Gay Couple from DFW moving to Charlotte

[DawnW]

If your partner is close to retirement, could you wait until he retires to move? That is usually the best thing to do when you work in education.

Working in Charlotte for a few years won't do you any favors when it comes to retirement benefits.

I don't think CMS is too large or too chaotic, but that is a matter of perspective. I came from a much larger school district. But I will say the pay is miserable.

Dawn

Originally Posted by anatomydoc

Thanks...our son and grandsons live in Clemson. We'd like to be as close as possible but still be in an area where there are things to do. My partner is only a few years away from retirement but he (and I) would like to stay active in education. I would like to be able to teach part-time at a college (preferably a community college) and I am am also a potter who would like to set up a studio somewhere. From every thing I have read about Charlotte it seems to be the best alternative to just staying in Texas. We plan to visit over Xmas.

[DawnW]

Honestly, Charlotte is a driving city. Unless you have a lot of $$ and want to live in the heart of the city (with a small lot), you will need to have a car to get around.

And welcoming neighbors? Well, that can be subjective for anyone. It just depends on your personality and the personalities of the neighbors.

Originally Posted by anatomydoc

Which part of the city or surrounding towns should we be looking at? The idea of walking and/or biking to get around is very appealing but again we want to have a somewhat larger lot and house big enough for family. Welcoming neighbors is also a must!! Thanks.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by anatomydoc

Which part of the city or surrounding towns should we be looking at? The idea of walking and/or biking to get around is very appealing but again we want to have a somewhat larger lot and house big enough for family. Welcoming neighbors is also a must!! Thanks.

Have you ever been to Charlotte? It's hard to ask about surrounding town to a city if you don't even have firsthand experience with the city itself, let alone the environs. Hop on a plane and spend a weekend somewhere before you even think about uprooting to there; while you're looking around, you'll get some ideas of where you do and don't like.

I am an NC native and part of a gay couple, and NC is really black or white, not gray, on the issue: tends to be conservative and churchy in the rural areas (most of NC's counties) and accepting (and often also churchy, but you're used to that in Dallas) in the cities. When we had Amendment One on the ballot in 2012 (anti-same-sex-marriage amendment) 8 counties voted against it (i.e. the pro-gay side) and Mecklenburg was one of them. But the counties just around Charlotte are some of the most conservative there are. Suburban areas are generally accepting, though I saw far more "Yes on One" signs in my very upper-middle-class suburban neighborhood than I would have expected or liked

Meaning, your relationship will be a non-issue in Charlotte, but don't get too far out.

PS, I'm sure you know that Amendment One was overturned in October, so, unlike Texas, you could be legally married here

Here is the City-Data page on Charlotte. Quite a bit of info there; you can even pull down an option on the map to see where the highest ratio of gay couples live. But nothing is a substitute for coming for a visit yourself before thinking of moving somewhere.

[LeeNicole]

We used to live in Southlake, TX ....so I am familiar w/Irving. I would bet that you would enjoy SouthPark or Dilworth. I would say it is more walkable than Irving as well. Good Luck! You will enjoy the summers here compared to TX as well as all the great areas you can travel to from the Mountains to the Ocean. However, I am soooooooooooo missing all the great restaurants in Dallas and the ease of friend making in Texas. People are nice here in NC...it just seems ALOT harder to make friends here.

[tylerSC]

If you want to be near Clemson, I would suggest Greenville, SC. But if you want a larger metro area with better nightlife, then I would consider Atlanta rather than Charlotte. Because Atlanta would be a bit closer once you get south of Greenville and down to Anderson and Clemson areas.