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Hi---
My family (husband and 3 yr old) and I are thinking about moving out of Portland OR and we're considering NC. What do you like/dislike about Charlotte? What are the main differences between the Charlotte area and Raleigh? Is anyone familiar with Portland and can tell me which city is "more like" Portland? I'm devastated to be moving out of my hometown and would love to find somewhere somewhat similar. My husband is black, I am white (are there many mixed couples there?). We are both quite liberal...would we have a hard time finding friends/fitting in?
Please give me your input!!!
Thanks.
Hopefully, someone from Portland will weigh in. Two things come to my mind. First of all, plenty of racially mixed couples here, so no biggie with that. But as far as Portland being similar to either Raleigh or Charlotte . . . I don't think so. The NW of this country is very different, weather-wise and politically, from any city in NC . . . Some may tell you that Asheville would be a bit more like Portland than any other town in the state . . . depends on where you live in Asheville and what professions you are in.
I am in sales (right now selling advertising in a city magazine) and my husband is the chef/owner of a higher-end restaurant in Portland.
I would consider Asheville while checking out info on Raleigh and Charlotte, as well.
Come to Charlotte and bring us a new restaurant!!! I would check w/ Johnson Wales as they would probably be able to give you info on the market here.
NC would be considered a more conservative state as compared to Oregon. Chapel Hill would possibly be a good match - I just thought of that. Great university town . . . more liberal . . .
My wife and I moved to Charlotte from Portland 3 year ago and are very happy here. We lived in Portland for about 4 years. There are tons of transplants in Charlotte. I don't think you'll have a problem finding like-minded people. We had a nice home in Portland that we were very comfortable in (Bethany / NW portland area). The quality and price of homes here compares well with that area. One big difference is that you can get a lot more land for the money. I don't want to ramble on and on. Feel free to send me a personal message & don't feel like you're bothering me. I can respond to your specific questions that way. Take care.
Quote:
Originally Posted by portlandshaws
Hi---
My family (husband and 3 yr old) and I are thinking about moving out of Portland OR and we're considering NC. What do you like/dislike about Charlotte? What are the main differences between the Charlotte area and Raleigh? Is anyone familiar with Portland and can tell me which city is "more like" Portland? I'm devastated to be moving out of my hometown and would love to find somewhere somewhat similar. My husband is black, I am white (are there many mixed couples there?). We are both quite liberal...would we have a hard time finding friends/fitting in?
Please give me your input!!!
Thanks.
I moved with my Family here from Portland 14 months ago. We lived there for 10 years, but I finally had to get out. The weather here is more to my liking. I am a moderate conservative, so I found Portland a little too far to the left for me. Charlotte is allot like Portland in that its a city of transplants. The biggest difference is in Portland is you probably wouldn't know, because the transplants were mostly from CA. The transplants here are mostly from the North East and you know it as soon as they start speaking. I think the assessment of Asheville being the most like Portland is probably correct, though I would only know from what I have read and heard, never been there. If you want to come down South to the wamer climate, you may just have to deal with folks being in general more conservative, but it is a city, so there are all types here. As far as interacial marriage thing, does anybody even notice anymore? I don't think that would be an issue unless you were moving to the sticks. My wife didn't want to leave Portland because she had many friends there, so she is not sold on Charlotte yet. I like it here, we are closer to family and the weather is ideal. Just a tip though, we thought living across the country from our families would be ok, but it ended up being a huge hassle. Family members start passing on and you have to come back for funerals. I ended up missing some because I just could not afford to come back so often. Hopefully your families are younger and healthier than mine
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Thanks for your input
I would check w/ Johnson Wales as they would probably be able to give you info on the market here. 
