Charlotte, North Carolina| The Queen City- Heart of the New South
Considering a Move to Charlotte? Relocating? New Job? Or New Start?
You are in good company. People, lots of people, have moved to Charlotte NC in the last 8 years. Since 2000, more than 300,000 (a town about the size of Cincinnati) have come from all over the country, all over the world, for a wide variety of reasons. I’ve been working with relocating families and singles for more than 5 years, and I’ve found more than half move here purely by choice. For the fastest introduction to Charlotte, try my fact filled and well-received, #1 on You Tube search for Charlotte NC-now over 10,000 views, no fluff I promise, see it here Charlotte, NC. Scroll down for School links, the arts in Charlotte and more.
Why do people move to Charlotte?
There are lots and lots of reasons, way to many to itemize, as many as there are people, but several key reasons underlie most decisions:
First is Charlotte’s strong local economy, for more than a decade, Charlotte has produced jobs at a rate far faster than national averages. Second is that housing is and remains very affordable, in fact, it has been argued that Charlotte is the “only major city in the US that is objectively affordable.” Third, Charlotte is a large modern city in the south that blends southern hospitality, rarely do you hear a horn honked in anger on the roads, with modern sensibilities, Charlotte has been called one of the ten best cities to live and work in for young African-American professionals.
Charlotte has shredded the images of the old south, and is creating something new with the metro areas along the I-85 corridor, stretching from Atlanta to the south (often called the Capitol of the New South) through Charlotte and on to the great Universities at the Research Triangle.
People like our neighborhoods and communities, love the amount of home they can get for their money, and good schools are available for their children. And we do move quite a few grandparents hoping to be closer to their grand-children, and retired folks who appreciate living in a modern city with access to great health care but also a great cost of living- the lowest cost of living in the south.
They are looking for a better standard of living- more home and less taxes. Many are looking for a slower paced lifestyle, one client’s New York family thought he’d grown younger here- he told me no, they just looked that much more stressed out.
New Yorkers and folks from the Northeast always appreciate our low taxes, but I was surprised recently when a Texan from Austin said the same thing- taxes in South Carolina were less than a third of wht he’d paid… and anyone from Florida or the coast will appreciatie our low property taxes.
Did I mention the mild weather?
My first three winters here I didn’t wear a winter coat. It’s true, I’ve since adapted, but still own the nice dress coat I bought in New York so many years ago…worn at most 6-8 times. Snow is so rare that our snow removal policy is “let it melt.” Seriously, the Interstates are plowed, jst about nothing else in the once every 3 years that the plows have to work. We had stunningly beautiful leaves this past fall (2008), fall and spring are long and mild. Summer is hot and humid, but not much different than Washington DC in the summer if that helps…
Physicians come here, after residency, or mid-career to improve their lifestyle. One nephrologist told me he had increased his standard of living 40% or more with his move south- better wages, better hours, and MUCH lower living costs than Massachusets. Another, 4 years out of residency came last year because his Long Island practice offered nothing but Saturday work for as long as the eye could see, and a standard of living that by the high costs in New York, was not much above average.
If you are like almost everyone, you are living in a home that’s lost some value, and may be hard to sell. There is 
some good news here- while price increases have slowed, and in some areas prices have fallen a bit, we never had the big price run ups, and we’ve never suffered the broad declines in value the rest of the country has suffered. But there have been many fewer buyers, a full 30% off for the last 12 months.
What’s that mean to you?
It means searching for homes you’ll have a terrific selection of new and resale homes in Charlotte, and you are going to get a great deal.
It’s a strong buyers market- and your good deal buying a Charlotte home should offset much of what you lost on your existing home. At east we’ve been able to do that most of the time so far in 2008. Here are a few thumbnails, some of my favorite Charlotte spots and photos. Click to enlarge.
Where are you from? This sign sits on the Green, an inner city park on South Tryon. My family has livedin Charlotte for 15 years, raised a family here and enjoy living here. Still we visit friends and family along the East coast- Charlotte is centrally located, a one day drive,or one hour flight, to Washington DC, or Orlando. The stately home on the left is in Myers Park, ($2M or so?) a beautiful neighborhood started in the 1920’s and 1930’s. One hundred year oaks line the streets of Myers Park and campy Dilworth on the right. The Radcliffe condo overlooks the Green, with the Wachovia headquarters looking on.
