Summing up Charlotte
I thought summing up Charlotte in a minute or less would be a challenge, but I was surprised at the number of thoughtful people who wanted to give it a try.
Here are some responses that I didn’t have room for in my recent column on this subject:
"Charlotte is a New Economy, white collar town, with a highly educated population, that is adding residents from other states every day.
The person you talk to may be one whose family has lived here for generations – or one who has been here less than you.
It's a good place to raise a family. If you're single, it's better than it used to be, with all the housing and nightspots recently built close to uptown.
If you want to get a good idea of what Charlotte is REALLY all about, visit the Levine Museum of the New South. That should be the first stop for anyone new to the area." --Stephen Gilmore
"Charlotte has FOUR seasons. Yet, mild seasons! Charlotte is about the weather. People who move here from the North are going to be pleased with the mild winter and the Floridians should relish the beautiful fall foliage!!!! Charlotte is such a wonderful place to live. There is a long list of great things about the Queen City!" --Blithesome in Ballantyne
"I've only lived in Charlotte since 1986, but I've had the opportunity to meet countless folks who've lived here much longer than that. And I've learned that Charlotte is all about its people. Good people who will take the time to get to know newcomers and accept them, regardless of where they are from or what they do. Charlotte is a city that fosters community involvement. But even more than that, Charlotte is a city where ‘who you are’ is what matters most." --Jay Ahuja
"We have lived here for a year and a half after relocating from New York City. Positive: 1) Low cost of housing, 2) Low cost auto insurance, 3) Good customer service (i.e. retail, physicians' offices).
Negative: 1) Taxes - Government will always find a way to tax whatever you are doing (tax on groceries, absolutely ridiculous, never heard of from anyone we know in other states; annual automobile tax, totally ridiculous.)
2) Driving – Tailgaters: We never knew so many people are so desperate to get ahead of us while we are driving the speed limit; Stop sign ‘Jumpers:’ We never knew in NYC that you can actually stop well after a stop sign as they do here in the Charlotte area; Drunken drivers.
Miscellaneous: If you’re sick in the evening or on weekends, heaven forbid a doctor's office is open past 5PM Monday-Friday or the staff give up their TWO HOUR lunch break in which the office is closed.
Crime - Never mind watching CSI or Law & Order - the local news is so full of crime statistics that it makes a big city like NYC look like paradise.
CMS starting times - Most Elementary schools start at 7:30AM. It is a ‘joy’ to wake up 5-10 year olds at 5:15AM in order for them to make it to their school bus pick up on time at 6:15AM!" --Lorna and James Denton
And finally, I have an update from the man whose inquiry started this whole discussion – Mitch Ganz, who’s moving to Charlotte from Florida. He's the one who asked me to sum up the city in a minute:
"Well I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed my exploratory visit to the Queen City! I covered a lot of ground in just four short days and talked with a great number of individuals. I found Charlotte to be a very pretty place and the people were absolutely wonderful (extremely friendly and helpful)!
I am looking forward to relocating to Charlotte this upcoming August and making it my home and community.
Take care,
Mitch Ganz"
Here are some responses that I didn’t have room for in my recent column on this subject:
"Charlotte is a New Economy, white collar town, with a highly educated population, that is adding residents from other states every day.
The person you talk to may be one whose family has lived here for generations – or one who has been here less than you.
It's a good place to raise a family. If you're single, it's better than it used to be, with all the housing and nightspots recently built close to uptown.
If you want to get a good idea of what Charlotte is REALLY all about, visit the Levine Museum of the New South. That should be the first stop for anyone new to the area." --Stephen Gilmore
"Charlotte has FOUR seasons. Yet, mild seasons! Charlotte is about the weather. People who move here from the North are going to be pleased with the mild winter and the Floridians should relish the beautiful fall foliage!!!! Charlotte is such a wonderful place to live. There is a long list of great things about the Queen City!" --Blithesome in Ballantyne
"I've only lived in Charlotte since 1986, but I've had the opportunity to meet countless folks who've lived here much longer than that. And I've learned that Charlotte is all about its people. Good people who will take the time to get to know newcomers and accept them, regardless of where they are from or what they do. Charlotte is a city that fosters community involvement. But even more than that, Charlotte is a city where ‘who you are’ is what matters most." --Jay Ahuja
"We have lived here for a year and a half after relocating from New York City. Positive: 1) Low cost of housing, 2) Low cost auto insurance, 3) Good customer service (i.e. retail, physicians' offices).
