Review of Charlotte - A Single Guy's Perspective (Raleigh, Jacksonville: home, neighborhood)
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Um, no...Charlotte is a lot more vibrant than Richmond.
What you have going on in Charlotte is that a lot of graduates from schools in the south - be it UNC, NCSt, App St, Clemson, UGA, USC, VTech, ECU as well as from other parts of the country moving here for jobs, quality of life, etc. For a young professional, Charlotte has a lot to offer.
Haven't really met anyone from any of those schools. Most people I meet here are from the North and Northeast. Anyway, you're entitled to your opinion of course, but I still prefer Richmond. I'm just glad that we were all able to have this conversation so that this thread can inform anyone who's checking out this site trying to figure out what Charlotte's all about. Maybe they'll agree with me, or maybe they'll agree with others on this thread, but at least they'll get lots of different opinions.
Last edited by keithdoxen; 07-24-2011 at 08:24 PM..
Haven't really met anyone from any of those schools. Most people I meet here are from the North and Northeast. Anyway, you're entitled to your opinion of course, but I still prefer Richmond. I'm just glad that we were all able to have this conversation so that this thread can inform anyone who's checking out this site trying to figure out what Charlotte's all about. Maybe they'll agree with me, or maybe they'll agree with others on this thread, but at least they'll get lots of different opinions.
Nothing wrong with preferring Richmond...
You still haven't told us where you've been looking for action.
And you've been in Charlotte how long, and you haven't met anyone from any of those schools? Wow. Where do you work?
Richmond? Richmond, VA? Wow I totally wasted my time on this one. Haha Richmond.
There may not be the college kid vibe and nightlife in Charlotte (especially downtown) that compares to Richmond, but for us grownups like you and me, Keith, Charlotte has plenty to offer in my experience. I guess our social scene is different if you can't find anything to do socially. In all other areas Charlotte is light years ahead of Richmond. I was born in Petersburg and used to live in Richmond. Check out some meetup groups or a professional group through your work. I can't imagine finding more to do in Richmond than Charlotte unless you like glowsticks and passing out in ditches.
It's almost as if they think that somehow I'm going to change my mind all of the sudden and realize that I actually love Charlotte. I wonder how many of them are in real estate and are afraid of negative reviews of Charlotte on a site like this, given that people tend to come here when they are deciding where to move. In any case, they probably aren't making Charlotte seem very inviting to those considering coming here.
Lol yeah, it's just sad. Instead of them trying to help (which some have done, just not that many), they blame you for not liking Charlotte. (People do this on the Jacksonville forum) That makes it more unappealing for people looking to move to Charlotte. I don't get why they don't understand it.
So your a guy in his thirties trying to live like a guy in his twenties and your complaining that Charlotte isn't the place for you? Well, I've found that in Charlotte, most people aren't stuck in perpetual youth like you see in some other cities. There's really not much of a scene for thirty something bar hoppers. You're too old now man. You just have to accept it. Find some other means of entertaining yourself besides hitting up the bars.
Lol yeah, it's just sad. Instead of them trying to help (which some have done, just not that many), they blame you for not liking Charlotte. (People do this on the Jacksonville forum) That makes it more unappealing for people looking to move to Charlotte. I don't get why they don't understand it.
Yeah, and now it's pointless for me to respond to any further comments on this thread. Anyone new who stops by will only give a cursory read to the arguments made in this thread, and if they agree with me, they will be silent, given all of the people who will jump on them otherwise. Anyone new to this thread who comments will do so just to pile on and raise their street cred with the community, given that the majority position seems to be that "Keith Doxen sucks!" And anyone who I've sparred with today who might be willing to discuss these issues in a civil manner will be reluctant to do so, as they would open themselves up to potential criticism. Note how even the respondents who tried to be helpful had to get their snark in against me, just to make sure that they too aren't singled out. For all the talk that I'm trying to re-live my 20s, the sort of behavior on this thread seems more like something out of middle school.
>>..., it is highly unlikely that I am "doing something" to turn people off. ..... Seems unlikely. I don't think it's fair ..... Yeah, and now it's pointless for me to respond to any further comments on this thread.... "Keith Doxen sucks!"
>>I'm sure that no matter what city you're in, there are natives who are both friendly and unfriendly, and transplants who are both friendly and unfriendly.
Since you created this topic looking for opinions of your issues with Charlotte there here we go...
I recommend you re-read your responses to people in this topic. You might find that your sell-assessment of your friendliness skills might not be where you think it is. On your second point, I completely agree. People are the same no matter where they physically live. How they respond to people is largely based on how that person acts towards others. Based on what I see, you are getting back what you hand out. Honestly you sound like a kid who is now running off with their marbles when they didn't like the answer to the question they asked. Or, as I said earlier, a 33 year old that can't accept they are no longer 21.
No matter how much you might wish it, you can't change others and their behavior. The only thing you can change is how you react to others. Charlotte isn't your problem and the sooner your realize this, the sooner you will find an answer to your issues with the place. Or you can move back to the places where you think your personality will be accepted.
Last edited by yantosh22; 07-25-2011 at 08:01 AM..
I know that a lot of folks visit this website attempting to determine whether they should move to any given city. Given that I have been a resident of Charlotte for a year now, I thought I'd provide my two cents on living here, with both the good and the bad from my point of view. Keep in mind that I am a single 33 year old male, so that will be the perspective I'm writing from. If you're, say, a married 45 year old woman with two young children, you may have a different point of view than my own.
