r/Charlotte • u/AutoModerator • 10d ago
Discussion Welcome to Charlotte Wednesday! Visiting, recently moved here, or going to move here? Tell us and ask away!
As the title says, ask away so we can help! Where to live, where to go, what to see, where to eat. What you have experienced thus far (culture shock)? Or just to introduce yourself and where you are coming from.
NOTE: This thread is also for relocation questions from folks already living in the area.
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u/ExperienceClassic112 10d ago
My husband and I are looking to move our young family somewhere in or near Charlotte for work. We are looking to live somewhere that is community oriented. We want to know our neighbors and run into friends at the grocery store. We love the outdoors and would prefer somewhere that isn't EXTREMELY developed (would like to look out the window and see trees instead of concrete). We also tend to skew more liberal and would prefer not to live in a conservative bubble. We make ok money but can't afford the more richy areas of Charlotte. Any recommendations?
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u/mikeyrocksNC Villa Heights 10d ago
Your budget will be the biggest determining factor here. Amazing schools in south Charlotte…we used to live near Waverly and it was teeming with the exact things you described wanting. Priced between $600k-$2m. Or as others have said, check out Highland Creek for $350k-$750k with pretty good schools and tons of neighborhood amenities. Lots of options but really depends on your budget.
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u/lawrenjp Mountain Island 10d ago
Highland Creek is a great option! If you think of 485 as a clock, it's on the north side of noon, and close to a ton of shopping and amenities for families.
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u/Niner-for-life-1984 Dilworth 10d ago
I hear good things about the schools in Ft Mill, which is near some cool outdoor spaces. But that’s SC, not that right now the NC and SC legislatures are much different.
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u/Kindly-Hand 10d ago
No way do they want to live in Fort Mill if they skew liberal and don't wanting to live in a conservative bubble
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u/Kindly-Hand 10d ago
what's your housing budget? People have very different ideas of what "We make ok money but can't afford the more richy areas of Charlotte" means.
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u/Exact-Code8449 10d ago
I second Highland Creek, it’s relatively close to the Concord Mills Mall area and has just about exactly what you’re looking for, great community!!
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u/lilniaaaa 10d ago
Hi! I'm a first time renter wondering what apartments accept bad credit and have specials going on right now. I want to move in January.
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u/MrClitEastwood 10d ago
Honestly, I'd just start calling. Take note of the management company of they can't help. You'll eventually find a company that can help. Or you'll end up at a Southwood Reality property. Those guys are the absolute worst.
Avoid them at all costs if you can help it.
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u/lookoverther 10d ago
Hello! Someone I know is considering buying a house close to Charlotte. How would health insurance work across the state line if they were to live in SC but want to use medical facilities in Charlotte? They purchase their health insurance through marketplace (wouldn’t be available through employer).
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u/abbynormal00 10d ago
It shouldn’t matter, in my experience. When I moved here (SC), I started going to Novant in Charlotte with my old insurance from TN with no issues. Once I switched to BCBS SC, still fine using it in Charlotte.
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u/Ok_Jeweler1291 10d ago
That usually isn't an issue in most boarder state areas. I lived in DC and it was never a insurance cluster (DC, Virginia and Maryland are stone throws away from each other). The biggest pain is filing taxes in two states if need be.
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u/BeneficialLettuce355 10d ago
I think it depends on whether your insurance is a PPO vs EPO. PPO you can use anywhere
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u/Ok_Resident_1997 10d ago
Been looking for jobs in Charlotte in the banking sector, and have been getting destroyed on applications. I understand that December isn’t a great month for job hiring, but man. Any advice from bankers in Charlotte for applying to jobs?
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u/Kindly-Hand 10d ago
It's a shitshow. Every bank seems to be laying off and firing people at an insane rate, and only doing minimal hiring.
