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We are moving BACK to Charlotte with in a few months. We already purchased our home there and now I am waiting on the final paper work to filled out for my job transfer.
We moved here to Charleston a few years ago and loved it in the beginning. But after the newness wore off then it was time to head back home. Charleston is a nice place to visit but for some reason we couldn't make it our home. We have a house on James Island and its only a few minutes from Folly. We are thinking about keeping it so that we can have a place to stay when we visit here again.
On a side note I have now realized why Mount Pleasant is called Mount Plastic.
Hi! I grew up in Charleston. Lived in Houston, TX and went to college in Charlotte, NC (Queens University) so I know what you mean. I am probably a little older than you, and I would only say this. Having all the amenities that a large city like Charlotte or Houston has comes with a price: two hour drives to work, pollution, crime. I always said this about Houston and Charlotte, they are great places to go earn a living, but terrible places to raise a family. Where as I spend my days with my kids fishing, hanging out at the beach, or at one of a many state parks (cost a buck to get in) that we have. Most of my time in Charlotte and Houston was spent sitting in traffic going to and from work. Just my opinion!
Hi! I grew up in Charleston. Lived in Houston, TX and went to college in Charlotte, NC (Queens University) so I know what you mean. I am probably a little older than you, and I would only say this. Having all the amenities that a large city like Charlotte or Houston has comes with a price: two hour drives to work, pollution, crime. I always said this about Houston and Charlotte, they are great places to go earn a living, but terrible places to raise a family. Where as I spend my days with my kids fishing, hanging out at the beach, or at one of a many state parks (cost a buck to get in) that we have. Most of my time in Charlotte and Houston was spent sitting in traffic going to and from work. Just my opinion!
I'm sorry, but Charlotte and Houston are in completely different categories as far as this goes; Houston is much larger and traffic is much worse. One of Charlotte's claim to fame is that it is very family friendly; you'll hear that from just about anybody who knows the city. If most of your time in Charlotte was spent sitting in traffic going to and from work, then it's because that's what you wanted most of your time to consist of. The opportunities for families to have fun in Charlotte are endless--Discovery Place, ImaginON, Lazy 5 Ranch, Carowinds, Freedom Park, the lakes, concerts, sports, etc.
And let's also not pretend that Charleston is some Mayberry city with one stoplight. Traffic down there gets a little worse every year due to the rapid growth occurring in the suburbs which guarantees more cars on the roads. At least Charlotte has a larger road network and an expanding transit system to help offset some of the traffic issues.
I find it comical to hear people referring to "city" life in Charlotte. Charlotte is an awesome place for middle-class people to raise kids, but it hardly offers any sort of an urban experience.
Very interested in this thread, I have lived in between Boston/LA and while these 2 cities are very different, they are both similar in terms of diversity, things to do, etc. I'm Asian and had fit in well with either cities, never really felt segregated. I have never been down South but did get a job offer where it requires me to be in CLT for a year. Not sure what to expect! I understand CLT won't be like cities in the West Coast or Northeast.. what I imagine it to be is a bit slower paced, smaller, and minimal public transport? And from what I read in this thread, it sounds to be true. But the part about diversity (thing I'm most concerned about), I have been hearing mixed feelings. Are there specific areas in Charlotte that are more "diversified" than others or where they tend to live/hang out more? How is it in central of the city- Uptown (where I will be working). I understand that CLT is a growing city, #2 financial hub behind NYC, so I picture just a lot of White bankers in uptown. I'm sure I'm wrong with this assumption though hahah.
I too when to college in Charleston, before moving to California. Charleston is a great place to visit. The tourism industry probably leads to alot of the sophistication hype the city has. On a weekend where there are no big events and the colleges are out it can be a ghost town when I lived there at least.
Charlotte is a great place to work. It looks like a big city, but its really surburban sprawl. Its not any where as city like as it would be to live on the charleston pennisula.. you still have to drive almost everywhere, and traffic gets worse daily.
I find it comical to hear people referring to "city" life in Charlotte. Charlotte is an awesome place for middle-class people to raise kids, but it hardly offers any sort of an urban experience.
It's relative. It provides the closest thing to a "city experience" in the Carolinas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bleakzero
I too when to college in Charleston, before moving to California. Charleston is a great place to visit. The tourism industry probably leads to alot of the sophistication hype the city has. On a weekend where there are no big events and the colleges are out it can be a ghost town when I lived there at least.
That's far from being the case now. Ever since the city has been topping all of the lists in those tourist magazines, it's been getting plenty of tourists at almost all times of year now.
Quote:
Charlotte is a great place to work. It looks like a big city, but its really surburban sprawl. Its not any where as city like as it would be to live on the charleston pennisula.. you still have to drive almost everywhere, and traffic gets worse daily.
Big cities consist of sprawl across the board; that's just a fact. Chicago and NYC have lots of sprawl too, but they also have large, dense cores. Downtown Charleston is more urban than Uptown Charlotte in the classical sense, no doubt, but your points about driving and traffic are just as true for Charleston as they are for Charlotte. Again, at least Charlotte has an expanding transit network.
Very interested in this thread, I have lived in between Boston/LA and while these 2 cities are very different, they are both similar in terms of diversity, things to do, etc. I'm Asian and had fit in well with either cities, never really felt segregated. I have never been down South but did get a job offer where it requires me to be in CLT for a year. Not sure what to expect! I understand CLT won't be like cities in the West Coast or Northeast.. what I imagine it to be is a bit slower paced, smaller, and minimal public transport? And from what I read in this thread, it sounds to be true. But the part about diversity (thing I'm most concerned about), I have been hearing mixed feelings. Are there specific areas in Charlotte that are more "diversified" than others or where they tend to live/hang out more? How is it in central of the city- Uptown (where I will be working). I understand that CLT is a growing city, #2 financial hub behind NYC, so I picture just a lot of White bankers in uptown. I'm sure I'm wrong with this assumption though hahah.
K.Uni, I don't think you need to worry about diversity in Charlotte. Sometimes people who haven't been to the South have a wrong impression, but actually the South is one of the more racially diverse areas of the country. Charlotte does not have a thriving Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Saigon, etc, like you see in LA, San Francisco, New York, but there are plenty of Asian people of all backgrounds and Asian markets, restaurants, etc. I don't think anybody is going to look at you twice for being Asian if that's a concern.
Hi! I grew up in Charleston. Lived in Houston, TX and went to college in Charlotte, NC (Queens University) so I know what you mean. I am probably a little older than you, and I would only say this. Having all the amenities that a large city like Charlotte or Houston has comes with a price: two hour drives to work, pollution, crime. I always said this about Houston and Charlotte, they are great places to go earn a living, but terrible places to raise a family. Where as I spend my days with my kids fishing, hanging out at the beach, or at one of a many state parks (cost a buck to get in) that we have. Most of my time in Charlotte and Houston was spent sitting in traffic going to and from work. Just my opinion!
This is the most exaggerated post I have seen in a while. 2 hours in traffic, i drive 22 minutes each way and there are transit options in Charlotte. Charleston is a nice place but to suggest you can only raise a family in Charleston is silly. You can fish on one of three lakes, hit state parks, attend pro sporting events, and live in terrific neighborhoods in and around Charlotte.
Charleston is a nice place to visit, lousy place to live, especially if you want a non tourism related job.
Charleston is a nice place to visit, lousy place to live, especially if you want a non tourism related job.
Charleston can be a great place to live and it's doing great on the non-tourism jobs front. It simply offers a different type of experience from Charlotte, but both have their family-friendly and more dynamic aspects.
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