Young college graduate looking to move from NY to Charlotte (Columbus: section 8, apartment)
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What parts of Charlotte would you suggest for a young single female who is a recent college graduate? I will be graduating soon and I know the economy is bad right now but I have to move SOMEWHERE. I went to college in NYC and grew up about an hour north of the city but I am looking to move somewhere that is more affordable, warmer, and appropriate for a recent college graduate who is looking to have a good quality of life. I love NYC but it is just too expensive. I am hoping that Charlotte is, at least in some ways, similar to NYC. What I like about NYC it is a vibrant city with great museums, parks, resturants, gyms, lots of shopping, lots of interesting people, etc. Can you help me to compare the cost of living and tell me about the feel of the city? Thanks in advance for the help!
NOTE: I will make sure that I have a job secured before making the move and I know that the location of my job will effect where I choose to live but I am just trying to get a feel for the area..
While I did work part-time throughout college, I had help from my parents for the expenses below. Once I move I must be self-sufficient on a teacher's salary.
Right now in NYC my expenses are as follows:
1 Bedroom Apartment:
$1,375 rent for 650 sq. feet
$200 in utilities (gas & electric + cable/internet)
I'm not sure how much I pay exactly for food and gas but it is very expensive
---> In comparison to what I've listed above, what are the expenses like in a nice, safe area of Charlotte?
---> Is it hard to meet people or are there a lot of people moving there who are in my position? What are the people like? I am a Christian so I would want to join a church as well.
---> Also, are northerners resented & made to feel unwelcome in Charlotte?
---> For anyone who is familiar with NYC could you compare the traffic in the two areas?
I know this is a lot but I would be very grateful for the help!
What parts of Charlotte would you suggest for a young single female who is a recent college graduate? I will be graduating soon and I know the economy is bad right now but I have to move SOMEWHERE.
---> In comparison to what I've listed above, what are the expenses like in a nice, safe area of Charlotte?
---> Is it hard to meet people or are there a lot of people moving there who are in my position? What are the people like? I am a Christian so I would want to join a church as well.
---> Also, are northerners resented & made to feel unwelcome in Charlotte?
---> For anyone who is familiar with NYC could you compare the traffic in the two areas?
I know this is a lot but I would be very grateful for the help!
You'll be best to get your resume out to where ever there are jobs posted, and then decide where you want to live based on who comes back with interview and/or offers. Seriously. CMS is the main Charlotte school system, and they are over budget by a disgusting amount of money - there will be layoffs, paycuts and many teachers who already have experience out of work.
Charlotte is cheaper than NYC, that is a given. Just about anywhere in the US, outside of select major cities, have a cheaper cost of living. One thing that you need to be aware of, though, is that most places throughout the US have a standard cost of living vs income ratio... the COL may be cheaper, but the salary may be less. Or, the salary may be better, but the COL is higher. Anyway you look at it, the ratio is about the same all over the country.
I can't answer for apt living because I rent a house. The rent you'll pay depends greatly on the neighborhood, nearby amenities, apt amenities and just how upscale you want to live. There are some reasonable rental prices for houses that seem to be in nice areas... but, come to find out that those houses may be in the middle of a section 8 neighborhood that you won't feel safe in. I highly recommend, should you come down, that you do a lot of visiting or research on where you're moving to. apartmentratings.com is a decent resource, and once you pinpoint where you need need to commute to, then figure out what housing is for that area and ask more questions from there.
Expenses .. Gas 2.69-2.75/gal, groceries seem high to me (were cheaper in Ohio, but depends on where you shop as well) and our monthly bill for 2 adults usually runs about $250 +/- depending on what we get for the month. Electric usually runs about $80-90/mth during non-AC months, gas bill topped out about $176 for Jan-Feb, and is about $25 during warm months. We have a single story 3bd/2bth house about 1300 sq ft, no water/sewer bill.
Meeting people ... it is only as hard as you make it, and I think that goes for any moderate size city in the US. If you get out and about, involved in the community, you'll have more opportunity to meet people than you would staying home and being a hermit. There are several churches here, and you'll have many choices in that regard. People are friendly, but the town is a melting pot of whomever has moved here with a little native splash. Treat people well and be open to adapting to the area, and you'll be fine. Come down with an attitude "well, back in NY we had..." or a righteous way of a driving, and more likely you'll annoy people. Keep in mind that the area has had a huge influx of NY/NJ influence, and you're not meeting a large amount of native NC'ers unless you are more out of town.
Traffic, from my experience, is bad - mainly bad driving. I've grown up near or lived in the likes of: Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus OH .. All cities usually had better drivers and/or more courteous drivers. Compared to NYC, Charlotte's traffic is a breeze.
i moved to charlotte from LI a few years ago and i LOVE it hear. much more affordable than NY. i know several young teachers who are able to support themselves on a teacher's salary. teacher salaries are lower here than NY but so is the cost of living. when i first moved here i rented in ballantyne which is a very nice, very safe area for $780 for a 2 bedroom about 3.5 years ago. as a northerner, i always feel welcome. i find that most people i meet aren't from here anyway. as far as meeting people, you just have to put yourself out there. you said you want to join a church...there are plenty to choose from and that is an easy way to meet people.
as for job availability...times are tough everywhere right now. yes, CMS is making big cuts, but there are other districts. what do you want to teach and at what level? i work below the border in SC and there are openings in my district for middle school. i prefer to work in a smaller district outside of charlotte than work in charlotte, but that's just me. i don't mind my 40 mninute commute bc there is no traffic heading in that direction and i like my books on tape...worth it to me to work in a district that truly values it's employees.
As someone who moved last year from NY to Charlotte, if you're looking for a vibrant city, then Charlotte might not be what you're looking for. Depends on your definition of vibrant. however There are things to do in Charlotte, some museums, parks, plenty of strip malls & malls for shopping (taxes on everything) but coming from NYC, it is dull in comparison.
Would recommend uptown, southend, dilworth and elizabeth as places to live if you're looking for safe areas with young people. Uptown is the most expensive but in comparison to NYC is a bargain. You could probably get a 1 BR for $800 not including utliities (about $80 monthly)
A female probably won't have problems meeting people but that holds true anywhere. There are plenty of churches as well as YMCA's.
There are plenty of transplanters from the NE (as well as Ohio) so you won't stick out at all.
Can't comment on the traffic as I don't drive (NYC mentality). Commuting into uptown for work seems to be the worst but if you're a teacher, that's probably not an issue.
Yukster, in what ways is it dull? explain if you will...
& thank you for the advice regarding specific locations. Someone told me that uptown is the "Manhattan" of Charlotte...
Just curious, what do you miss specifically about nyc? Unfortunately nyc schools do not have FACS programs (the subject that I teach). I imagine I am going to miss it imensley but I am adaptable & open to new things of course.
Well, sure, uptown is the "Manhattan" of Charlotte, in the way that the center of the city is the "Manhattan" for whatever ever city you're talking about. I wouldn't expect to draw any/many more parallels between uptown and Manhattan than that.
Charlotte is a much smaller, much slower paced city than NYC. If you're looking for a "Manhattan" where you can get an apt for $750/mo, this isn't it - but nowhere is, honestly.
Schools are struggling down here, so I would suspect that to be a particularly tough market sector to break into.
My best suggestion would be to echo what someone else mentioned, if you want out of NYC, start applying EVERYWHERE. Then, make your move based on where the interviews/offers come from. There are *lots* of cities with cheaper COL than NYC, right? Charlotte ain't the only fish in the sea...
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