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Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,675,688 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by CLT4
Yeah, she moved to a brand new cookie cutter subdivision of cheap homes in fields in Union County almost in Monroe and is surprised everybody in the neighborhood is like her and moved from elsewhere to a cookie cutter home in a field in Union County. If she was in neighborhoods that were more established and actually in Charlotte she might have more of the amenities she is used to. Likely a bit of buyer's remorse and a good example of why many buyers should rent for a year to get to know the area and the places they like to shop, eat, play, etc.... The equivalent distance they are outside of Charlotte in the Madison, WI area is completely cow fields like Basco, WI ; Cross Plain, WI, etc.... For being that far out, they are lucky they even have the movie theater in Sun Valley for being out in the outer country suburbs. Most Charlotte residents do nothing more than drive through the area she lives to get to Wilmington and the coast. I wouldn't like it there either.
I live in a city neighborhood. Up until a couple of years ago I was the only person on my street not born & raised within 10 miles of here. When I'm around town & in Gastonia, I encounter a blend of natives & transplants.
As a teenager, my parents moved us to a housing development that replaced a farm that had been a farm since the colonial era. Been there, done that. As an adult, I've always lived in an established neighborhood.
1. I have to drive SO far to get to the things I do. I am used to having everything pretty much within 10 minutes.
2. Traffic is a nightmare - MOST of the time (and I have lived in cities bigger than Charlotte). It's just car after car after car - all hours of the day!
3. My expectations were to be in the South, but Charlotte is NOTHING like the South to me. Personally, I don't even see any remnants of it.
4. The WEATHER. Good grief! The humidity! (And I have lived in Houston, Memphis, Knoxville, and St. Louis). Will it EVER cool off? Is there any such thing as FALL? I curl my hair, go out, and immediately look like a wet dog. Frustrating. I miss fall and the snow (or I will when winter arrives).
5. I have only met one person from Charlotte since moving here well over 5 months ago. EVERYONE is from NY/NJ/PA!!! What is up with that? Where did the locals go? (In contrast, in St. Louis virtually EVERYONE is from there-which was also annoying since they didn't like outsiders). A little balance would be good. And I haven't found people to be very friendly or engaging. Maybe that is just society as a whole these days.
6. My husband's job. As soon as he walked into his new office when arrived it became a nightmare. Boss from hell (new boss), no work/life balance (12 hour days and some weekends), and on and on. I could go on about this, but won't bore anyone. Just note that not only will she throw employees under the bus, she will also back up to make sure the job is done!
7. I have to add a blurb about the bugs. GROSS! (But not Houston gross). I will never adjust to that.
8. Everything is so car-centric.
9. No bike lanes on the streets and there is a great lack of biking paths (like Madison, WI).
To counter these points for those thinking of moving here that don't wish to be discouraged
1. If you don't want to drive SO far to things, choose a house closer to the things you like to do.
2. Traffic is really only bad at rush hour or right around Panther games. Outside of that, we've never encountered anything too bad.
3. Charlotte definitely is not a classic "Southern" town. Except for all the BBQ joints this feels like a typical northern/mid-western city. On the bright side...it's a 3 hour drive to Charleston.
4. It is very hot and humid for about 3 months of the year, with discomfort +/- one month on either side. On the plus side, the other 7 months are wonderful with minimal snow and gorgeous fall/spring weather. Sounds like this poster moved just at the start of the annual heat.
5. If you want to integrate with more locals, live closer to the city. The further out you go, the more likely you are to interact with transplants.
6. Your experience with wherever you live will be most impacted by your day-to-day duties, including your job. This situation just sucks and I feel bad for the poster.
7. I honestly haven't noticed too many bugs. We have an exterminator come to our house quarterly and it's not bad. We go out to town concerts/gatherings on weekend evenings and have never been disturbed by bugs
8. It is a very car centric town. Public transportation isn't up to par with the major cities in the Northeast. There also aren't a lot of small towns that house everything one needs (restaurants/grocery stores/etc) within walking distance of town centers.
9. There aren't a lot of bike lanes, but there are a ton of greenways with wide paved paths for bikers. There are also a ton of road biking groups that ride together (usually on weekend mornings) on the main streets.
Yeah, she moved to a brand new cookie cutter subdivision of cheap homes in fields in Union County almost in Monroe and is surprised everybody in the neighborhood is like her and moved from elsewhere to a cookie cutter home in a field in Union County. If she was in neighborhoods that were more established and actually in Charlotte she might have more of the amenities she is used to. Likely a bit of buyer's remorse and a good example of why many buyers should rent for a year to get to know the area and the places they like to shop, eat, play, etc.... The equivalent distance they are outside of Charlotte in the Madison, WI area is completely cow fields like Basco, WI ; Cross Plain, WI, etc.... For being that far out, they are lucky they even have the movie theater in Sun Valley for being out in the outer country suburbs. Most Charlotte residents do nothing more than drive through the area she lives to get to Wilmington and the coast. I wouldn't like it there either.
