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Diana
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| re: Question for single 20 and 30-somthings - 4/4/ - 7/2/2012
I just read this post so I am sorry if it has no effect on your decision... But I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I have traveled all over the great state of California. I think Cali is the greatest state because it has all different terrains and cultures. With that being said I lived in Charlotte last year 2011 and I loved it. I am 25 year old married female with two children but Im still a hippy at heart. LOL I do consider myself more conservative then liberal but I have a very earthy, free spirited, almost liberal lifestyle except I am very much a bible thumper. :) So I stick to my beliefs very strong. I don't drink or club or do anything that most young adults do. If you met me, like most, you would find me very eccentric. I am very social and love to meet all types of people. Because my husband is Arabic and muslim I have become obsessed with all different cultures and growing up in LA, you really have no other choice. Anyhow I loved Charlotte so much because of many factors. Would I move back there to live, prob not because both my husband and my family is here in SoCal. If you are going just for two years I think it is a great place to move. I worked as a concierge in the Skyrise, Catalyst Luxury Apartments, right next to the Panthers, Stadium and got paid more then I ever got paid in Cali. I got paid $13 an hr to entertain guest. It was my most fun job I have ever had. I did not go to college so I found myself lucky to have that job. We also lived right outside of Uptown, literally a 3 minute drive from work to home...so that was a bonus. I had a 3 bedroom 2 bath apartment for $900 a month with only a $100 dollar move in. It had 6 tennis courts, 3 playgrounds, a soccer field and i little creek that went under these little cute bridges. My husband and I came to Charlotte from Jax Beach Florida at the time with only $180... and within the first week we both had jobs. Maybe we were just blessed.
Of course coming from Cali you will miss the mountain views, if you lived near them, and the scenery isn't all that amazing. I did enjoy all the green trees and fall foliage. The city is designed in a circle formation so it is really easy to get from one side to the other in a short period of time. Of course anytime you move somewhere new or are driving on freeways that are different from what you are used to, its confusing but with time it gets easier. I appreciated the old look and feel of many homes in certain neighborhoods. I know I am rambling but I think for a few years of your life, you would really appreciate a place like Charlotte. Their is diversity in the city although meeting people was not easy for me and that is a shock. Since you will be attending classes I am sure you will meet other students with similar interest. You will find living in Uptown is wonderful. Coming from Los Angeles where you are just one of many fish in the sea, you never feel a part of much. In Uptown it has this weird small town feel but with a big city twist. I remember one time walking down Martin Luther King Blvd (in Uptown) from my work, I was on my way to a coffee shop, the Charter Bus with all the Panther, NFL players drove by and all the people on the street where cheering them on and I just remembering feeling so amazing. I can't explain but it felt really cool almost like your cheering your high school football team on, on their way to a big game. I would never be able to experience that in LA, without getting stuck in traffic for hours, and trying to find parking, and get in line with a million other people at the Staples center....it was just very intimate and almost so normal for people to be intertwined with all these pro athletes. Same thing when you go out on the town at night, on the weekend to go party, you usually are dancing next to NBA and NFL, Cheerleaders... I don't even really care about Famous people or who is who but I am human and you do feel "special" so I think that is pretty cool to experience.
Uptown Charlotte is very clean...as are most other parts. You can literally walk across Uptown in less then an hour. If you like to shop they do have a really nice shopping mall that has all your usual mall stores as well as your upscale designer outlets. It is about a 15 min drive from Uptown...it's over in South Park. In Uptown I noticed a lot of people living really active lifestyles...running, cycling around all the big bank and skyscrapers and I do believe in parts they have trails. In Uptown right now they are constructing a huge park that will have a lot of live bands playing and events...it is right next to the Catalyst Apartments. You will find food to be a tad more expensive then Cali and to be perfectly honest the Mexican food SUCKS. I think most Californians love Mexican food so I was bummed but I didn't die not to have it.
