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Wow you guys are super passionate in this forum. I made it through about 4 pages of this one and threw up in my mouth a little. I have lived in Charlotte for almost 6 years now, and my job has taken me to almost every major city from the midwest to the east coast. I see a lot of misinformed people here, and the personal biases shine bright from those who obviously have an agenda for/against a certain city. A little strange socially, but I guess everyone has their hobbies.
My observations. Charlotte is definitely an up-and-coming, mid-sized metro. The business climate is healthy overall, and the leaders are working hard to diversify the face of business here. Politics and economic fallout has led to a bit of a stall in things like Uptown development and public transit, but I see these rebounding when the economy improves. Overall, the city leaders are very progressive on these issues. The city has also had some great job announcements and HQ relocations in recent years, and this trend seems to be something that will continue as Charlotte positions itself to be a (far second) regional hub for commerce.
As it compares to Denver/Dallas, I haven't spent much time in Denver at all, but from what little time I was there a few years ago, it is obvious that it is on a different level than CLT. Far better transit, business, scenery/recreation, and education. Denver is one of those U.S. cities that is very established and is way ahead of Charlotte in a lot of things. As far as Dallas goes, there really is no contest. Dallas is actually the next place I will move to, when an opportunity arises with my company to relocate there. I love big, spread-out metros like Dallas, the many options of suburbs to live, the fast-growing population, the business climate, etc. To me, Dallas is the top Southern city that has set the standard for other southern metros. Atlanta is getting there, but IMO Dallas is far more progressive and dynamic than ATL. I grew up not far from ATL metro, and it was the "big city" for us young people to go party and play. Great city, just not my cup of tea. The ATL vibe is pretty much the opposite of what I am looking for.
Point is, Charlotte is more in the "league" with places like Columbus, Orlando, Indianapolis, San Antonio, etc and actually compares quite well and is ahead of many of those cities; which is a great feat when considering how fast it has come from "Charlotte, where?" to where it is today. The future is very exciting for our sun-belt cities, and I look forward to seeing CLT grow and prosper in the next decades. Very nice town and becoming a great destination city. It's just dishonest to try to build it up to the level of powerhouses like Dallas and even cities like Denver. Charlotte has a ways to go. Sure the airport is growing rapidly, corporations are growing here, and we have an Ikea but let's give it some time. On the other hand, let's not be juvenile and spit while we yell that Charlotte's "glory days" are over. That's just as bad as the kid yelling that Charlotte has a far more vibrant downtown than the other two towns and our airport is becoming Heathrow.
To the OP, if I were in your position I would definitely give Dallas a hard look. Dallas is one of the fastest (the fastest?) growing areas in the country, and the job prospects will probably be the best there. Denver is a great place from my short experience there, but it is hard to compare almost any city to Dallas right now in employment opportunities. Good luck whatever you decide, and maybe you will find an opportunity in Denver. That would be a great place to live.
Wow you guys are super passionate in this forum. I made it through about 4 pages of this one and threw up in my mouth a little. I have lived in Charlotte for almost 6 years now, and my job has taken me to almost every major city from the midwest to the east coast. I see a lot of misinformed people here, and the personal biases shine bright from those who obviously have an agenda for/against a certain city. A little strange socially, but I guess everyone has their hobbies.
My observations. Charlotte is definitely an up-and-coming, mid-sized metro. The business climate is healthy overall, and the leaders are working hard to diversify the face of business here. Politics and economic fallout has led to a bit of a stall in things like Uptown development and public transit, but I see these rebounding when the economy improves. Overall, the city leaders are very progressive on these issues. The city has also had some great job announcements and HQ relocations in recent years, and this trend seems to be something that will continue as Charlotte positions itself to be a (far second) regional hub for commerce.
As it compares to Denver/Dallas, I haven't spent much time in Denver at all, but from what little time I was there a few years ago, it is obvious that it is on a different level than CLT. Far better transit, business, scenery/recreation, and education. Denver is one of those U.S. cities that is very established and is way ahead of Charlotte in a lot of things. As far as Dallas goes, there really is no contest. Dallas is actually the next place I will move to, when an opportunity arises with my company to relocate there. I love big, spread-out metros like Dallas, the many options of suburbs to live, the fast-growing population, the business climate, etc. To me, Dallas is the top Southern city that has set the standard for other southern metros. Atlanta is getting there, but IMO Dallas is far more progressive and dynamic than ATL. I grew up not far from ATL metro, and it was the "big city" for us young people to go party and play. Great city, just not my cup of tea. The ATL vibe is pretty much the opposite of what I am looking for.
Point is, Charlotte is more in the "league" with places like Columbus, Orlando, Indianapolis, San Antonio, etc and actually compares quite well and is ahead of many of those cities; which is a great feat when considering how fast it has come from "Charlotte, where?" to where it is today. The future is very exciting for our sun-belt cities, and I look forward to seeing CLT grow and prosper in the next decades. Very nice town and becoming a great destination city. It's just dishonest to try to build it up to the level of powerhouses like Dallas and even cities like Denver. Charlotte has a ways to go. Sure the airport is growing rapidly, corporations are growing here, and we have an Ikea but let's give it some time. On the other hand, let's not be juvenile and spit while we yell that Charlotte's "glory days" are over. That's just as bad as the kid yelling that Charlotte has a far more vibrant downtown than the other two towns and our airport is becoming Heathrow.
To the OP, if I were in your position I would definitely give Dallas a hard look. Dallas is one of the fastest (the fastest?) growing areas in the country, and the job prospects will probably be the best there. Denver is a great place from my short experience there, but it is hard to compare almost any city to Dallas right now in employment opportunities. Good luck whatever you decide, and maybe you will find an opportunity in Denver. That would be a great place to live.
This. An absolutely grounded, excellent post.
Thanks for bringing a big dose of reality to this thread.
So just because the guy posted the wrong MSA figure, something is wrong with me? I think you have issues that go beyond this forum. You are obsessed with Charlotte. Any thread with "Charlotte" in the title is sure to have you running like one of Pavlov's dogs. They have medicine for that sort of thing you know.
And that 20% figure is not an official number so stop mentioning it. Atlanta isn't too far behind in unemployment, I hope you know that:
You need to tell your boy to quit with this unhealthy obsession of Charlotte he has to the point of telling lies. But I guess that doesn't matter to you, although he makes your city look bad in doing so.
You need to tell your boy to quit with this unhealthy obsession of Charlotte he has to the point of telling lies. But I guess that doesn't matter to you, although he makes your city look bad in doing so.
I find it amazing how everytime Charlotte is mentioned a Georgia person jumps in with their two cents.
I find it amazing how everytime Charlotte is mentioned a Georgia person jumps in with their two cents.
And we all find it amzing and laughable how you try to over sale Charlotte everytime its mentioned. If you havent noticed your alone in this one.
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but let's give it some time. On the other hand, let's not be juvenile and spit while we yell that Charlotte's "glory days" are over. That's just as bad as the kid yelling that Charlotte has a far more vibrant downtown than the other two towns and our airport is becoming Heathrow.
An absolutely grounded, excellent post. 
