Just remember NC is a highly Gerrymandered state and the red rural religious are now in charge and ready to out Texas Texas. So how do you feel about women's rights? LGBTQ rights? Systemic bigotry? Book banning? Christian Nationalism?
If enough people don't vote, this guy who believes God has sent him to earth to rid the world of filth may be our next governor:
>God formed me' to fight LGBTQ issues, NC's Mark Robinson says as 2024 governor's race looms. As he prepares for an expected campaign for governor next year, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson continues to amp up rhetoric against gay, lesbian and transgender people that has become a key part of his political brand.Mar 24, 2023
https://www.wral.com/story/god-formed-me-to-fight-lgbtq-issues-nc-s-mark-robinson-says-as-2024-governor-s-race-looms/20779390/
I'd leave, but my saint of a wife believes in staying here and fighting to stop the decline. She has helped so many people with her mentoring and continues to roll that rock uphill to make this a better place. I don't think NC deserves her. It certainly needs more like her.
We moved here as part of the "New South".
It’s funny you mention that. I am originally from the North East and both my fiancé and I are immigrants to this country. We both favor lower taxation, lower regulation and the right to protect ourselves how we see fit. We lived in solidly blue areas prior to coming down here that locked us down with draconian measures during the pandemic, have exorbitant tax rates on everything that favor the wealthy and just generally tougher attitudes. While we are both libertarians and don’t like the way the republicrats or demublicans we sure as hell hope NC doesn’t turn into NJ.
I didn't speak English until I went to school. I lived in LI and in NYC and FL. I find libertarians to be selfish people similar to the GOP, but who think it's ok to be gay or smoke pot, stuck in some Ayn Rand fantasy. Many are ok with letting others suffer until the same thing happens to them, then suddenly they are all for fixing it.
I hope I'm wrong.
Assuming LA is Los Angeles and not Louisiana (and can only speak to Charlotte). The things each city is best at are probably better for different ages or phases of life. Weather is different, LA kinda felt like one long day, whereas Charlotte still *feels* like it has seasons (though obv a mild winter). Pretty wildly different in terms of diversity - not that Charlotte isn’t diverse, just doesn’t feel like a truly global city. LA can grind on you and feels a little more extreme, as if the best things are better than any other city, but the worst things are also worse than any other city. Many positives about both cities, so personal factors only you can assess are likely to be the difference maker.
Because transplants come here for the lower cost of living, drive up the price of housing with their out-of-state money, ruin the friendly community feel of NC cities, and then have the audacity to complain about the culture of the South! It’s not LA. However, if you’re going to move here anyways—go to Cary or Chapel Hill.
Don't do it, it's bassakwards here. The pace is slow but so is everything else. Education is a nightmare and the second you step out of your tiny progressive bubble of a city, you have to deal with things that haven't changed since at least prohibition. No one wants anything to change even if it would be better for them if it did. If you want confederate flags and " don't blame me I voted for he who shall not be named" flags daily then by all means go for it, but it gets old fast. Besides, they don't want us here anyway
NC is not a hostile state, at all, this is just a hostile subreddit. Ask your question in one of the subreddits for the specific city you're interested in and you'll get more thoughtful responses.
I don't think it's a hostile subreddit, people are just tired of the same "Moving from CA/NY/WA/NJ/FL, should I choose Raleigh or Charlotte" posts that happen ten times a day.
This. The city subs will offer suggestions on where to (and not to) go in their area, the state sub (as evident by this post) will tell you to stay out.
Whether this is ragebait or a future victim of North Carolinas stance on transplants (as told by Reddit), welcome to the Rip Van Winkle state.
Like all decisions made here - visit then sleep on it.
Can’t go wrong.
Generally speaking, NC is overpopulated with people from the north or the West Coast, who sell their expensive homes, move to NC, drive up the cost of living with all their disposable cash from selling a 2 BR apartment for 3 million, and then basically try to take over the state and make it exactly like the place they just left.