Charlotte has a really laid back lifestyle...or at least it felt to me that way. Many people couldn't understand how I could like Charlotte from coming from LA but I don't think they have any idea what living in LA is like. Yes there is "everything" you can possibly want, and it is fun filled, but it can be stressful and most the time your working your but off just so you can have a roof over your head due to the high cost of living. It was nice to just work part time for me and have more time with my kids and my husband work a normal 40hrs instead of his usual 60+ and still have savings and time to enjoy life. It was sooooooooo refreshing. Where I worked was near a bunch of young professionals and they seemed to always have a blast on the weekend. If they were not out partying they would be hitting the lakes, or going camping up in the Northern parts of NC. Also it is a short drive to the historic Charleston, SC which has maintained the original architecture in the historic district. It is about a 4 hr drive to Atlanta, GA....About 6 hours to Washington DC....around 3hrs to Myrtle Beach (its a popular beach...not the best LOL but a beach) It was really amazing to be so close to so much history on the EAST Coast. If you have a long weekend it is only 8hrs south to Orlando, FL and all of those attractions. I find all this really cool. I really think you should do your Masters program over there. Give it a try.
It is funny how everyone is like it's not New York or all these other big cities but you have to ask yourself, even if you lived there would you be able to do it all and experience it all...most of us live where we live...and our lives are usually busy and we usually just stick to our regular patterns. By the way there is the art district called NODA and it is really small compared to Venice. But its the same idea of eclectic, 420 friendly, hippy, musicians except it only runs a few blocks long. It is fun to go once in awhile and a lot of peeps like the bars over there. There is also Elizabeth Town which has a lot of restaurants and some more off the wall shops. There is also trendy areas like South End and Dillworth and South Park and Balleyntime which is a suburb and I went a total of ONCE!!!
Charlotte also has a pretty good public transportation. You can catch either a bus or the light rail (LYNX) in Uptown. The light rail takes you all the way to the East End where there is a large shopping center with Target and a movie theater and a Steak and Shake (pretty good and affordable burger and shake place opened 24hrs to)and many other shops.
Then there is Amali's. It is in NODA and it is a 24 hr french bakery. They serve soup, sandwiches, coffee and pastries. It is a really cute and cool little place. Every table and Deco in the place is different then one another. At one table you can have women knitting, on another a chess game, on another a student studying, reading, playing guitar.... They have dancing some times.... Even in LA i haven't found a similar place. Wow the more i remember and talk about it the more I miss it. Since it is a small town compared to many other cities you can pretty much do it all and experience a little of this and that. Meet good people, don't have expectations, and be open minded and take the time to want to have a different lifestyle then what you may be used to. It will be temporary so make it worth the time. I truly believe you may come to really appreciate the city and always look back, as I do, as an amazing memory.
Good luck on your decision and on your Masters....Go get em girl.
God Bless
I just realized your from Frisco...so it is definitively not San Francisco. San Fran happens to be my 2nd fav place, besides Santa Cruz, ever. Like I said,,,enjoy a change in pace and people. Don't compare it because it will never live up to Northern Cali just see Charlotte for Queen city it is.
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Bp
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| re: Question for single 20 and 30-somthings - 4/4/ - 4/13/2012
As a native who was born and bred here and on their way out of Charlotte..... - Charlotte is a boring bland city thats very conservative. Not much going for it if you are single.... It's very much a married town. Like I've always said if you are into driving to little Johnny and Sally to soccer practice and mall-hopping every Saturday...this is the city for you.- Look elsewhere...I know I am...After calling this place my home for many years....Gonna take a leap of faith and move west.- Maybe then I can try to salvage a little bit of a life. - Good luck to ya.
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John
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| re: Question for single 20 and 30-somthings - 4/4/ - 5/29/2012
As others have explained, you might be able to have fun here if you're lucky enough to meet the right open-minded people that like to get out and do things. Most people in Charlotte seem to prefer a very structured, cookie-cutter lifestyle. Go to work, come home, take the kids to soccer practice, go to bed, get up the next morning, do the same thing all over again. In my short experience here people are very boring and very, very, cliquey. 32 going on 62. But to be fair, there are things going on if you can find someone to do them with, and that is the challenge. But it'll never be a SanFran, NY, Philly, or Boston
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lisa
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| re: Question for single 20 and 30-somthings - 4/4/ - 4/18/2012
As long as it's just to get the master's.You will probably find nothing interesting,nothing to distract you from schoolwork,so that's a plus.Uptown ? This is not Chicago,NY,Boston,or Miami.It's more on the level with places like Cincinatti,Indianappolis,Des Moines,and Omaha.It looks good on paper and in places to live reviews,but in reality very boring.There is zero atmosphere here,nothing to get excited about.It's the people,not the place.To do anything exciting,unique or to meet intersting people,you have to make the drive to either Wilmington or Asheville.
