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Not sure if Charlotte has the lowest crime rate of the three. Charlotte is one of those cities whose largely positive reputation masks a higher crime rate than one would expect.
For museums, historical sites, etc., it seems like that could go either way for Cincinnati (since it's a legacy city, the first inland big city in the country actually) or Columbus (state capital, home of state's flagship university).
I think Cincinnati has the edge in the sports category but all three are somewhat close. It has NFL, MLB, MLS, NCAA D1 sports (University of Cincinnati, Xavier), and minor league hockey. Charlotte is right behind it; it was recently awarded an MLS expansion team which will be its third major league franchise and has minor league baseball and hockey as well as NCAA D1 sports, but no college football team. And of course, Columbus is home of one of the top college football programs in the country and with the dominance of the University of Ohio sports, it lacks an NFL, MLB, or NBA team, but it has NHL and MLS.
Charlotte absolutely has significantly lower violent crime rates than both Cincinnati and Columbus. Violent crime rates in Charlotte were low most of this decade, declining every year from 2010 to 2012, ticking up in '13 before hitting historic lows in '14. They went up every year after that, until 2018, where it dropped to mid-decade levels...this year, 2019, is by far the most violent year in Charlotte in well over a decade, which is about an average crime year in Columbus...
There is no real comparison to Cincinnati, the worst year in Charlotte is still significantly safer than Cincinnati's least violent year of the decade (2012)...
The perception of crime is worse in Charlotte than the actual crime itself. Which is to say, obviously there are crime issues in Charlotte, particularly when compared to how well Charlptte was doing the first half of the decade, but Charlotte is still way better than almost anywhere. The only large US cities that typically have lower violent crime than Charlotte: San Diego, Seattle, Austin, San Jose, Portland, New York, San Francisco, Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio...
That's ten cities. Every single other large American city (headquartering a metro of 2-million plus) has higher violent crime rates and struggles than Charlotte. So this is the kinda context that is usually missing when people talk about crime in Charlotte, certainly by Carolinians and Charlotteans themselves...
If someone is considering a move to Charlotte, crime should be among the last things to keep you outta Charlotte. It gets much, much, much worse for crime in America...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjbradleynyc
Charlotte is a nice, growing city with a low cost living and good economy, but a banking/finance focused one.
I visit there several times a year for work, and downtown is super nice and getting better. BUT, you are right. Charlotte is a bit lacking in energy, vibrancy and a cosmopolitan vibe I get in other cities similar to its size.
I don't know what the dating scene looks like there. It might not be the best for middle aged folks but I do know the millenial scene seems to be a bit robust there (I have several younger colleagues I talk to on a friendly level who live there).
Why don't you move to Atlanta? I feel like you might do better in a bigger metro area. Atlanta is THE #1 big city in the southeastern US. It feels cosmopolitan, Buckhead and Midtown are vibrant and dynamic, and very livable with tons of food/drink/shopping/attractions for locals. Atlanta's infill in the city is impressive. Many lost/underdeveloped areas are being built up rapidly with apartments, townhomes, shopping centers and urban style gastro pubs, bars, restaurants and overall cool to-do spots. Dating in Atlanta is excellent for all age groups.
The Atlanta economy is doing amazingly well, and you have the HUGE HQ of Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Chik-Fil-A, Delta, Georgia Pacific and tech companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and ad agencies and start-ups moving there weekly. Plus rental costs are relatively reasonable for such a large metro.
Plus with the world's busiest airport in Atlanta, flights are fast and cheap to almost anywhere in the US.
Charlotte is nice, and growing well. But Charlotte feels less vibrant downtown than Nashville, and less vibrant overall than Atlanta.
I'd give Atlanta a look if you can.
I'd take Charlotte over Atlanta 20 times outta 10, never second guessing myself...
I also wouldn't say Charlotte feels less vibrant than Nashville. Besides the specific things that make both unique, Nashville seems more like a slightly smaller version of Charlotte than anything. I can get virtually anything Nashville offers in some variation in Charlotte, with a lower cost of living...
Have you thought about just staying in Nashville right now, applying for jobs in your target cities, then moving to the city where you get a job? I know you don’t love Nashville, but it’s just temporary, and it would save on moving costs. You could easily get down to Atlanta for interviews.
Rotse, what exactly are you looking for in the technology field?
Shakeesha, I am a software developer. My goal will be to eventually find a job as a full stack web developer, although it will all depend on what is available for me and the pay. I'm also partially disabled and cannot work long hours sitting down. I mostly work laying down on the computer with some standing up thrown into the mix with a workstation I built for myself. This will limit my options, possibly. I also haven't been on the software market in 15 years so will be spending some time studying for algorithm/data structure exams and preparing for dreadful software interviews. I may be looking for some type of part-time work that is not burger-flipping and can help keep me going while I prepare for full-time job. My long term goal is to find a job telecommuting or run a freelancing development kind of a business of sorts.
