Looking to meet French people in Charlotte (considering moving to Charlotte from Paris) (Raleigh: section 8, houses)
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One of the areas we're considering is Fort Mill. But I don't know if it is very "international" or not.
We live in Riverpointe. Our neighbors are French, Polish, Belgium, Greek, English and German and then there are three families that are Americans. We live in a culdesac on the water. It is quite here and off from the rest of the neighborhood.
I hope you will find a GREAT neighborhood in Charlotte and that you will consider Riverpointe. You would love the neighbors and they you!
You do have a dilemma - no job for your wife no health insurance. I wouldn't worry about her making friends. Through the Alliance française, International House and meet-ups she should not have trouble at all finding both French and American francophiles who will in turn introduce her to other people. There are quite a few folks in Charlotte who, like myself, have lived in France and like to meet French people.
I would think your wife's salary would cover the cost of child care and then you could get medical insurance through her job. That would be my suggestion.
Don't worry about meeting people. In Charlotte most people are not natives but from other places in the US and around the world. There are "Meet Up" groups divided by interests (books, movies, running, hiking etc). It is a great way to meet people.
I like Charlotte because the cost of living is low. Homes are very affordable and plane tickets are cheap to go to New York ($200). There are decent restaurants and things to do in Charlotte. Obviously there are more cultural events going on in Paris. Charlotte is a much much smaller city and I do miss living in a bigger city at times.
The weather in Charlotte is much nicer. I actually get sunburned in February!! If you like outdoor activities Charlotte is the place to be. I don't have kids so I can't comment on preschool prices. I do like that people here are very nice and always willing to lend a hand. In Paris it was more everyone out for themselves.
Good luck with your decision process. Let me know if you do move to Charlotte....If I can be of any help just let me know.
n.b. I am American of Irish Ancestry. I was born and raised in NYC and I lived in Paris for 3 years.
On a friendly note, they still call "French fries", French fries in Charlotte I know that you must realize that not only Charlotte is nothing like Paris, but no American city is either. I love Paris. It is one of the most exciting cities in the world. Compared to Paris, most American cities are a bit dull, yet the standard of living in Charlotte is phoenominal. You will more than likely adapt to the change in environment and enjoy the city. Besides, there is an international airport close by. Welcome!!
On a friendly note, they still call "French fries", French fries in Charlotte I know that you must realize that not only Charlotte is nothing like Paris, but no American city is either. I love Paris. It is one of the most exciting cities in the world. Compared to Paris, most American cities are a bit dull, yet the standard of living in Charlotte is phoenominal. You will more than likely adapt to the change in environment and enjoy the city. Besides, there is an international airport close by. Welcome!!
Paris is a great city for tourists, but when you live here it's quite different. I think single people who can afford an apartment in Paris it's great. But when starting a family it's not easy. Each year the metro is more and more full of people. During rush hour it's at the maximum capacity. Think of rush hour for cars in the subway, only worse because there is only one lane. Traffic for cars is even worse. Prices are really high. People have been calling into TV shows complaining that milk went up 30 cents. May not sound like a lot but when it costs 3 euros that's a 10% increase in the past few months.
I don't want to go on about bad things in Paris, I just want to say that Paris is changing and it's not the same as it once was. It's getting very expensive and when salaries are not going up then it creates an enormous stress on people just to make ends meet. And this stress manifests itself in all areas of life. People get into arguments on the metro, people at work are stressed out, cars are so aggressive that being a pedestrian is dangerous, etc...
that said I still really like Paris, I'd just like it a lot more if I didn't live here. I still think Charlotte is a great fit for us, but it looks like our move will be delayed a bit longer due to my job and my daughter starting school. For my youngest daughter, she's been on a waiting list for day care for 2 years now and there are only 2 places available for the fall. Since my wife got laid off from her job in December, they say if my wife isn't working in May then our daughter won't go to the daycare. With unemployment high and competition for jobs fierce, it's not easy to find a job. This has caused a lot of stress for my wife. I tell her not to worry, if we don't have a spot at daycare we'll just move to Charlotte!
Hi Cunparis - I've been reading this forum for a long time now (by the way, thank you all for your answers! This forum has been so useful for me!). I saw your message and finally decided to join the forum to reply. I was born and raised in Paris, spent 10 years in London, until my husband and I decided to move to the US. We have been in Boston for 2 years now and love it here, so do our 2 daughters. The quality of life is amazing compared to Europe, especially for a family. Of course, a lot of things are missing, but no place is perfect. Anyway, although the cost of living is MUCH lower in Boston than in Europe, it is still expensive, especially if you want to buy a house, and we are moving to Charlotte this summer. We have been there a couple of times and loved it, we are going back in a few weeks to find a rental place and can't wait to move. Although I can't tell you much about life in Charlotte yet, I will be more than happy to let you know how it is once we've made the move. All I can say so far, is that we love the US, we found people here extremely friendly and welcoming and had no trouble adjusting to this new life. Moving to the US is the best decision we have made. Life is much less stressful than in London or Paris (I totally agree with what you're saying about living there).