Wow. This comes across as very rude and crass. To say this and you don't even know me! Actually, I like the area I live in just fine. After living in so many urban areas, it's quite nice to live where there is space and no noise (no gun fire like in St. Louis, or constant traffic, ambulances, police, etc). Don't presume you know me or what I like. I have no issues with my "cookie cutter" house you seem to think I hate. It's a very nice house, frankly. I have no regrets buying it. I've had a lot of houses, ranging in age from 120 years to brand new. I certainly don't find the quality to be cheap at all. Frankly, I wish I had this in many of the other cities I have lived in.
Also, it is the driving, environment, etc. is relative to our personal experiences. I have lived in Knoxville, Memphis, Houston, Omaha, St. Louis, Detroit (suburbs), to name a few and have never experienced some of the things I have here. Are you aware of my location and amenities in all of those cities? I am simply sharing my experiences, so please don't presume you know me or what I like.
A few amenities that I don't have here that I have to drive to or search for are:
A traditional Catholic church. I do not like the contemporary worship services, so I have to drive into Charlotte to St. Ann's. That's the only one I have been able to find.
Still haven't found a grocery store that has fresh organic produce. WF near me has crappy wilted produce that I cannot imagine anyone would want to eat. So, I have to go to numerous stores to get what I am looking for. In all of the other cities I have lived in I have been able to find what I need at one store.
Descent medical care for my son with Crohn's disease. Trying to find someone who just wants to pump him full of drugs and be done is very difficult. We had superior care at UW in Madison and at Washington University in SL and it is very hard to find someone who is knowledgeable or will take the time to work with the unique problems he has.
Simple things like going to Pier One or having a well stocked Target have been very frustrating (or a Michael's that is crumbling down as the one near me).
So those are just a few things I have to drive for that I find frustrating. No, I don't go to see the latest crap Hollywood movie (I wouldn't be paid to see the crap dished out from Hollywood), I don't eat out at all because it is so unhealthy and expensive, and I don't do ANY of those things you presume I do. Please don't be so presumptuous when you no nothing about me or my life experiences.
Last edited by gypsyjudy; 10-10-2017 at 06:41 AM..
I think CLT4's response was more about where you were living vis-a-vis your complaints and that many of them could be solved by living closer to the city. And your latest response feeds right into that. "I want to live far out where there's less congestion, but I still want all the amenities of an urban environment".
- If St. Ann's is the church you like, it would be a much closer commute if you lived closer to the city. You can't live out in the country and then complain there isn't the exact perfect church for you out there.
- I'm not sure where you are in UC, but there are 3 Targets within a 15 minute drive of each other (Stonecrest, Ballantyne, Weddington) and at least one of them should be "well-stocked".
- There is also a Pier One in Promenade on Providence which is near the Meck/UC border.
- There's also a very nice Michael's in Stonecrest.
- In general, if you want more stores nearby, live closer to the city instead of out in the distant suburbs.
Wow. This comes across as very rude and crass. To say this and you don't even know me! Actually, I like the area I live in just fine. After living in so many urban areas, it's quite nice to live where there is space and no noise (no gun fire like in St. Louis, or constant traffic, ambulances, police, etc). Don't presume you know me or what I like. I have no issues with my "cookie cutter" house you seem to think I hate. It's a very nice house, frankly. I have no regrets buying it. I've had a lot of houses, ranging in age from 120 years to brand new. I certainly don't find the quality to be cheap at all. Frankly, I wish I had this in many of the other cities I have lived in.
Also, it is the driving, environment, etc. is relative to our personal experiences. I have lived in Knoxville, Memphis, Houston, Omaha, St. Louis, Detroit (suburbs), to name a few and have never experienced some of the things I have here. Are you aware of my location and amenities in all of those cities? I am simply sharing my experiences, so please don't presume you know me or what I like.
A few amenities that I don't have here that I have to drive to or search for are:
A traditional Catholic church. I do not like the contemporary worship services, so I have to drive into Charlotte to St. Ann's. That's the only one I have been able to find.
Still haven't found a grocery store that has fresh organic produce. WF near me has crappy wilted produce that I cannot imagine anyone would want to eat. So, I have to go to numerous stores to get what I am looking for. In all of the other cities I have lived in I have been able to find what I need at one store.
Descent medical care for my son with Crohn's disease. Trying to find someone who just wants to pump him full of drugs and be done is very difficult. We had superior care at UW in Madison and at Washington University in SL and it is very hard to find someone who is knowledgeable or will take the time to work with the unique problems he has.
Simple things like going to Pier One or having a well stocked Target have been very frustrating (or a Michael's that is crumbling down as the one near me).
So those are just a few things I have to drive for that I find frustrating. No, I don't go to see the latest crap Hollywood movie (I wouldn't be paid to see the crap dished out from Hollywood), I don't eat out at all because it is so unhealthy and expensive, and I don't do ANY of those things you presume I do. Please don't be so presumptuous when you no nothing about me or my life experiences.
