I had a question for anyone with feedback. I am a multiracial minority married to a European white male and he would like to move to Charlotte. He is not from the states and I grew up and still live in upstate NY. I am used to cultural diversity and am used to being in inter-racial relationships that appear to have been overall accepted by others (I guess). I am a professional female and my quality of life is important and especially diversity. I was wondering how things would be for me if I moved to NC and how I will be treated, any feedback...?
"A" | Rochester, NY | Report Abuse

You're saying a city of 492,000 people only has restaurants of American cusine?
Cathy | Tarboro, NC | Report Abuse

I have been researching different cities on this site for about 3 months, trying to find the perfect place for me to relocate. Every city has someone complaining about racism. There are Asian people who are rude to other Asians and they don't call each other raciest. There are African Americans who are rude to other African Americans and they don't call each other raciest. There are White Caucasians who are rude to other White Caucasians and they don't call each other raciest. Get my point? Just because you are of a different race or nationality does not mean if someone is rude to you, it means it is "racism". It is people who constantly rant racism who keep it alive and well.
Cathy | Tarboro, NC | Report Abuse

You must have been gagged and blind folded when in Charlotte. Charlotte is just like any other larger city in respect to race relations, but Charlotte's is likely much better since a black mayor, city manager, and many other positions have been voted in by a majority white population. Charlotte consist of a citizenry that is 65 percent from other places than N.C. including many newcomer overseas people. There is a great diversity of restaurants in Charlotte. I prefer Indian for which there are 27 Indian restaurants in the city. There are literally hundreds of restaurants from all other countries including Ethiopia. Why would one from Charlotte wnt to move to California? They haver race riots out there. We have never had one here. Looks to me that someone has stolen your girlfriend or boyfriend and he was white and from Charlotte. HEHE. Get over it.
Larry | Cornelius, NC | Report Abuse

I am African American and I grew up in Charlotte, but I think you're going to find racism wherever you go. And it most likely depends on which part of Charlotte you live in. I grew up on the North side/ University area. Growing up there I was surrounded by an abundance of people from all races and nationalities. There are large groups of Indians, Koreans, Liberians, Latinos and many others there. And to the Steve guy, I don't think Jennifer said anything about being Korean, only that she was asian. Maybe it's her family's country of origin...maybe not.
Liz | Greensboro, NC | Report Abuse

Trust Your instinct... You can probably guess that the person whom wrote you called Steve is defending the racism that you are inquiring about. You see, what I have come to understand is that the lines between intelligent and the unintelligent is covered up by the unintelligent with the use of racism. it is the way that dumb people fit in here. Just look at the history of this country. The fake classes of folk here have been told for years that what distinguishes them from one another is wealth. That is why racism is such a presence here. you have political wealth from good ol days. This is wealth that good ol boys still maintain by use of local and state politics. This is why politics and race has such a hand-in-hand relationship. This is how kkk can sustain itself here in Charlotte. The political side has been hidden and the physical presence is only the by-product of the sick and unintelligent here whom constantly tug on political parties for influence...And as we know...the south has a loooong history of grounded academia even present day North and South Carolina ate very close to the number 50 in terms of educated states of the united states with number 1 being the most educated... like 48th and 48th. Most of the whites here and in local and state gov are racist and if not are just as responsible for turning attention away from the mistreatment that you will receive (if you move here) just in tradition of satisfying their friends and family whom they call political constituents. The politicians here are mostly from dumb and uneducated, unintelligent and lazy whites whom have a previous slave enriched history and they do not have what it takes to keep their wealth other than through regenerating racism through government. That is southern tradition. You heard the steve guy... he is ready to burn your house down now. Did you not feel it???
Afrikan | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

Well I can kinda understand what your saying. But on the same token. It is the dirty south. I think Cathy has some really good outlook's at your point of view. I'm white and have been discriminated against here mainly by black, and hispanic, but hey it happen's to everyone in the south...Life sux man...get use to it...
Mike | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

I'm African American and yes diversity is good, but it doesn't make a place suitable. It's all about what you are looking for in a livable community. I'm sorry, but Atlanta is not that diverse it's a city where the population is majority African Americans but it's somewhat diverse, but not that diverse. Mostly California, Florida, and New York State is pretty much diverse. Georgia is mainly Blacks and whites pretty much of the Deep South is not diverse but blacks and whites
Fine | Flagstaff, AZ | Report Abuse