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Originally Posted by Lisa80112
I think you said in a prior post that you did not like cold gray winters. Doesn’t this eliminate Ohio completely?
Hahah, beggars cannot be choosers. What I want and like and what I will have to accept are two different things. Columbus's weather is as cold and grey as I think I can tolerate. Although, Nashville supringsly seems pretty chilly and cloudy in winter too, but unlike Columbus, it warms up for a week before it gets cold again. A little Coloradoesque actually in the winter here, but not as extreme.
Quote:
Originally Posted by murksiderock
I also wouldn't say Charlotte feels less vibrant than Nashville. Besides the specific things that make both unique, Nashville seems more like a slightly smaller version of Charlotte than anything. I can get virtually anything Nashville offers in some variation in Charlotte, with a lower cost of living...
+1 Agreed .. I found Charlotte to be more exciting, actually. I have learned that I cannot live in tourist towns or towns centered on tourism and the extra headaches and challenges it poses. The only exception may be if I am living in a tropical environment on a beach or something. But, even then there has got to be good local neighborhoods to escape the tourists. Charlotte is a town for Charlotte people and nobody goes out of their way in large numbers to visit it. I liked that about Uptown Charlotte as oppose to the city I live in now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa80112
Have you thought about just staying in Nashville right now, applying for jobs in your target cities, then moving to the city where you get a job? I know you don’t love Nashville, but it’s just temporary, and it would save on moving costs. You could easily get down to Atlanta for interviews.
No, that is not an option at all and I have about one more month of legal income I can show landlords. I have no more desire to live here and if I don't leave now I will be stuck here for a long , long time and better enjoy it. Charlotte and Columbus have many more software technology related jobs to where I live (esp Charlotte which has twice as many). The jobs are also higher paying and rents are the same or actually less (in the case of Columbus). And, I will have to go downtown Nashville to find work and it will be 90min+ commute each way from where I live during rush hour. I am 20 miles + east of the downtown on I-40. With my bad back it would just be too much on my body and I have no clue what kind of short term work I could find. I cannot allow myself to go completely broke, esp if I am planning on moving away.
I have come to the conclusion that I must leave where I am immediately and the three best contenders for my job skill and being in IT field, being over 40 and single and wanting a little bit of a cosmopolitan atmosphere on a budget would be the best options for me. I could throw Raleigh into the mix, but after talking to people it just seems it is not the place you go if you are not married with kids and want to live in the burbs, as the Triangle I hear is really just a giant sprawled suburban environment with no urban core, but rather two smaller urban areas (Raleigh/Durham) that don't really offer a lot of amenities for the size of the metro. The Triangle could still be an option, especially if somebody wanted to hire me and pay me well to live there. I could think of worst places. I am ok with being bored for a couple of years while I get back on my feet.
Murksiderock is correct about the crime. People in Charlotte do freak out and make a point of address the crime in their city.. But, their media amplifies it to a point you would think Charlotte is worse than Detroit. In fact, Charlotte has much less violent crime than many cities in the Midwest, South and even some West Coast cities. In fact, Denver's murder rate in 2018 was considered pretty high as well and you read about the murder epidemic going on in Denver as well. Charlotte and Denver's homicide rate are not too far off. The crime rate in Cincinnati is one of the biggest deterrents of the place for me. But, it also seems to be the city with the most soul, culture, distinct neighborhoods and I have heard the city is quite scenic. But, it does seem like a true Rust Belt city through and through. Kind of like a much more tame version of St. Louis perhaps. Driving through St. Louis it seemed very intriguing, but very terrifying at times seeing that neighborhoods can have that much blight and still be considered part of a "First World" country. I know parts of the Midwest (and East Coast) almost look zombie apocalyptic in nature.
The funny thing about some of Charlotte's bad neighborhoods is they actually look new and clean to me. That was what kind of shocked me about Charlotte is you don't even know when you are in a bad neighborhood until you get the vibe of the people in it. They are no where as bad as the slums you would see in Midwestern cities. Even Kansas City has spots that are pretty nasty and I think Cincinnati would too.
One thing I would wonder about crime in Cincinnati is how random is the crime? If crime is more isolated to bad areas then a higher crime (although bad) could be a more acceptable situation. This would be as opposed to if the crime is more random (armed robberies) and stretches out to nicer areas. Atlanta I hear has some of these problems and it is also why cities like Seattle can appear sketchy even in good areas, despite having a lower crime rate overall.
Last edited by RotseCherut; 12-21-2019 at 09:42 PM..
Charlotte absolutely has significantly lower violent crime rates than both Cincinnati and Columbus. Violent crime rates in Charlotte were low most of this decade, declining every year from 2010 to 2012, ticking up in '13 before hitting historic lows in '14. They went up every year after that, until 2018, where it dropped to mid-decade levels...this year, 2019, is by far the most violent year in Charlotte in well over a decade, which is about an average crime year in Columbus...
