roanoke vs charlotte (rentals, crime, houses)

[jp03]

Anyone lived in both cities? Any comparisons on :

weather
cost of living
price of housing
traffic
job availablility

Thanks

[Steven2149]

I have lived in Roanoke but spent a considerable time in Charlotte, so I think I can give some fair insight into your question.
Weather - Roanoke is a bit milder than Charlotte. The summers tend to be noticeably hotter and more humid in Charlotte. Also, Roanoke has a longer and somewhat more extreme winter. The wind can be pretty nasty at times in Roanoke and you will see a significant amount of snow and ice in the area as well. Overall, I really enjoy the Va weather better.
Cost of Living - Neither area is really cheap. Roanoke is probably cheaper, as you will find a wider variety of housing options in commuting distance than in CLT. Roanoke is not bad, but comparing the two job markets in relation to the cost of living, Charlotte probably wins hands down.
Price of Housing - Charlotte is fairly expensive all the way around. Roanoke has some expensive areas, but I would say that you can find quality housing in a good neighborhood for well under 200k in Roanoke. CLT, you will have a cookie cutter lot, cookie cutter home with no distinction from much of anything else. It is possible to find good options under 200k, but don't expect any character to the neighborhood.
Traffic - No comparison whatsoever. Roanoke has no traffic problems to speak of. The interstates move well (81, 581) during rush hour. Wrecks can snarl 81 up, but that is about the only problem. There are some areas that can get a bit clogged, but compared to Charlotte, Roanoke doesn't have any traffic. Charlotte is horrible for traffic. Long commutes, therefore you can only live so far away from the city and remain sane.
Job Availability - Charlotte has a strong market and Roanoke has a mediocre job market, at best. Charlotte has plenty of white collar and high tech jobs, while such opportunities are scarce in Roanoke. Roanoke was built on manufacturing and industrial type jobs. It is, slowly, working towards change, but change is not always highly regarded in the area and with good reason.

Further - In my opinion, Roanoke has much more character and charm than Charlotte. Roanoke is typically more ... uhhh... what should I say... liveable. Charlotte is much like a little Atlanta. If you seek career and job success, than Roanoke isn't the greatest. It usually ranks high on lists of places to start a small business though. Just don't expect to climb on any corporate ladder there.

I personally like each place, but for different reasons. Roanoke continues to maintain a lot of the quaintness and small town charm that embodies what Charlotte no longer has. You can easily be in the country in a matter of minutes. You are smack in the middle of the blue ridge mountains and a wealth of outdoor activities. Charlotte on the other hand, has a big city vibe and so many of the big city things that Roanoke will not have for some time.... I could continue to go on for a long time, but this is probably redundant at this point. Please let me know if you have any more questions as this is a topic I love to speak on.

[roanoker 4]

Steven 2149 comparison is very well written and quite accurate.
I think there are few similarities between Charlotte and Roanoke. They
both have different vibes and ambitions.

[Steven2149]

I live in Atlanta now and you wouldn't imagine how I miss Roanoke area. I would go back in a heartbeat if the job situation were better, but if you had some bustling booming economy, the area would not be what it is today. It is important to realize that some places are best without too much change. There are plenty of explosive job and housing (i guess housing) markets in the U.S.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by Steven2149

I have lived in Roanoke but spent a considerable time in Charlotte, so I think I can give some fair insight into your question.
Weather - Roanoke is a bit milder than Charlotte. The summers tend to be noticeably hotter and more humid in Charlotte. Also, Roanoke has a longer and somewhat more extreme winter. The wind can be pretty nasty at times in Roanoke and you will see a significant amount of snow and ice in the area as well. Overall, I really enjoy the Va weather better.
Cost of Living - Neither area is really cheap. Roanoke is probably cheaper, as you will find a wider variety of housing options in commuting distance than in CLT. Roanoke is not bad, but comparing the two job markets in relation to the cost of living, Charlotte probably wins hands down.
Price of Housing - Charlotte is fairly expensive all the way around. Roanoke has some expensive areas, but I would say that you can find quality housing in a good neighborhood for well under 200k in Roanoke. CLT, you will have a cookie cutter lot, cookie cutter home with no distinction from much of anything else. It is possible to find good options under 200k, but don't expect any character to the neighborhood.
Traffic - No comparison whatsoever. Roanoke has no traffic problems to speak of. The interstates move well (81, 581) during rush hour. Wrecks can snarl 81 up, but that is about the only problem. There are some areas that can get a bit clogged, but compared to Charlotte, Roanoke doesn't have any traffic. Charlotte is horrible for traffic. Long commutes, therefore you can only live so far away from the city and remain sane.
Job Availability - Charlotte has a strong market and Roanoke has a mediocre job market, at best. Charlotte has plenty of white collar and high tech jobs, while such opportunities are scarce in Roanoke. Roanoke was built on manufacturing and industrial type jobs. It is, slowly, working towards change, but change is not always highly regarded in the area and with good reason.

