Moving from kansas to charlotte (Gastonia, Concord: apartment, to rent, crime rate) - North Carolina (NC) - City-Data Forum

movenow · 03-24-2011, 03:58 PM

I'm planning on moving to Charlotte from Kansas this summer. Please could anyone inform me on good hospitals or surgery centers where I can get a good paying job as a Registered Nurse? And also good high school and Nursing school for my children? In which safe neighborhoods can we live and not commute far? I prefer suburbs to living in city center. I'm looking into renting an apartment for now and buy a home after getting the feel of the area. I appreciate any help.

lovesMountains · 03-24-2011, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by movenow

I'm planning on moving to Charlotte from Kansas this summer. Please could anyone inform me on good hospitals or surgery centers where I can get a good paying job as a Registered Nurse? And also good high school and Nursing school for my children? In which safe neighborhoods can we live and not commute far? I prefer suburbs to living in city center. I'm looking into renting an apartment for now and buy a home after getting the feel of the area. I appreciate any help.

Charlotte's two main hospital systems are Carolinas Medical Center and Presbyterian Healthcare.

http://www.carolinasmedicalcenter.org/

http://www.presbyterian.org/site/home/

Be sure you can secure a job before packing your bags!

brokensky · 03-24-2011, 04:32 PM

Greetings, Movenow! I am a native North Carolinian but happily lived in Kansas (JoCo) for a while, b/f moving back to NC.

If you could give me some idea of where you are moving from in Kansas, I will be able to better advise you as to what you might find comparable here.

Just as a bit of caution . . . altho it sounds like you have "made up your mind" about moving here (and doubtless have good reasons for doing so) . . . the job market here is not as good as it is in higher population areas of Kansas (for ex., KCMO metro), especially in re: to hospitals/physician offices. As long as you can be flexible with hours/shifts and possibly start out as PRN, you should be fine. The problem comes in when you don't know where you are gonna be working and select some place to live ahead of landing a job. You could end up with a job north of Lake Norman and be living in South Charlotte, or vice versa - a nasty commute.

If you can give us a bit more info, maybe I can help you more w/ some guidance. Also, gotta ask . . . how familiar are you with Charlotte?

southbound_295 · 03-24-2011, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by movenow

I'm planning on moving to Charlotte from Kansas this summer. Please could anyone inform me on good hospitals or surgery centers where I can get a good paying job as a Registered Nurse? And also good high school and Nursing school for my children? In which safe neighborhoods can we live and not commute far? I prefer suburbs to living in city center. I'm looking into renting an apartment for now and buy a home after getting the feel of the area. I appreciate any help.

Check here as well. Gaston Memorial Hospital

movenow · 03-24-2011, 05:47 PM

Thanks for your info. Yes I have made up my mind about this move to Charlotte although I've never been to the east. So I don't know what areas are good or what areas to avoid except what I see on the reviews. My area is mainly Med/surg and home health. Thanks for the 2 links somebody just sent. I'm in Manhattan, KS. I'm hoping the pay in Charlotte is better than in Manhattan which is in the low 20s/hr. Thanks again for your help.

brokensky · 03-25-2011, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by movenow

Thanks for your info. Yes I have made up my mind about this move to Charlotte although I've never been to the east. So I don't know what areas are good or what areas to avoid except what I see on the reviews. My area is mainly Med/surg and home health. Thanks for the 2 links somebody just sent. I'm in Manhattan, KS. I'm hoping the pay in Charlotte is better than in Manhattan which is in the low 20s/hr. Thanks again for your help.

I would check in areas surrounding Charlotte in addition to Charlotte. Manhattan would compare more to outlying areas.

I would be looking at Ft. Mill, SC, wh/ is more or less a "burb" of Charlotte (altho residents would not categorize it as such). You could do this and still have a commute that is reasonable to other areas in Charlotte as well as areas in SC.

If that doesn't appeal to you, I would think about the Hickory area and employment with Frye Regional or Catawba Medical Center - and live where the kids would attend one of the county schools (better quality, IMO, than Hickory City schools).

Or you could venture over to the Concord area or possibly Mooresville or Gastonia (where there are possibly more nursing jobs available, too).

If you love KCMO, you may find things here that remind you a bit of Kansas City, but for me - it has been a very sad comparison. I prefer Kansas City about 200% over Charlotte, lol (and remember - I am a native and love NC - just not very impressed w/ most of Charlotte).

If you hate Kansas City, then think again about Charlotte. KCMO is like an improved version of what Charlotte might have been with different planning, lol.

It does seem you have made your mind up but I would suggest you not make this move without spending time here. First hand experience: I love NC but didn't want to leave Kansas (much better highways, school system, cost of living, much lower crime rate, etc) - and all the things I found less than ideal w/ Charlotte have worsened, not improved, since I moved back here - from crime rate to taxes. Your cost of living will be higher here, for one thing. And the school system will be a big change for your kids.

The pay is not that much different here and there is no shortage of healthcare workers, be it tech jobs or nursing jobs. Not trying to be negative, but just want you to know the facts.

But maybe there is something here that has captured your imagination! I just can't imagine what it would be without your actually having visited here.

PS Go Wildcats!

jayhawks91 · 03-25-2011, 11:43 AM

ANYWHERE is better than Manhattan, KS!!!

{Just kidding! The Jayhawk in me couldn't resist}

movenow · 03-25-2011, 12:56 PM

I don't have anything that really captured my imagination about Charlotte but I'm wanting to move to the east and to a bigger city than Manhattan but 'not very huge city'. I appreciate all your suggestions and I'll check the suburbs you suggested. This is especially helpful because I'll need to endorse my license soon and I need to decide whether it's NC or SC. Any good Nursing schools that you know of? I've never actually lived in Kansas City since Manhattan is like 3hrs away and in the country. I'm just so ready for a change. Thanks once more.

southbound_295 · 03-25-2011, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by movenow

I don't have anything that really captured my imagination about Charlotte but I'm wanting to move to the east and to a bigger city than Manhattan but 'not very huge city'. I appreciate all your suggestions and I'll check the suburbs you suggested. This is especially helpful because I'll need to endorse my license soon and I need to decide whether it's NC or SC. Any good Nursing schools that you know of? I've never actually lived in Kansas City since Manhattan is like 3hrs away and in the country. I'm just so ready for a change. Thanks once more.

The link that I gave you was for Gaston Memorial in Gastonia. They tend to have more openings. (as Ani said) (Everyone wants to work in the Charlotte hospitals.) However, CMC & Presbyterian have other hospitals in their systems, so you should check those with an open mind of possibly working in a hospital that is not actually in Charlotte.