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Used to have a home in Sardis Plantation, just off of Pineville-Matthews (Hwy 51) a bit west of Sardis Road. Moderately priced homes, great mix of families with kids and older neighbors who have been there since neighborhood was established; no McMansions, or McMansion mentality. If you leave before 7:30 a.m., you can be uptown in 20-25 minutes with minimal soot in your lungs. Charlotte Middle School, Providence HS; not very diverse, but you can't have everything. Myers Park HS district much better in that regard, but housing more expensive. Schools are as good or better than Providence district.
As far as tolerance is concerned, we moved here from Miami so I find Charlotte borderline intolerant. Diversity is increasing, but mixing among the ethnic / racial groups is still quite rare. The first question you will be asked (sometimes even before your name) is "what church do you attend?" Don't answer unless you are of the evangelical persuasion, until you find out why the person is asking. Usually, it's an invitation to their church. Best to be avoided. Swear you already have a church even if you have to pick a name out of the Saturday paper.
thats such a broad generalization. first, i believe charlotte is a very diverse place to live. i see people of all different races here on a daily basis. just because its not a diverse as nyc, dc or miami doesnt mean its not diverse. also, ive lived here five and a half years and have never once been asked where i go to church. i also seriously doubt whoever asked you that question really cared about your response. i think they were simply trying to be friendly. you guys need to stop trying to scare people off of charlotte with these ridiculous generalizations.
I don't even know what to say after reading the posts here. Sounds like there is an implication that if you are dealing w/ natives, you will be treated badly, so your only hope is to surround yourself w/ other newcomers.
I find plenty to do here, but like w/ most areas of the country, if you want a Broadway play, you need to go to NYC . . . same for Opera . . . CLT has about the same things as any other city its size as far as entertainment, restaurants . . . and more golf courses and outdoor venues than most . . . My neighborhood is in S. CLT and we have different ethnicities but it is not something commented on b/c we are all just people. People tend to socialize w/ others who have similar interests - so it seems to me that the big factor in who socializes together is - having children in the same school/neighborhood so that parents get to know one another . . . living in close proximity so you have backyard BBQs . . . I really am surprised to see some comments that seem to indicate there is an undercurrent of hostility or racism . . . As far as religion, I have only been asked ONCE in nearly six years a question about where I attend church and that was at a wedding . . . I am kind of astounded at the stuff I am reading here and really feel sad that people live here and are not feeling welcomed, comfortable, accepted, etc. in this area.
I don't even know what to say after reading the posts here. Sounds like there is an implication that if you are dealing w/ natives, you will be treated badly, so your only hope is to surround yourself w/ other newcomers.
I find plenty to do here, but like w/ most areas of the country, if you want a Broadway play, you need to go to NYC . . . same for Opera . . . CLT has about the same things as any other city its size as far as entertainment, restaurants . . . and more golf courses and outdoor venues than most . . . My neighborhood is in S. CLT and we have different ethnicities but it is not something commented on b/c we are all just people. People tend to socialize w/ others who have similar interests - so it seems to me that the big factor in who socializes together is - having children in the same school/neighborhood so that parents get to know one another . . . living in close proximity so you have backyard BBQs . . . I really am surprised to see some comments that seem to indicate there is an undercurrent of hostility or racism . . . As far as religion, I have only been asked ONCE in nearly six years a question about where I attend church and that was at a wedding . . . I am kind of astounded at the stuff I am reading here and really feel sad that people live here and are not feeling welcomed, comfortable, accepted, etc. in this area.
Ani, it has been my experience in life that you get out of it what you put into it - same with people. You treat them right - most of the time they treat you right.
I have to wonder if people might not be coming here with preconceived ideas of how they'll be treated - and gee, no big surprise - they find what they go looking for.
Ani, it has been my experience in life that you get out of it what you put into it - same with people. You treat them right - most of the time they treat you right.
I have to wonder if people might not be coming here with preconceived ideas of how they'll be treated - and gee, no big surprise - they find what they go looking for.
ani, loves - You're both right as usual! Another factor that might come into play is economic status! The more isolated you are, in the number and kinds of people you meet, tends to re-inforce the stereotypes you have of those "other" people. I've met natives that swear that they lived in their grand houses since the earth cooled and the newcomers with a rampant case of "McMansionitis" who would like the wall around their development about three times as high as the Berlin Wall and also include the nearest NY style pizza place" that be-moan anyone who isn't "just like them". I guess I'll have all the good times meeting and greeting all the people that those "cloistered folks" have their preconceived notions of!
Last edited by TheEmissary; 07-13-2008 at 01:08 PM..
Reason: sp gr punc
Ani, it has been my experience in life that you get out of it what you put into it - same with people. You treat them right - most of the time they treat you right.
