Triangle area vs. Charlotte: which is better? (Raleigh, Durham: where to stay, rent)
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I wish I had some Raleigh videos of the Glenwood South area of downtown Raleigh to show you. This is Raleigh's best and biggest party area!!! I have been trying for a little over a month now to get my forum friends in Raleigh to provide us with videos of urban Raleigh, but no one has stepped forward yet. I have however found a pretty cool youtube video of Raleigh's nightlife on my own. This is NOT my video, but I hope you enjoy it anyhow!!!
This is why I like taking my own videos. I would have recorded the foot traffic and total vibe of the party area and not just one show like this person did. It was a really cool show however!!! I wish I would have seen it in person!!!
I did see that one. I'd like to see the foot traffic as you said though. Maybe NRG or anyone else will get something sometime. He takes awesome pictures and he's a very helpful person on the Raleigh forum which I belong to.
Hi--
We are in the very early stages of thinking about a move out of Portland OR. We've "sort of" narrowed it down to NC but we don't know anything about either area. These are things that are important to us:
-Great schools
-Liberal/open-minded attitudes (gay marriage, mixed-race couples etc)
-Independent shops/restaurants
-Easy access to public parks/play areas
-Older houses with character
I was originally drawn to the Triangle area because I assumed that since it has a larger population, I'd be able to find a lot of the things that I find in Portland but I've heard nothing but good things about Charlotte. We are not huge fans of urban sprawl/new housing/strip malls/restaurant chains.
We're planning a trip down there in January to take a closer look at the area.
Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.
Well back to the original post - LOL!
What is your price range for a house? That will help us, help you. How old is old? There are many established neighborhoods with older homes in Charlotte.
I definitely think you will get a better picture when you visit both cities. I also recommend that you check out the Triad (the Winston-Salem. High Point and Greensboro area).
I can only comment on Charlotte, hopefully someone from the Triangle can add their .02¢.
Charlotte is in Mecklenburg county. The city is "divided" into several areas.
University City, East Charlotte, West Charlotte North Charlotte/Mountain Island lake, South Charlotte/Blakeney, Steele Creek, Ballantyne, South Park, Dilworth, Meyers Park, North Davidson (Noda), Plaza-Midwood and Uptown. If you read posts on the Charlotte board you will see people refering to these areas but they are all within the city of Charlotte.
There are other towns in Mecklenburg county, Mint Hill, Matthews, Pineville and Huntersville. These are smaller suburbs. There is one school district: Charlotte-Mecklenburg county schools. This is a large district. There are good and bad schools. It can really depend on where you live.
There are other counties in the metro area including two in upstate South Carolina. Many people live in these counties and commute to Charlotte for work and entertainment. They are Union, Iredell, Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln (NC) and York, Lancaster (SC).
One area that matches your criteria is the Fourth Ward in uptown. Some of the homes were built in the late 1800s. Here is a map. It has a neat feature. You take a digital "walking tour" by clicking on a number.
Re: Food - While there are a lot of chain restaurants here but there are also many independent restaurants. Charlotte is the home of a Johhnson and Wales campus. We have many nice restaurants. We have annual events like The Culinary Arts Experience. Here is a video - Charlotte Shout Culinary Video (http://www.charlotteshout.com/culinary_video.htm - broken link)
Other Links: Charlotte Culture Guide Charlotte's Got A Lot
Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation (http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/park+and+rec/home.htm?header=parkandrec%2ecom - broken link)
What is your price range for a house? That will help us, help you. How old is old? There are many established neighborhoods with older homes in Charlotte.
I definitely think you will get a better picture when you visit both cities. I also recommend that you check out the Triad (the Winston-Salem. High Point and Greensboro area).
I can only comment on Charlotte, hopefully someone from the Triangle can add their .02¢.
Charlotte is in Mecklenburg county. The city is "divided" into several areas.
University City, East Charlotte, West Charlotte North Charlotte/Mountain Island lake, South Charlotte/Blakeney, Steele Creek, Ballantyne, South Park, Dilworth, Meyers Park, North Davidson (Noda), Plaza-Midwood and Uptown. If you read posts on the Charlotte board you will see people refering to these areas but they are all within the city of Charlotte.
There are other towns in Mecklenburg county, Mint Hill, Matthews, Pineville and Huntersville. These are smaller suburbs. There is one school district: Charlotte-Mecklenburg county schools. This is a large district. There are good and bad schools. It can really depend on where you live.
