Should I stay or leave Charlotte? (Raleigh, Earl: home, unemployment, neighborhoods)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am a fairly recent transplant, who's lived in and around NYC his whole life.
Two hour drive time to NYC? At what time of day/night? Don't forget that a roundtrip toll is moving to $15. <- It isn't so much the cost of the toll, as much as it points to an insatiable, inefficient, public system that seeks to bleed its residents dry.
In Charlotte, I live in the City, and can be out in the Country in no time.
If I get tired of CLT, I can visit Atlanta which is 4 hours away. If I get tired of Atlanta, I can visit DC in 6 hrs.
Charlotte does have a proper winter, in that this is the first winter where I didn't lose my footing on icy ground.
As far as Southern accents, I'd rather eat grits, than live in a City where *soda* portions are *regulated.*
First of all, you are different and weird, compared to 90% of the population. As I've said many times, if you lead with the main differentiating aspects of your personality, especially those that are very divisive (yours are), you will always find resistance.
To make a long story short, I was part of a dinner group of a dozen or so people which contained several gay men. I knew a couple were gay, and a couple more I was told about. But for one man, being gay was the focus of every second of his life, everything he said and did, and he wanted to be sure that everyone around him knew it. I travel. He gay traveled. I went to dinner. He looked for gay restaurants. And so on, all the way to gay sex, which had no place in any of our conversations. It was very tiring, very quickly, and he was the main reason the group folded. No one, even the other gay men, could tolerate him. Is this you?
Atheists are polarizing, because you say there is no God. That cannot be known, so from the start, your position is questionable. That being said, I don't really care what someone believes, until they want to make a point of it constantly, or if it affects me. Is this you? I went to dinner with two friends, one of whom often makes comments referring to God in everyday situations, much like the aforementioned gay man made everything about being gay. She knows I don't believe, but seems to get some pleasure out of taunting me. We've discussed it, and I know she does it intentionally. Our mutual friend has told me that this is not her normal behavior.
That's just food for thought, not an accusation.
We don't have major cities an hour away. Your family isn't here. The new homes aren't all as you describe, but that is irrelevant. I agree with those say you haven't given Charlotte enough time, or that Charlotte isn't CT. The weather is what it is. But no matter how long you stay, none of that will change. That's just not what we are.
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina (But originally from Long Island)
76 posts, read 231,488 times
Reputation: 81
The only advice I can give to you after reading all of your comments is this....
IF you really want to give Charlotte a try, take some of the money you say you have and find a place closer to the Metro area - this way you can REALLY experience the type of life you seemed to be looking for in NC and where you want to be working. By living in an area that you do not really like - being far away from the areas you DO seem to enjoy, you are not giving the place a REAL chance. If you really did your homework, if you were reading this forum prior to your move, you would have know that good jobs are not all that easy to find....its one of the first things that are said to people who ask about moving to Charlotte!!! so you should have expected it to take longer then a month to all fall into place!
Also - by reading your posts, you seem to think much more of the North East, so if that is really where your heart is - then just pack up and make the move back *home*. You have to decide where you want to invest your time (and money)....if the South is not for you, so be it...but looking at your comments from your Moving out of CT post, you did not seem to be all that happy there either. The grass is not always greener!
Three weeks is PLENTY of time to get a feel for a place. I have traveled all over the country, from city to city, so I have excellent observational skills with regard to judging a place from another place. Many of the things I said about Charlotte were accurate. From the friendly people, to the tough job market. The sprawling cookie-cut out housing developments to the mild winters, etc. The sense of isolation from other cities to the southern accents annoying me sometimes. And yes, it is a rather isolated city, especially coming from the Northeast. Driving 4 hours to Atlanta is laughably far (as well as 6 hrs to DC), compared to living in CT and just driving 2 hours to NYC or Boston, which are both much better cities than anything in the South, anyway.
I've been trying not to post in this thread. But I do think the OP is at risk of becoming one of "those people" who can't stop telling everyone why this city isn't as good as where he came from. I've seen that sentiment expressed in many threads and places on city-data, and it never brings much sympathy.