I have to wonder if people might not be coming here with preconceived ideas of how they'll be treated - and gee, no big surprise - they find what they go looking for.
thats very true. i think a lot of these people look for a reason not to like charlotte or take one bad experience as a reason not to like charlotte. news flash, there are racist people everywhere in this country, not just charlotte. maybe that woman who posted about how racist everyone at her school is needs to go to a more diverse or less rural school. using that one example as a reason to indict charlotte as a place where people arent tolerant is ignorant. i see mixed couples all the time and i dont see anyone giving them looks. i think some people just think they are getting looked at. this isnt to say no one will look at you but that is the case in every city you go to. anything that is out of the norm will draw looks from people. it doesnt necessarily mean that they disapprove of your lifestyle it might just mean that they are looking. ive lived here five and a half years and never felt an ounce of racism and all or most of the people i know would say the same thing. is there racism in charlotte? of course, just like there is racism everywhere else you go. statistically charlotte is a very diverse city and having lived here a long time it is definitly true.
I don't think that Charlotte is a culturally rich place - but not sure how culturally rich Roanoke is. When there are not really any good theaters or museums in town. We usually go up to DC or NY twice a year to get our cultural fix.
We (Caucasians but from another country) haven't experienced any racism or negative outbursts towards us. However, I do think that there is an undercurrent of racism. My wife is a teacher and it is ridiculous what kind of comments she hears from the kids on almost a daily basis (against African Americans, Indians, Middle-Easterners, etc.) The problem is that the parents are the ones that teach these ideas to the children... so my wife and other teachers can teach the kids to be tolerant while in school but as soon as they are home they get exposed to "If a black man ever becomes president, I'll leave the United States" (that's a direct quote from one of the fathers).
I can detect some sour grapes here. If you were a black person making such generalizations, your posting would be banished. I personally do not believe your wife has had the aforementioned experience as I have been in education for many years and have found the situation to be exactly the opposite. I practically never hear white students saying anything negative about anyones race or religion. I have always been suprisingly amazed at how little students care about racial/religious issues. As a matter of fact, black kids go to sleepovers at white kid's houses regularly. Does your wife teach in a reform school? Kids are normally rebellious. If their parents don't like something, they generally will like it just to rebel. So, I don't agree with your parents theory.
cgballer, you will find Charlotte very tollerant and with several good schools.
So, should people in Charlotte be required to associate with people of other races? Why can't people associate with whomever they chose regardless? Just because people want to hang out mostly with people like them doesn't make them racists. Do some of you people require that a token be in your social setting? I prefer that people hang with whomever the chose. Sorry but this thread has shown me that we obviously get a lot of bitter, arrogant,pretentious people in the area that should have stayed from where they came. No Charlotte is no San Francisco or Miami Beach, but it is no different than any city that I have visited on the eastern seaboard in reference to group dynamics. And, I've been to all of them. Most people in Charlotte come from other places. Charlotte is simply the result of the accumulation of these citizens. These citizens move into various neighborhoods for different reasons, possibly schools, cost of houses, proximity to work or whatever. No different than anyplace else. If someone ask you where you go to church all you have to do is accept the invitation or tell them that you are not interested. It is a gester of kindness and not meant to be a thing of intrusion. I am agnostic. I have been asked and simply said thank you but I'm not interested and that was it. When you move to a strange place, you need to learn to accept the way it is. People have lived in an area longer than the newcomer and the newcomer is the one that should be required to adapt. I am sure that everyone has had more dramatic events occur in their lives.
So, should people in Charlotte be required to associate with people of other races? Why can't people associate with whomever they chose regardless? Just because people want to hang out mostly with people like them doesn't make them racists. Do some of you people require that a token be in your social setting? I prefer that people hang with whomever the chose. Sorry but this thread has shown me that we obviously get a lot of bitter, arrogant,pretentious people in the area that should have stayed from where they came. No Charlotte is no San Francisco or Miami Beach, but it is no different than any city that I have visited on the eastern seaboard in reference to group dynamics. And, I've been to all of them. Most people in Charlotte come from other places. Charlotte is simply the result of the accumulation of these citizens. These citizens move into various neighborhoods for different reasons, possibly schools, cost of houses, proximity to work or whatever. No different than anyplace else. If someone ask you where you go to church all you have to do is accept the invitation or tell them that you are not interested. It is a gester of kindness and not meant to be a thing of intrusion. I am agnostic. I have been asked and simply said thank you but I'm not interested and that was it. When you move to a strange place, you need to learn to accept the way it is. People have lived in an area longer than the newcomer and the newcomer is the one that should be required to adapt. I am sure that everyone has had more dramatic events occur in their lives.
Charlotte is not a racist city by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is not culturally or racially diverse. I have never been asked about my faith in Charlotte. I never perceived it as a bible thumping place. Painfully boring, but that is about the only knock on it.
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