Young Single Professionals Scene (Charlotte, Raleigh: crime, movie theaters, university)

[kla]

Can anyone please give feedback on what Charlotte is like for young, single professionals?
-Is the city a good/safe/exciting place for twenty-something year old women?
-What areas do most young professionals live in?
-Is the downtown (or uptown, rather) busy/alive over the weekend and after work?
-Does the area have an artsy scene or is it primarily conservative?
-Are people open to newcomers?
Any replies are greatly appreciated!!

[Carolina Blue]

Originally Posted by kla

-Is the city a good/safe/exciting place for twenty-something year old women?

Safe? Yes, I would think so. Charlotte's crime occurs mostly in "pockets" and among people who are familiar with each other. In other words, don't move to "the hood", and you should be fine. As for, is it "good and exciting"; I'm a male and I enjoy the city a lot, but I would think the city is "good and exciting" for single women too. However, it depends on your point of reference (depending on where you'd be moving from). It's a nice city and a lot happens here, but if you're looking for non-stop excitement you might want to try somewhere like Atlanta instead.

Originally Posted by kla

-What areas do most young professionals live in?

All over. Charlotte's not so big that it has enclaves of young professionals in one place more than others. Popular areas now I would say are University City and Northwest Mecklenburg County, and Ballentyne & Southwest Mecklenburg County.

Originally Posted by kla

-Is the downtown (or uptown, rather) busy/alive over the weekend and after work?

On the weekends, yes, at night. Not so much during the day on weekends though. After work? There are a few places that have nice happy hours, but overall I think that's an area the city could improve upon.

Originally Posted by kla

-Does the area have an artsy scene or is it primarily conservative?

I think most people would consider Charlotte a fairly conservative town. I wouldn't say we have the arts scene that you would find in midsized cities like Austin, TX or Raleigh, NC. Or maybe even Asheville, NC for that matter. It depends on what you like and what you consider an "arts scene". We have gallery crawls in our "artsy area" called NoDa. We have different types of theater. We have two "artsy" type movie theaters. And I think we have very nice festivals in the summer (search for "Charlotte Shout"). Again, it depends on what you're used to and what you'd expect from an "arts scene".

Originally Posted by kla

-Are people open to newcomers?

Yes, very much so. People here are very open to newcomers.

[Kristin83]

I agree with everything the guy said that posted above me. I'm 23 and live just north of Charlotte on Lake Norman. I'm not far from everything but I didn't like the city life too much. Personally, I like the lake atmosphere better. People just seem more relaxed up here. I'm only a few miles from the heart of Charlotte so I still enjoy going out and hittin up the bars there. Also, it's a pretty safe city. Just use common sense and don't walk alone in a dark alley

[090304ANT]

I wondered about the scene for young professionals. i am soon to movoing to the area , and I am looking for oppurtunities and venues which will allow me to network with other young professionals. I am from CT, and we have actually done allot here to foster a devlopent of our young professionals as well providing events for them..............If nothing is in place down in Charlotte , I look forward to networking and getting something started with some other individuals!!!!!!!!!!

[mymove2charlotte.com]

I agree with the initial reply from Carolina Blue, I moved here about 3 months ago and discovery the many faces of Charlotte. In addition to the comments from above, I would recommend reading the local free newspaper: Creative Loafing, Elevate and Skirt, at least to get a better fell for what is going on in the city. Enjoy your time!

[kla]

Thanks for all the replies!