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Thats probably true. I remember l;iving close enough to Tampa that all our news stations came out of there, and you never heard about robberries, murders so much, but lord knows Tampa had them. Among residents it was kind of like a "well its not in my neighborhood" attitude.
Here in Charlotte the city spread is quite large, but people in one sector concern themselves with what happens in other sectors to a degree unlike many other metros.
Maybe it is because the bad areas aren't "tucked away" but rather you are forced to drive right through them (I used to drive I-85 right over glenwood, freedom, the brookshire, and beaties ford at midnight or later home from work, I know I would have never stopped in those areas).
You are SO correct! Charlotte news tells ALL--at first when I was getting used to the news channels, etc. I heard all of the "breaking news" stuff, I thought, OMG What? Where? Then I found out it was a bank robbery 3 or 4counties away in some cases!
SteveyH is correct--in other areas (we moved from Phoenix) there was not enough time in the day to report on all of it unless there was a major police chase, multiple shootings, etc. Here in the Charlotte area, they even have traffic accidents on the news. I haven't seen that in years.
Well car accidents arent crimes, and they can happen to anyone, anywhere, no matter where you live. If you drive, you'll probably have one some time in your life.
Like another poster said, there is more to crime than rapes and murders.
There are many other crimes that wont make the news. Stolen vehicles, theft, house break ins, assaults, car break ins. Yeah it may not seem that serious compared to murders, until it happens to you.
To say Charlotte has less crime than L.A., well it may surprise you that its really not true. When you have such a huge population difference, there will be more crime with more population, but the ratio is still evenly distributed with less populated areas.
With all that said, the Charlotte area and its suburbs are broken down by economics. Its relatively easy to tell where 'poor' and 'well off' areas are. Generally the nicer and pricier the neighborhood, the more safe people feel. Its fact. While people living in the nicer areas may not be committing crimes themselves, this does not stop criminals from traveling to their neighborhoods.
Finally, I do feel safe living here, always have. I will not leave my house unlocked or car unlocked though, I even lock the car doors while Im driving. I am realistic, and I know that no matter if Im in a nice or bad part of town, crime is indiscriminate.
No los angeles has more crime than charlotte. plus the ghetto areas of LA are crap and a lot more run down then here in charlotte. most murders in charlotte are domestic but in la over 50% of murders are gang related, people killing other people and don"t even know who they are. My point before was that in charlotte people are just more informed about crime then in other big cities. so maybe thats why people think that theirs more crime.
My wife and I are planning to move to the Charlotte area within the next few years. The crime rate is not going to stop us from moving down there; all large cities have crime. I find it hard to believe that anyone who moves to Charlotte from a larger metro area (D.C., Philly, NY, Chicago, etc.) would be that worried about the crime rate.
It doesnt matter where you live, there is always a chance of being a victim of crime. Just living in a particualr area somewhere doesnt prevent it, as you travel each day to different areas from your home.
I grew up close to DC. I do NOT miss it at all. THe beltway..no thanks. The traffic is getting worse and worse there and there are strip malls everywhere on the suburbs (same as here!) , however ppl are friendlier, schools are better, cost of living is much better!
There are plenty of things to do here, you are 180 miles from Wilmington (hello ocean!), less than 2 hours from the mountains and skiing!, Carowinds, dance theater, concerts, racing, major sports events plus a ton of things that go on, you just have to look!
I think the weather i snice here, the summers in DC are terrible, I'd say they are close here, but winters are milder. There are plenty of restaurants and things if you look around.
Good luck in your search!
In reading this thread you seem to have a pretty open mind of the Charlotte area. Could you please give me some insight on the Charlotte area for kids in High School. What are some good areas to look into for renting houses in the area. I will probably work in the down town area in the legal profession and don't know how the travel will be for counties outside of charlotte and within the city. Can you assist with some helpful information. Thanks.
In reading this thread you seem to have a pretty open mind of the Charlotte area. Could you please give me some insight on the Charlotte area for kids in High School. What are some good areas to look into for renting houses in the area. I will probably work in the down town area in the legal profession and don't know how the travel will be for counties outside of charlotte and within the city. Can you assist with some helpful information. Thanks.
I think Charlotte is getting a bad rap on this thread. I've seen much worse areas in Miami, Ft. Laud., and Tampa. My husband witnessed a drive-by shooting in broad daylight working in Tampa, and very close to I-4 that the bullet could have hit a driver on the interstate! Any tourist could easily get off the interstate with car problems and be in a horrible situation quick. I’ve lived outside of Winston-Salem and it seems to me that someone said it had the worse crime rate in NC. I never had a problem there and I can’t picture that but I also wasn't looking for it. I‘ve lived in Asheville and it was probably the best of all, but then again, it's a small city.
I believe it's all in your habits and where you go and what you do. If you keep your eyes open, you are much less apt to be a target. I also think that sensationalism is a big part of journalism and some areas are worse than others. I don’t think you can compare Charlotte to NYC, DC, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, etc. It’s not going to have all the culture the huge cities have and some of those cities don’t have as much sensationalism so Charlotte appears worse. From my moving around, you cannot rely on the news in different areas for an accurate judgment of crime.
I grew up in rural NY and lived in small towns like Lyons and Sodus in the Fingerlake Region that had horrible drug problems because the local cops didn’t know how to deal with it and it just got worse. Small towns with a few thousand people ranking right up there with large cities like NYC and Rochester for crime. Truly amazing! And do you think that was heavily advertised? No!
I like Huntersville. We aren’t far from Charlotte and it’s an easy commute. Exit 23 off I-77 is close enough but far enough, too. I feel I’m in a very safe neighborhood and I’ve met a lot of my neighbors. I would have no problem going to their door with an emergency. And they would have no problem helping me, either, because that’s what neighbors do. I don’t think the metro city of Charlotte has a neighborhood like I do, but I doubt than any city the size of Charlotte or larger would, either. You can’t compare apples with oranges!
My wife and I are planning to move to the Charlotte area within the next few years. The crime rate is not going to stop us from moving down there; all large cities have crime. I find it hard to believe that anyone who moves to Charlotte from a larger metro area (D.C., Philly, NY, Chicago, etc.) would be that worried about the crime rate.
These replies have been very interesting. I feel the same way you do. I grew up in DC and I have always felt oblivious to crime. I know that sound shallow. But crime was a part of everyday life for me. This is sad, but I will never forget when I was in 3rd of 4th grade my mom got all the windows in our house replaced. She was so happy, because they were bullet proof windows!I will never forget that. So when people talk about crime in cities, I'm almost certain that is not as bad as the crime has been in the DC area.
We lived in Charlotte for less than a year. Frankly, I could not wait to leave. I purchased a home in SC to get away from Charlotte.
We're MUCH happier in SC. We wanted something different, something that Charlotte is not. Charlotte is not "fun" imo. Charlotte does offer good job ops but the traffic is hellish. Ultimately, I thought Charlotte was dirty, crowded and nasty.
I'm not discriminating but the Mexicans population has grown and seemingly, the Mexicans own Charlotte.
A lot of posters on the street are in Spanish, there are Mexican restaurants, there are Mexican bakeries, there are Mexican...Oh, you get the idea.
Also, be careful where you move in Charlotte, there are pockets of drug activity - its ugly. Do not live on Central Ave if you can avoid that.
You know how people leave their hearts in cities? Well my heart is NOT in Charlotte.
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Charlotte getting bad rap