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lisa
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| re: Question for single 20 and 30-somthings - 4/4/ - 4/18/2012
As long as it's just to get the master's.You will probably find nothing interesting,nothing to distract you from schoolwork,so that's a plus.Uptown ? This is not Chicago,NY,Boston,or Miami.It's more on the level with places like Cincinatti,Indianappolis,Des Moines,and Omaha.It looks good on paper and in places to live reviews,but in reality very boring.There is zero atmosphere here,nothing to get excited about.It's the people,not the place.To do anything exciting,unique or to meet intersting people,you have to make the drive to either Wilmington or Asheville.
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| A Total Waste of Time! - 4/20/2013
Worst city ever! Sad sad state of affairs. The culture is centered on two thing, how much you can show you're a conservative christian, and how much they can steal from you in the process of finding out how much you're a conservative christian. As long as you never trust a word anyone ever says in Charlotte, you will be okay. If you're a scheming, conniving, manipulative, judgement-casting individual, you'll fit right in.
Oh, and if anyone states that the out door activities are great... They are already lying.
[read more...]
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| Skeptical - 4/6/2013
I've been reading reviews in here on different cities and I'm surprised that they all sound the same. Crime, racism, jobs, weather...etc. I was seriously thinking about moving to Charlotte after visiting the city and liking it. Now, reading all these negative reviews for this city and other cities. I'm afraid to move..lol. [read more...]
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| not the best - 4/2/2013
I lived in Charlotte for over 15 years. I saw it grow from a large small town to its current state that tries to surpass Atlanta. They have succeed in areas of pollution, Heavy traffic and violent crime. Charlotte is a great place if you are between the ages of 25 to 35 and are a banker. It is a very superficial ,status conscious and money hungry place. I have lived in many places but Charlotte youl be last on my list. [read more...]
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| Yuppy, narrow minded culture, humid summers - 2/17/2013
About the only appealing thing about Charlotte is that fall and spring (although relatively brief) are mild and the foliage is scenic. Otherwise, growing up in a culturally diverse town such as I did (suburbs of Los Angeles and San Diego) has made it difficult to fit in even after 15 long years. I am thrilled to be planning my move back to the future (California) this fall when I graduate college. The people here are very "sorority-like" cliquish and not easy to meet unless you are a stepford wife wearing golf gear or belong to a gang and wear your jeans around your ankles. I fall into the artsy group which is a very small percentage here. Somewhat decent cost of living, schools are awful unless you have your child in private school, however, even those are yuppy baptist. Montessori are nearly impossible to get into unless you know someone or live two houses down from the school. Even then they are VERY LOOSELY Montessori. It's ok if you like a city with very little change, very high racial tension, high crime for such a "small" town feel as some say. If you wear khakis and work at a bank and love the Tar Heels as a male you might like it. As a female if you want to marry a man who wears khakis daily by the age 23, love to dress up to the 9's to go to Harris Teeter and talk behind you neighbors or co-workers back and chant sorority songs then you'll fit right in! Can't wait to escape before my daughter gets trapped in this nightmare existence! Oh and the summers are very long, usually end of April to October being hot, humid (90% all summer) and full of bugs! [read more...]
