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There's a small chance I might be moving to Charlotte.
I'm a single 43 y/o female; no kids or pets. I currently live in a newer 625 sq ft studio apartment in Atlanta in the Buckhead area. It's a mid-rise apartment and as I'm centrally located and work from home, I don't own a car (and I love car-less life).
This is my third time living in Atlanta (I originally moved here in 1999 to go to college..I was born/raised in SC); I've currently been back in ATL this time for 5 years. I am an extreme homebody; I love city life though and love being close to things to do although I don't do much...particularly areas that are walkable and close to major amenities. Right now I can walk to literally any and everything I need within less than 20 minutes (many places less than 10 minutes), including a major mall.
I spent 5 years in Chicago which is what made me go car-less almost 10 years ago. I miss the city living there - the jogging by the lakefront, being in the middle of amazing skyline views, the access to major shopping retailers and public transit and the endless food options (not to mention proximity to two major airports which was nice as I do enjoy travel abroad sometimes).
So. With that said, what areas would you recommend for someone in my age range who enjoys the quiet life with great scenery, close proximity to amenities, and that 'might' attempt to live a car-less life in Charlotte? I will be looking for a place to rent under $2k/monthly that is hopefully a bit newer but is fine if it's very small.
You shouldn’t live in Charlotte carless, but living near a Light Rail station will give you the option to perhaps commute to work or use it to eat out or go out to games and entertainment.
SouthEnd Charlotte is where I’d recommend. Great skyline views, pretty active itself. Walkable, multiple light rail stops.
Also recommend SouthEnd. Sounds like it would have what you're looking for except the shopping mall. Southpark is the closest thing to a mall located in a dense neighborhood in Charlotte. There are some decent Youtube videos you could probably check out to get an idea of what SouthEnd looks like.
There are several recommendable places where one can live without a car, near lots of amenities, and have options for public transportation. A car would likely be needed if you didn't work in the same area though. I recommend South End, Dilworth, Elizabeth, Berkdale (Huntersville), South Park, Selwin Rd. (Myer's Park), NoDa, Park Road/Montford area, For $2,000 a month you can find a decent place. The best place for a shopping center, per se., is South Park and Park Road/Montford. South End has lots of boutiques, pubs, restaurants, etc. The big difference between Buckhead and these areas is the number of high rises. Buckhead has many more, but that doesn't mean that the areas I mentioned are lacking. Light Rail has made things much more accessable. Good luck. P.S. I know people that live in Charlotte without a car. Some only have a bike and others rent a car if they want to go out of town.
I did take the advice of looking at South End on Youtube; it looks to be a nice area to live. I am not seeing many apartments in the area actually but maybe it's just because I'm used to there being like 3 apartment complexes on every single block. I will continue to look however and thank you to the poster above^ for the additional recommendations as I will start looking into those areas as well.
I did take the advice of looking at South End on Youtube; it looks to be a nice area to live. I am not seeing many apartments in the area actually but maybe it's just because I'm used to there being like 3 apartment complexes on every single block. I will continue to look however and thank you to the poster above^ for the additional recommendations as I will start looking into those areas as well.
I’d say there’s about 3 apartment complexes every block for nearly a mile (excluding where it’s just a giant complex).
Also, I mean. SouthEnd is by far the largest I think of any dense urban area in CLT outside of uptown which can sometimes feel a little more sterile or business district than others.
Check out these as alternatives
- Wesley Heights/Morehead (along Morehead Street near a place called JackBeagles)
- Plaza Midwood
- NoDa (Light Rail station)
- 3rd Ward
& please. Don’t consider going carless unless. It can be done & you could live semi-comfortable in maybe SouthEnd, but don’t limit yourself to a tiny portion of Charlotte. Greenways such as Little Sugar Creek Greenway, Freedom Park, other nice areas such as say Montford Drive or the Lake Norman, White Water Center, being able to get Plaza Midwood or some art places & local restaurants on East Blvd., Providence Rd. Etc. Would be beyond a hassle to get to and it just seems like you’d be missing so much of life in Charlotte.
Keep in mind Atlanta is double the metro population of Charlotte so while I particularly don’t think Atlanta would be so fabulous without a car, it’s leagues ahead of Charlotte as far as living car-free. Charlotte is just too small for that - but you definitely can live near the light rail and use it often.
NoDa would be my favorite but not sure how great the apartments are (and how many available.)
3rd Ward in uptown is nice.
Catalyst Charlotte, Ascent Charlotte & Novel Stonewall are a couple of a few towers I would recommend in uptown. Ascent Being my preferred.
Last edited by Charlotte485; 01-23-2022 at 03:46 PM..
You shouldn’t live in Charlotte carless, but living near a Light Rail station will give you the option to perhaps commute to work or use it to eat out or go out to games and entertainment.
SouthEnd Charlotte is where I’d recommend. Great skyline views, pretty active itself. Walkable, multiple light rail stops.
That was the view from my daughter's apartment/balcony when she lived at The Crown at Queen City in Uptown (She just moved out last month). She loved living there and would still be there had she not bought a house recently. It was so beautiful at night when lit up. She was also able to see the fireworks at the stadium. For views like this though she did have to pay a premium above other units in the complex.
While she had a car she still walked to many places.....even her doctor's appointments. But I'm not sure how being totally carless would be there.
She also lived in NoDa prior to living at the Crown. She lived at 30Six NoDa (formerly Novel) which was also very nice. There were so many places to walk to in NoDa and it also had direct access to the light rail.
Here is a screenshot of the view from The Crowns website. This was my daughter's view since her unit was right next to this area in the complex.
That was the view from my daughter's apartment/balcony when she lived at The Crown at Queen City in Uptown (She just moved out last month). She loved living there and would still be there had she not bought a house recently. It was so beautiful at night when lit up. She was also able to see the fireworks at the stadium. For views like this though she did have to pay a premium above other units in the complex.
While she had a car she still walked to many places.....even her doctor's appointments. But I'm not sure how being totally carless would be there.
She also lived in NoDa prior to living at the Crown. She lived at 30Six NoDa (formerly Novel) which was also very nice. There were so many places to walk to in NoDa and it also had direct access to the light rail.
Here is a screenshot of the view from The Crowns website. This was my daughter's view since her unit was right next to this area in the complex.
I never owned a car when I lived in London. They were an inconvenience. You had to pay to park on the road or parking lot and fight for a place to park. Besides, there was the Ministry of Transport's road tax, inspection scam, road tax and other things that make not having a car a luxury itself. On the other hand, I was restricted to the city and had to rent a car to go outside of town and freely roam around. British rail is ungodly expensive the riding the tube within the metro is also ridiculously expensive despite discount offers, etc. I enjoy having a car and the freedom that comes with ownership. You will find advantages and disadvantages in car dependency. At least in places like South End, you can plan your daily life carless depending on where you work. JMHO. At least in Charlotte communities (most of them anyway) you can easily park your car and not fight for a space.
Specifically recommend the Ashton or Hawk buildings in Southend. They are going to be a bit better (sound deadening) build quality and more age appropriate. OR Choose Elizabeth area and have access to the street car.
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