Moving out of Portland--where should we go?

[portlandshaws]

Thanks for the input, JJ Mack...we're not looking at coastal though. It would either be Raleigh/Durham or Charlotte. I've heard good things about both cities and it seems that since they're larger than the coastal areas, there would be more opportunity for culture, art etc. I'm learning that I'll have to deal with the lack of recycling and other "green" ways of living in ANY city other than Portland...

[whynot?]

You know, this is not my perception *at all,* but I also subscribe to the Boulder forum and a couple of people there have recently commented on the lack of tolerance in Charlotte. (Quickest link I could find via search: http://www.city-data.com/forum/4917940-post7.html I think there are others, though.)

We have "cousins" (both in the technical sense and in the hazy Southern sense) in Charlotte, and have visited and really liked it. I am posting this only because of what I've read and not what I've noticed in our few visits there. We live outside the conservative bastion of Richmond, Virginia, and it is (I assure you) quite shocking to hear that Charlotte offended anybody's more liberal sensibilities. Richmond prides itself on not having "become Charlotte." Which -- to my non-native sense -- sounds like proud of NOT having public transportation, pro sports teams, a hub (as opposed to sub-regional) airport, and smaller (v. huge-with-giant-concessions) corporate headquarters.

Coming from 20 years in Northern Virginia, I'm shaking my head. I guess there's some sort of local pride in "not selling out," but the metro Richmond area seems to have done it on a grand scale only to have excluded the majority of its citizens from any benefits of "growth."

Still, I am surprised that Charlotte has been so displeasing to these admitted "more liberal" types. I'm only mentioning this because I know that East Coast/Southern "conservatism" has a wholly different meaning and historical shadings than West Coast "conservatism."

I always suggest a visit to size things up for yourself. I can't agree more about the Outer Banks, although they have also grown beyond my belief.

Good luck as you research your new home.

PS-

Recycling is fairly common on the East Coast, although we could do better. It is not likely to be sternly enforced by your neighbors, but is kind of a "point of pride" among good citizens.