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| Charlotte - 2/9/2013
I agree with some. It takes a while to make and meet friends, but isn't that with any city? I am not that young anymore. I am female, 51, single and not thin with stylish clothes. I do not work in the Corporate world, and am not looking for a guy, just friends. I moved back recently after living near Asheville,NC for almost 3 years. If you work in retail, in the winter time if you don't have a job, you are SOL. The work is so seasonal even though the mountain views are beautiful. I had no trouble making friends while there, and with the exception of getting together sometimes with one female friend for breakfast here and there, I didn't hang out with the other "friends". Actually one guy up there describe his friends as "good time friends". It depends who you are and what type of people you want to associate with. Me, I don't care what you do for a living, if you want to be a friend, that's great. Trying to look for single groups to meet people for social events so it's not just working and going home for me.[read more...]
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| Charlotte has a lot - 1/24/2013
There is a lot to offer here in Charlotte. A lot of outdoor activities like hiking nearby, disc golf, sports teams to join and spectate, and the white water center. There is also a lot of mountain biking trails. It is easy to meet people here and make friends fast. [read more...]
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| The Land of Oz for Yuppies - 12/31/2012
I was born in Charlotte and grew-up in the piedmont region of NC during the 70's and 80's and have no bad memories of that time, despite the fact it was not an idyllic upbringing by any measure. However, as I got older soon realized that it was not a place I wanted to live and moved out west once I graduated college. It is true that people are cliquish and trendy, insipid and vain, but the worst part is how they are oblivious they can are realizing this character trait. It's as if they actually believe there is no greater place on Earth to live. I came back in the 1990's and it had become a dull place to be despite all of the new marketing terms and infrastructure -- just an inbred corporate landscape of shopping malls, banks and churches. In fact, that's what Charlotte is: A giant Church/Bank/Shopping Mall connected by miles of endless traffic jams. A city full of pretense and contrivances, no culture independent of the mainstream corporate-sponsored programming. If you like talking to people about what tv shows they watch, or just get drunk and have a pretend existence full of phoney, backbiting friends, then this city is for you. Move to Charlotte, buy an overpriced, cheaply constructed monopoly house in one of those fake neighborhoods and join a mega-church. Your life will improve immediately following the ads from your sponsors.[read more...]
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| Love Charlotte - 12/5/2012
I have lived in Charlotte since 1994 and have seen this city grow quickly. The climate is great. The winters are mild, but we do have a winter. Spring and Fall are just beautiful. Summer can get hot, but I'm a southerner so it's something I'm used to.
One of the things I love about Charlotte is the quality of restaurants. Yes, we have your typical chain restaurants here, but some of the locally owned and run restaurants are world class.
You are a couple of hours from the mountains and a couple of hours from the beach. There are 2 large lakes to go boating on and with the Panthers and the Bobcats uptown you can make a day or evening of tailgating and cheering on the teams.
The city has become so diverse with the growth of the banks and Chiquita moving its headquarters here. tennis, LaCrosse, golf, football, soccer and baseball can be found all over Charlotte. The YMCA system here is excellent and has every type of activity for kids.
Plenty of public parks in the city and events everywhere.
If you are a runner there is a 5K a couple of times a month somewhere in the city.
If you are considering moving I highly recommend Charlotte. It is a very livable city.[read more...]
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| Charlotte....hmmm - 12/4/2012
I've been in Charlotte for 2 years due to a company relocation. Best summarization I can come up with is that is not a 'bad' place, but certainly isn't the greatest either. Based upon personal experiences I guess. You can find things going on if you look. wouldn't categorize it as 'boring'. Certainly depends on who or what you are. The challenge for me has been the general populace of Charlotte, as so many others have pointed out in one form or another. So one conclusion to draw is that Charlotte is what it is, a young growing city that doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up yet. It can't decide if it wants to be another fast paced southern city like Atlanta, or model itself more closely to a more established older city like one on the northeast I95 corridor. It hasn't matured. And as a result, the inhabitants haven't matured yet either. People are a product of their environment. This is why you will run into so many wanna-be's, cliques, snoots, what have you, individually they have yet to find their place in this town, which can make them annoying. Too much to prove. Chip on the shoulder. It seems that so many folks here, whether they are a native of the area or not, immediately think they have to jump on some kind of bandwagon to be accepted somewhere. It's the epitome of Every Man for Himself, Charlotte style.
