Thinking of making a move.

[d-dave]

I'm slightly biased as I've lived in and around Charlotte for the past....30 years as a child and adult.

For me and my family, we love where we live (just outside of Charlotte/Meck County) in Concord.  I live minutes from 485, and with where my wife and I teach we have MANY options for our son when he's school aged.  We have access to great hospitals, doctors, grocery stores, shopping, anything we could want or not want in Charlotte.  Its very safe and kind of boring where I live, which is great.  With access to 85 and 77 so convenient, I can go about anywhere.

My family is very happy where we are.  But we like living the suburban lifestyle.  That's not for everyone.  I see all the great Pro-Raleigh/Durham posts, but I can't stand going there...  I guess it's a bias I developed in college (UNCG!) going to shows and stuff there.

The most important things you need to figure out as you make this decision are how you want to live.  I like being a boring, suburban dad who mows his grass, takes care of his house, makes nice with the neighbors, and I like to be very convenient to groceries, dining, shopping, and basic services.  Thankfully, I do live in a very diverse area so my son gets to play with all kinds of different kids.  We had a great moment on the playground last week when he asked a Muslim mother why she had her scarf on.  She was very amused and answered his question politely.  Cool moments for my hood!

Others want a different life, and that works for them.  I'd go and check them out extensively.  We thought about moving, but realized that we could find a place that would make the trade-offs worth while that still offered us employment.

[Cat]

Charlotte downtown has become a lot of fun. Lots of new restaurants popping up, breweries, sports and shows.  If you like city life or at least having easy access to it, only Charlotte will give you that. 

 

 

[Icege]

Charleston, SC is about a 3hr drive from the stadium :3

[IMON KRAQUE]

Raleigh area is nice. We're currently building a yuge, amazing wall around Durham though. Oh yes, and Charlotte's gonna pay for it!

[SgtJoo]

Born and raised in Durham.

I loved the Triangle. Plenty of stuff to see and do... living in Durham you get cheaper house prices and the ability to drive 20-30 minutes to Raleigh or Chapel Hill if there's stuff you want to do there. Downtown is thriving and vibrant, Bulls games are always fun to go to and cheaper than major league sports.

Plethora of restaurants and beer if gastronomy is your thing. Decent schools depending on where you live, as long as you avoid Hillside.

I'm not sure what the job market is, but I know that the area is one of the fastest growing regions in the country and there are a lot of companies in the area.

I'm biased but I would move back in a heartbeat.

[imminent rogaine]

I've lived in both Raleigh and Charlotte. Charlotte is great and I agree that the uptown area has been rejuvenated of late. I also think Asheville would be great, too, but the job market will probably not be better than the one you are leaving.

That said, the Raleigh area is your best bet. The restaurants are every bit as good or better than Charlotte. Research Triangle Park, Red Hat, SAS.. etc etc. I would think that you would easily find a job in your field at a well respected and desired employer. Your wife would be in a hotbed of education... Duke, UNC, State, NCCU, Campbell -Law, Meredith, St Augs, and Shaw University. Good schools. World-class medical care (duke hospital).

Obviously BOA would be further away and there isn't an NBA team but Raleigh has NHL which is a lot of fun and Durham has the Bulls - a Railriders rival.

The area is stable (didn't really feel the effects of recession or housing bubble).

This might rub people the wrong way but its actually a big draw for me. The people in Raleigh are and act more educated - I assume this is related to the universities and the types of jobs that are around.

Wilmington (beach) is roughly 2 hrs away. The mountains are 2.5-3.

Good luck with your decision and move. Either way, I think you will find that you are moving to the right state.

[EgoDogg]

7 hours ago, 332nd said:

Ego, are you sure she needs her doctorate?  I only ask because my wife & I both have MFAs & haven't had a problem finding work as full time professors. 

In Pennsylvania, the only places where she's qualified with her master's is community colleges. Maybe it's not the same there, but I know here requires a doctorate to teach full time at a university.

She has adjuncted at 4 universities locally for years, but that doesn't pay the bills in the least

[CoastalCat]

12 hours ago, EgoDogg said:

Hey guys, I hope this is okay in the Carolina Panthers forum since it is somewhat relevant . So my wife and I are considering looking for jobs and moving down south to somewhere in the Carolina's. I've been doing a lot of research, but I would like your opinions as well. It would have course need to be within a few hours (under 3) of Bank of America stadium.

