"Charlotte a crappy city"

[Doyle]

I toured the new Knights ballpark last week.  I'm so excited to go to the games this year. 

[h0llywood]

It's all preference. When I visited Charlotte a few years back my wife and I were convinced that we would love to move there in the near future. We prefer the laid back atmosphere (also the lower real estate prices).

 

People in Charlotte were courteous and friendly to us, always said hello. That is foreign to us SoCal folks.

[Chimera]

lol....

No bums in Charlotte?

Uptown deserted after rush hour?

Yeah some people shouldn't post.

[Niner National]

BlackPanther, as a Virginian, you will get this reference, Carolinians, correct me: but I always imagine Charlotte like Rosslyn Arlington. It's this big cityscape with tall buildings, stock tickers, restaurants, plazas, cabs everywhere. But at night it's friggin' deserted. There's not a soul there because no one actually lives there. It's just a city that's alive in the daytime when everyone comes there to work, and then after rush hour everything shuts down. It's not a 24/7 city like Washington D.C. or NY, or Chicago, etc. I imagine Charlotte the same way. Bankers and businessmen commute in during the day, and then back to the suburbs at night, leaving the few college students who actually live in the apartments in the city proper to wander the streets like lonely sentinels.

Most of the people that live uptown are young professionals. The only college students that really live uptown are the few that go to Johnson and Wales.

 

No college students are going to pay $1200+/mo for an apartment and then commute back up to the university area.

 

Less than 1% of residents in Uptown are in their teens. The most populous group residing in Uptown is people in their 30's. There isn't much variation  in % of population between people in their 20's, 30's, or 40's though.

 

Certain areas of Uptown are busy until 2-3 in the morning, while other areas are dead after 5. Second Ward, which is mostly government buildings, is pretty dead and soulless after 5pm, but Tryon, College Street, Church Street, and many of the streets that intersect those have a good bit of street activity.

 

With all the projects taking place in Third Ward right now (the quadrant where the BoA stadium sits), that should become a hot spot in Uptown in the very near future as well.

 

I don't know that any areas of Arlington are really great comparisons because Uptown varies depending on where you are. Some areas are comparable to Rosslyn, some are more like Ballston, and others more like Clarendon. Instead of being linear like Arlington though, Uptown is more of a square with each quadrant having varying levels of activity.

[TNPanther]

Coming from someone who lives in Knoxville, I think you guys take Charlotte for granted.

Charlotte is one of the more beautiful cities in America IMO. Sure, there are hobos every now and then, but what city doesn't have them? Come to Knoxville for a few days and you'll see what a "crappy city"is like.

[CatofWar]

Charlotte is great if you have money. I left 3 years ago and have no regrets.

[Brooklyn Bully]

Charlotte is not crappy. It's a great place to raise a family. It's beautiful. Clean. Easy to navigate.

 

But I will say, it can be boring and SORELY lacks in culture. But if you're in banking and want a white picket fence for your family, it's perfect for you.

[thefuzz]

Cool city, but not an awesome one by any means.

 

The only reason that I travel to CLT is to see the Panthers, there is nothing else there that I would travel there to do/see.

 

I could live there, but would rather not.

[SmokinwithWilly]

It all comes down to what you want from where you live. Charlotte offers a little bit of everything. It's not really a crappy town, but if you are looking for a specific thing for your family chances are you need to go live somewhere else. NYC has a massive night life, booming cultural sights, and lots to see after work. That said, you could never pay me enough to live there. I left Charlotte because it was getting too crowded and congested for me. So for me it's a nice place to visit, horrible place to live.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Where you live is much like college, it is what you make of it.

[Jackofalltrades]

When I think of "crappy" cities places like Detroit, LA, St Louis come to mind, not Charlotte. It's not a hotbed of activity, but it's pretty serene and clean. The city has lost some of it's southern charm due to how transient it is with the banking influence, but it's not unpleasant or rude as a whole.

[Davidson Deac II]

Now I live in VA, was raised in M.D. I have family in Wilmington and love visiting. It's so friendly with people when I visit (compared to D.C. and va)

I have never been to Charlotte and never seen a home Panthers game. Plan on finally making the trip this season. Anyways. ..

This is what was said to me by a coworker the other day. They said there was not a lot going on in the heart of the city even on mid Saturday when they were there. Another coworker that lived there for a few years agreed that it was "crappy". People were unfriendly and didn't like her because she was a Yankee (even though she is from wva and MD)

All I have heard of the city is that it's one of the fastest growing cities in the country and very pretty. Who is correct? Do their statements have merit?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

 

 

To each his own.  Some will like it, some will not.   I don't live in Charlotte (about an hour north) but its ok.  A little to much sprawl for me, but downtown isn't bad. 

 

I have traveled a lot, and as I get older, I find that the larger the city, the less I like it, generally speaking.  I love visiting the larger cities, but couldn't stand the idea of living in any of them. 

[charlotte49er]

I've lived in Charlotte since 1985.

 

I have seen it change a lot.  When I first came here, the "Old Guard" continually asked me, "You ain't from 'round here. Are ya."

 

When I explained that I was from Southern Indiana and NOT New York, I got slowly accepted.  Just about 1 out of every 4 cars had a bumper sticker that read; "We don't car HOW you did it in New York!"

 

Now that the banks have been shuffling in and out people over the years, Charlotte has grown into a more tolerant city.  (Yes, the old guard is still fighting the War of Northern Aggression.  AKA the Civil War.)  Charlotte is a mix of VERY old money and New money.  You have families who have ties since before the Civil War and then you have the new money in the form of NASCAR, PANTHERS, BOBCATS/HORNETS.  (Just like the East side of Lake Norman is different from the West side of Lake Norman.)

 

Believe it or not, traffic has even gotten better since 1985 too.  (Though it's beyond me why the city planners only plan for the now and not the future!)

 

In another 30 years, Charlotte may even move into the 21st Century!

 

The best thing to happen to Charlotte, was when it elected Harvey Gantt mayor many years ago. 

[SCP]

The only "crappy" city I have been to in the US is Metairie, LA. I can find something I enjoy in every town I visit. I have lived from Wilmington, NC to Miami, FL with stops in Murrells Inlet, SC and Jacksonville, FL and I have enjoyed them all. I happen to love Charlotte.