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.
Diana |
Stevenson Ranch, CA |
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