I'll talk about the bad stuff first. For young singles, Charlotte is the sort of city where you're going to have to look a little harder for things to do. There aren't a lot of ready-made activities for young people looking to go on fun dates or meet new friends. In New York, there are a million things to do. In DC, you move there and spend the first few months just walking around and looking at all the historical sites, and there will be scores of other people doing the same thing.
In Charlotte, basically you've got a lukewarm bar scene, and not much else. There really doesn't seem to be a lot of history here. It feels sort of like a sleepy Southern town that has been recently refurbished due to all of the banks and corporations relocating down here from the Northeast. So you've got this vibrant downtown area (called Uptown) that seems sort of like Disney World for bankers, and then you've got the rest of Charlotte, which feels older, but not old in the cool, historical way.
Of course, if you were planning on meeting friends and dates through church or a sports team or whatever, you can find that anywhere, including Charlotte. But if you're like me, and you want to live in a cosmopolitan city or college town where you can just walk around and meet people, Charlotte is going to be a bit of a challenge socially.
I live in a part of town called Cotswold, in a complex that I selected because it seemed to have lots of young professionals living there. The only trouble is, all of them are either married or living with their significant other. Every. Single. One. There isn't another truly single person in this complex that I've met so far. So much for meeting eligible ladies here. Again, the bar scene is what I call luke warm. Not a lot of energy, and it's not uncommon to go into a bar on a Friday or Saturday night and find the place only half full. What's even stranger is driving home from the bar on those nights and realizing that the roads are basically clear. This may be because of the way the city is laid out, but it adds to the sense that the people here just aren't going out or doing anything.
Other pet peeves. The heat is pretty bad during the summer, but it seems to be bad everywhere these days. Also, be prepared for what I call the "Charlotte Attitude" to emerge from lots of people. It's sort of a combination of the attitude you'd expect from Northeastern banking types who have way too much money for their own good, and old school Southerners who don't like all these transplants moving into their city. Most Southern cities I've been to are way friendlier than Charlotte.
Okay, that's a lot of bad stuff. Here are a few things I like. It's cheap. It has that Southern, laid back, feeling to it, where people tend to leave the office at 5 and where life isn't taken quite as seriously as in a lot of other big cities. Because there are so many transplants here, you're going to run into a good number of people between 18 and 39, and a good number of them are going to be very attractive and fun, etc. Only trouble is, most of them aren't single.
Look, in this economy, we take what we can get. If you're single, in your 20s or 30s, and the only place you can find a job is in Charlotte, move to Charlotte. But just expect to get creative when it comes to your social life. But if you have a choice between Charlotte and other places, do your research before you make a decision.
As a southerner from TN who has moved in and out of Charlotte over my career(s), everyone should take your comments and observations with a grain of salt; it's just one person's opinion. I had to chuckle at some of your post and don't fault you for any dislikes. I, too, have issues with this city and the downtown (I refuse to call it "uptown" because it's not uptown for half the county and that's PR that I won't acknowledge). When your lease runs out and you have done more to scope the city, you will find other areas that will be more to your liking. Cotswald would not be my choice as a place for a young single to live. Talk with some real estate or rental agents.
The question here was which Southern cities I felt were "friendlier" than Charlotte. If we're defining the South as anything that falls below Mason-Dixon, I would say that Baltimore, DC, Richmond, and pretty much anywhere in Virginia are all friendlier than Charlotte in my experience. Others may have had a different experience
Baltimore and DC are towards the top in crime stats. Richmond is pretty up there as well. Higher crime != friendlier people.
I lived in Woodbridge, VA (suburb of DC) for a small period of time and I didn't find the DC area that friendly at all. People were mostly under the "all about me" premise. Never did I see someone hold a door or say hello to person they didn't know. Instead, they honk their horns prior to a green light coming on, flip you the bird anytime you impede their progress, etc. To me all signs pointing to unfriendly.
To me, most of VA's major cities are dumps. I will add VA Beach into that mix with the cities you mentioned. The only few nice spots in state you would find boring i.e. Charlottesville.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stlterp
I was comparing VCU/Richmond and Charlotte...didn't bring UNCC into this equation at all, as I know it's a commuter school.
The guy is 33. If he was trying to chase 18-22 year olds, no wonder why he is unhappy. But my guess/hope he wasn't so why is college even in discussion.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by keithdoxen
Yeah, and now it's pointless for me to respond to any further comments on this thread. Anyone new who stops by will only give a cursory read to the arguments made in this thread, and if they agree with me, they will be silent, given all of the people who will jump on them otherwise. Anyone new to this thread who comments will do so just to pile on and raise their street cred with the community, given that the majority position seems to be that "Keith Doxen sucks!" And anyone who I've sparred with today who might be willing to discuss these issues in a civil manner will be reluctant to do so, as they would open themselves up to potential criticism. Note how even the respondents who tried to be helpful had to get their snark in against me, just to make sure that they too aren't singled out. For all the talk that I'm trying to re-live my 20s, the sort of behavior on this thread seems more like something out of middle school.
Most people have been trying to help you by telling you that you're aging out of the bar scene. Since this is not what you want to hear, you twist people's words & attack what they say.
I came here from the South Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia, in the MidAtlantic. People here are just as friendly. Both areas are full of the type of people who would give you the shirt off their back. There are bad apples everywhere. If that's all you've found you are looking in the wrong places.
You said that you've been hanging out in bars that cater to college kids in Richmond. You admitted that your friends questioned this.
Get a hobby (photography, hiking, whatever) & join a group related to it or volunteer somewhere. There is more to life than bar hopping. You will meet other people. Married people have single friends.
Last edited by southbound_295; 07-25-2011 at 08:54 AM..
Reason: typo
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The Queen City - Charlotte
