charlotte

Old Oct 6th, 2014, 11:08 AM
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charlotte

Hello there

My boyfriend and I are relocating to the Charlotte area. I am seeking advice on which suburbs of Charlotte are good to live in. We are both in our low 30's with no children. He will be working in downtown Charlotte and I will be working as a travel nurse in the hospitals surrounding Charlotte. We are looking to rent either a townhome or nice condo at first. We are outdoor people and would like to have plenty of things to do nearby. Thanks for your suggestions!
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Old Oct 6th, 2014, 08:25 PM
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Check out this website - I think you will find more locals than can guide you. Good luck with your move.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/charlotte/
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 06:03 AM
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There are some really nice areas in town. You might want to consider your friend's commute to downtown when looking at any suburban area. Charlotte is a great town.
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 06:34 AM
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Define "good" since that word can have all sorts of negative connotations when people talk about neighborhoods.
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 07:13 AM
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Considering a commute downtown, the advice above is good. There are great places to live close in.
You can be in the mountains in 2 hours or even other places close by.
Welcome to Charlotte. It is a really good city, and it is good for folks your age.
Condos and townhomes--or apartments--for rent--all over.
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 07:28 AM
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It used to be you looked in the newspaper--now it is on line.

Many of the "in town"/old neighborhoods in Charlotte are in the midst of gentrifying so you can find some very nice places close in. There is a LOT of new construction, including town homes, along with beautiful houses--alongside the "mill houses" of old, that are being remodeled.
Chantilly, Plaza-midwood would be those as well as Wesley Heights and many others. There might be some in Madison Park also on the light rail. The corridor along South Blvd. has boomed because it is along the light rail line--a great idea for BF--and close to the interstate for you to get out of town.
I would not go down to Starmount, Arrowood areas, even if on the light rail.

Hope this helps. If you find a place, post it, and we can look at it.
Our DD rented an apartment "somewhere" on a month to month lease --definitely not what they wanted long term, but a jumping off place to house hunt, and very "acceptable". You might consider that as a stopgap so you can get a feel for the city/traffic/shopping/etc.
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent...9_zm/?view=map
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 07:30 AM
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Sorry, need to get all my thoughts in a row. If you are a part of the Carolinas healthcare System or Novant, they can also undoubtedly help you with recommendations or agents. Just a thought.
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 07:56 AM
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Dukey1 on Oct 7, 14 at 9:34am

Define "good" since that word can have all sorts of negative connotations when people talk about neighborhoods.

"Good" is referring to access to outdoor activities like bike trails, parks, etc. Would also like to be close to shopping and restaurants. We would like a safe and clean part of town as well. It would be nice to be around other young couples as well.

Thanks for the advice so far!
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 09:43 AM
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Define "good" since that word can have all sorts of negative connotations when people talk about neighborhoods.

Dukey-what do you mean?
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Old Oct 7th, 2014, 12:49 PM
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Gretchen

Is the South End area the South Blvd area you were mentioning? If not, any opinions on the South End area? I see that is near the lightrail and has many establishments nearby.
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Old Oct 8th, 2014, 06:49 AM
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Can anyone recommend an apt/condo building in the Plaza Midwood/NODA area? Also, for those of you whom have relocated would it be beneficial to visit the area prior to moving to sign a lease, etc. Not sure if that can be done long distance. Do I trust the pictures the buildings provide?
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Old Oct 8th, 2014, 10:30 AM
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Absolutely visit. No, do not trust pictures.
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Old Oct 8th, 2014, 03:52 PM
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Also, for those of you whom have relocated would it be beneficial to visit the area prior to moving to sign a lease, etc. Not sure if that can be done long distance.

ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY. Did you read my post about renting a month--or MORE-- in an apartment that allows that kind of lease.
Please do this. you need desperately to see everything that is available in MANY parts of the city.

MOVE to the area and rent the apartment. Store your furniture if you have it. Think about PODS. A short term "investment" in this will pay off for you to be happy when you decide where and what you want.
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Old Oct 9th, 2014, 09:06 AM
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Thanks for your responses. We plan on traveling to the area about a month before we move to check out some neigborhoods. We plan on signing a month to month or 6 month lease somewhere until we get our bearings. I think the plaza-midwood/noda area is top on our list.
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Old Oct 9th, 2014, 10:09 AM
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I live near Plaza-Midwood and like it a lot, and it's great for people in their 20s and 30s looking for a somewhat scruffy, hip area. Just know that it's still gentrifying and has some not so nice areas nearby. NoDa is similar, but is completely surrounded by some bad areas.

While they are building intown apartments as fast as they can around here, it's still and landlord's market, and I doubt you'll find anything less than one year let alone month to month. Unless you do a furnished corporate apartment, but the cost there is astronomical.
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Old Oct 9th, 2014, 10:48 AM
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Brian has given a very accurate picture of those areas (of course!!)
For your short term lease, I would not worry too much about where it is--his assessment is good there also. I think you will be able to make up your mind VERY quickly and a month or two out of the center won't be so bad to deal with. DD did a month to month in a very acceptable townhouse--out Providence Rd. AND if you found a month to month in Plaza Midwood, it could be in the fringe area. You don't want to do it sight unseen--DD had one on a list in that area.
YOu might look to see if there is something to rent off Montford Dr. I think they looked there, and it is very safe/stable.
But coming and spending a day or two looking for your lease would be the thing to do--not looking for anything long term.
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Old Oct 13th, 2014, 05:23 PM
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I live in Plaza Midwood and I have for 26 years. I have seen a lot of changes and been through 3 major renovations myself. Welcome to Charlotte! PM is a good mix of young families, older folks, gays, artsy types, etc. there are lots of new apts upcoming and restaurants that have opened. Lots more traffic and parking issues than I have ever seen, but very convenient, especially if you work uptown. I recall when we first moved here there were hookers walking in front of my house and drunks asleep on the sidewalk. DH and our neighbor were very instrumental in working with the cops to change that.
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Old Oct 13th, 2014, 07:43 PM
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A few years ago Charlotte was ranked as having one of the worse traffic congestion problems in the US. Don't know if that has changed much but you should probably be aware of a potential problem with traffic. A couple month rental in a semi-furnished apartment could pay big dividends.
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Old Oct 14th, 2014, 02:39 AM
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Totally agree about the rental, as I've said several times, because there are many really great areas to live. And traffic IS a problem when commuting from the outlying suburbs, but maybe not as bad as I25!!. The areas we have been discussing are 10 minutes from downtown at rush hour.
And thanks to Denver's model, we have one light rail line with others in the works so we're workin' on it.
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Old Oct 16th, 2014, 08:01 AM
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Having been in both, it is worse than I-25. And there is often no way to avoid the problem so you just sit and wait. Remember the traveling nurse has to travel which is why I mentioned the traffic situation.
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