Charlotte:struggling to keep our identity (Gastonia, Concord: hardwood floors, public schools, subdivision)

[naomisday]

DNaomi,

I hope Charlotte does as well, stay reasonable...

That is what has happened to my area...SF Bay Area..it has gotten too expensive
for natives to stay here...for the most part....it is sad, when an area grows and grows
and then the natives cannot afford it...it ruins it in a way....

[vindaloo]

[quote=chicagocubs;
Our history has literally died with the people. This is not something that is thought about up north. Family is not as important there as it is here...with the exception of some families whose heritage is Italian. . Otherwise, it is just not thought of as being important.
So, to answer your question, it is not a question of the pursuit of money or anything else. Being around family is just not considered important. [/quote]


Brilliant!! You are saying that if you are 'northern' and not Italian, family and/or heritage isn't very important. I am sure that lots of Jews, Irish, Chinese, Koreans, Indians, and Arabs might disagree with you.

[chicagocubs]

Vindaloo, it's a general statement. Not specific to anyone. But, as a general rule, family does not hold the same importance up north as it does here and I, for one, am now finding that to be sad.

[mullman]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

Coming back to the original thread, Ani, as long as there are folks like you & Mullman that are here (and I know at least one other family like that) who preserve their family heritage here in Charlotte, that identity will not be lost (in my opinion).

I have a family photo framed in my office that was made Christmas Day 1896, everyone (46 people) is dressed in their best in front of the old homeplace.
In the picture are my grandfather's grandfather, and my grandfather's great-grandfather (very elderly) who is holding the old family Bible.
I do think that is pretty neat - I rode by the house in Liberty NC (near Salisbury) yesterday.

[vindaloo]

So what characteristics make it possible for you to "sense southern culture?" Cities have shopping centers. Charlotte has a pretty large population, therefore shopping centers are needed. There are chain restaurants of every type. There are also thousands of privately owned restaurants of all ethnicities . And, where and what are the "house farms" in Charlotte?

[anifani821]

So many insightful posts - I really appreciate everyone's perspective, not only about Charlotte but about family history and what gives (and can maintain) a region's "identity."

Here is something that hit me this morning and is related to what I am concerned about in re: to Charlotte's identity.

We characterize our city as a great family-oriented city with reasonable taxes and 2 hours from mountains, three hours from beach.

What does that say? Now, I agree - family-oriented, and that is a good thing. But we are essentially saying - come to a spot that is essentially just some place to land until you can reach other spots, LOL. "two hours from mountains and three hours from beach."

Anyone else see that as rather - strange? That the biggest thing we can say about ourselves is - we are a place you can live so you can get to other more interesting places?

See what I mean? What identity does Charlotte have that we can point to and say - COME HERE - and FIND THIS!!!!

[CouponJack]

Originally Posted by anifani821

See what I mean? What identity does Charlotte have that we can point to and say - COME HERE - and FIND THIS!!!!

I always thought of NASCAR (which I have no interest) and banking when Charlotte came to mind.....I'm sure many people not from this area think this way also.

Its nothing to be "ashamed" of, or mad about if there's not really 1 thing that identifies a city.

We are a city of transplants bottom line. The exploding growth over the years has taken its toll (some might think that's a good thing, including me).

[Ragdoll Kitty Lover]

I'm from New England, which is Northeast and therefore is very different and not included in the general "up north". I am from an entrenched real Yankee family, not Italian, not 1st or 2nd generation immigrant (not that this is bad, just that it had been mentioned in earlier posts). One of my history teachers in High School was trying to prove a point one day that all of us had a least one parent or grandparent or great who came from a different country. He lost his point with me.

Every other year, we have a 2 day Hobart family reunion where we all get together and have a great time catching up with the information about the entire family. Sometimes it's held in Whitman, MA and sometimes in Dennysville, ME. Several of Aaron's children were awarded land in Passamaquoddy, ME for their role in the Revolution, so we have 2 places to celebrate. We are all descended from Aaron Hobart and Elizabeth Pilsbury, who married in the mid 1700's. I get to meet my 5th and 6th cousins, some 2 to 3 times removed. And yes, we are in touch between those reunions.

The home I had to sell in 2001 had been in my family only 81 years, but I lived just down the street from my ancestors homes (originally farms) one of which was still standing, built in 1762. I had to sell because the neighborhood and the city were no longer a safe place to live. The original history was being destroyed and the roots of the city forgotten, as is the same case being stated here in regards to Charlotte.

I moved 7 miles south of this city, just 3 miles from the oldest working farm in W. Bridgewater, MA which was built in 1672 by my 13x great grandfather, Reverend James Keith.

I am heavily rooted in my past, but it was time to take my big adventure and come South. I miss my friends and family, but I am NOT estranged from then in any way. Many of them have been here to visit, and I go back to see them.

And while I was reading a book by Van Wyck Mason, The Flowering Of New England, I found out that I am not the first who made this wonderful trip. Many New Englanders from the late 1700's and early 1800's came down South to enjoy this wonderful area. Most came in the summer when they were enjoying a summer sabbatical from college.

[GoodbyePA]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

Vindaloo, it's a general statement. Not specific to anyone. But, as a general rule, family does not hold the same importance up north as it does here and I, for one, am now finding that to be sad.

Maybe in the bigger cities but in small towns up north, and I suspect in all parts of the country, family is everything. IMO, southern culture reminds me very much of small town culture, it's for sure one of the reasons I feel so comfortable here in Charlotte.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

Mullman, I hope that you know that I think that your sentiment and loyalty are lovely. IT is a true expression of what I perceive to be an example of "being southern". Now that I am older, I really wish that I had paid attention more or talked more seriously with my grandparents to find out their heritages. I know that they were either immigrants themselves or first generation immigrants, but, I would like to know more. I'd like to know if some of the stories that my one surviving uncle (he's 92) is telling me are true...or, are they embellished...or, simply dreams. See, I've only been getting answers to these kinds of questions in the last couple of years and never heard most of this previously. None of my cousins had heard these things either, so, we are left to try to research the info...but, without concrete facts, that is impossible.

I hope that your kids appreciate the rarity of experiences that they have. To be able to be in the house that their great-great grandparents built is awesome! I have nothing that tangible. To have a family reunion (no, we don't have those either) that has over 300 people in it... fantastic!! With the exception of my youngest niece who has decided to make up for the rest of the family, we could put our entire family in a small living room. Now, my niece has 7 kids now, so, we probably would have to go outside somewhere...

It's not a matter of not caring. It simply is not something that is thought about. And, that is sad.

Cubs, I love when the trains come through Kings Mountain because every single time I hear a train I think of being at my grandparents' house in Kalamazoo & hearing a train whistle for the first time. My grandmother told me that it was a train & told me about being driven, as a child, to the train, by her father to do business. That's what farmers did back then.

I knew a set of great grandparents. There was a wood stove & an icebox in their kitchen. I sat at the same kitchen table where one of my great-great-grand uncles had sat when he moved in with them, as an old man. He had been shot at Shiloh.

I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, but please understand that disinterest in family is not a Yankee characteristic.