Do Charlotte Natives generally dislike Northerners? (store, moving to, rating)

[mullman]

Originally Posted by charlottenativegirl

Where are all the native Charlotteans? I know you are out there. We live in Union County, and I would love to find someone that remembers what the Charlotte area was like before 1985. Matthews was considered living out in the country. I do miss driving down Providence and Monroe Rd. and only seeing a few other cars. I understand why so many people want to move here, but soon it will be just like what you are trying to get away from, so keep in mind what drew you here in the first place. Be kind and courteous, speak slowly, and quietly, and use your turn signals, and we will get along just fine.

Hi, we are over here!

Yes, I remember when Hwy 51 from Matthews to Pineville was a curvy two land road, with property or horse fences on each side most of the way.
There was a curve across from what is now Carmel Baptist where Hwy 51 went around a huge Oak tree. Frequently there were accidents when people ran into the tree.

When driving to Waxhaw down 16 from say Fairview Road, it would not be unusual to see less than a dozen cars.
My grandmother used to tell me that Hwy 16 was built over some indian burial grounds and sometimes the road made a hollow sound when you road over them. I would quietly listen and think of the Waxhaws.

These were the days when Eastland Mall was 'the mall'.
It was spotless and so state of the art with its ice skating rink in the middle.
Then SouthPark was built on the sight of an old farm.
This was much closer to us, so that became (and remains) our mall du jour.

When announcements were made for building a shopping center where the Arboretum is now, many thought it would be a failure.
Who would drive all the way out there?

FWIW I used to ride motorcycles (offroad) and shoot guns all over the land that is now Phillips Place & Morrocroft Estates.

I have a picture from the 1970s of the marquee on the original Charlotte Colosseum (now Cricket arena) that totally summed up the queen city at the time (I do not have the photo at work and estimated the dates for illustration purposes).

Elvis Presley 3.20
Billy Graham 3.21
Ice Hockey 3.23

Northside Baptist Church was the one mega-church in town, and its founder Jack Hudson is still a legend to many, he was a close friend of Johnny Cash. PTL (Jim & Tammy Baker) was located where Forest Hills is now off Park Road.

Charlotteans are here, you just have to look.

[NCyank]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Yank, I've been trying my best to figure out what is said around here that is closest to Bless his/her/your heart. I think it might be, Are you OK?/Is he/she OK? It can be said with actual concern, but if we use subtle facial expressions or eye rolls, we're using it as an insult. What do you think?

I don't think we have anything to compare to Bless your heart. It can't be topped. It is one of those phrases, that can pat you on the back and kick you in the rear and sometimes you're just not sure which, or it might be both at the same time. LOL

Here's to the South!! Bless your hearts!!

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by NCyank

I don't think we have anything to compare to Bless your heart. It can't be topped. It is one of those phrases, that can pat you on the back and kick you in the rear and sometimes you're just not sure which, or it might be both at the same time. LOL

Here's to the South!! Bless your hearts!!

OK, thanks. Just wondered. My southern friends were not particularly religious & didn't use Bless your heart, although they all warned me about it. My friend in Rome liked to use Yankee terms since they went over people's heads & was particularly fond of "Well, your mother must just be thrilled, are you OK? That's why I asked.

[mullman]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

OK, thanks. Just wondered. My southern friends were not particularly religious & didn't use Bless your heart, although they all warned me about it. My friend in Rome liked to use Yankee terms since they went over people's heads & was particularly fond of "Well, your mother must just be thrilled, are you OK? That's why I asked.

My great grandmother (God rest her soul) would say "Well, Lord have mercy!".
Sometimes it would be "Mercy days!". Not sure what that means, I thought she was saying "Mercedes!"
It was like her way of swearing.

She would tell me stories that her grandfather told her about fighting in the Civil War.

I would give anything or pay any price to just have one more day with her so she could meet my children.

[rothbear]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

Thanks, Ani.

A woman from South Carolina looked me in the eye & said, "I hate Philadelphia. If I go to a northern city, I want to see huste & bustle. When I go to Philadelphia,, I see people talking in the streets & the clerks are trying to talk to me. If I want to see that, I can go to Charlotte."

That stuck with me, all these years later.

Wow........and the problem with that is???? Frankly I would rather go to Charlotte, thank you very much!! I would MUCH rather have people talking to me and be nice than all the rat race stuff. For 10 years I traveled on business and NYC was part of my territory. Guess what.....I have absolutely NO desire to go there at all, didn't when I had to and definately do not now! Even the lure of Broadway and 5th Avenue doesn't do it for me. I actually didn't like Philly either, but that is a whole other story.