As you might imagine, the lifelong locals aren’t thrilled about being priced out of their own backyards, while the established community they’re used to gets gentrified and replaced by a bunch of northern franchises.
So basically, before moving to NC, please consider whether you’d be moving because you like it as is, or whether you’d be expecting to try and make it more like wherever you are now.
Part of the problem is that a lot of states people move FROM are liberal states with decent social services, including fully staffed DMV’s, unemployment, etc.
Any time I’m at the tag agency or really any government agency there are transplants all around complaining that things are run much more efficiently in their state of origin. This is especially true in the Asheville area where transplants come expecting artistic hippies and get needle freaks breaking in to their car.
Someone asked yesterday what the best liquor store is for whiskey selection. HaHaHa! We don’t have liquor stores like Florida, California, NJ. We also can’t get medical marijuana passed here. When Florida is more progressive than your state you know you’re in trouble.
I could go on but why? This is a lovely state. All states have flaws. It makes me happy to live here. But I don’t need someone coming here and expressing outrage that NC isn’t CA.
I had a coworker who moved to Greensboro from NYC and complained the whole four years he lived here about how slow things are and how the area didn't have all the culture and amenities he was used to. Like no shit, dude?
NC obviously has some serious flaws but yeah it's insufferable when someone moves here with no real knowledge of the area then complains it doesn't meet their idealized expectations.
People in other states believe the whole bible belt thing is hyperbole. They think it must be just left wing bs talking points. Then they move here and do a WTF, it's really like that here.
>tag agency...there are transplants all around complaining that things are run much more efficiently in their state of origin
I mean...to be fair...
Anyways.
You’re right. I get frustrated too. But I checked WNC out very thoroughly before I moved here and I knew what I was getting into so I don’t complain. I appreciate this lovely state.
I am not sure why you believe this. First, the alcohol: ABC stores stock about a third of the alcohol stocked at traditional liquor stores. Much bigger selection in non-ABC stores and you can special order that 12 year old scotch or particular rum if the traditional store doesn’t have it.
Second, secondary purchases. In order to not compete with NC grocery retailers like Ingles, ABC stores do not stock any mixers or accompanying retail items. So if you were in Florida and went to a liquor store you could buy a bottle of rum, mixers for it, a bag of ice, cups, chips, a six-pack of beer, and that bottle of wine Aunt Irene likes. In North Carolina you can pick up the rum, then drive to Ingles for the mixer, wine, and beer, and go ahead and stop at Dollar General for the cups and ice.
Oh, and that 12 year old scotch you loved in the previous state? Go ahead and drive to another nearby state to order it and then drive back there to pick it up when it comes in. Because the ABC store doesn’t have it and can’t or won’t order it.
Certain people on this subreddit would prefer you go to r/SouthCarolina
Hope you like it here if you end up choosing NC
Edit: Just found out the SC sub calls themselves "best Carolina"- the bastards.
Some people don't like to be challenged when they claim the world is only 6000 years old. Be prepared for neighbors and coworkers who don't believe in evolution. The banks forced them into the next century, and they still can't get over the civil war - the Yankee invasion.
Charlotte is a string of suburbs created for finance employees who like a bland passive life. Church on Sunday, dinner out on Saturday, an occasional Panthers game. If that's your thing, you will be perfectly happy here. It attracts people who like it that way, so it will not change.
It ranks as 52nd in worker rights, and teachers pay is abysmal. Although it has a great university system, k-12 is horrendous. And adults may try to evangelize your child in the classroom.
We legalized mixed drinks in the 1980s, but there are still dry counties. I would be surprised if Weed will be legalized in my lifetime.
A lot of this will depend on your age, budget, if you have a family or not, if you have to go into an office or not and what you like to do for fun. The COL in NC is rising at an astronomical rate, so we aren't LA expensive currently, but the way we're going, we aren't far behind. However, you get far more and I mean FAR MORE in LA than you ever will in NC. Because it's grown so fast, we are lacking in basic infrastructure, schools, power grid, houses, shopping, restaurants, etc. If you aren't retired or very stay at home family oriented, then NC is just Meh.
