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I live in London for 30yrs just 1km from Buckingham Palace. I have been to Charlotte twice this year (January in the deep snow and again last week). I love Charlotte -trust me- maybe except for the warning about snakes.
Last week was 100F in Matthews but I just kept asking the Lord to pour down more fire. My parents live in NC but seeing me with my stretched out hands in Home Depot car park they thought I had gone nuts as they run for a/c cover.
My wife and two young kids will be moving to NC next year and we can not wait.
So good people tell me something - is this heat love just a novelty because the London cold is still in my blood? Will the culture shock dominate me? Have you ever lived in London? What about snakes is it everyday part of life? I did not see any but I hear stories. I should be ok in preparing a home and managing the cost of living.
Feel good about your city. London is nice but Charlotte have a little bit more niceness and quality of life.....I think. Please tell me something. Lenn
First of all. I love your city, London. Each time I visit, I say I would love to live there....
I've live in Charlotte 45 years. Don't be worried about snakes. I've seen maybe 3 Copperheads (poisonous) in all my time here and these were on front steps of homes. If you spend a lot of time in areas where they are more common (wood piles, rocky areas, streams, creeks) you may run into them more. They are not aggressive and rarely lethal and you typically only see them in late Spring and Summer. I have had friends whose dogs were bitten by them. The dogs lived. Black snakes (non-poisonous) are much more common but only in the late Spring and summer. They can be look intimidating (as any snake can) but are harmless. In fact, they can be beneficial by eating rodents. There are other snake varieties around but it's not like you just commonly see them. I use to catch small worm snakes as a kid. They usually live under large rocks.
I don't really mind the excessive heat but I am not asking the good lord to rain down fire by any means. Not sure what you mean by asking is the heat just a "novelty". It's summer in the south and usually in July and early August it can get pretty darn hot and humid. The majority of our years are in much more tolerable temperatures, thank goodness.
Culture shock, compared to London? Prepare yourself. Charlotte does not have anywhere near the history that London has. It's a tiny spec on the map compared to London. But you've been here and seem to like it (as many people do), so you should be just fine.
BTW, I have met and/or worked with people who moved here from London over the past years. They really loved the city.
I moved to Charlotte from London in 2002. I have been here ever since. In London I lived 100 meters from the Baker Street tube stop (loved that area).
It took some getting used to here. After all, London has everything. But for this size town, Charlotte is pretty good. The heat is not uncommon for a few days throughout the summer. It does not last too long.
There can be plenty to do here too ... it is what you make of it. I think you will like the cost of living ... I sure did ... everything seemed so cheap here for a long time.
Swampfoxer - thanks for your insight on snakes. Maybe I just need to get over my initial phobia. I take confidence that you have only seen 3 poisonous ones in 45 years. London has many good things about it but, in a measured way, I fancy the changes of coming to NC with the family. Thanks again.
gators93 - Good to know that you settled well. You may want to know that Baker St is ever in demand so no one but the super rich can live or do business in the area. I went to the Baker St campus of Westminster Uni and that as close as one get unless you are going to use the tube stn or Madam Tussaud's. I think I have something to offer NC so hopefully I don't just end up taking.
lenn...I am another anglophile...LOVE London!! Been there many times. Would move there in a minute. My son graduated from Keele in Staffs.
Although I am originally from a very large city here in America (Chicago), I have lived here since 1989. Culture shock? Little to no public transport, no tube, many people have guns and carry them freely. You will be shocked to hear of the many shootings on our news. Of course, the news itself will be different, the BBC is hard to find here.
Since this is a MUCH smaller place and more rural, many of the amenities of London will be lacking. There are few markets; the ones that do exist are called "flea markets" and really don't compare at all. You will need to get comfortable driving everywhere..and on the other side of the road!
You will find it hard to understand people's accents (especially down near Monroe) and people may not understand yours. But, they will love hearing yours and ask you to talk (just so they can hear it). Of course, some of our American slang is very different; so, you might want to do some research on that.
And, finally, there will be little mention of (proper) football; Americans here are obsessed with college sports; primarily basketball. There are a few pubs now that show the matches, however, and you can get the extra package on the telly through the satellite provider.
When you get homesick (the weather not withstanding), there is one pub that is really like a pub in England (many claim it, but, this one is really like walking into England) and that is Big Ben. Big Ben British Pub and Restaurant
lenn, It's all about your attitude, and it looks like you will be fine in Charlotte. Also, I hope everyone realizes that when it was 99 degrees in Charlotte yesterday it was 102 in New York City, and much of the country is suffering from a heat wave with temperatures that are curiously higher than they are here.
lenn, It's all about your attitude, and it looks like you will be fine in Charlotte. Also, I hope everyone realizes that when it was 99 degrees in Charlotte yesterday it was 102 in New York City, and much of the country is suffering from a heat wave with temperatures that are curiously higher than they are here.
I'll post you next week when its 90 plus here and 80 or so in NYc ..and the week after and the week after. Geez...in mid summer heat waves always make it hot everywhere...the difference is it ENDS there..not here.
I love Charlotte -trust me- maybe except for the warning about snakes.
Last week was 100F in Matthews but I just kept asking the Lord to pour down more fire. My parents live in NC but seeing me with my stretched out hands in Home Depot car park they thought I had gone nuts as they run for a/c cover.
Yup.
It's like this at least 6 months out of the year.
Expect 95-100 dedrees most summer days with100% humidity and with global warming it will only get worse.
The snakes like warmer climate so we have a rapidly growing snake population. The hotter it gets, the more poisonous they become.
I am really thinking that London would be more suitable for a gentleman such as your self. You could stay but then you would have to own and always wear a gun so that you could shoot the snakes that will be in your driveway every morning.
What would your Mum say?
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