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Great posts by everyone so far - very helpful and after checking out NCgirl threads there is obviously a lot more cool stuff to do for families and couples than I would ever have thought - Some of the pictures I have seen posted on this site the past two days are very impressive, Charlotte looks to be so clean & modern looking, the uptown area seems so full of life - Regarding the comment from the OP " There is still plenty of racism in this area. People might not always show it, but it is there". Sad to think that in 2010 there is still that type of ignorant attitude towards mixed race kids and newcomers coming into the area - that would probably kill the deal for me to move to CLL if I felt my son would be treated differently and could never feel completely comfortable growing up in an area where he may have to deal with being discriminated against - Coming from SoCal I don't think we ever even had to think about this-In Houston it's fairly mixed but the overall quality of life is not that great here, just ask any Ex-Houstonians - weather/ humidity, traffic congestion, spraw, dirty cityl... NO.outdoor activities and air quality doesn't come close to NC.....
Sad to think that in 2010 there is still that type of ignorant attitude towards mixed race kids and newcomers coming into the area - that would probably kill the deal for me to move to CLL if I felt my son would be treated differently and could never feel completely comfortable growing up in an area where he may have to deal with being discriminated against
I hope you don't think that is a common perception. I honestly don't think your family will have problems. As others have said the city of Charlotte is diverse. The suburbs are less diverse but I don't think you'll have problems there either. Interracial families are not novelties here. Most people won't think twice about your family. Of course there are idiots everywhere but they are...idiots.
I've lived in Houston (20 years) and Apex (10 years). We like where we are now best for raising a family (Cabarrus). It seems to be a slower pace of life here. But, to others that is a downside, not a good thing.
I agree that the bar-b-q is very different - been lookin for some good brisket for years!
Haha yea my husband chows down on brisket when we visit back home. I guess it's difficult getting use to NC BBQ. It might be the same if you lived in NC your entire life then had Texas BBQ. My honest opinion is that it's not as good and more expensive. Also, sales tax is about the same as in Houston. I haven't lived in Houston since 2006 but the sales tax in Charlotte is 8.25%.
Many of us moved here in the past 10 years. Lot's from the rust belt areas of Upstate NY (Buffalo), Cleveland, Pittsburgh, NYC and New Jersey.. We are now the MAJORITY here...
Enjoy the fact that everyone is NEW to the town and looking to find new friends and connections for social and family fun.
Raleigh is NOT a big city, but they do have a Hockey team.. Charlotte get a AAA hockey team this fall 2010..
Charlotte has more of everything, sports fans, community, things to do, activities and fiar/reasonable housing costs.. It also has more traffic and public school education problems.
3 Areas to look at living - South Charlotte ( Ballantyne Area ) , North Charlotte ( Town of Davidson ) and Out of Mecklenburg county = IREDELL County in Mooresville, NC ( Lake Norman area )
Enjoy your visit and Welcome to our new home Charlotte area !
Not to be picky, but in the interest of accuracy I must say, Davidson is NOT "north Charlotte" - it is a lovely desirable little college town north OF Charlotte.
In addition, south Charlotte is a rather large area - one section of it is the Ballantyne community, but there are other very desirable parts of south Charlotte to consider as well.
I hope you don't think that is a common perception. I honestly don't think your family will have problems. As others have said the city of Charlotte is diverse. The suburbs are less diverse but I don't think you'll have problems there either. Interracial families are not novelties here. Most people won't think twice about your family. Of course there are idiots everywhere but they are...idiots.
Agreed. I can't imagine your family having any issues here because of being mixed racial. In fact, our good friends here just had a little baby -- the mother is white, the father is Asian and Puerto Rican. Not a big deal.
I just moved here from Dallas and I find living here is quite similar in most ways. People are VERY friendly, the weather is great and cost of living may be just a touch higher. I don't think you will find any problem in terms of the mixed-race issue for your child. My sister lives in the Raleigh-Durham area (Holly Springs) and we have visited there for many years. Again, very similar. The one think that I LOVE that is notably different here is LOTS of TREES!!! Much more beautiful than Dallas and Houston in my opinion and since I like to spend alot of time outdoors, that is a really postive thing! Hope you have a great move, wherever you choose!
I know Two couples; korean-american and white-american; who have no issues here. Both have kids who go to school in south charlotte. There is a sizable Korean community here and several korean churches. Some major differences between the Triangle and Charlotte: The Triangle has 3 major universities, so has a more intellectual vibe. Charlotte has a newer glitzier feel (in part because they've torn down so many old buildings).
While there are some greenways and bike lanes, biking is not so good here - there is an anti-bike culture. I do it anyway and I must say it has improved recently with the addition of more bike lanes. The mountains are a few hours away - there are lots of outdoor activities there. City parks are ordinary for a city this size. Compared with the west, Charlotte is very lush and green 7-8 months of the year. The humidity can be oppressive in the height of summer, but the rest of the year is great.
If you are interested in a diverse and tolerant environment for your family and child when he enters school, I recommend looking at Smith Language Academy - a public magnet which offers language immersion in Chinese, Japanese, French or German. It's a great school: Smith Academy of International Languages : Welcome!
The Triangle and Charlotte are more similar than they are different, especially for someone coming from out of state.
Humidity - while most people consider Charlotte's summers humid, they are nowhere near as humid as you would experience in Houston.
Someone made the observation that the lots are smaller here than they are in Dallas. I've not found this to be the case. New construction everywhere is tending to smaller lot sizes, but Dallas metro is full of McMansion sized houses that are on very small lots.
The Triangle and Charlotte are more similar than they are different, especially for someone coming from out of state.
We just moved from the Triangle and find things are very much the same.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Comfort Food
Humidity - while most people consider Charlotte's summers humid, they are nowhere near as humid as you would experience in Houston.
I never knew my hair could be straight until we moved out of Houston! In Charlotte, it gets a little curly in the summer, but that's it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Comfort Food
Someone made the observation that the lots are smaller here than they are in Dallas. I've not found this to be the case. New construction everywhere is tending to smaller lot sizes, but Dallas metro is full of McMansion sized houses that are on very small lots.
I lived in Plano for 4 years. The main difference I see here is the lack of flat terrain. We have a bigger lot here than in Plano, but a lot of that depends what is for sale when you are looking.
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Also, sales tax is about the same as in Houston. I haven't lived in Houston since 2006 but the sales tax in Charlotte is 8.25%.
