Looking at relocating to NC...

[onemanarmy]

Curious why Raleigh was scratched off the list. I want to advertise whatever it is that deterred you, to the rest of the world

In all seriousness, we love Raleigh and have no intention of moving from the area.

It is a great place, but full.
Move along OP.

 

[JohnVee]

It is a great place, but full.
Move along OP.

Oh, great! Leave him down south with us? Thanks.

 

[JohnVee]

@kwkshift Pro tip: If you say "the 24" around here, people will assume you mean Jeff Gordon's #24 car.

Welcome to NASCAR. This ain't the left coast and we just consider "the" to be silently implied.

So much of that area is new. There's also a lot of unpleasantness in the surrounding areas but you can find some great older places with land, still. I'm well south of it near Southpark and Arboretum, and have little need to ever go there, so I don't have any real personal experience that isn't 15+ years old. BUT...I'm happy to go give some test drives and location scouting if needed. I'm not sure any of us live in that area, come to think of it, but there might be some less active folks here who do that I'm not aware of.

 

[weejub]

The 485 is also a Nascar driver - less well known.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

I've lived in the Charlotte area since the fall of 1988 and I have likely not ventured into the Hickory Grove area of Charlotte since the late 1990s so I don't think I can be of much help in providing a current assessment of the area.

Should you decide to consider venturing south of the border in your search, let me know. We moved from Charlotte to Tega Cay, SC 17 years ago in preparation for starting a family as we had concerns about the school system in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. While I do not like the commute to Uptown, the great schools in the Fort Mill School System make it worthwhile.

 

[NCjeff]

OP.
I've lived in Wilmington since 94. I'm a Real-Estate appraiser / Broker here. If its still on your radar, send me a PM and I'm happy to explain the good and bad.

.

 

[SFROMAN]

Having worked in Charlotte off and on the last couple of years I can say good luck. The traffic sucks. Beautiful place I guess but not when everything has to be planned around traffic. Again, I never have lived in Charlotte but have worked out of Charlotte a month at a time for a few years and straight up hated having to sit in a parking lot (bumper to bumper traffic) anytime I had to go anywhere. We just moved to Raleigh from Florida and love it here. I’m actually looking for land in Arizona so I can live somewhere where it is hot and dry. I love the desert and that type of weather. But I will more likely never permanently leave NC. We love it here.

 

[MBest75]

I'd echo John's comments about Hickory Grove area...those areas in the last 10 years have been a little rough, but with so much revitalization going on in the east/north east quadrant of Charlotte it may not be long before everything is brand new. Recently had a friend buy a home in the Oakhurst neighborhood and 5 years ago I would have told them they were crazy, now it's got newer homes, an Aldi within walking distance and a shopping area.

As for traffic, it used to be bad in certain areas (10 years ago), now it's generally bad all over (we aren't big on long range urban planning here in CLT), so unless you're forced to commute to uptown during the rush or trying to cross South Park Mall during Rush hour, then there's not much difference anywhere inside of the 485 loop, plan 25 minutes to make it 5-7 miles. I've lived in Uptown, Elizabeth, Beverly Woods, South Park and recently moved again to Dilworth so after 17 years I've hit most of the Southeast portion of the city, traffic is all the same all over those spots.

 

[NCFJ]

When we know we have to go through Charlotte on 85 we plan our trip around rush hours. It's just not worth creeping along sub 25 MPH or outright stopping.

 

[kwkshift]

Sounds like the traffic is similar to Phx traffic. Thanks for the heads-up on the Hickory Grove area. We'll look into the other areas mentioned. We're also just looking into the areas just across the SC border, as well.

I also think that what ever we choose for employment will play a role in where we end up. Wilmington isn't out of the question, yet. We just need a bit more time to figure out a couple of other things.

 

[izzyandsue]

When we know we have to go through Charlotte on 85 we plan our trip around rush hours. It's just not worth creeping along sub 25 MPH or outright stopping.

Traffic doesn't look that bad anymore, I took a photo this weekend.

 

[JohnVee]

Looks like the show Life Without People.

 

[weejub]

I Am Legend?

 

[izzyandsue]

I Am Legend?

You sure are!