Let's go back and look at the things you specifically said you don't like about where you live:
1. I have to drive SO far to get to the things I do. I am used to having everything pretty much within 10 minutes. You moved to an area transitioning from rural farms and fields. There will be less shopping than more developed areas. If you moved to Basco, Wisconsin, 15 miles outside of Madison, everything would be a 20-30 minute drive as well.
2. Traffic is a nightmare - MOST of the time (and I have lived in cities bigger than Charlotte). It's just car after car after car - all hours of the day! You moved to an area highly dependent on US-74 as a travel route which is over-burdened. Rush hour is more normal on areas closer to the Interstates. I certainly understand not liking being in the US-74 area. It is constantly under construction and the state is not investing in making it a full on highway, when the traffic deserves it. I try to avoid it.
3. My expectations were to be in the South, but Charlotte is NOTHING like the South to me. Personally, I don't even see any remnants of it. Going to depend highly on the area in the Charlotte metro you move. It is the same thing in Atlanta, Raleigh, and other "New South" cities with many transplants. If you move to non-transplant areas like Kannapolis, Gastonia, Rock Hill, etc... you are going to see more locals. It will feel more like Knoxville and other cities that aren't the "New South."
4. The WEATHER. Good grief! The humidity! (And I have lived in Houston, Memphis, Knoxville, and St. Louis). Will it EVER cool off? Is there any such thing as FALL? I curl my hair, go out, and immediately look like a wet dog. Frustrating. I miss fall and the snow (or I will when winter arrives). This is your first fall here. It has been above average temps (and elsewhere on the East Coast as well.) It is going to be 89 in St. Louis on Friday, 92 in Houston on Friday, 83 in Knoxville on Friday, 84 in Memphis on Friday, and 74 in Charlotte on Friday, etc... Fall isn't off to a great start in the lower half of the country and the recent hurricanes in the gulf have pushed more humid moisture over the inland areas than is normal for this time of year.
5. I have only met one person from Charlotte since moving here well over 5 months ago. EVERYONE is from NY/NJ/PA!!! What is up with that? Where did the locals go? (In contrast, in St. Louis virtually EVERYONE is from there-which was also annoying since they didn't like outsiders). A little balance would be good. And I haven't found people to be very friendly or engaging. Maybe that is just society as a whole these days. 51% of Union County, NC residents were born in a state other than North Carolina. Perhaps it is your specific neighborhood or part of Union County that has a high concentration of non-locals? Statistically the county is 50 v 50 local to North Carolina and born out of state. 58% of the state of North Carolina was born here so maybe over time you'll meet people from the state. My social network is roughly 50% local to Charlotte or the Carolinas and 50% transplants from other states.
6. My husband's job. As soon as he walked into his new office when arrived it became a nightmare. Boss from hell (new boss), no work/life balance (12 hour days and some weekends), and on and on. I could go on about this, but won't bore anyone. Just note that not only will she throw employees under the bus, she will also back up to make sure the job is done! That sounds horrible, I'm sorry. Hopefully he can find another job.
7. I have to add a blurb about the bugs. GROSS! (But not Houston gross). I will never adjust to that. Anywhere in the South will have more bugs than the Midwest, North, and West, def agree they are not fun!
8. Everything is so car-centric. There are pockets of Charlotte where people walk to things more, but it certainly isn't in Union County. South End, Dilworth, Elizabeth, Myers Park, Plaza Midwood, Noda, Belmont, etc... are some of the neighborhoods where people who value walking to shops and restaurants live. One of the cons of country and outer suburb life is you need a car for everything.
9. No bike lanes on the streets and there is a great lack of biking paths (like Madison, WI). Union County has lower taxes and limited - to no - investment in bike paths. Many of the roads are former rural roads between farms that haven't kept up with the rapid increase in population. Developers build 200 homes off an old country road. Mecklenburg County is investing the most in greenways and bike paths and working on the Carolina Thread Trail. Mecklenburg's network isn't as good as Madison's, but it is far better than Union County and they are at least investing to try to make it better. Fort Mill and Rock Hill are also making investments in Greenways and Gaston County has some neat projects going on as well, especially interfacing with the lakes. Union County's leadership is still focused on keeping taxes low and preserving a rural culture, so I don't see bike lanes anytime soon.
Yeah, she moved to a brand new cookie cutter subdivision of cheap homes in fields in Union County almost in Monroe and is surprised everybody in the neighborhood is like her and moved from elsewhere to a cookie cutter home in a field in Union County. If she was in neighborhoods that were more established and actually in Charlotte she might have more of the amenities she is used to. Likely a bit of buyer's remorse and a good example of why many buyers should rent for a year to get to know the area and the places they like to shop, eat, play, etc.... The equivalent distance they are outside of Charlotte in the Madison, WI area is completely cow fields like Basco, WI ; Cross Plain, WI, etc.... For being that far out, they are lucky they even have the movie theater in Sun Valley for being out in the outer country suburbs. Most Charlotte residents do nothing more than drive through the area she lives to get to Wilmington and the coast. I wouldn't like it there either.
Good, true response.
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