Right now (and for our whole lives), we've lived in the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton, PA area. There is only so much earning potential and room for growth here, but the amount of job opportunities are slim to say the least. I work in Digital Marketing, she works in (copy)writing & college teaching; has her Master's, would need to get her Doctrate to be able to get a full-time Professor role. Please keep that in mind when making suggestions. 

I'll probably be looking for a while, but friends, please help make our decision a little bit easier on where you think we should focus on.

Thank You! And Keep Pounding.

Currently Leaning to Raleigh / Durham area.

Tough one to answer from a poll alone. Here's what I've seen from experience. 

Raleigh has the best job opportunities, but nothing else. It is an endless cycle of suburban neighborhood nightlife. You'll blink and ten years of your life are gone. I would, however, lean this way if your wife wants to teach.

Charlotte has the Panthers, Hornets, a couple of lakes, etc, but the job market isn't quite as good, especially for academics.

I live in Wilmington, btw. I'm a water baby and it sports an ocean, so there's no place I'd rather live. The job market, however, is terrible. If my employer were to leave town, I'd be commuting to Raleigh or Charlotte during the week for a WHILE. 

My biggest advice in all of this is, if you are going to move to Charlotte or Raleigh, move to Charlotte or Raleigh. My brother lived in the middle of downtown Raleigh for years and loved it. He decided to move to "Charlotte" for work, and bought a house in Fort Mill, SC. He hates it. It's a half-hour drive to Charlotte (on a good day), and an Uber one-way to uptown costs $124.22 (I have the receipt if you'd like). Fort Mill is not Charlotte, Apex is not Raleigh, Leland is not Wilmington, Bethesda is not DC, Oakland is not San Fran, Jersey City is not NYC...you get it. Just my $.02.

 

[PntherPryd]

2 hours ago, thebigcat said:

This would be your first step in a great move

 

http://www.carolinahuddle.com/boards/forum/13-the-lounge/

1) bye week

2) he limited moves to within 3 hours of BOA

3) he is not bringing steeler relatives (I hope?)

4) easy to move on to other threads and avoid being annoyed

 

[PntherPryd]

Wilmington is 3.5 hours from BOA and I agree with everything Coastal Cat said except it seems the job market is getting a little better.  Banking software startups, call centers, internet security, pharma, some industrial all starting to trickle in.  Lots of UNCW grads want to stay but forced into food service jobs in past.  But the problems in ILM are only going to get worse.  Limited room for growth.

Wilmington residents with PSL's have my ultimate respect.  If you are planning on PSL ownership I would stay within an hour or two of BOA.  My trips to home games mean leaving at 0530, tailgating for 3 hours, losing voice in first quarter, drinking 2-3 expensive beers and then water for 4th quarter, waiting in traffic, driving back 4 hours with arrival to house around 10pm.  Night games mean getting back to ILM in wee hours of the next morning.  I know a lot of people get hotels but I work and my kids have school so usually have to drive straight back.

I grew up in Wilmington, moved away for 15 years and brought my family back... but now getting the urge to move.  Just sick and tired of flood insurance!   Looked at NW Durham, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough area.  Also looking at Brevard/Asheville area also.  For reasons others have mentioned, I have looked into SC also.  Mostly in western SC near Pickens and Clemson.  Good luck!

 

[Cat]

43 minutes ago, imminent rogaine said:

I The restaurants are every bit as good or better than Charlotte.

Unless Raleigh has changed, I'm going with a big fuging NO

[WUnderhill]

I'm sure many have said this already, but without reading the whole thread: RDU would seem to be the best fit for your career paths, not even taking into consideration it being the best job market in the country and all those "places to live" lists it seems to top every year.

 

...Charlotte's cooler, though.

[imminent rogaine]

3 minutes ago, Cat said:

Unless Raleigh has changed, I'm going with a big fuging NO

That was inclusive of Durham, which has many outstanding restaurants.

I'm fairly certain all cities are changing and improving when it comes to food selection and quality, Also, Charlotte will have more places based simply on population.

 

[rippadonn]

Who wants to drive 3hrs to games? Charlotte area has it all, city living, lake living, a little country we've got that too within 30-40 min.

Our community college here is among  the best in the nation and is expanding like wildfire.

Oh yeah, Charlotte area funds Raleigh. Not the other way around