Transplants welcome to Charlotte! BTW what did you bring to the party? (sale, mortgage)

[pink caddy]

Don't mean to squirt lighter fluid on the fire but I have been thinking about how 99.9% of the posts go... transplants take on moving/living in CLT vs: where they came from.I have a little problem with this. My problem is maybe it's not all about you but what YOU bring to the table?

for example:

You leave the North or South shore of Long Island and move to Charlotte or it's outlying areas. You set up shop in a house that is about twice the size of anything you had in Commack and go about finding out about what is the best "free" school that is available for your kids. You (I hope) try and find a Mom and Tots program with like and similar mothers that are LI transplants.
Yer hubby is delighted in the fact that he can now drive his truck with a #0000shotgun in the back window. Or,something like that fantasy that came out of the Marlboro Man ads you saw back in NY. Life is beautiful. Right so far? You didn't attend any of the cultural events afforded to you in Manhattan because it was a touch too far and a tad too expensive. So maybe you went to some of the events closer to your house.
Now it's easier that you are in Charlotte. I hope you are supporting the arts and enjoying this new way of life.

But my question is--what are you bringing with you as the newbie to this community? What talent, skill, expertise, special interest are you able to bring so that you are welcomed, accepted and comfortable being the new kid on the block?

Tell us a little about what you have done to fill this role so that others might follow you and get the same feeling of feeling good in a new community

[CouponJack]

Originally Posted by johne482

Don't mean to squirt lighter fluid on the fire but I have been thinking about how 99.9% of the posts go... transplants take on moving/living in CLT vs: where they came from.I have a little problem with this. My problem is maybe it's not all about you but what YOU bring to the table?

for example:

You leave the North or South shore of Long Island and move to Charlotte or it's outlying areas. You set up shop in a house that is about twice the size of anything you had in Commack and go about finding out about what is the best "free" school that is available for your kids. You (I hope) try and find a Mom and Tots program with like and similar mothers that are LI transplants.
Yer hubby is delighted in the fact that he can now drive his truck with a #0000shotgun in the back window. Or,something like that fantasy that came out of the Marlboro Man ads you saw back in NY. Life is beautiful. Right so far? You didn't attend any of the cultural events afforded to you in Manhattan because it was a touch too far and a tad too expensive. So maybe you went to some of the events closer to your house.
Now it's easier that you are in Charlotte. I hope you are supporting the arts and enjoying this new way of life.

But my question is--what are you bringing with you as the newbie to this community? What talent, skill, expertise, special interest are you able to bring so that you are welcomed, accepted and comfortable being the new kid on the block?

Tell us a little about what you have done to fill this role so that others might follow you and get the same feeling of feeling good in a new community

I coach my sons t-ball team and am actively involved and support the association. I go to all the fundraisers, eat the BBQ, goto rollerskating fundraisers, etc.

I am one of the FEW (natives or transplants) who volunteer alot of time (at the ballpark) and take alot of grief from parents who don't understand how much work goes into coaching and volunteering their time. This is not "tooting my own horn", its just reality.

I don't feel like a "new kid on the block" to be honest, because in my development, we have a cornucopia of people from all over which I love. You get to meet and be freinds of different religions and races and many bring fresh and interesting ideas to the table. There are also natives in the neighborhood too which makes things more fun.

Other than that, I'm just an average Joe w/a good attitude and a family trying like everyone else
to make a living and make my kids life better than mine.

Hope that answers your question.

[XcapefromNJ]

First and most important, I brought a good attitude. I am very happy to be here (feel extremely fortunate) and not shy about letting people know that. I volunteer at the local high school and soup kitchen and try to keep an eye on things around the neighborhood. Now if my wife would just find a job and support me in the style to which I have become accustomed....

[anifani821]

Jack and Xcape . . . you both are assets to your community and would be regardless of where you lived.

[ctribucher]

Chiming in here - I'm originally from NJ but moved to NC from the DC area.

What did I bring to the table? Well, I brought my job with me from VA so NC should be happy to get some income tax from me - ha ha! Actually, I am very grateful to my company for allowing me to do this.

What else did I bring to the table? I am an active volunteer at CMPD's Animal Care and Control. I give at least 15 hours per month of my time to animals in need at the shelter, mainly through staffing adoption events in various locations throughout town. I am also involved in a committee that is seeking tax exempt status so that we can solicit money to fund AC&C's public spay/neuter clinic (this program does not get funded through your tax dollars, so we rely on public donations to fund this essential service.).