Negative: 1) Taxes - Government will always find a way to tax whatever you are doing (tax on groceries, absolutely ridiculous, never heard of from anyone we know in other states; annual automobile tax, totally ridiculous.)
2) Driving – Tailgaters: We never knew so many people are so desperate to get ahead of us while we are driving the speed limit; Stop sign ‘Jumpers:’ We never knew in NYC that you can actually stop well after a stop sign as they do here in the Charlotte area; Drunken drivers.
Miscellaneous: If you’re sick in the evening or on weekends, heaven forbid a doctor's office is open past 5PM Monday-Friday or the staff give up their TWO HOUR lunch break in which the office is closed.
Crime - Never mind watching CSI or Law & Order - the local news is so full of crime statistics that it makes a big city like NYC look like paradise.
CMS starting times - Most Elementary schools start at 7:30AM. It is a ‘joy’ to wake up 5-10 year olds at 5:15AM in order for them to make it to their school bus pick up on time at 6:15AM!" --Lorna and James Denton
And finally, I have an update from the man whose inquiry started this whole discussion – Mitch Ganz, who’s moving to Charlotte from Florida. He's the one who asked me to sum up the city in a minute:
"Well I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed my exploratory visit to the Queen City! I covered a lot of ground in just four short days and talked with a great number of individuals. I found Charlotte to be a very pretty place and the people were absolutely wonderful (extremely friendly and helpful)!
I am looking forward to relocating to Charlotte this upcoming August and making it my home and community.
Take care,
Mitch Ganz"
posted by Leigh at
1:49 PM
8 Comments:
To Lorna and James:
I think you got it about right. Just stop watching the if bleeds, it leads fest on the nightly news and actually be HAPPY your elementary starts when it does. Later ones get ALL the morning's bus snafus piled onto them, so many that you basically have to plan to take your kids to school yourself.
ALL the veteran CMS elem principals know that the early start is what you want given the bus sitch.
The key is getting the kids to sleep by 8pm.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
We need low ecomony housing for the working class; If we dont real affordable housing how can we say its an inexpensive city for COMPANIES to enjoy Chinese style cheap labor. Somebody has to doi the grunt work and we have nothing for them.
We need in Charlotte URBAN RENEWAL that means a Lyndon B Johnson style of tearing down the GHETTOs and arising a cheap townhouse that looks like something. We need Rich pocket books to come here who wants to spend and bring new and better ideas. We need BATMAN
Charlotte is a great women and you should all see her statue at the airport and downtown; Queen Charlotte was half black and hlaf white , according to the great ROYAL Portriat painter " RAMSAY" RAMSAY painted the portiat in the Mint Museum and those Portriats are on loan from the "HOUSE OF WINDSOR" Charlottes family on her Dads side was Flemish Portugeuse who ruled the over the sugar cane the British desperately needed for Baking, Rums ect.... If anyone would like to look up Queen Charlottes history look up the SCOTTISH PAINTER "RAMSAY". Queen Charlotte also put an end to slavery in England just before the war of 1776.
If anyone would like to take a neat drive ; Go to the NORTHLAKE MALL and find Mt. Holly -Huntersville and follow that until you go to DAVIDSON college and then get a BEN an JERRYS ice cream then go through the wonderful town of CORNELIUS and then on over the freeway I-77 to RAMSES creek park to see quacky my favorite white ducks and Lake NORMAN ; Watch the sun go down on the silver blue water under a shade tree.
Please go to the REED GOLD MINE to see how much GOLD they pulled out of this ground; I was amazed and though it was over exaggerated until I saw how much they found; I think you will all like the tour they give very infomative; Once while I was in Hiddenite I found an emerald the size of a quarter; I had the stone shaped and gave ot to my wife;
Fear not Ohio transplants - Carowinds was recently bought by the Cedar Point folks. Expect to see some new coasters in a couple of years once they figure out what to keep and what to trash... (Hurler, please)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home