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1. It's like this everywhere. Anyone who has been in the area longer than a "transplant" feels like they have more of a right to the place.
2. Many "transplants" come here and complain about how things were different in their "home" place. So, the "natives" wonder why they moved here in the first place.
I think it is the same for natives/locals of any city.
Every city has its own personality and vibe. That is a result of those that have roots in an area.
Sure we are all transplants one way or the other at one point in this nations history.
Once a people/family has been in an area for a couple of hundred years, I would say it is safe to say that city is their own.
I think because of the numbers of everybody from everywhere swarming on Charlotte over the last 20 years, it has been quite an adjustment. Thirty years ago Charlotte was a truck stop on the way to Atlanta. Now we are a major player as cities go in the US and that has brought a lot of bad with the good. From my conversations with natives through the years, there is a common view on this.
Natives would rather Charlotte be half the size in population. That alone would make Charlotte twice as nice. The bad is not worth the good. Everbody still had jobs before we got so big.
Charlottean's are not ambitious to be a World Class City nor a international destination.
It just so happens we have all the ingredients that lend itself to moving in that direction.
Ingredients such as:
1. Good geographical location for national and international business growth.
2. Great weather, and who does not like great weather. Money sure likes great weather.
3. A lot of native money.
4. Some very good local business minds.
Personaly, I like diversity.
What I don't like is talking to people from everywhere who will not shut up about how great it is where they came from and how Charlotte could do everything better and proceed to tell me how.
All of this while they choose to leave from where ever it is they came from and choose to come here. I have had this conversation a few hundred times with transplants and I find that very disrespectful to be honest with you. I mean, what's the obvious?............Their here, not there.
When in Rome do as the Romans do, right? And don't all dirt roads lead to Charlotte?
I just don't believe people from Charlotte who travel or move to other cities and towns act the same way. I just don't see people from Charlotte going to other places and not ever shutting up about how great Charlotte is and how bad their city/town is. I just don't see people from Charlotte going somewhere else and annoying the crap out of all the locals with a list of everything that city/town does wrong and another list of how to change it. I just don't see those from Charlotte making it their mission statement to reach every possible native of whatever new city/town they are in with their lists.
Whatever Charlottean's are or are not, we are not "that guy".
So, I would say, If the city of Charlotte is going to make all the same mistakes in its growth as other cities have in theirs, then we are just getting bigger, not better.
I understand and completely get both your answers.
I find the topic fascinating because while I was born and raised in Baltimore, I've lived in several different cities on both coasts and, aside from SoCal, there was never a distinction between native and transplant (and even in SoCal the distinction only seemed to come up when someone wanted to play the "transplant" card as being a positive thing since most natives are assumed to be shallow, so transplants seem to toot that horn as if to say, I'm here in SoCal yet I have depth... in my experience, any way).
In the other cities I lived in, no one asked if you were a transplant, and no one cared.
But I do see how if someone is spouting off about how a city they moved to should be different they'd draw negative attention to themselves, and yes, my advice for them would be, if you don't like your city, leave.
All my relocations have taught me that every place (even the cities I didn't like) have something amazing about them, and something not so amazing about them. Transplant or not, you have to take the good with the bad and if the bad outweighs the good for you, then get out of dodge.
since you asked about C-D, in my opinion I see it this way: you have regular C-Ders answering the same repetitive questions, generally coming from recent or potential transplants, over and over and over about "why can't I find this or that..." or "back home blah blah....". now individually these questions aren't bad, but when some C-Ders hear it over and over I think they tend to get snippy.
as for the area in general, I agree with dclamb....it's all about 'transplant vs native', where I also don't see that anywhere else I've been. but that's how it is....CLT isn't 'everywhere else'.
They have done such a poor job in managing growth and keeping the infrastructure up with the rate of growth, the people see transplants as just adding to the daily hassles...They really need to stop issuing building permits until the roads/highways catch up. They also need much more interconnectivity.
Full disclosure, I'm a transplant. While Charlotte is fine, there are plenty of other places in the country that I'd like to live...no magic here.
I moved here from Florida and we are very well aware of the term transplant and/or snowbird. Neither is negative. A transplant is one that comes from some other place. A snowbird is one that moves south that comes from a place where snow is a factor.
I do not get angry whe I am called a "native" when I explain that I am a returnee. I do not assume that as a native I should wear a grass skirt, paint my face, and hop around beating drums. It simply means a person that was born here.
The only real issue with people from other places is when they cry, whine, and act like jerks. But, we are used to that. It has gone on for over 50 years. We think that these people are pains in the @ss, but that is only a small percentage of the transplants or snowbirds. Most are fine and adapt. When I go overseas or even to another state, I don't expect people in those countries or other states to change for me. People shouldn't here either.
As long as people are nice, it doesn't matter what or who they are, they will be treated in kind.
There is something here for everyone.............except jobs. People coming here thinking this is the Land of OZ tend to disgust the natives who know differant.
There is something here for everyone.............except jobs. People coming here thinking this is the Land of OZ tend to disgust the natives who know differant.
It sounds like some natives are just mad that new people are bringing a positive attitude to their gloom and doom party.
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