Relocation advice - honest help needed! (Charlotte, Columbia: real estate, rental, new home)
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Hi, I am relocating my life from LA in a year and seriously considering Charlotte as my new home. I am an LA transplant from the Midwest. I am currently an Executive Assistant who wishes to know the current job market in Charlotte. I also wish to transition into a Real Estate career in a couple of years and want to know how viable that option would be in Charlotte. I will be visiting the area at the end of the year and wish to know areas that have good, safe living with nice shopping and nice people. I am simply over the LA lifestyle. I moved here for my children and family and now I just want a slower, happier more steady way of life for myself. I can pay rent from $700-$900 a month but it is very important to me that I move someplace where I can quickly gain employment.
Any advice offered is greatly appreciated! thank you!
M.
Jobs here in your field are quite scarce. There are many, many over qualified people filling these roles. quickly. You should work on having the job in hand BEFORE you move.
I guess that you could say life in Charlotte is about a medium between LA and the midwest. There is a definite culture difference. We have 4 distinct seasons with some weather extremes...certainly NOT the midwest, but, certainly greater than So Cal.
Your rental budget is somewhat low; to live in a nicer area, you would need to pay a little more.
Start working now to see if you can obtain the employment; then, by the time you are actually ready to move, you will be able to.
I am relocating my life from LA in a year and seriously considering <insert town name here>...
I am an LA transplant from the Midwest.
Are you *also* seriously considering a move back to the MidWest? You should.
Like the town you're originally from that probably still has family and friends...
which town is that btw?
There are plenty of jobs for individuals with good resumes. But, that is a big factor. There are many places that are hiring, but there are lots of people on unemployment here where many are not competitive with someone with a good, steady work record. We are a very transient city and many of those unemployed are from other places that came here without jobs and got stuck during the recession thing thinking that O would make things better. Didn't happen. The 9% plus unemployment is significant if you are not competitive. But, you made a good choice coming here for your children. There are some great neighborhoods but you might want to look at real estate/rental books about finding a place in your budget range. A two or tree bedroom generally starts in the $800-$900 range but can be found. Good luck. Someone eluded that there was a cultural difference without explaining. If you live in L.A., you are in the second largest city in the U.S. and I am sure that you are intelligent enough to be aware that Charlotte is much smaller and there are differences. However, Charlotte is loaded with culture and you will not be deprived of anything. By the way, I am not a life long Charlottean, just trying to help.
If you're weighing Charlotte and Charleston, I suggest moving to Columbia SC and continuing the job search there as well as those two cities. If you find work in Columbia you're still only a few hours' drive of the other two, and can continue to get familiar with them and go on interviews. Columbia is not bad, it's not as urbane as Charlotte but it's a sizeable city with proper amenities.
originally from Detroit...It is Charlotte, Charleston or Ft. Lauderdale for me
Setting aside the idea of moving 3000 miles (vs 300)...
whichever city you finally end up with should be based on a solid reason.
Today... the #1 solid reason is employment.
I am also planning to relocate to the Charlotte area from California. I work in the health and human services field; right now I work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I have also worked with at a university, in volunteer management, and with the homeless, so my experience is quite diverse. I am applying for every job that becomes available, with no luck at all. I am starting to feel discouraged but keep putting out my resume. I wonder if I am not getting any hits because I am 2800 miles away and people who are hiring want to hire local people. I am, also, beginning to wonder if I should just make a go and move out there, without a job, but in all honesty that scares the crap out of me.
Compared to California, there are a ton of jobs in NC and even SC. I am down to moving to SC too, like Columbia....
I am tired of California and just really want out.
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