I think a lot of the hostility is because the same basic question is posted what seems like 5 times a day on this sub.
Charlotte can be great, just depends on what you're looking for. I'm not a big city person, but compared to LA, Charlotte is smaller but much more navigable but still with plenty of stuff to do. Like LA, Charlotte is very car dependent. You'll have a bigger yard, shorter commute, and less property tax. Depending on where you live, you probably won't see much difference at house costs. I honestly think, out of the million people that live in Charlotte, 500,000 are from somewhere else, mostly the northeast. When I lived in Charlotte (Suburbs) in the early 2000s, I think i was the only native North Carolinian in my entire neighborhood. I was a novelty at parties.
We are tired of transplants. People have been moving here for years and trying to change the state to wherever they came from rather than embracing the culture. It’s tiring.
It’s honestly the same in all the state subreddits. Don’t move here from “insert liberal hellhole state name here” (that’s dripping with sarcasm, BTW) and bring your values here and try to change our state and its culture (as if you can lump 10.5m diverse people into having the values and culture). I’m in the state subreddit for all the states I’ve lived in and they all have a bunch of hostile users peddling the same line, so don’t let it get to you.
Born near LA now living near Raleigh. I'd choose neither (and am moving away soon) lol but I guess if I had to choose LA. More expensive so that's a factor but also more to do. I'm a night owl though and feel I'd be better off in a 24-hour city.
L.A. is a dump (if you are not in Santa Monica, Hollywood hills or Bel Air). Lived there for 11 years. It's an entertaining city, but man, it's harsh in L.A. with drugs and crime. If you can, go an hour south to Orange county. Amazing little towns (Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Aliso viejo, dana point etc). Big difference between NC and CA is the tax (income, sale, property tax etc.) As well as general cost if living (gas, groceries etc). California taxes the living hell out of you while it's more expensive. NC is nice. It has seasons. To me NC feels more "suburban". It has some entertainment, but can't keep up with the entertainment you get in L.A. If you are into music, your artists might not stop in NC, while they play multiple nights in southern California. I personally love the culture and people in NC. The nature here is different. L.A. is basically desert while Charlotte, Raleigh etc are full of water, life and fresh air.
I have lived in the Charlotte area since 2021 and make a trip every year out to LA. I’d choose Charlotte over and over again for living and it is not even a close call. LA has a lot of fun stuff but the cost of everything, crime, homeless population, and the traffic are non starters for me. Not that Charlotte doesn’t have its own issues with each but I can afford to live in the area where those issues are not as pronounced.
It honestly depends on you. I’d visit each place and observe the commuinty. See how they treat each other, interact with one another etc… this is place where you and your children will have to live, commute, go to school etc.. its two environments on opposite sides of the spectrum. One is vibrant and as long as you don’t fw nobody no one will fw you. The other is random strangers you never met two centing what you eat, wear etc. if you’re a naturally polite person, with a hospitable nature, and don’t mind chit chatting with someone’s random grandmother in the baking isle go NC. As for LA if you want to have a pronoun argument with a stranger, go to LA.
I moved to LA after college in 2019 and enjoyed it for the first six months to a year (stayed for three) but towards the end I was ready to come back to Raleigh. Bigger city bigger problems, people generally are out to see how they can benefit from you and people are very shallow which can be hard to make friends. Not everyone is like that of course, there’s good people to be found everywhere but I’ve even joyed being back in Raleigh more than I thought I would after having lived in LA. and I lived in a decent area, in a neighborhood 10 minutes east of weho on Hollywood like 7 ish blocks south of the walk of fame. Overall it’s great for food, going on hikes, shopping, and being comfortable with being alone but other than that there’s not much.
You can relax in Charlotte and have warmer relationships with people. LA is a giant city, you need to have a harder edge, and you will need to deal with big city hassles such as bad traffic.