Thinking of schools, my Charlotte Schools link is a good place to start
for a look at the area K-12 public and private schools. For Colleges there are 6 (forgive me if I left you out) in the near immediate area. The largest, UNCC, University of NC at Charlotte, our excellent local UNC known for their business school, design, and architecture. A “New Ivy League” is Davidson College, also Queens University in Myers Park, Johnson C Smith College and Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic college in Belmont. Charlotte’s most recent addition is the well regarded Johnson and Wales University.
Others will be interested in the Arts and what Charlotte has to offer…
Art galleries abound in NODA and South end, each with their monthly gallery crawls. The Blumenthal Center for the Performing Arts brings Broadway to Charlotte and hosts a variety of wonderful events through out the year. Our enormously succesful Arts and Sciences Council raises money for the arts locally, “to support cultural organizations, educational programs and individual artists throughout the region.” The Council ranks behind only New York City for independent cultural fund raising, ahead of Los Angeles, Dallas and all the other cities in the US. Museums include The Mint Museum, The Levine Museum of the New South, The Mint Museum of Crafts and Design, and the African-American History Museum.
Festivals abound in Charlotte, the picture below was from the 14th Indian Festival, a block party on Tryon Street. The Greeks have a wonderful Greek Festival in Dilworth each Septemeber. Backlavah!  The town of Matthews hosts Matthews Alive annually on Labor Day weekend and draws some 30-50,000 visitors; the “Art in the Park” Art Festival held in Freedom Park in Dilworth each fall is a family favorite of ours. The Summer series of the Charlotte Symphony at Southpark cools the warm summer nights. There is quite a bit to choose from, I hope you’ll get involved and make a difference here.
You may have seen online complaints about Charlotte traffic. Most of these folks have never lived in a large city. Come and experience it for yourself, I think you’ll agree. There are some congested areas, but nothing like big city traffic on the coasts or nearby Atlanta for example. Yes we need some more roads, and more transit options- like almost every other large city in America. But average commutes are still in the 30-45 minute range. Some like to complain about our crime- and this is something we hired a new police chief to address. Like most cities, most of the crime is located in certain areas of the city. Many in my south Charlotte neighborhood don’t lock their doors in the day.
The US National White Water Center is 20 minutes from uptown, near Mountain Island Lake, and is the home of the US Whitewater Olympic Team. Their rafting tours, hi-ropes confidence course and mountain biking trails are quite a thrill for the adventurous among us. It is one of a kind and a true Charlotte treasure.
Charlotte has great recreation choices!
Three lakes you can ski and fish in- Lake Norman in the north is the largest, is most crowded and where the BIG boats live, Lake Wylie to the south joins North Carolina and South Carolina, and nearer to Charlotte, the smallish but extremely convenient Mountain Island Lake with great views and affordable waterfront (<1M+/-), about 12 minutes to Uptown Charlotte, and 20 minutes to the airport. Light rail, the Lynx, connects Uptown with Dilworth, South End and on to Pineville- it is very crowded on weekdays and has ridership that is meeting 2018 ridership goals! Two more lines, one to Lake Norman, and one to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, are in advanced planning stages.
We are 2 1/2 hours to the mountains around Asheville, the Biltmore and the many artists who reside there.  We are 3 hours to the closest beaches at Charleston with its great history, seafood, and Spoletto Art Festival.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction to the Charlotte, North Carolina area.  Here are some links that may help you further. So, thinking of moving? We are Buyer Agent Brokers and help relocating folks every day. I hope you’ll call me, and we can continue this discussion of the many faces of Charlotte. Here are some favorite links of mine I use all the time and I hope you’ll explore…
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce ***** great regional economic data, business relocation help and more.
CATS ***** Charlotte transit authority- light rail,rapid bus and more
Charlotte Center City Partners- the future of Charlotte
Charlotte Arts and Science Council - financing, developing and promoting Charlotte’s largest art and cultural events
Charlotte Photo Gallery- 45 galleries, over 3000 pictures of Charlotte, the area, the lakes and communities
Other Blog Posts I’ve Written About Charlotte
What is Charlotte Like? a first attempt
Fun Things to Do in Charlotte- a category with many posts
Charlotte Schools- comprehensive look at the area schools- full of links
Charlotte Real Estate- More Good Years Ahead How Charlotte has Thrived in the downturn
Terrys Top Ten Communities- not quite ten yet, working on it!
Imaginon - An Extrodinary Children’s Libray and Theater
Charleston SC- A Quick Day Trip in Search of Art
Charlotte Real Estate Links to help you look for Charlotte homes and Charlotte Communities
Southpark Homes and Communities
Charlotte Real Estate-Map Based Home and Community Information