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u/tobiloba123 10d ago edited 10d ago
Moving to Charlotte for work, actually more like concord but I’m looking for areas to live in. I need to move in 2 weeks 😭. I’m considering southpark, uptown but I’m not really sure. Also why is southpark a lot cheaper than uptown. Edit: I also have a rotation in hickory for like 5 months and I’m worried about commute time. It’s 1 month in Charlotte, 4 months in concord and 5 months in hickory so getting an apartment seems tough. I’ve considered relocation to hickory after the 5 months but the area isn’t the best and my location really affects my quality of life. Thats why I’ m considering southpark cause it seems like an upbeat and nice area
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u/wantcodewiththat 10d ago
Uptown is city center for Charlotte so like most city’s downtown a fairly desirable place to live (as with the areas immediately around it) and more expensive. Uptown also has more accessibility with the light rail plus more to do in general. South Park is a place more desirable to buy than rent so rents are cheaper. South Park is still a nice area though and has some great restaurants around. But the commute to Concord would be much harder from South Park than it would be Uptown. I’d look in Noda as well, a bit cheaper than Uptown and will be closer to Concord.
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u/tobiloba123 10d ago
Thank you for this. I made an update that I will be commuting to hickory temporarily for 5 months and wondering if I should still stay in the uptown area. Also on Google maps southpark is closer to concord so why would it be harder to go from here?
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u/wantcodewiththat 10d ago edited 9d ago
Based on the way the commute is. Uptown has interstates around it that while they are slower during peak times will get you to Concord. South Park is much further from the interstate by design, so you will drive on surface streets just to get on I-77, you’ll be on I-77 longer, have several miles of bad traffic with Uptown commuters, all to get to Concord. I’ve lived in uptown for a few years now and every time I go anywhere in South Park it takes about 20 minutes for a 5ish mile drive, that’s just how those roads are. I recommended Noda because your closest interstate is the one that will take you to Concord already (I-85) and you’ll be going against most of the traffic so it would be an easier commute for Uptown. For Hickory it would be the same thing, slightly better drive from Uptown though since you’ll probably leave early it won’t feel as bad.
There’s nothing wrong with South Park so I’m not saying you shouldn’t live there if you like it there most, there’s a lot of great things about it. I go there or the neighborhoods around it a lot for restaurants, shopping. But for the most part the people that live there are 40+ and/or have families with kids. Maybe that’s you, you didn’t specify those kinds of things. But if you are single and young you might not find it feels as upbeat when you’re actually living there.
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u/tobiloba123 10d ago
Wow this is really helpful thank you. I just graduated from college and I’m single so uptown and Noda might be more suited to me. Do you have any apartment recommendations? I’ve been looking at 500 west trade and catalyst.Also I know hickory is 1hr+ away, I recently just started driving, do you think the commute time is reasonable.
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u/Awkward-Memory8574 Matthews 9d ago
Your commute from South Park to concord would be a like 1.5 hours. I drive from Myers park to Matthews and it ranges from 45-60 mins in the evening.
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u/tobiloba123 9d ago
That’s quite long for concord 😭. I’ll probably stick to uptown and noda since it’s 40mins from there. Any apartment recommendations?
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u/anonymous8151 10d ago
Looking to plan an overnight trip in Charlotte for my husband’s birthday. We want to make the most of our time here. Where should we stay, what should we do, where should we eat!?
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u/SevereMammoth4548 8d ago
My boyfriend and I are thinking of moving to Charlotte from Orlando FL, what do you guys think of Charlotte? Is it safe? What areas should we look for when renting?
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u/Pure-Appointment9894 8d ago
I’ve been living in Charlotte for a while and I’m looking to move to South End. I’m 21 years old and want to be in a fun, social area close to bars, restaurants, and everything going on.
I toured Mosaic South End Apartments since it kept coming up in my search. While the location is super convenient, the apartments felt pretty outdated. Does anyone have experience living there or know if it’s worth it?
Also, are there other apartment complexes in South End that young professionals or recent college grads typically live in? My budget is $2,000/month, and I’m looking for something nice, modern, and close to all the action.
Appreciate any recommendations—thanks!
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u/limaroons 6d ago
Requesting Recs for Concrete Quiet Buildings in Uptown/South End
Going to be moving within the month and will be working Uptown. After living in a very loud city the past 2 years, minimum noise (street and overhead neighbors) is my number one priority, looking for concrete builds.
Thanks!