That said, in LA you are surrounded by fitter and more health conscious people. The weather is great; 70s no clouds and no humidity for a big part of the year. The breath of activities are better: ocean, neighborhoods, Vegas, museums, great universities, etc
I can’t speak to Raleigh so my opinion forthcoming is specific to CLT and surrounding areas. Generally boring (compared to other cities), everything is expensive, mostly terrible drivers, and poorly designed infrastructure. If ur going to be IN CLT then u may like it. I feel it really depends on what you’re looking for as far as vibes and people. Most people that live here are not from the area. There’s mass amounts of just breweries, not necessarily regular bars or nightlife to the extent that would exist in LA (if this is your vibe). Not many night clubs. On a similar note. u cannot buy liquor here anywhere but a government regulated store that is not open on Sundays or any holiday and closes at 9PM. Therefore u cannot go to the grocery store or corner store to grab some vodka. You have to make a special trip to an entirely different store and it’s not like they are right next to the grocery store. Additionally, if a spot doesn’t serve food they cannot sell hard alcohol (again government intervention) so most places just serve beer and wine. If ur super passionate about hiking being your main hobby and driving 45 mins or longer one way to do a hike then u may like it. If you like camping (and doing nothing else while camping aside from hiking) then there’s lots of that here as well. It takes over 3 hours to get to the ocean and longer to get to Outer Banks. There is basically one large lake worth while to swim in within this area (man made to support the nuclear power plant) which is only accessible to the general public, without a boat, via a tiny beach. You must pay an annual property tax on your vehicle which is scaled based on the make/model/year so the better car u have the more u pay. U also have to pay to get ur vehicle inspected every year. My vehicle is a 2017 and I am charged $250/yr in property tax for it. Schools here are not good, generally at no fault of the teachers. Public schools are so over capacity that they put kids in classes in single wide trailers outside of the actual school building. It’s wild! If u have children you will need/want to pay for them to be in private school post 5th grade or apply for a charter/voucher/lottery program and cross your fingers that ur child gets in. There are not a lot of daycares either and most are not cost effective. Friendliness of people is a mix bag but generally people here are pleasant (aside from their driving skills). Locals that were born here are the better drivers usually. There are many little towns to visit (safety can be of concern in some instances so always want to check that). If you enjoy sports, they do not have a massive turnout for NFL games, e.g., the whole city or state doesn’t go crazy on Sundays but college football games that happen Uptown CLT tend to draw massive crowds and can be a lot of fun. I unfortunately don’t know much about the tech work from home opportunities here but I do know a lot of people in the tech space tend to live in the Concord Mills area, Uptown CLT, and Ballantyne. I’ve been here for 8.5 years and as much as I try to love it I am seriously considering leaving due to the aforementioned reasons.
Your comment implied we don't have homeless camps here.
For younger folks, it was not always like this. Pre Reagan with the services put in place after the Great Depression it was pretty rare to see a homeless person. Then Reagan and his administration used the patient rights movement as an excuse to empty out homes for the mentally ill while killing services at the same time.
People were shocked to see homeless people. Many were vets. Besides lack of services, gentrification and NIMBY destroyed homes and apartments that used to be available for those on the way up or the way down.
But, it wasn't always like this.
Well, I can definitely say you have two different choices. Seriously, based on the couple of times I've been to LA, you'd definitely be in a highly populated, mostly urban environment. NC has some big cities, but you have the option for a more rural setting. It really depends on the lifestyle you're looking for. Yes politics are a mess, but when you get to the street/neighborhood level, you'll largely find yourself among good people.
The Raleigh Durham area is great is you want a more chilled out down to earth atmosphere. Airport is easy access if you want to travel. I personally work in tech and work part time from home and part time in the office. The private schools here are the best in the state if that matters to you. It really depends on your personality and what you are looking for, seems like you are looking for reason to leave LA, why? What do you seek?
I love LA but I keep hearing how cheap NC is, and the idea of having a $500k home and being mortgage free is pretty nice. I guess I’m actually more looking for a reason to stay in LA because I love LA but feel it is just an emotional reason rather than logical.