There are other counties in the metro area including two in upstate South Carolina. Many people live in these counties and commute to Charlotte for work and entertainment. They are Union, Iredell, Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln (NC) and York, Lancaster (SC).
One area that matches your criteria is the Fourth Ward in uptown. Some of the homes were built in the late 1800s. Here is a map. It has a neat feature. You take a digital "walking tour" by clicking on a number.
Re: Food - While there are a lot of chain restaurants here but there are also many independent restaurants. Charlotte is the home of a Johhnson and Wales campus. We have many nice restaurants. We have annual events like The Culinary Arts Experience. Here is a video - Charlotte Shout Culinary Video (http://www.charlotteshout.com/culinary_video.htm - broken link)
Other Links: Charlotte Culture Guide Charlotte's Got A Lot
Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation (http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/park+and+rec/home.htm?header=parkandrec%2ecom - broken link)
Thanks NCgirl. That's how you promote a city. That's an example of what people look for when moving.
What are the specific neighborhoods off Providence called? That's a nice area, very similar to Glenwood in Raleigh.
I did see that one. I'd like to see the foot traffic as you said though. Maybe NRG or anyone else will get something sometime. He takes awesome pictures and he's a very helpful person on the Raleigh forum which I belong to.
I hope you're right. I have been trying to get our Triangle friends to give us video tours of the Triangle, but no such luck yet. Many wish to compare Raleigh and Charlotte, yet few are willing to produce videos that back up their comparisons. That is why I started promoting Charlotte with videos. This way, people who are unfamiliar with Charlotte can associate Charlotte with an image. My videos have been a hit with most newcomers, but I do have some "haters" that wish I would take my Urban Charlotte videos and shove them up my "you know what" LOL!!!. I am glad that you appreciate my video concept. Maybe you will have better luck asking our friends in the Triangle to do the same. I have given up....
My approach to promoting Charlotte is a very simple and unique method that few people have done on forums. I like stats and website links about Charlotte and Raleigh, but let's face it. These things can be a bit vague. They tend to leave the newcomer wondering "what does this area look like?". My videos answer those questions and lots more!!! I would LOVE to see some videos of Raleigh, but I don't think you will see such a thing anytime soon. Most of our Triangle boosters use more "traditional methods" to promote their area. Soon, I will be making a trip to Raleigh to do some Urban Raleigh videos just like I have done with Charlotte. Glenwood South and the areas surrounding downtown will be my focus (same as I've done with Charlotte). When I am finished, newcomers will have an accurate video comparison of both cities... It will take a couple of months, but these Raleigh videos are coming!!!
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 11-02-2008 at 03:11 PM..
^^What's the obsession with videos anyway? I like taking pictures as I find people walking the street get a little edgy if you sit around video taping them.
Urbancharlotte please post your pictures of various Charlotte areas. I notice not too many people on the Charlotte forum post pictures. Not sure why that is. FWIW, videos posted on youtube tend to be grainy, blurry, and poorly lit videos that look like they were taken on a camera phone and they don't show much in the way of detail. I would also avoid limiting yourself to the so called "urban" stuff since many people moving to charlotte are uninterested in living uptown. People like to see the whole picture of a city and the surrounding areas. Don't worry, you will get the hang of it. And I wouldn't go around talking about promoting Charlotte so much. Being helpful is one thing but flat out promoting sounds like you are biased and have some sort of agenda. You will find people wouln't take you as seriously if you have an agenda.
Good luck. You will get the hang of it. Now stop "promoting" and go out and take some clear crisp pictures man.
Last edited by North_Raleigh_Guy; 11-02-2008 at 03:21 PM..
^^What's the obsession with videos anyway? I like taking pictures as I find people walking the street get a little edgy if you sit around video taping them.
Urbancharlotte please post your pictures of various Charlotte areas. Not just one dimensional videos and not just the urban stuff since many people moving to charlotte are uninterested in living uptown. People like to see the whole picture of a city and the surrounding areas. You will get the hang of it. And I wouldn't go around talking about promoting Charlotte. Being helpful is one thing but flat out promoting sounds like you are biased and have some sort of agenda. You will find people wouln't take you as seriously if you have an agenda.
Good luck. You will get the hang of it. Now go out and take some pictures man.
