Brooklyn to Charlotte NC

[hammercharge]

Whats up Fellow southern Niketalkers,

My Job offered me a position in Charlotte, NC. Now as a spolied nyc dude, i have all my connects here in nyc kix clothing blah blah etc... which is not the deciding factor. I get to keep my nyc salary which is a huge swaying point, but i have a 12 year old son who his mom will not let him come live with me. Holidays and Summer but doesn't seem enough... FYI i live 4 blocks away from him now. Ok enough blabbling...

Pros and Cons of Charlotte ? How is crime ? How is cost of living? How is your sneaker releases?

 

[bush man 2002]

Pros: this city is very diverse and laid back. Very beautiful city. The crime has decreased ALOT over the past few years.

Cons: hot summers(its the south)

Cost of living isnt too bad. Not sure what youre looking to pay but IMO avg rent price is 600-800. If you get a spot in Uptown or Southend youre dishing out 900-1000 off gate. Id recommend getting a place in South Charlotte.

Sneaker releases for the most part are raffles or tickets with exception of one or two does FCFS. There are 4-5 malls in the metro area and several sneaker/clothing boutiques as well. Hope this helps.

 

[suburbanguy]

Welcome to the South my man. Have you ever visited Charlotte?

Pros: Southern hospitality...trust me...you'll see what i'm talking about when you live here - people are nice, hold doors open for you, etc. Cost of living is madd afordable . I work for a huge bank here in Uptown CLT, up until last year...I lived in Uptown near Bank of America stadium, just signed a contract to build a home in south CLT a few weeks back. What I paid to lease a 1bedroom condo is a little less than what i'm paying to build a new 3bd/loft/office/2car garage home on the south side. So, I think no matter where you end up residing...you'll see the prices are MUCH lower than in NYC. A few hrs drive from the mountains and the coast. A ton to do here in CLT, center city activities, 2 lakes surround CLT (Norman and Wylie). NIce weather year round. Crime is low, you get the ocassional situation that pops up from time to time, but trust me...overall...a really nice city "to raise a family in".

Cons: Public transportation is lacking. We have city buses of course but only have one route train route. It only goes from Uptown to south CLT (hence the reason why I built in south CLT), a route from Uptown to UNCC (my alma mater) is being constructed but will not be finished for a few years. It sometimes gets madd hot in the summers, upper 90's. The weather in the winter can go like this...week 1 are 40's, week 2 are 60's, week 3 are 50's, week 4 is lower 70's. Seriously. So, you'll be rocking heavy winter coats one week and then shorts the next week. FYI.

I'm sure I missed a few things but tried to hit on the major ones. Good luck with the move man. Any Q's, you let us know.

 

[hammercharge]

Greatly appreciate the comments fellas, Weighing my options but leaning towards the move

 

[chickhien]

i've been in NC my whole life, moved to Charlotte 5 years ago. you'll discover quickly no one is in a hurry. do you have any idea where the job is located in Charlotte? I live in south Charlotte and my firm's office is 3 miles from my driveway to the office parking lot. i use to work in uptown and that commute made me want to drive off a bridge. so depending on where your company is located i think should play a big factor in where you choose to live.

pros: southern hospitality. food is great. the weather...nothing beats a 70 degree day clear carolina blue skies grilling out. if you're keeping your nyc salary, you might be living like a king down here. 1.5 hr drive to the mountains, 2.5 - 3 hrs to the beaches. 4 hrs from atlanta

cons: you have to have a car. unless your job is in uptown and you live in uptown, a car is a must. you'll run into some ignorance, although not nearly as bad as 15 years ago. traffic.

ive been out the sneaker game for almost 5 years (got married and a baby so priorities changed) so can't really help in that dept. but seriously, let us know if you got any other questions or need opinions about places youre looking to move to. avoid looking for housing located off of sugar creek, plaza, or freedom drive, although im amazed what the hipsters have done for plaza-midwood area and noda

 

[coopernicus]

Charlotte isn't that bad, however I don't think it's that diverse. You still have a lot of separation here depending on what area you're in, but I guess thats everywhere. I think we have decent sneaker spots, but keep in mind that Atlanta is just  3 1/2 hour drive away. Everything is down there LOL. What I don't like about Charlotte is the fact that everything shuts down early. Don't try to go out to eat on a sunday night unless it's before 9pm... during weekdays it's 10pm. The only 24 hour food spots we have is Waffle House, iHop, and a French Bakery called Amelies. Kiss your late night chinese spots goodbye LOL

 

[debso]

caught this real late...probably too late for your decision but clt...

pros: the weather is mild compared to ny. the cost of living is a lot better. thats about it.

cons: public transportation is terrible. i don't even feel like elaborating, its just bad. bring or buy a car asap. not much to do. don't move here for amenities. not trying to offend anybody but not trying to sugar coat anything either. the malls are weak. hardly any mom and pop shops or anything to really set it apart from other cities IMHO. move here for the money if they are promising you the same salary as you're getting in NY. if not, don't bother period. i dunno your best bet is to visit first if you haven't already. the southern hospitality angle is eh. ppl hold doors open in ny so... *shrugs*

i guess lastly, come with an open mind or don't come at all. wouldn't want you to be miserable.

 

[lovededrick]

Do not move to Charlotte...........

I made that mistake two years ago and i can't wait to go back to DC. It's not alot to do here and you will see that the social scene is weak. There is alot that needs to be done to upgrade the nightlife and the way blacks are treated at lounges. I can't count how many times i was denied entry because my Cole Haans were "sneakers". The only good thing about this place is the airport and Atlanta is 3 hours away.

 

[mr marcus]

 
Do not move to Charlotte...........

I made that mistake two years ago and i can't wait to go back to DC. It's not alot to do here and you will see that the social scene is weak. There is alot that needs to be done to upgrade the nightlife and the way blacks are treated at lounges. I can't count how many times i was denied entry because my Cole Haans were "sneakers". The only good thing about this place is the airport and Atlanta is 3 hours away.

 damn

 

[tkellam17]

lol what places did you try to go into? I'm guessing some of the places in the Epicentre?

 

[sloanboy]

Ive never lived in Charlotte but i live an hour away ive visited a lot. I would say its a nice place to live. As far as the racism at nightclubs its true especially the epic centre my boy had on some weat timbswith a casual sweater and the bouncer wouldnt let him in, but we looked inside there was a whit dude in there with a hockey jersey and some flip flops smh. i wouldnt say shy away from charlotte because of that there plenty of clubs there just dont bother with the epic centre.