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I don't know why many Northerners hate Southern cities. I like the relatively low density in those pictures it makes the city look nice, clean and neat in addition to Charlotte already being beautiful.
And don't forget CHEAPER TO LIVE IN too!!!
I can afford Charlotte's "southern styled" urbanity!
Homes that are Stuccoed or plastered to fit the Desert lifestyle.
These are new kinds of popular southwestern homes poping up everywhere..
Most popular, used to own one..
Similar to mine...
Those are beautiful homes, it was the Santa Fe style homes but only the more modern ones. No matter where I live when I grow up I'm having a house like that lol.
I'm most familiar with Albuquerque. I've been to Omaha several times and really like it there. I've never been to Charlotte, but from the media and these forums I 'know' somewhat about it.
(Downtown, Nightlife, Sports, Art, Culture, and Quality of life)
Downtown - Charlotte, Omaha, Albuquerque.
Charlotte just seems like it has more to offer given the pictures, the population and what the media says of the city. Omaha has Market Square which has lots of charm. Abq has Old Town. I love ABQ, but I'm sorry - Old Town is mainly for tourists and not really for the 20-something professional. Abq has made major strides since just 2000 in its downtown, but it still has a ways to go.
Nightlife - Charlotte, Tie Omaha & Albuquerque.
I would have to give this mostly a wash as I'm not sure about Charlotte at all, but I imagine Charlotte would have a better nightlife.
Omaha has bars in strip malls everywhere, literally lol.
Abq has its fair share as well from Nob Hill to the Heights to the westside and Downtown. Abq has it's share of unique bars. To me, Abq seems to be more into the club-type settting when compared to Omaha. Again, that's only my observation.
Sports - Charlotte, Albuquerque, Omaha
Charlotte - I agree with what has already pretty much been said on here already. Charlotte has pro sports. Whether they are good or not, they still have pro sports (Hockey, Basketball and Football that I'm aware of). And Nascar. Though many of us New Mexicans could care less about cars going round and round and round and round (you get it) in circles for 10 hours, it is very popular in portions of the United States (especially in the South).
Albuquerque - Has UNM (Division I University in the Mountain West Conference). Home to the world famous PIT basketball arena as well as the Lobo's football team. Also, Abq has the Triple A baseball Isotopes (farm team for the Dodgers), the NBA-D league Thunderbirds. While UNM's basketball team is popular, the others don't produce quite the same attendance numbers as Charlotte does.
Omaha - Omaha has the College World Series. Yes, I watch it as I grew up playing baseball. It is pretty popular and Omaha supports is very well. Creighton is located here (good basketball school in the Missouri Valley Conference and gets great support from the locals). They also have hockey in Omaha (ABQ has hockey in Rio Rancho). Though not in the same city, I still count this toward Omaha - The Nebraska Cornhuskers. Only about 45 minutes away, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln gives Omaha a BCS football team. My time in Omaha gave me the impression thay most people here love their Husker football. Nebraska has the longest streak of sold out game to Husker games. Some may say "That's in Lincoln, but I think in this case it goes hand in hand with Omaha."
Art - Charlotte, Albuquerque, Omaha
Depends on what kind of art you are into; art pieces, architecture, freeways (yes some see that as art), etc. but I think it's pretty obvious that all three cities offer something under this category, albeit for different reasons. I look at Charlotte as being more modern (though again, I've never been to Charlotte - just judging from pictures and the media). I would say Omaha has a midwestern flair with hints of modern architecture (that pedestrian bridge, Market Square design and the Woodman Tower downtown. Albuquerque has more of a 'natural' art about it (for lack of a better term). The spanish-style seen in buildings across ABQ (look at UNM's campus for proof). The look of downtown has lots of earth tones with Native American designs mixed into it. I would have to say, one would rank these cities art-wise with whatever one considers the best art personally. I would rank Charlotte 1st, then Abq and finally Omaha based on my preferences.
Culture- Albuquerque, Omaha, Charlotte
I know all three cities have to have their share of culture, but I can't imagine how either of the other two have more 'culture (or have held onto their past)' as well as Albuqerque has.
Albuquerque - originally settled by Native Americans, then Spanairds and finally Europeans. These three major cultures are interwoven in everything Albuquerque. These cultures are seen in the design of the buildings, the street names, the way people dress, the way people think. The biggest - the Food. I am biased, but I don't know anywhere else on this planet where you could get the food found in New Mexico. It's a mix of Hispanic and Native American dishes combined through the centuries which is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.
Omaha - I'm not too familiar with Omaha's culture, but I know it was a major railroad stop. This part is seen as one enters Omaha from the East and sees the a neatly created Train that welcomes people to Omaha. Also, near Omaha's downtown there is a little Italy, little Mexico (I could be wrong).
Charlotte - Again, I have never been to Charlotte, but I'm putting Charlotte last merely because Charlotte is more of a 'bigger' city than the other two. Typically with a bigger city, you have more transplants from other parts of the world which often times can dilute your city's historical outlook and feel.
Quality of Life - Tie between Omaha and Charlotte, Albuquerque
Omaha - Midwestern city. Everyone I talked to described how much they loved Omaha. They seemed to take pride in their city. Overall, the city is very clean and one feels pretty safe while out and about (Though every city has its 'bad' spots).
Charlotte - I put Charlotte at a tie with Omaha for quality of life simply because I imagine there are more options in Charlotte than the other two cities given that it has larger corporations with a larger population creating more opportunities (but it could be wrong). Also, I read-though before the recession-that Charlotte was a hot spot for 20-something professionals to relocate to.
Albuquerque - If you are looking for wide open spaces, tranquility, etc then ABQ wins this category. However, as far as crime, job opportunities, wages, education, and poverty go - I think I have to put ABQ last in this category. ABQ simply does not have the number of top corporations like the previous cities have. Albuquerque is seen mainly as a working class. There are few 'rich people here' and there are many 'poor' people here. That doesn't make ABQ bad, but it does typically lead to high crime, low education and less civic pride. Many people whom I went to UNM with couldn't wait to 'get out of ABQ'. but plan on coming back later in life because of the quiet and 'small-town feel'.
I'm sorry for those still reading this thread. I didn't intend to write this much. But, if you're still following along, I would place the overall rankings of the cities as follows:
1. Charlotte - simply a 'major city' when compared to the other two IMO. 2. Abq - many 'big city amenities' yet maintaining its ABQ charm. 3. Omaha - I really like Omaha and feel it is extremely underrated, but I don't think it is as 'major a city as Charlotte' and I don't think it is quite as unique as Albuquerque is.
Ok guys, I'm done. Omaha people - start the ripping lol.
Not a bad post, but like GoNE said, you may have mistaken on a few points.
Yes, Charlotte does have nine fortune 500 corporations while Omaha only has five. However, Omaha faired much better during this recession.
Also, you find clubs in Omaha just like you would any other city. Other than those, good post.
And so what Albuquerque has 2 Fortune 500 Companies.
We are on the top 20 best Metro's in this recession.
We are still bringing in more people, than cities with more top companies.
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