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u/Careful_Trouble_1059 6d ago
My husband and I (late 20s) are moving from Orlando to Charlotte area for work. He works for an airline & will be based out of Concord airport. We currently live in a neighborhood in Orlando that is urban due to its close proximity to downtown, but it has that suburban feel (lots of young couples, families, pet friendly, quieter, safe, etc). We are definitely looking for something similar in Charlotte if possible. We would prefer to be in the city, but we are open to looking outside of Charlotte in other areas if they are up and coming. We don't drink, but we love to explore different restaurants and coffee shops and other events in the area. We want to be in an area that can offer that. We have 2 dogs and we are also looking for an area that is walkable and pet friendly. We also love outdoor activities. We don't have kids and aren't planning on having them in the near future.
Our budget is about $2,500/month for an apartment. We would be open to renting a condo or a townhome, but we are sticking to just looking at apartments for now since that is what we are in right now.
We are looking for something that would be 45 min or less of a commute for him to Concord airport.
We have heard that Southpark & Myers Park seem like desirable areas, but I'm worried it will be too far of a commute for my husband. Also we have heard about Huntersville. Does anyone have any other recommendations of places that would fit our needs?
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u/SilkStalkings91 3d ago
Hey Reddit!
I’m on the hunt for a fully furnished apartment available for a short-term rental, ideally for 1-3 months. I’m quite flexible on the location, so if you know any good spots, I’d love to hear about them!
If you’ve had any great experiences or know of some reliable websites or agencies for short-term rentals, please share your recommendations. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks a bunch! 😊
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u/plzspareme999 4h ago
so i’m new to the area & moved from knoxville to south end where i’m paying entirely too much for a very noisy 1BR, i found an amazing job out in university city so i’m looking to move out there to a 2BR when this lease is up. i’ve been hearing to NOT move out there due to safety concerns. i’m a 25F baby lawyer that’s very sheltered and still trying to figure out this adulting thing. any & all advice is welcome, thank you 🥲🫶🏾
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u/rufilirocky 10d ago
How is the public transit in charlotte? Is it generally safe for women to ride alone?
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u/lawrenjp Mountain Island 10d ago
Overall: bad, but not necessarily from a safety standard, more of a logisitcal/operational standard. It's one of our biggest complaints, but being a relatively new city (in the scheme of urban America), we're doing okay to have the lines that we have. I'd say during daytime, the lightrail is generally safe for all travel - there are tons of people who commute daily using it. Nightime during weekdays is usually a bit sketchier and I'd exercise caution, but if there's a game going on then you'll find a majority of riders going to the events and you'll be in good company. Weekends are also generally safe.
As for the bus system, I have no idea. I've never used a LYNX bus due to timing and routes. Charlotte is for sure a car city but our public transit can do... *some* things.
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u/QCExclusive91 10d ago
Single woman here, I would not ride the light rail with AirPods in, but I would ride it alone. Hopefully you can understand what I mean by that.
I have never taken the bus and I would never take it alone.
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u/MrClitEastwood 10d ago
I know of several women that take the bus alone, and none of them have ever said that they have issues. They are riding it in the morning and afternoon, so that is something to take into consideration.
I also take the bus pretty regularly, but I do avoid the transportation center at all costs.
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u/QCExclusive91 10d ago edited 9d ago
Your username literally says Mr, so you carry no weight in this conversation, toodles 👋🏻👋🏻 (men downvoting me…. Pathetic as always)
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u/MrClitEastwood 10d ago
I'm sorry that mentioning experiences from people that I am very close to bothered you. I'm also sorry that I bothered you by offering up my personal thoughts on the transportation center.
Hey /u/rufilirocky, I hope that you were able to find value in what I posted. I was only trying to help.
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u/Infinite_Process564 8d ago
Why wouldn’t you take the bus alone if you’ve never taken it? You know women like me ride the bus, right? I even use the transportation center in the evening on occasion.
Ah, maybe I answered my own question. I am kind of weird.
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u/What_Iz_This 10d ago
not quite charlotte but just closed on my first ever house in lincolnton. been wanting to buy a house for years and now that i've done it, i just feel dead inside from my newfound soul crushing debt (house loan).
hoping i feel better once we get moved out of the apartment and into the house.