Further - In my opinion, Roanoke has much more character and charm than Charlotte. Roanoke is typically more ... uhhh... what should I say... liveable. Charlotte is much like a little Atlanta. If you seek career and job success, than Roanoke isn't the greatest. It usually ranks high on lists of places to start a small business though. Just don't expect to climb on any corporate ladder there.

I personally like each place, but for different reasons. Roanoke continues to maintain a lot of the quaintness and small town charm that embodies what Charlotte no longer has. You can easily be in the country in a matter of minutes. You are smack in the middle of the blue ridge mountains and a wealth of outdoor activities. Charlotte on the other hand, has a big city vibe and so many of the big city things that Roanoke will not have for some time.... I could continue to go on for a long time, but this is probably redundant at this point. Please let me know if you have any more questions as this is a topic I love to speak on.

Well said, I agree

[Justme2010]

Inc. 500's data also supports Steven2149's assertion that Charlotte has more job opportunities. At least 15 Charlotte-based businesses are on the Inc. high growth list...

[seanpecor]

Charlotte to me is an example of what happens when economic growth becomes the #1 priority, over virtually everything else including urban character and a balanced environmental policy. The borders of the city of Charlotte grow with abandon. I sat aside a very successful older business entrepreneur (industrial parts distribution company) who lives in Charlotte. He described how, when a developer gets the green light for a new subdivision in Mecklenburg County, which adjoins the Charlotte city border, the city itself pays for all of the utilities installation (water, sewer, electricity) and the subdivision is annexed by the city. So the city borders grow constantly, sort of like Miracle-Grow for suburban sprawl

Steven2149 did an awesome job of describing both cities. The only thing that I'd add is that Charlotte's regional unemployment rate is about 6% while Roanoke MSA's is 3.23%. That speaks to a more competitive and tighter job market.

Sean

[Steven2149]

It's interesting how people and their mindsets change over time. Years ago, if you would have asked me about comparing Roanoke and Charlotte, I would have had a much more negative view on Roanoke. I would have said that it's dull, boring, very limited job opportunities, anti-growth, yada yada yada. Now, to an extent, all of those things can still be made, but with a different perspective. Compared to Charlotte, D.C., Atlanta, all of those statements can be true. THATS JUST WHY ROANOKE IS ROANOKE. There are enough of those other places to where they (CLT,D.C,ATL) can continue to sprawl til the ends of the earth, and Roanoke sort of looks back at you saying .... "hahaha... the grass isn't always greener....."

[Ferrito]

As someone who has been living in the New River area for the past 7 years, as well as spending a lot of time in Roanoke and some time in Charlotte (have some friends who migrated from Roanoke to Charlotte), Charlotte is a much better area.
I feel it's cleaner, safer, and generally all around much more classy town. It's also not much more expensive. Charlotte has done a lot to cut down on crime and help build up the poorer areas of town recently.
Uptown Charlotte will be pricey, but the rest of Charlotte is VERY cheap. At least for rentals, and from what I've seen, buying houses is very cheap as well.
As far as the job market, there are a ton of very good paying jobs, especially if you are in the banking field. It's not a good area for entry level positions (either is Roanoke) but if you have 5+ years experience in the IT field, it's pretty easy to find jobs paying around 6 figures.

Charlotte also has a ton of character. It's got the big city area right where it should be, centered in uptown, while the rest of the area is a bit more spread out. It also is home to the Carolina Panthers.

One of the first things I noticed when I started visiting Charlotte is that there are A LOT of good restaurants as well as many privately owned ones. Roanoke does not have much of either. Charlotte also has it's own airport which is probably one of the larger ones in the area. It's also much cheaper to fly out of than the Roanoke airport.

You may also want to take a look at Raleigh. It's also a very nice area with good job opportunities and cheap living. Out of Raleigh, Charlotte, Roanoke and Northern Virginia, I would choose to live in Charlotte hands down, with Raleigh coming in second and NoVA third.

[jp03]

Thanks for the replies....good info