Until that day comes, fair warning. Never take people here at face value. They are very shifty. [read more...]
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| Don't Do It - 11/19/2012
I lived in Charlotte from 1993 to 2002. I was miserable the entire time. While it was a definite upgrade from the small city in Georgia that I came from, there was were things to be desired. "Boring" is the only word I can think of. I relocated to DC in 2002, and I can go in on that, but Charlotte is a misery. It prepared me for the aloofness of the "north." The people are cliquish - concerned about what church or association you belong to. I don't understand the ego because there's nothing going on there. No real culture. No real style. The woman are homely. I was convinced the men were crazy. A lot of pinned up frustration. Not a good place to be single. It will suck the life out of you. Charlotte has changed over the last ten years I have been away (escaped). I drive through and I'm amazed, but I keep moving. The school system is horrible. It is one of my biggest regrets in life - subjecting my son to it. Don't do it.[read more...]
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| Looking to relocate into charlotte,Nc - 10/30/2012
I am currently residing at reading,Pa. I am looking into relocating to Charlotte,Nc[read more...]
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| No Place like Home - 10/23/2012
Having Grown up in Charlotte in the 50's the changes have be amazing to watch. The area is expanding at a very fast rate and usually for the best.
The weather is great with long Falls and Springs and a short winter. People associate us with banking but our biggest industry has always been distribution. Housing ranges from downtown high rise condos to historic neighborhoods to new housing surrounding the city. We are two and half hours to the beaches or the mountains.[read more...]
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| Kam
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| How to live in North Carolina - 9/12/2012
I have experienced many racist jokes while living in North Carolina. Though; It had been by both local residents and non-local residents. Charlotte and many others towns here are very new. It's a hot spot for lower cost of living, hence the enormous amount of people moving to the south. When you mix up people from all walks of life, there will be big differences. Its guaranteed and unavoidable. Its been over six years since I moved here with my husband. I'm Asian but married a white guy...caucasian. He's from here and so is his family. They are wonderful "folk" and I love all of them. It took a little getting use too. I don't take offense at racist comments because most times they are funny and I can dish it out too! My attitude has changed from six ago til now. I feel everyone is ignorant about new people and new things. We should try to help understand differences rather then fight it, argue it, or run from it. So when I meet people who hate it here, I think it's a mixture of home sickness and experiencing a different town. The best thing to do is embrace new things and meet people in the same situation, hang out and stop complaining!!!!![read more...]
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| Charlotte is very racist - 8/11/2012
I lived in Charlotte for 7 years and even finished college there. Horrible place if you're Asian or just not prejudice. I once worked somewhere where my favorite clients, a couple, told me they were moving. I was shocked. They told me it's because they didn't want their newborn growing up in such a racist city. They were both Caucasian, and your average middle to upper-middle-class family. It pained me to see how real it was when people of the same race as the majority who were ignorant toward me for years, saw the same thing I had. In many ways it was quite refreshing too. In 7 years living there, I had 1) a suited and well-dressed Caucasian male (I'd call him a man, but a real man wouldn't be racist) with two other professionally dressed of the same, all with long, trenchcoats, pass by me as I left The Fox and Hound restaurant and actually say to me, "That must be a hard job!" I didn't pass them until a few blocks away from the restaurant and I wore a very modest close to the knee skirt and a nice modest top that didn't even show cleavage. That a** made me feel low, bringing himself up. He wanted to think Filipinas, even one born and raised in the South in the US, were all mail order brides and prostitutes. 2) I walked in a commercial tire/oil shop and the guy on the phone was speaking at regular pace, normal, not too fast not too slow, just normal. Suddenly, he gets off the phone and says, "Maaaayyyy Iiiiiii heeellllllpppp youuuuuuuu???" I wrote the company, they called me back, I told them I didn't want to sue just wanted to let them know how stupid he was, and they fired him, and gave me several discount coupons...but I never returned. Not even to this day to another one. But I was glad for their formidable attitude. 