How would you describe the culture and character of Charlotte?

[blabber]

to each his own...San Diego would be a great place to live and raise a family for a lot of people....depending on where you are from, it probably depends on what you would define as a great place to raise family. IMO, there are certain aspects of NYC that would make it a great to raise a family. It all depends of what is values are important to the individual (and perhaps how much money you have)..although I agree, Charlotte is a nice place to raise a family....as is Atlanta, Cincinnati, DC, San Francisco, Miami, even suburban Detroit...

[bandibadji]

Originally Posted by blabber

to each his own...San Diego would be a great place to live and raise a family for a lot of people....depending on where you are from, it probably depends on what you would define as a great place to raise family. IMO, there are certain aspects of NYC that would make it a great to raise a family. It all depends of what is values are important to the individual (and perhaps how much money you have)..although I agree, Charlotte is a nice place to raise a family....as is Atlanta, Cincinnati, DC, San Francisco, Miami, even suburban Detroit...

NYC would be a great city to raise children if there were yards and they could run around on their bikes,etc. My friends that were raised in downtown Manhattan admitted that they had a very sheltered life being so restricted in the city. Other than that, there is everything.

[chrharris]

I have posted this question everywhere on the net, even posted Charlotte tours to show there is nothing here on YouTube.

I think that one commit summed it all up for me. "Charlotte...Welcome Home"

Charlotte is something, just a city to live in. There are no Casinos, Beaches, etc.... (Tourst Crap)

Just a good city to live in. I am so satisfied with that.

That other slogan is a lie, "Charlotte's got a lot" No, we don't, and that is OK.

Shopping, Parks, Golf, Race Tracks, Night Life How many cities have these things?

Charlotte's just a good place to live, Thank You for that person who made that new city slogan.

[stlterp]

Originally Posted by bandibadji

NYC would be a great city to raise children if there were yards and they could run around on their bikes,etc. My friends that were raised in downtown Manhattan admitted that they had a very sheltered life being so restricted in the city. Other than that, there is everything.

My friends who grew up in NY were the exact opposite of sheltered. Exposed to a lot of different experiences and cultures while growing up, used to being independent. Some who grew up in the prep school world were sheltered, but not from being restricted...but rather from having no sense of reality outside of 30K prep schools, weekends in the Hamptons, etc.

[bandibadji]

There is only one way to describe the culture of Charlotte. That would be "varied".

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by bandibadji

There is only one way to describe the culture of Charlotte. That would be "varied".

I would agree with that.

As far as being sheltered growing up in the city...not so much. Didn't grow up in NYC, but, in Chicago. We played in the alley and in the streets, rode our bikes on the sidewalks around the block, then, when we got too old for that (12), simply rode in the streets. No, we did not have yards or acres of grass to run on/in (which would have been foreign to us anyway as walking/running on the grass was strictly forbidden), but, we managed. There were dangers to learn to avoid and places to explore. We rode the bus and the subway and went downtown to go to museums or to the zoo (yes, by ourselves), walked for miles, met our friends places and hung out. Not terribly sheltered at all!

[bandibadji]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

I would agree with that.

As far as being sheltered growing up in the city...not so much. Didn't grow up in NYC, but, in Chicago. We played in the alley and in the streets, rode our bikes on the sidewalks around the block, then, when we got too old for that (12), simply rode in the streets. No, we did not have yards or acres of grass to run on/in (which would have been foreign to us anyway as walking/running on the grass was strictly forbidden), but, we managed. There were dangers to learn to avoid and places to explore. We rode the bus and the subway and went downtown to go to museums or to the zoo (yes, by ourselves), walked for miles, met our friends places and hung out. Not terribly sheltered at all!

Chicago is extremely suburban, Manhattan is absolutely not. Those that I know that were raised in downtown Manhattan. They lived in highrises and could not ride bikes around the block or go to the park without being escorted or with parents. I am sure it got better as they got older, but they did miss playing in the woods, in the yards, knocking on doorbells and running, riding bikes, and some of the mischievious things that we were able to enjoy. On the other hand, when they were escorted, there were endless opportunities. I have cousins that were raised in Brooklyn and White Plains. They were close in (especially Brooklyn), but there was more of a sense of community and they weren't as restricted. More neighbors knew each other and watched out for each other.

[stlterp]

How many parents let their kids ride their bikes around the block, or go to the park alone, in suburbia? Not many, these days, sadly. Everything these days seems to be adult organized and supervised, instead of being kid-initiated and led, spur-of-the-moment activities.

Recently went to a party at MyGym for the first time. Great business model, but a really sad commentary on the state of our society, IMO. Charlotte had so many great activities/outlets for kids, the idea of sending a kid to "classes" or activities in a manufactured indoor setting seems strange to me, especially wit our good weather.

[Constitutionalist]

As one myself who grew up in charlotte and then moved away as an adult i now reside in the atlanta area, and up untill last sept i came to charlotte 5 days a week from atlanta, (i drive a truck for fed ex). what i see now is a mixing pot of the whole east coast in charlotte. really charlotte is not an exciting tourist trap but it is one of the best places to live in the united states. so if people say charlotte is too perfect its a cut out city per say, just know this charlotte is home sweet home and its your home, it may not have the culture of philly or boston or nyc but its culture is to me is its a big city with small town values and i would take that any day over any city and i think that most the folks who have moved there from the north east have adapted to this and love it. also if charlotte lacks so much, whatever, why is it even an envy to folks down here in atlanta, you would think from what people say about charlotte across the usa that it was the promised land, well maybe it just is. also the only thing atlanta has on charlotte as far as culture goes is, well, nothing at all.

[mkforu]

Originally Posted by brichard

I take it your comment is meant to be tongue in cheek? I'm glad this question has been raised. It's not the first time it's come up but I've yet to see a strong answer. The things I hear people refer to when asked what Charlotte has to offer are generally things you can find in any city. I lived for Charlotte years ago and keep looking for reasons to come back (other than my family being there). I'd like to know what unique flavor the city has to offer, the things I can only find in Charlotte. And I don't mean exclusive offerings that would require me to join a country club! Let me put it to you this way: if someone were coming from out of town to visit and you wanted to show them memorable highlights, where would you take them? For example, I live in San Diego. When people come here, other than the obvious touristy stuff like the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, I take them to wander around inside and through the grounds of the historic Hotel del Coronado. Or I take them over to La Jolla to grab some ice cream and stroll down the streets towards the ocean where we watch the sea lions, then head up to one of the restaurants or happy hours with balcony seating to watch the sun set over the ocean. Or I take them for a day trip down to Tijuana to bargain shop. Or we go hang out downtown in the history Gaslamp Quarter and have dinner. Or to tour the U.S. Aircraft Carrier Midway. Or we go wander around historic Old Town San Diego and shop, dine on autentic Mexican food, and watch artisans perform their crafts. Or we go to the historic San Diego Mission. Or we watch the fog roll in or the sun set over the ocean from atop the cliffs at Torrey Pines. Or we hang out for the day and get a tan, or perhaps go roller blading, in quirky Mission Beach. THIS is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Where does an out-of-towner go in Charlotte to have a unique, photo-worthy experience?

WOW, I think I want to move to San Diego!!!!!