There is no place you can go in the entire US to escape racism against non-white people except Hawaii, the only state where 75% of the population is non-white. The USA is the only "civilized," "industrial" country in which hate speech is still legal. Hate speech is considered free speech in the USA, even after a member of a white supremacy group decided to go to a Sikh temple and open fire with assault riffles. The Attorney General went there and said, "There is nothing I can do about these groups because they are exercising free speech and freedom of assembly." Also, politicians use racism and hate speech to polarize, frighten, and con people into voting a certain way. Fear is the primary tool the US government. Consequently, non-white male people can be suddenly killed just because of how they look. The racism varies by state and city. If you have to pick a city in NC, pick Charlotte. I have lived in every major city in the state and I found Charlotte to be the least racist as far as job discrimination, housing discrimination, and I suffered no physical racist attacks there. That being said, I talk to some black people there and found out where not to go. Black people survive in racist places by identifying where not to go. So, segregation is still in effect. One of the most racist places I have ever seen in the United States is Harrisburg PA. That is one of the few places where people will actually physically attack your house with fire bombs, acid, and physical violence. All you have have to do is have a job and not be white and they will come. People say the south is racist, but the North is more racist than the south with the exception of very small and specific towns. The north of the US is violently and openly racist. However, no matter where you are, most white people will claim that there is no racism simply because racist people are also self-righteous. In North Carolina, outside of Charlotte, non-white people may experience far more job discrimination. That puts them into effectively segregated housing and subjects them to police tyranny. Each county will then spend over 200 million / year busing the children around to desegregate schools. Racism is far more dangerous in NC when you have to interact with anything government related. Do not expect justice. (See innocence project NC section). There have been cases where the DA has knowingly lied and withheld evidence in order to execute someone for the sole purpose of advancing their career. I once worked for the NC Department of Justice and found it to be the most racist organization in the state. Ironically, I was hired to secure their data which was being stolen and sold on the black market. The state is losing about 2 million / year due to lawsuits over identity theft of police officers. However, because I was not white, all the cops did not want me to handle their data, they went to extraordinary lengths to remove me from the job. The irony was that I discovered that the security leak and obstacle to providing real data security was a group of white guys. The best way to strike back was to do nothing and find another job. That was years ago and they still have not found a white guy who can match my IT skills. Sometimes the racism is there because they don't trust non-white people to help them cover up their covert illegal actions.
H | Cary, NC | Report Abuse

Hi Jennifer...I will have to disagree with you a bit on a couple of things. For the comment about no diverse restaurants, I live 10 minutes or less from several of the ethnic eating places that you said are not here. And yes, there are quite a few white people here, but I have met just as many people of other races, and I personally haven't seen much of the racism. Don't get me wrong, there are some rednecks around here, but aren't they a little bit of everywhere? If I were you, I wouldn't pay attention to half of the people ranting and raving on Craigslist...not a source I would recommend to get good info on the area...but this is all just my 2 cents worth.
Jessica | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

I recently went to Charlotte to visit and find out if this is a place where I would like to live. We did the "Queen City" tour and got a feel of the history of Charlotte and went to a ton of restaraunts, shopping malls, etc. and what I found is that (and this is MY opinion) that it wasn't welcoming. Charlotte has ALOT of growing up to do in terms of being labeled as a diverse and "booming" city. I did see alot of construction which could mean more jobs and a better economy, I also noticed that there aren't many restaraunts and/or clubs or just plain out recreation for different races and cultures. Yes, there is racism everywhere so I don't understand why people are getting so upset about Charlotte being called a racist city, IT IS. I noticed this from how my friend and I were starred down when walking into businesses as well as hotels and restaraunts. I mean to stay on "Queen Blvd" you have to do like three 90 degree angles to stay on that street because the guy who designed it that way didn't want certain "people" on that street (check your history)!In some form of fashion, EVERY CITY is. And the Bank of America stadium sits right in the middle of downtown Charlotte which is like asking for congestion and there isn't much to see or much that grabs your eye. Its really boring to me. But, I think for minorities, you probably should try Raleigh if you MUST relocate to North Carolina.
RJanae | Atlanta, GA | Report Abuse

Jennifer I would have to somewhat disagree with you on some points. I think Charlotte is what you make it for the most part and you just have research a little bit to find the interesting aspects of the city. There definitely are areas of the city that fit the stereotypical white color feel associated with banking city, but I've met some really great people from all ethnic groups and even went to a few diverse restaurants. The main problem is that the City is so decentralized, which makes it harder to find the hidden gems. I happen to think some of the other places you mentioned have there own issues with race as well!
Kario | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

Charlotte has Cajun, Chinese, Japanese, Ethiopian,Indian, Mexican, Salvadoran, Japanese, Thai, German, Italian, French, Korean, etc. restaurants and I've eaten at many of them. I suppose what you experience in this city depends very much on what you expect to find.
Kelly | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

I was born and raised in Charlotte, and have seen much of what you are talking about and then some. I agree with you 100% with what you said about this town in regards to racism.
James | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

I am originally from Boston, MA but raised in Charlotte. All cities have there share of racism and of course Charlotte was one of those cities. I have seen the population boom to about 33% with people coming from all walks of life and slowly I see the southern mentally that I hated start to fade. The city still has alot of growing to do but it is heading towards the right direction. Of course Charlotte is primarily a white and African American city. Recently Mexicans has state their claim and of course west indians are starting to move in as well. Charlotte now has many different cultural events yearly that enables someone who like to venture and experience new cultures to go to. Unlike Boston and your major cities you cannot walk everywhere except for uptown so definitely the restaurants and venues are not going to be visible from one visit. For the most part in my opinion the cities racism is decreasing with the population that is migrating from everywhere else.
Lenny | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

