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I am in the process of thinking of moving to the Charlotte area. I am single, in my mid 30's and currently live in CT. I would like to get away from the cold and meet more people. I am making a trip down there to do some research.
1. I would have to find a new job, but would assume it would be in the Charlotte area. I am looking for a commute around 30 mins. Recommendations on where to live? Is it possible to find that commute? Looking for a suburban area.
2. I would going only knowing one person. Recommendations of where to meet people of similar age (mid 30's) and interests - Hiking, Board Games, Festivals, Reading etc. Not a bar person.
3. Things I should do on my trip down there to do research
I am in the process of thinking of moving to the Charlotte area. I am single, in my mid 30's and currently live in CT. I would like to get away from the cold and meet more people. I am making a trip down there to do some research.
1. I would have to find a new job, but would assume it would be in the Charlotte area. I am looking for a commute around 30 mins. Recommendations on where to live? Is it possible to find that commute? Looking for a suburban area.
2. I would going only knowing one person. Recommendations of where to meet people of similar age (mid 30's) and interests - Hiking, Board Games, Festivals, Reading etc. Not a bar person.
3. Things I should do on my trip down there to do research
4. What is standard traffic like
Thank you
Unless you're living across the street from your job a 30 min commute anywhere is hard. My husband works 7 miles from his job on the outskirts of the city, no highway miles and on Friday he got out at 5 on the dot and didn't make it home till 6:15. We used to complain when it took him 30 mins to go 15 miles where we lived before.. Rain can make the commute even worse. Highway traffic will also be way worse. We avoid 77 no matter where we go and take 485.
Charlotte is every suburban city. you will no doubt be surprised at how suburban it is. its basically a very small urban core (Uptown) surrounded by suburbs. It also has an expanding light rail system that can be very useful for commuting, especially if your job is located Uptown. Its certainly possible to have a 30 minute commute, but is also possible to have one much longer than that. Therefore, its really vital to get a job before picking a permanent place to live. There are multiple employment centers in addition to Uptown.
What kind of employment would you be looking for? Have you researched salaries in that field? Salaries will probably be much lower than the NE, and other than taxes, living costs may be fairly similar.
Not having a job is a huge wildcard for picking a location. Without a job, the only recommendation I'd have is living as close to Uptown (the center of the city) as possible, to cast the widest net towards jobs. I'd recommend renting your first year, or maybe even a short 9 month lease or something, and then finding an apartment in a reasonable commute of the job you land.
Also, what do you estimate for your housing budget? Davidson is a great town, but it might not fit your budget for example.
You might want to check Meetup for hiking groups, board game groups, etc... for meeting people. Making quality relationships take time, so unless you are very charming and make friends extremely easy, expect it to take a while to develop connections.
I have found that the people that move to Charlotte and are then unhappy are the people that actually move 30 minutes (or more) away from central Charlotte.
I recommend you stay well inside I-485 and preferably closer if your budget allows it. If you are single and 30 you should consider downtown, Southpark, Dilworth, NoDa, Plaza Midwood, etc. If your budget won't allow those areas then consider areas that can get you to downtown in less than 20 minutes - Grove Park off of W. T. Harris Blvd. or the MoRa area off of Monroe Road.
Good luck.
Last edited by Charlotteborn; 10-08-2018 at 10:21 AM..
Thank you everybody. I work in IT and a possible opportunity would be in the University Drive area if that helps. Thank you again.
I do agree with some of the posters that knowing where you're going to work is key to what your commute will be like. No matter who good an area's economy is, it's very risky to go without a job first. I also agree with another poster that in terms of land area, Charlotte is a very large city, so where your job is is key to what your commute will be like. Your job's hours will play a part too.
But I do disagree with a few posters. You CAN find 30 minute commutes outside of the city of Charlotte and even Mecklenburg County depending on job location. If this is the case, you will pay a lower tax rate and will get more house for your money. If your job is in the University area, for instance, I'd recommend Harrisburg. In the Airport or Westinghouse areas, Gaston or York Counties. The Ballentyne area, Indianland. Good luck in your search.
I have found that the people that move to Charlotte and are then unhappy are the people that actually move 30 minutes (or more) away from central Charlotte.
I recommend you stay well inside I-485 and preferably closer if your budget allows it. If you are single and 30 you should consider downtown, Southpark, Dilworth, NoDa, Plaza Midwood, etc. If your budget won't allow those areas then consider areas that can get you to downtown in less than 20 minutes - Grove Park off of W. T. Harris Blvd. or the MoRa area off of Monroe Road.
Good luck.
First of all... I do not usually call out people, but this is just plain old... unsupported...I'd call it a million other things but I will be PC .
Not to say that you couldn't be happy in the area they suggested, but there are many other great areas for people to become happy as well. it all just depends on what you enjoy doing.... PERIOD
You work where you work and most likely you will tend to Play where you Play....
Those will most likely be 2 different places.
I would do some research on he activities you enjoy doing often and then pick a location that fits that. If you pick to live downtown or in south end to be closer to work, but then find that all the activities you enjoy are in the Lake Norman Area.... Then you will probably not do the things you enjoy most as often as you usually would like to... and that is the reason people become unhappy... Because they do not have any fun. Plus, moving closer to work doe not ensure that you will meet people. It just means you will be closer to work.
On the flip side... even if you live more than 30 minutes from your work, you will still go to work every day because you have to....
In short, I would live where you think you will play....
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