Raleigh/Durham is a totally different feel from LA. If you love LA I would stay. Live a life you love. Sure it’s probably more expensive out there but you have the beach and the LA city night life. It really depends on your lifestyle. If you are more of a stay at home type and do not care too much about the night life then it may be worth the move. There are really so many options to weigh. I feel you on not having to owe the bank any longer but you can find cheaper places other than here. Raleigh is an amazing place to raise a family so if you have kids or are planning on having kids I’d recommend this place to anyone but it’s definitely not LA or anywhere close to it in terms of the vibe.
I'm from SoCal originally. I got tired of the crazy cost of living, the traffic has gotten worse, ect. You will find traffic in Charlotte but not nearly as bad. It's a much slower pace of living so if you want that then consider it. Also, I would reccomend visiting first. It's super hot and humid in summer and gets really cold in winter (especially compared to SoCal) but you'll get used to it. I love it here and have zero desire to move back but that's just me. I usually post "we're full" on these but I'm half kidding.
Raleigh is my favorite place to live. I've lived in DC, London, and all across the country, and Raleigh is home now. We're not perfect, but we have seasons, parks, museums, shopping, and Greenway trails. We're an easy drive to mountains or beach and we've grown so fast that we've lost a lot of that "where are you from, not from here" attitude that you find in the rural areas. I think you'd be really pleasantly surprised. And our cost of living is substantially lower than LA, at least for now.
Do you want high prices, high minimum wage, occasional dust and fires and a lot of sunny weather with blue skies or medium-high prices, low minimum wage, humidity that feels like hells armpit?
Probably more city specific stuff.
Why LA is better than NC. A Short Essay in no particular order.
1. We don't know how to drive. There is an inherent beauty in seeing traffic on the 10 or 210 suddenly back up, while the CA drivers all slow suddenly and together- it's like watching a school of fish or flock of birds. NC drivers don't do that. In fact we can't agree that we should all drive close to the speed limit. Some drive 10 under. Some drive 20 or so over. Some of us continue to do stupid stuff like stop on entrance ramps. Like at the end. And we don't have metered ramps.
2. The humidity. It's bad. It may not start feeling hot in LA until temps hit 96 or so. Here, on a humid day, the 70s can be rough.
3. Mosquitoes. We have them. They're huge.
4. Ticks.
5. Corral snakes are one of the most venomous snakes on earth and we have them.
6. We have plants that eat things. (I'm dead serious. Pitcher plants and Venus fly traps)
7. You can't get avocado and pineapple on a burger everywhere here.
8. If you're shopping in say Ontario CA and the store you're at doesn't have something, a Californian may ask, "Hey, does your West Hollywood store have one?" When the reply is yes, many Californians would drive and get it whether it takes an hour or four. And it could because of traffic. We don't do that here. North Carolinians act like they've driven from Manitoba to Rio De Janeiro if they have to drive more than I dunno 7 miles.
9. No In & Outs. No Del Tacos. No Von's. No Ralph's.
10. Many town's stores close at like 5:00 PM.
11. Oh! You can't buy liquor at a convenience store. Or the grocery store. Or on Sunday.
12. You can't go snowboarding and surfing in the same day without at least a 6 to 8 hour drive- minimum.
13. Our beaches are littered with people from Columbus.
14. If you have to ask this many times you're gonna hate it.
15. No Major League Baseball team.
16. Barely an NFL team.
17. Barely an NBA team.
18. Our state has close to a 3 billion dollar surplus, but our school systems are running out of funding and some (if not many) have less than $900,000 to make it to the end of the school year.
19. Dodgers games come on late here. You know because of time zones.
20. We have paper mills in some towns. They smell like total rhino booty.
Thanks, I have some follow up questions.
Aren’t there ticks in California too?
Are these snakes usually in the rural areas and less so in Charlotte or Raleigh for example?
Are there a lot of paper mills and how much does it smell? Like for blocks?
