on moving there this summer.

[angelaf]

Originally Posted by silverwing

One very surprising thing we found was that you don't have to have a horse trailer to transport llamas. Our two boys were delivered to us from the llama farm in the back of a Ford Aerostar van. The llama farmers had taught the boys to cush and stay down; they made the 3 hr journey without fuss, hanging over the shoulders of the driver and passenger and humming their comments about the scenery that passed

I heard about this... A lady at a county fair told me she hauled her alpacas around in her van. She was trying to convince me it would probably be ok to keep an alpaca on our .6 acre lot in town, and that our two pit bulls wouldn't mind a bit, sharing their fenced-in yard with a new friend... Yeah right! Don't think she was the most responsible breeder...

The Triad area is starting to look more appealing, if only for the fact that it seems less popular than Charlotte. If we can find jobs there, that may be the place to go. Otherwise, outside of Asheville would be nice, but much more expensive in that area, it seems. I'm glad to hear I'll be among fellow llama lovers-- I'm skipping my college graduation ceremony this weekend to go to the Llama Magic festival across the river. Should be fun, lots of llamas and a good source of info.

[angelaf]

Oh yeah... and I know llamas don't actually need much land... but my fiancé has his heart set on having a buffalo. That's the deal-- if I get a llama and an alpaca, he gets a buffalo. There's a huge buffalo farm along the interstate near here and he just loves seeing them out there... "So majestic!"
I don't know if it's actually realistic to keep a buffalo with other kinds of animals, but he really wants one... maybe we'll find out this weekend!

Hey, are there any buffalo in NC?

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by angelaf

Hey, are there any buffalo in NC?

Google "lazy 5 ranch". It's near Mooresville. The zoo at Asheboro has bison and elk in a native setting. Just wear your most comfy shoes. You WALK there

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by angelaf

Oh yeah... and I know llamas don't actually need much land... but my fiancé has his heart set on having a buffalo. That's the deal-- if I get a llama and an alpaca, he gets a buffalo. There's a huge buffalo farm along the interstate near here and he just loves seeing them out there... "So majestic!"
I don't know if it's actually realistic to keep a buffalo with other kinds of animals, but he really wants one... maybe we'll find out this weekend!

Hey, are there any buffalo in NC?

As silverwing stated above....Lazy 5 Ranch (Mooresville, NC). It is an incredible place. You can either drive your vehicle through (where the animals come right up to your car...or if you wish not to have animal saliva on your car you can ride on a wagon as well). You will be astounded with the various species and never in my life did I ever think that I would be able to reach out and touch so many of them. Lastly get a bucket of food for $2 you will be glad you did.

[taniamw]

Originally Posted by jdelre13

If you are raising a family and looking for a city that has relatively low crime and good schools, than by all means you'd look at a place like Charlotte.
If you are single, not interested in children yet, and want to experience life a little bit before marriage, then Charlotte is not the place for you.

I would also add here that if you would still like to experience life in spite of being married and raising a family, then Charlotte is also not the place for you.

We are not happy here, but I think we just prefer a big city. We went from Toronto to NYC to Charlotte, and I think we are just missing the big city lifestyle.

If you like smaller cities, Charlotte is a fine specimen.

[ncisgreat]

Well, you have bumped a really old thread with really bad advice.

I have lived in "larger" cities and I travel A LOT. I love Charlotte and there is a ton of culture and activities here. Charlotte is a MID-SIZED city, not a small city, and if you would have read the original post, you would have learned that we established in this thread that comparing Charlotte to NYC is ridiculous.

If you are not happy here, you can leave but don't blame the city with plenty of possibilities for your unhappiness.

[Charlottean]

Holy old post batman!

[eccentricbeethoven]

why do people on the forum always compare NYC to charlotte? that not fair that comparing hong kong to oakland!