Hi Jennifer, Sounds like you need to venture outside your perimenter a little. There are numerouse ethnic restaurants in the Charlotte area. The news stations report NEWS. I don't really think they pick and choose what groups to target. If a white collar banker is caught driving drunk, the wrong way on 485, hits and kills an innocent victim I'm sure it will make the news.
Penny | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

Jennifer, go just for one day to Southwest Florida. You'll learn it means really racism. It's like all the racist, bigot and rednecks of America, move along over there. I moved to Charlotte just 3 weeks ago, after living in Florida during 28 years. I ask myself everyday why I didn't take this step 2 decades ago. BTW, I'm a professional Latino and I strongly recommend you a Colombian Restaurant Los Paisas, in South Blvd. Delicious latin food and very nice people!!
Nelson | Charlotte, NC | Report Abuse

Wow, I am a 31-year old Black American male. Wow, really! Your points are extremely constructive. You have written from your Soul and that is impressive. I was planning on relocating to Charlotte, NC for a few months beginning May 2008. Uhmmm! You've place another spin on the entire landscape. America is one if not the most RACIST countries in the world. Feel me honie? I've been almost all around the world and the racism in this country is still lethal; PATHETIC! Where can one go as a miniority and live among people who are ethnically colorblind in this country??? Where darlin? I was born in San Francisco, CA and it is now racist too because the Chinese have taken over and the white gay community in San Francisco is extremely RACIST too! So where does one go... Amsterdam? That's ok! :)! Thanks for your feedback. As I only have to be there for four (4) months... it should be ok. Where are you now... still in Charlotte???
Adrian | Beverly Hills, CA | Report Abuse

Oh my gosh! North carolina where do I start? I was born here and my parents were from Ohio. So of course I developed their accent. I went through school with the torture of teachers calling me over, kids not picking me to play with them because I had a "weird accent"(my parents Ohio accent), girls running around calling everyone Bs and saying I said it, kids dissing teachers in high school, saying my dad was a yankee in front of me when I was 13, teachers constantly saying I was too fast in assignments when I was smart, my getting almost no help in school while teachers cuddle up to their "favorite" little "babies.",guys totally ignoring me for the fatter more ugly girls, me being in the cafeteria with a bunch of teachers talking to the kids and not me, Southern moms never talking to my mom, Girls talking about getting pregnant and wanting to murder their cousin, dozens of racial lumbees(I live in lumberton, nc), teachers never getting back to my replys on assignments, the list goes on and on.......... The way I see it is the parents raise their kids to straight up hate northerners. They become smart allecky , jealous, and hot headed. The southern hospitality is only seen unless you want to live there. Then people will start saying, " You think your all smart... bla bla bla bla." ITS CRAZY. You know what the funny thing is? Most of the time you dont say a word. If you smile or try to make friends in about 4 months they are gone. They swing in and out. A lady said from upstate new york that the cool thing about the north is once your friends your friends for life. In south its partial. I have met a few friendly people... but there's always a pause between friendship and 'what am I going to get from this?" Some ratial teacher talked about northerners in my class and told the students to not wear bright colored clothes like in the north, and to wear closed in shoes.' She also said that smart people from north are taking jobs others are fighting to get. Thats a bunch of bunk. Southerners get a grip. If you came to the north I'm sure you'd find plenty of people who are friendly. My moms mom was southern and the people just adored her and her unique accent. So yeah its been torture... I have to tell you growing up here has been like hell. I have not had one genuine friend. I'm outgoing smart, and friendly. I might consider moving to boone when I get my degree. As for now wish me good prayers my fellow people.
Hannah | Lumberton, NC | Report Abuse

Im plannig to move their but if it is rascist problems like you said. I dont want to move their any more.
Joseph | Dallas, TX | Report Abuse

I wonder anyone who "just returned" from Charlotte feels justified in commenting on what it's like to live here based solely on a visit? Interesting...
S. | Pineville, NC | Report Abuse

I currently live in NY and plan to move down to Charlotte in May. While I know little about Charlotte, I do know much about NY. Is NY very diverse? Yes. Is it the worst place i've ever lived? Yes... The two don't go hand in hand, obviously, but diversity doesn't mean a good place to live. Houses are 3-4times the amount of Charlotte and Indianapolis(where I grew up). Property taxes are over 4 times as expensive in NY. Yet the salary compensation is only approx. 40% higher. There is a reason the population in smaller cities like Charlotte are growing, because places like NY are stagnant because no one can afford to live here. Its great to have diversity in a city but there are far more important things to the quality of life. As for restaurants, well you can't go to any mid-major city and expect the same diversity as New York. Apparently you have never been to very many cities, because any city that is not a major city, seriously lacks in a wide range of restaurants. I actually read an article the other day saying Charlotte was the best place for food in the south, while that may not meet your NY criteria, it probably means something. Let's not forget, every city has its problems, especially when they are growing fast, but NY is done growing and its way overpriced, you have traffic from 6am-11pm everyday. It is a disaster area, and I personally would rather live anywhere else. One mans junk is another man's treasure.
Justin | East Norwich, NY | Report Abuse