3) I brought my then boyfriend's dog into a vet, I walked in and no one greeted me. I sat thinking they're busy in the back, even hearing voices and not even muffled. The door chime even rang and it was a very small clinic. Then a Caucasian enters, same door, same chime sounds, and out comes the receptionist. 4) I was in a grocery store. Quick stop. I see two well-dressed, in suits again, gentleman across the aisles looking over at me. They had to be in their 50's. One looked over his shoulder at me and then back at his friend and started saying, fairly loudly, "Ching chang chong..." I was so appalled, I walked halfway over to him and asked loudly in clear English, "DID YOU JUST MAKE FUN OF ME?" Tail between his legs, he said a stupid answer of "No." 5) I was at the mall, and as soon as I stepped on an escalator, a man passes me and says, "Konichiwa"...I'm so American, I guess, that I probably didn't even spell something he believes I know, correctly. 6) I was in a restaurant, they had karaoke, I was asked by someone who was pointing to the karaoke DJ, "Oh, is that your husband?" 7) I was in another restaurant, a former military guy sits at my table without asking, mind you, I grew up around military people and never once had anything remotely of this calibre happen to me...I tell him I just came to eat alone and if he'd mind not sitting down with me. He threw the chair a few feet, slammed it back and left the table. 8) I was seated with a colleague who invited me out with his friends. Halfway through dinner, the question of what to do came up for after dinner. When I ran down a list and mentioned karaoke, one of his friends said this, "Us white people, we Caucasians don't like karaoke, we don't do that!" My colleague never breathed anything to me during or after, or while at work. I asked him later why not, he still didn't know what to say. It was the worst stunner I had as it was within the first few months of moving there for college. I probably have a few more events, but you get the picture. I gave it 7 years, with 3 being after college. I couldn't take it any longer, when the last straw was with a different company and my stand in manager while our manager was out of town yelled at me to "SIT DOWN" when I was tired of her yelling at me and I had to stand up to leave and quit. I had enough of this that racist town, I married a Caucasian, I have a half-Chinese/half-Caucasian step son, and I now live in what turned out to be another very white community, but with no racist remarks whatsoever. Must be because I am up North! Thank God for that![read more...]
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| Cost of Living Salary Comparison for Atlanta, GA - 6/5/2012
Cost of Living Salary Comparison Currently at 47,500[read more...]
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| Charlotte, NC - 5/31/2012
I'm new to charlotte, been here for about 9 months.. My only concern so far is that if charlotte is so diverse as the city is potrayed then why don't the city allow or support more black owned business! That's one of the reasons why Bob Johnson left as the head of the BOB cats. Go ahead google it he made similar comments and I find this to be true. To claim a city of diversity, means we all have the same opportunities.[read more...]
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| Charlotte Culture - 5/30/2012
The culture & recreation is growing in Charlotte. However the cost of everything is also growing rapidly.[read more...]
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| Don't move to Charlotte, NC! - 5/25/2012
I am Chinese American and lived in Charlotte for 5 years now. I can't wait to leave, but stuck here due to my husband's job. I totally agree with you. I lived in Manhattan for most of my life, in the city of London and in Seattle. I've never been treated any different from other nationalities, including all my white friends. For the first time in my life at the age of 41, I really feel like an outsider. Don't get me wrong. I have plenty of friends and I definitely get positive attentions, but I get the most ignorant questions everyday here. And for the first time, some kid in a car called me "Ching Ching" while I was jogging. I never once encountered this in any other cities that I lived at. I definitely feel like an outsider here and not an American just like every else. I would absolutely not recommend Charlotte or any place in NC to others considering moving down here. Stay away while you can! Another side note on how ignorant folks are over here...They voted against Amendment one.....yet this state allow cousins to marry. There's definitely no love here for anyone that are not white and straight. [read more...]
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| Question for single 20 and 30-somthings - 4/4/2012
I am potentially moving from California to Charlotte for my masters program. I want to know about the young culture in Charlotte. I plan to live in uptown. Is there a lot to do? Is it walkable? Is the nightlife fun and are people relatively progressive?
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| Living in the QC - 11/16/2011
I have lived in Charlotte since 2007 and find the city to be a good but not great place to live. [read more...]
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