All I can say so far, is that we love the US, we found people here extremely friendly and welcoming and had no trouble adjusting to this new life. Moving to the US is the best decision we have made. Life is much less stressful than in London or Paris (I totally agree with what you're saying about living there).
Hi Paris10, welcome! I too joined just to respond to someone, it was an American living in France discussing moving back to the US.
It's good that a Parisian can agree with my sentiments about Paris. I sometimes think I may just have an outsider's point of view but many of my friends here who are French really want to leave Paris too. It's our dream. And once you experience life outside of France then you have a totally different take.
My wife loves the new england area, she went to school at UConn. She'd love to live there but we've done the math and it's just not affordable enough for us. Plus living in new england is more similar to europe, with people wearing suits and being more formal. Also I see a lot of people moving from new england to Charlotte. That's really interesting.
Several months went by without my participation here, and then with a few replies the thread got woken back up and so has my desire to move to Charlotte!! If it weren't for the fact that I really like my job and it's really flexible for me (I finally got permission to work at home half time) then I would be ready to move right away. That and the lack of universal healthcare coverage in the US (I work as self-proprietor).
So Paris10 - I hope you will post a new reply to the thread when you arrive in Charlotte. It will be fun to get your take on arriving in Charlotte. Do you have an area that you're interested in?
We want to live in Ballantyne, South Charlotte. The most important thing for us is the quality of schools and they're very good there. We are hoping to send our oldest daughter to the Smith Academy of Languages (state school with French immersion program) which is in another part of Charlotte but we want to be close to good local schools in case she doesn't get a place there or it doesn't work out for some reasons. Even if she does get in and everything is going well, she will go to the local Middle School in a few years, so it will have to be a good one.
We also need to be relatively close from the airport as my husband travels every week.
We are planning to rent for 6 months to a year and hopefully buy something.
We love New England too but we find the long winters hard to cope with - shoveling the snow at 7am by freezing temperatures is not something I can get used to! And of course, the house prices....
My main worry about Charlotte is safety (after years of insecurity, especially in Paris, we got used very quickly to live somewhere where people don't even lock their door or car... Charlotte seems to be very different). And the fact that Charlotte is not as international as Boston is also a concern.
Of course I will let you know how things are going down there. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to PM me if you or your wife have any questions! And who knows, maybe we'll see you both in Charlotte one day! By the way, where in Paris do you live?
Of course I will let you know how things are going down there. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to PM me if you or your wife have any questions! And who knows, maybe we'll see you both in Charlotte one day! By the way, where in Paris do you live?
We seem to have the same concerns. We love the international aspect of Paris. I've met people from countries I didn't even know existed. My 8 years here have been an amazing cultural experience. That will be very much missed if we move to Charlotte. But living in a big international city with small kids just won't work out for us right now, not to mention it's usually not affordable.
For the moment I too am thinking of South Carolina, Fort Mill area. I haven't heard of the area you mentioned, I will google it. I grew up in a rural area in northern kentucky, about 20-30 minutes from cincinnati. I like having a "big" city nearby yet living in a more remote area.
I haven't heard of the Smith school, I will look that up. If we stay here for another year, then our youngest daughter (8 months) will have French as her mother tongue. We'd like a bilingual school but there isn't anything in the south side so I hope speaking both languages at home will be enough. It should be, my oldest daughter (2 years) is already bilingual.
Still crossing my fingers for a universal healthcare plan (Obama and/or Hillary!!!)..
We live in Sèvres, which you probably know but if you don't it's in between Paris & Versaille in 92. I really like Sèvres because we have forests and le parc de st. cloud. It's very "green" despite being so close to Paris.
cunparis, My husband and I and our 5 children are moving from Houston to the Fort Mill area this summer. My mother is french, and though I was born in Connecticut I lived in France for a little over 3 years as a child and even attended fench elementary school (CP-CM1). I lived in Chevreuse in the Yvelines (78) and most of my extended family is in France. My Grandparents live in La Celle Saint Cloud, which is also very near Versailles. I have an aunt in Vaucresson, one in Carriere-sur-Seine and an Uncle in Faucherolle (spelling?). My mother has a very thick french accent, even though she has lived in the US for over 3 decades - and most people find it delightful! I am a stay at home mom as well, and my two youngest are 3.5 (boy and girl). My french isn't as good as it used to be, but I would definitely have no problems understanding your wife .
What area of Fort Mill are you considering?
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move to charlotte
I know that you must realize that not only Charlotte is nothing like Paris, but no American city is either. I love Paris. It is one of the most exciting cities in the world. Compared to Paris, most American cities are a bit dull, yet the standard of living in Charlotte is phoenominal. You will more than likely adapt to the change in environment and enjoy the city. Besides, there is an international airport close by. Welcome!!
