Reviews & Comments
Matthews, NC
See Charlotte -
4/1/2009Matthews is a suburb of Charlotte. It's big advantage over Charlotte is that you are on the edge of the rural areas, and it is safer. Don't expect to save any on taxes in Matthews, because since it is still in Mecklenburg county, taxes are the same as Charlotte. And don't expect the schools to be necessarily any better. Charlotte-Mecklenburg controls schools as well. If you are a commuter, expect a 30-45 drive.
Charlotte, NC
Charlotte... Southern city without charm or hospi -
4/1/2009I would like to start of with the positive things about Charlotte. It is an extremely CLEAN city without much urban decay, The city has been vigilant about keeping Charlotte sanitary, and ridding itself of anything unsightly. The job market here is strong, especially the white-collar banking sector. Property is reasonable and tends to appreciate. If you happen to be a race fan, you will meet a lot of other race fans who live here. The Lowe's motor speedway is just 20 miles north, and they are building a NASCAR hall of fame in "Uptown" Charlotte. There are two major league sports teams here, the Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Bobcats.
Now to my opinion...
I have lived in Charlotte for 20 years, since our family moved here from new England when I was 17. I was excited about the move at the time, and was eager to enter the community. However, I have found it incredibly difficult to relate to people who live here. In 20 years, I have met and kept just 2 friends.
I am an affable person, and am fairly outgoing. I usually have no trouble at all making friends. In fact, through my business, which allows me to travel, I have met a half dozen or so very close friends from other states and other ares of this state, and visit and stay with them regularly! I simply cannot seem to relate to people in this community.
There is something bizarre about the culture and collective personality of Charlotte. There are plenty of exceptions, but generally, most Charlotteans I have met are unfriendly, standoffish, phony, arrogant, and disingenuous. And they have an uncanny knack of putting their worst foot forward, especially in the blue collar service sector.
There seems to be two basic segments of society in Charlotte. One are the natives of this region who are a little bitter that so many "yankees" have moved here. So many times I have said "hello" to people like this, only to be completely ignored, or shot a dirty look. What's that?!?!?!
Then you have the transplants. Many of these people are here because of job transfers. They mostly come from larger northern cities and hold white collar jobs. Some have been here so long that their children are reaching adulthood. These people tend to be very standoffish, phoney and arrogant. This mix of cultures is not at all a recipe for southern hospitality.
As a city, Charlotte does not seem to have an identity. Charlotte is not really known for anything at all. Living here, a friend and I joke that Charlotte is known for getting rid of it's own history. In it's vigilance to keep everything new and modern, Charlotte has thrown out the baby with the bathwater. There are very few historic buildings or old business sectors. They have banned eclectic business signs, so there are few true landmarks for the average driver to be captured by. There just doesn't seem to be much character to the city. Though it is clean and modern, it is cold and neutral. Not captivating in the least!
Charlotte has not been allowed to evolve naturally into whatever it should be. The city council acts as if it has an inferiority complex. Charlotte is like the poor kid at school who wants so badly to be popular, and will do anything he can to fit in, but is resented and rejected because of it.
You may be wondering why am I still here after 20 years... Well the only reason I have stayed is because my immediate family is here, including a niece and nephew who didn't have a father. Now that they are grown, and my sister has gotten married, I am excited about moving!
I think one major factor in Charlotte's unfriendliness is that people are not necessarily here because they want to be, it's just where they have wound up. That goes for the natives too. Charlotte has wound up being something that they don't relate to or really like, and I don't blame them!