Well first of all, I will say that I am biased. I am biased about getting the truth out. My videos are shot within a 3 mile radius of Uptown (not just uptown). This area is Charlotte's fastest growing residential area. In most cities, a three mile radius of downtown is the entire city!!! I do not take videos of suburban sprawl because this is not what most people wish to see. Suburban sprawl can be found in every metro area of the country and it all looks the same. Many people are wondering "where is urban North Carolina?". I am giving them an answer to that question. In Charlotte, the urban infills radiating from uptown are quite vast and growing. I have only captured a fraction of what is "urban" in Charlotte. I still have lots of work ahead of me before I have a complete picture.
As for having an "agenda", this is laughable. We all have an "agenda" here. This is why you posted a 1/2 page worth of links to the Triangle area neighborhoods and food scene after my video link. Most people visit the downtown area of a city FIRST to get the vibe. Everything in my videos is what a person will see as they get within 3 miles of Charlotte's uptown. My only critics are in the Triangle. Everyone else seems to be enjoying my videos of urban Charlotte.
One more thing, I have difficulty keeping "camera happy" Charlottean's out of my videos when I am uptown. Charlotte is NC's most visited city and the general population here are used to tourists with cameras and video devices. Joggers actually point out places that I should video tape when they find out what I am doing. I often take their advice. People on the train are very used to the camera. Youtube is filled with light rail footage of Charlotte. I think you guys in the Triangle are ignoring a resquest for some videos of Raleigh's nightlife foot traffic by one of your own posters. "Beckycat" is waiting.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Here is a link to THE BEST PHOTOS of Raleigh on the web!!! www.raleighskyline.com
I guess you did forget, or you haven't been reading this post very closely.
I posted a link to raleighskyline in this thread twice already back on 10/27 and 10/29.
I agree, the best photos of downtown Raleigh ever. I would avoid posting links to other forums outside of city-data as that is a city-data no no. Anyway, there are plenty of real people from Raleigh posting daily right here on city data in the Triangle forum just like there are some nice real people from Charlotte on the Charlotte forum. The Triangle forum is actually one of the most active city forums on city data! Actually, I just noticed the Triangle forum has about 13,000 more posts than that of the Charlotte forum. Better pick up the pace Charlotte!
I guess you did forget, or you haven't been reading this post very closely.
I posted a link to raleighskyline in this thread twice already back on 10/27 and 10/29.
I agree, the best photos of downtown Raleigh ever. I would avoid posting links to other forums outside of city-data as that is a city-data no no. Anyway, there are plenty of real people from Raleigh posting daily right here on city data in the Triangle forum just like there are some nice real people from Charlotte on the Charlotte forum. The Triangle forum is actually one of the most active city forums on city data! Actually, I just noticed the Triangle forum has about 13,000 more posts than that of the Charlotte forum. Better pick up the pace Charlotte!
Posted 10/27/08
Posted 10/29/08
You would know about citydata no no's being that your comment about Virginia Beach was "BUSTED". Don't worry about Charlotte's lack of representation on citydata. I have a funny feeling that will be changing drastically over the next few months. I also have a feeling that videos of Raleigh will be showing up in that time period too!!!
If you don't mind me asking, who are you on that site I posted? I have a guess, but I am not sure. You know who I am by now and that just doesn't seem fair.
You would know about citydata no no's being that your comment about Virginia Beach was "BUSTED". Don't worry about Charlotte's lack of representation on citydata. I have a funny feeling that will be changing drastically over the next few months. I also have a feeling that videos of Raleigh will be showing up in that time period too!!!
If you don't mind me asking, who are you on that site I posted? I have a guess, but I am not sure. You know who I am by now and that just doesn't seem fair.
Feel free to send me a DM if you like since this is does not help the OP. FWIW, I am confused by your posts as I only post here on city data and over on urban planet. I use the same name (NRG) on both forums. I don't like to go by multiple names like others. I enjoy the great photos on Raleighskyline, but I am not familiar with the forum option there.
I don't know why you don't like my Virginia Beach post. It was a truthful opinion. I think both Raleigh and Charlotte are much better options than VA beach from an employment perspective.
Keep the posts coming on the Charlotte forum. I don't think you can breach the gap but it should be fun trying. If you do get some videos of Raleigh try using a tripod as I find it helps eliminate the blurry shakyness of most videos posted on youtube.
Good Luck!
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