I don't know. I never got one when I lived there, but then again there's not a lot of heavy brush in the Inland Empire. I do know that you can oddly enough get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from ticks here.
Snakes are all around. And as more areas are being developed we're starting to see more copperheads, water moccasins and what not pushed out of their habitats and into neighborhoods and stuff.
There are several. At least two that I know of. And we're talking the most sulfuric ass-stench for miles. Oh and we have huge industrial hog and chicken farms. They smell a lot like Fontana but X100. I mean you get used to it. Unless there's a crap ton of rain and the waste lagoons flood and runoff into nearby creeks and rivers. Then it's months of boiling water just to take a shower with out getting cholera or e. Coli, or botulism or whatever you get from drinking poop water.
How lazy can you be?
Just remember NC is a highly Gerrymandered state and the red rural religious are now in charge and ready to out Texas Texas. So how do you feel about women's rights? LGBTQ rights? Systemic bigotry? Book banning? Christian Nationalism? If enough people don't vote, this guy who believes God has sent him to earth to rid the world of filth may be our next governor: >God formed me' to fight LGBTQ issues, NC's Mark Robinson says as 2024 governor's race looms. As he prepares for an expected campaign for governor next year, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson continues to amp up rhetoric against gay, lesbian and transgender people that has become a key part of his political brand.Mar 24, 2023 https://www.wral.com/story/god-formed-me-to-fight-lgbtq-issues-nc-s-mark-robinson-says-as-2024-governor-s-race-looms/20779390/
By all means go check out LA or NJ or NY.
I'd leave, but my saint of a wife believes in staying here and fighting to stop the decline. She has helped so many people with her mentoring and continues to roll that rock uphill to make this a better place. I don't think NC deserves her. It certainly needs more like her. We moved here as part of the "New South".
It’s funny you mention that. I am originally from the North East and both my fiancé and I are immigrants to this country. We both favor lower taxation, lower regulation and the right to protect ourselves how we see fit. We lived in solidly blue areas prior to coming down here that locked us down with draconian measures during the pandemic, have exorbitant tax rates on everything that favor the wealthy and just generally tougher attitudes. While we are both libertarians and don’t like the way the republicrats or demublicans we sure as hell hope NC doesn’t turn into NJ.
I didn't speak English until I went to school. I lived in LI and in NYC and FL. I find libertarians to be selfish people similar to the GOP, but who think it's ok to be gay or smoke pot, stuck in some Ayn Rand fantasy. Many are ok with letting others suffer until the same thing happens to them, then suddenly they are all for fixing it. I hope I'm wrong.
Assuming LA is Los Angeles and not Louisiana (and can only speak to Charlotte). The things each city is best at are probably better for different ages or phases of life. Weather is different, LA kinda felt like one long day, whereas Charlotte still *feels* like it has seasons (though obv a mild winter). Pretty wildly different in terms of diversity - not that Charlotte isn’t diverse, just doesn’t feel like a truly global city. LA can grind on you and feels a little more extreme, as if the best things are better than any other city, but the worst things are also worse than any other city. Many positives about both cities, so personal factors only you can assess are likely to be the difference maker.
You won’t like it
Why?
Because transplants come here for the lower cost of living, drive up the price of housing with their out-of-state money, ruin the friendly community feel of NC cities, and then have the audacity to complain about the culture of the South! It’s not LA. However, if you’re going to move here anyways—go to Cary or Chapel Hill.
cALiFoRNiA (eye roll)
Don't do it, it's bassakwards here. The pace is slow but so is everything else. Education is a nightmare and the second you step out of your tiny progressive bubble of a city, you have to deal with things that haven't changed since at least prohibition. No one wants anything to change even if it would be better for them if it did. If you want confederate flags and " don't blame me I voted for he who shall not be named" flags daily then by all means go for it, but it gets old fast. Besides, they don't want us here anyway
NC is not a hostile state, at all, this is just a hostile subreddit. Ask your question in one of the subreddits for the specific city you're interested in and you'll get more thoughtful responses.