If someone wants to call me names, let them. That's THEIR problem, not mine. I was born and bred in PA, but think the south has always been in my soul since I always seem to be happiest there. It's just taken me this long to make the move. If my accent says otherwise, well they will have to deal. As I mentioned, our community down there is mostly transplants anyway, so we all live in harmony learning from each other. Once in awhile, a "yunz" might slip in, but then I've been know to slip in a "y'all" as well! I can't change what other people think and do, I can only change what I think and do.

[Doorway]

Originally Posted by mullman

My great grandmother (God rest her soul) would say "Well, Lord have mercy!".
Sometimes it would be "Mercy days!". Not sure what that means, I thought she was saying "Mercedes!"
It was like her way of swearing.

She would tell me stories that her grandfather told her about fighting in the Civil War.

I would give anything or pay any price to just have one more day with her so she could meet my children.

She has met them Mullman. She is probably smiling down on them right now and just as proud as can be. You can honor her by telling the kids about her and never missing a chance to say. My grandma used to say.... or my grandma would..........

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by mullman

My great grandmother (God rest her soul) would say "Well, Lord have mercy!".
Sometimes it would be "Mercy days!". Not sure what that means, I thought she was saying "Mercedes!"
It was like her way of swearing.

She would tell me stories that her grandfather told her about fighting in the Civil War.
Our family reunion is held every Easter at the old home place (since restored) from the early 1800s.

I would give anything or pay any price to just have one more day with her so she could meet my children.

I know "Well, Lord have Mercy" from one of my grandmothers, but not "Mercy Days".

I wish my maternal grandparents would have passed on the Civil War stories. I suspect that they didn't because my mother's oldest brother's wife was from Texas. We all loved my aunt & I guess they didn't want her to feel uncomfortablle.

That's great that you have an old homestead to have a reunion at!

[MommyV]

Originally Posted by rothbear

Wow........and the problem with that is???? Frankly I would rather go to Charlotte, thank you very much!! I would MUCH rather have people talking to me and be nice than all the rat race stuff. For 10 years I traveled on business and NYC was part of my territory. Guess what.....I have absolutely NO desire to go there at all, didn't when I had to and definately do not now! Even the lure of Broadway and 5th Avenue doesn't do it for me. I actually didn't like Philly either, but that is a whole other story.

If someone wants to call me names, let them. That's THEIR problem, not mine. I was born and bred in PA, but think the south has always been in my soul since I always seem to be happiest there. It's just taken me this long to make the move. If my accent says otherwise, well they will have to deal. As I mentioned, our community down there is mostly transplants anyway, so we all live in harmony learning from each other. Once in awhile, a "yunz" might slip in, but then I've been know to slip in a "y'all" as well! I can't change what other people think and do, I can only change what I think and do.

Whether in Philly, NY, SC, NC, etc..., I've run into great people and nasty people. Thank God for the good; leave the bad and move on.

Totally agree about your last statement.

In terms of being made to feel unwelcomed here as a northerner, I've fortunately never come accross that and my first years here were spent working with southerners. Other than poking fun at my sports picks, they treated me with kindness and respect.

[NCyank]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

OK, thanks. Just wondered. My southern friends were not particularly religious & didn't use Bless your heart, although they all warned me about it. My friend in Rome liked to use Yankee terms since they went over people's heads & was particularly fond of "Well, your mother must just be thrilled, are you OK? That's why I asked.

I kinda thought that BYH transcended any and all religious affiliations. LOL

There may be different phrases up north that mean the same thing (perhaps specific to local areas?), but nothing like here where BYH is the standard throughout the region. I don't know of one in particular from where I grew up in PA.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by NCyank

I kinda thought that BYH transcended any and all religious affiliations. LOL

There may be different phrases up north that mean the same thing (perhaps specific to local areas?), but nothing like here where BYH is the standard throughout the region. I don't know of one in particular from where I grew up in PA.

LOL, yup BYH is sort of the gold standard. I've always assumed that religious tendencies played a part in it, though.

There have to be near-equivalents, but haven't figured out what they are. Originally coming from Michigan, I grew up using &/or hearing some of the exact same lines that are considered southern. (Except I never miss pronoucing an R.........)