There is no real comparison to Cincinnati, the worst year in Charlotte is still significantly safer than Cincinnati's least violent year of the decade (2012)...
The perception of crime is worse in Charlotte than the actual crime itself. Which is to say, obviously there are crime issues in Charlotte, particularly when compared to how well Charlptte was doing the first half of the decade, but Charlotte is still way better than almost anywhere. The only large US cities that typically have lower violent crime than Charlotte: San Diego, Seattle, Austin, San Jose, Portland, New York, San Francisco, Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio...
That's ten cities. Every single other large American city (headquartering a metro of 2-million plus) has higher violent crime rates and struggles than Charlotte. So this is the kinda context that is usually missing when people talk about crime in Charlotte, certainly by Carolinians and Charlotteans themselves...
If someone is considering a move to Charlotte, crime should be among the last things to keep you outta Charlotte. It gets much, much, much worse for crime in America...
I wasn't considering only violent crime as I do know Charlotte has an issue with property crime (of which I was a victim myself while living there several years ago). I don't know what the current year stats are compared to the other two cities though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RotseCherut
The funny thing about some of Charlotte's bad neighborhoods is they actually look new and clean to me. That was what kind of shocked me about Charlotte is you don't even know when you are in a bad neighborhood until you get the vibe of the people in it. They are no where as bad as the slums you would see in Midwestern cities. Even Kansas City has spots that are pretty nasty and I think Cincinnati would too.
This is very true. I always say people from most other cities in the country around Charlotte's size or larger would probably laugh when shown what constitutes the "hood" in Charlotte. What's arguably the neighborhood with the most notorious reputation in the city today (mostly based on past criminal activity and big-time drug busts) is Hidden Valley which is a normal-looking 70's-era subdivision.
I wasn't considering only violent crime as I do know Charlotte has an issue with property crime (of which I was a victim myself while living there several years ago). I don't know what the current year stats are compared to the other two cities though.
This is very true. I always say people from most other cities in the country around Charlotte's size or larger would probably laugh when shown what constitutes the "hood" in Charlotte. What's arguably the neighborhood with the most notorious reputation in the city today (mostly based on past criminal activity and big-time drug busts) is Hidden Valley which is a normal-looking 70's-era subdivision.
Yeah I recall you and I have spoken on this prior. North Carolina is really unique this way, it's like that in literally all of the "big" NC cities, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, Fayetteville. Really fascinating NC thing...
RotseCherut, you in no way have to worry if there's A/C or not in Columbus. 99% of apartments will have central air. Cincinnati, being older, may have more without central air, but I can't say for sure.
As for crime, I don't know what you guys are looking at. Charlotte's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus and Cincinnati. When I searched I found Charlotte's as a metro (which was its CSA), but could only find Columbus's as just the City of Columbus. Of course Columbus's will appear higher when looked at like that. Let's look at the violent crime rate for the core counties of the three cities.
2017 Statistics:
Mecklenburg County (Charlotte): 6,373 violent crimes / 1,077,000 = 591.7/100,000
Hamilton County (Cincinnati): 3,622 violent crimes / 780,910 = 463.8/100,000
Franklin County (Columbus): 4,910 violent crimes / 1,255,106 = 391.2/100,000
The violent crime rate in Cincinnati itself is 3 times the total Hamilton county average. Property crime in Cincinnati almost double the county average. So compared to city vs. not city it would look even more different. By FBI compiled statistics. So in my opinion definitely live outside those cities. And watch yourself very carefully when in the city.
The violent crime rate in Cincinnati itself is 3 times the total Hamilton county average. Property crime in Cincinnati almost double the county average. So compared to city vs. not city it would look even more different. By FBI compiled statistics. So in my opinion definitely live outside those cities. And watch yourself very carefully when in the city.
Not sure if Charlotte has the lowest crime rate of the three. Charlotte is one of those cities whose largely positive reputation masks a higher crime rate than one would expect.
For museums, historical sites, etc., it seems like that could go either way for Cincinnati (since it's a legacy city, the first inland big city in the country actually) or Columbus (state capital, home of state's flagship university).
I think Cincinnati has the edge in the sports category but all three are somewhat close. It has NFL, MLB, MLS, NCAA D1 sports (University of Cincinnati, Xavier), and minor league hockey. Charlotte is right behind it; it was recently awarded an MLS expansion team which will be its third major league franchise and has minor league baseball and hockey as well as NCAA D1 sports, but no college football team. And of course, Columbus is home of one of the top college football programs in the country and with the dominance of the University of Ohio sports, it lacks an NFL, MLB, or NBA team, but it has NHL and MLS.
Charlotte 49ers football team just played in their first college bowl game (Bahamas Bowl). They got clobbered 31-9, but at least they went, lol.
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