Finally, I brought with me a sense of community pride. Many of you know DH and I just purchased our first home. We are so glad to finally own a place of our own, and we are enjoying our neighborhood a great deal. We are members of our voluntary community association and are looking forward to participating in events in our neighborhood.

All in all, we came to NC to find a better quality of life. In exchange for this, DH and I believe in being positive, contributing members of our community. The only expectation DH had was the ability to consume more BBQ than we ever could living in DC.

[diamondplayer]

The O/P sounds like one of the new members in the Obama civilian patrol. His assigned task is to see if the people who are already here have the qualifications to really be here. Its true that the homes here are twice the size of the ones on LI and many have been bought outright thanks to years of prior equity build up on LI. Where exactly are these free school that he speaks of? And I seriously doubt that any husbands are now running around in a pick up with shotgun racks, we'll leave that to the kooky locals to express their own cultural habits. I personally get my cultural fill when I return back north for two weeks a year as I'm sure many other do the same. New transplants are not required by anyone, yet, to pass muster on where or why they chose to live in a certain area. Be grateful for their interest in relocating to the area, they are part of the process in completing the mission of making Charlotte a 'world class city', just like New York City.

[Gator803]

Originally Posted by diamondplayer

The O/P sounds like one of the new members in the Obama civilian patrol. His assigned task is to see if the people who are already here have the qualifications to really be here. Its true that the homes here are twice the size of the ones on LI and many have been bought outright thanks to years of prior equity build up on LI. Where exactly are these free school that he speaks of? And I seriously doubt that any husbands are now running around in a pick up with shotgun racks, we'll leave that to the kooky locals to express their own cultural habits. I personally get my cultural fill when I return back north for two weeks a year as I'm sure many other do the same. New transplants are not required by anyone, yet, to pass muster on where or why they chose to live in a certain area. Be grateful for their interest in relocating to the area, they are part of the process in completing the mission of making Charlotte a 'world class city', just like New York City.

LOL. Wow.

[mullman]

Originally Posted by diamondplayer

they are part of the process in completing the mission of making Charlotte a 'world class city', just like New York City.

Then why did you leave NY?
You really want $12-20K prop taxes here in CLT?

[CLTKing]

Originally Posted by diamondplayer

The O/P sounds like one of the new members in the Obama civilian patrol. His assigned task is to see if the people who are already here have the qualifications to really be here. Its true that the homes here are twice the size of the ones on LI and many have been bought outright thanks to years of prior equity build up on LI. Where exactly are these free school that he speaks of? And I seriously doubt that any husbands are now running around in a pick up with shotgun racks, we'll leave that to the kooky locals to express their own cultural habits. I personally get my cultural fill when I return back north for two weeks a year as I'm sure many other do the same. New transplants are not required by anyone, yet, to pass muster on where or why they chose to live in a certain area. Be grateful for their interest in relocating to the area, they are part of the process in completing the mission of making Charlotte a 'world class city', just like New York City.

I get the same feeling from the OP. By me choosing to relocate to Charlotte, I am adding to the city a bit of the international flavor it lacks. My own personal experiences and attitude add some charm to an a other wise bland city. Let's face, Charlotte might have (or had) a pot of gold for every one to grab but it sure lacks many of the venues we transplants are use to. Don't get me wrong, I like Charlotte and I'm amuse but its Southern charm, (or it lack of it), but I don't see myself living here for the rest of my life. Like diamondplayer said, transplants have brought Charlotte out of the woods and into becoming a world class city. But we are still many years away.

[BxRosie]

Originally Posted by XcapefromNJ

First and most important, I brought a good attitude. I am very happy to be here (feel extremely fortunate) and not shy about letting people know that. I volunteer at the local high school and soup kitchen and try to keep an eye on things around the neighborhood. Now if my wife would just find a job and support me in the style to which I have become accustomed....

Me too. We came here with a good attitude, ready to embrace a new & more laid-back way of life. We came to give our son the opportunity to grow to his fullest potential, which I am very proud to say he has & is still continuing to do so. We came because we knew we could offer him a quality & affordable college education in NC. We didn't make the big bucks on the sale of our house in NY that many here seem to think all northerns do, in fact we just about broke even. Here, we can & do enjoy a better quality of life, with a mortgage payment living on a pension & P/T jobs.

We're involved in our community. I'm chairperson of our subdivision's Social Committe & we're working hard at bringing our community together regardless of their age or where they're from. I'm also PVO president at my son's high school & volunteer there for Senior Project judging & proctoring for exams. I work hard at trying to get others involved as well.