If nep321 stays here, moves to a central city neighbohood (which is a good suggestion) he'd benefit by just accepting what "is" and deciding if it works "good enough".
I've been trying not to post in this thread. But I do think the OP is at risk of becoming one of "those people" who can't stop telling everyone why this city isn't as good as where he came from. I've seen that sentiment expressed in many threads and places on city-data, and it never brings much sympathy.
If nep321 stays here, moves to a central city neighbohood (which is a good suggestion) he'd benefit by just accepting what "is" and deciding if it works "good enough".
No, no....I'm just at a point right now where I'm not committed to either place and have the ability to settle either here or back up in CT. But as I've said, continuing to stay here would require me to sell some stock, as I don't want to touch my savings any further. I like both places, Charlotte and New England. And I just have to pick one at this point.
It's not possible to explore "every possible aspect and experience" that a city offers, until you are living in it. I've done my homework, so please trust me on this.
Another unfortunate thing is that I'm staying in Indian Land, SC, which is outside of the Charlotte area. I wish I had been experiencing life in the actual metro area, but I go there during the day to network with other professionals and hang out with friends, etc. So I know pretty well what it's like. But I would never live here in Indian Land, because it's too southern for me.
I just think the South is lacking many things compared to the Northeast, which is a well established region with a world class infrastructure and healthier job markets, more educated people, better food, nicer scenery and a real winter. But yes, that's all subjective stuff. I still like the South, though.
I was trying to understand you, and see where you're coming from. But the last paragraph made me disgusted and lose all understanding
Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, New Orleans etc. have lots of culture, world class infrastructure, etc.
We are great and Atlanta and New Orleans rival any city in the Northeast excluding NYC. And Charlotte is another crown jewel in the south.
And no offense, but I'd compare Hartford to Winston-Salem or somewhere smaller. Charlottes Sandbox is a lot larger. More than 10x as many flights, light rail, bigger downtown, probably a lot more fortune 500's not far from the beach nor mountains (have you ever been to chimney rock or sliding rock?) you have out lake communities, white water center, etc. overall, we're in a higher league than Hartford if you want to get arrogant on where you're from.
Don't like all the new? I love it. But go check out New Orleans. It's old and lots of culture. Great city. Want a world class city? Atlanta is among the best world class cities. Check them out.
PS I have been born and raised in CLT... I hate being around heavy southern accents, rebel flag redneck with pick up trucks, hate the Larry the cable guy crowd want band on guns, want to make large sodas illegal pro gay marriage, pro transit, pro government and always takes public transportation and loves big cities... And I don't find us southern at all. I don't feel like I'm in a bubble... It's not like we're Denver of salt lake... So please stop trying to act more liberal and northern than Charlotte.... And Atlanta and Miami and NoLa etc
I was trying to understand you, and see where you're coming from. But the last paragraph made me disgusted and lose all understanding
Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, New Orleans etc. have lots of culture, world class infrastructure, etc.
We are great and Atlanta and New Orleans rival any city in the Northeast excluding NYC. And Charlotte is another crown jewel in the south.
And no offense, but I'd compare Hartford to Winston-Salem or somewhere smaller. Charlottes Sandbox is a lot larger. More than 10x as many flights, light rail, bigger downtown, probably a lot more fortune 500's not far from the beach nor mountains (have you ever been to chimney rock or sliding rock?) you have out lake communities, white water center, etc. overall, we're in a higher league than Hartford if you want to get arrogant on where you're from.
Don't like all the new? I love it. But go check out New Orleans. It's old and lots of culture. Great city. Want a world class city? Atlanta is among the best world class cities. Check them out.
PS I have been born and raised in CLT... I hate being around heavy southern accents, rebel flag redneck with pick up trucks, hate the Larry the cable guy crowd want band on guns, want to make large sodas illegal pro gay marriage, pro transit, pro government and always takes public transportation and loves big cities... And I don't find us southern at all. I don't feel like I'm in a bubble... It's not like we're Denver of salt lake... So please stop trying to act more liberal and northern than Charlotte.... And Atlanta and Miami and NoLa etc
None of those cities you listed are world class, except for Miami.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