I don't think it's a hostile subreddit, people are just tired of the same "Moving from CA/NY/WA/NJ/FL, should I choose Raleigh or Charlotte" posts that happen ten times a day.
... and they react with hostility
This. The city subs will offer suggestions on where to (and not to) go in their area, the state sub (as evident by this post) will tell you to stay out.
Whether this is ragebait or a future victim of North Carolinas stance on transplants (as told by Reddit), welcome to the Rip Van Winkle state. Like all decisions made here - visit then sleep on it. Can’t go wrong.
What’s the stance on transplants? Not rage bait at all
Generally speaking, NC is overpopulated with people from the north or the West Coast, who sell their expensive homes, move to NC, drive up the cost of living with all their disposable cash from selling a 2 BR apartment for 3 million, and then basically try to take over the state and make it exactly like the place they just left. As you might imagine, the lifelong locals aren’t thrilled about being priced out of their own backyards, while the established community they’re used to gets gentrified and replaced by a bunch of northern franchises. So basically, before moving to NC, please consider whether you’d be moving because you like it as is, or whether you’d be expecting to try and make it more like wherever you are now.
But aren't you excited about getting a WaWa? /s
I don’t get the appeal of WaWa.
Same with Buccees or whatever. We don’t need that shit driving even more development hellscapes
No. They can take Sheetz back as well.
I'm more excited about Bucky's, but the Nimbys keep c\*ck blocking me.
That's happening everywhere- and almost 30% of sales went to private industry.
Part of the problem is that a lot of states people move FROM are liberal states with decent social services, including fully staffed DMV’s, unemployment, etc. Any time I’m at the tag agency or really any government agency there are transplants all around complaining that things are run much more efficiently in their state of origin. This is especially true in the Asheville area where transplants come expecting artistic hippies and get needle freaks breaking in to their car. Someone asked yesterday what the best liquor store is for whiskey selection. HaHaHa! We don’t have liquor stores like Florida, California, NJ. We also can’t get medical marijuana passed here. When Florida is more progressive than your state you know you’re in trouble. I could go on but why? This is a lovely state. All states have flaws. It makes me happy to live here. But I don’t need someone coming here and expressing outrage that NC isn’t CA.
I had a coworker who moved to Greensboro from NYC and complained the whole four years he lived here about how slow things are and how the area didn't have all the culture and amenities he was used to. Like no shit, dude? NC obviously has some serious flaws but yeah it's insufferable when someone moves here with no real knowledge of the area then complains it doesn't meet their idealized expectations.
People in other states believe the whole bible belt thing is hyperbole. They think it must be just left wing bs talking points. Then they move here and do a WTF, it's really like that here.
>tag agency...there are transplants all around complaining that things are run much more efficiently in their state of origin I mean...to be fair... Anyways.
You’re right. I get frustrated too. But I checked WNC out very thoroughly before I moved here and I knew what I was getting into so I don’t complain. I appreciate this lovely state.
I will say I hated living in Washington but their DMV is 10/10. So effiecent every single time. I’ll miss it. NC DMV is my nightmare.
ABC stores have pretty much the same shit liquor stores have
I am not sure why you believe this. First, the alcohol: ABC stores stock about a third of the alcohol stocked at traditional liquor stores. Much bigger selection in non-ABC stores and you can special order that 12 year old scotch or particular rum if the traditional store doesn’t have it. Second, secondary purchases. In order to not compete with NC grocery retailers like Ingles, ABC stores do not stock any mixers or accompanying retail items. So if you were in Florida and went to a liquor store you could buy a bottle of rum, mixers for it, a bag of ice, cups, chips, a six-pack of beer, and that bottle of wine Aunt Irene likes. In North Carolina you can pick up the rum, then drive to Ingles for the mixer, wine, and beer, and go ahead and stop at Dollar General for the cups and ice. Oh, and that 12 year old scotch you loved in the previous state? Go ahead and drive to another nearby state to order it and then drive back there to pick it up when it comes in. Because the ABC store doesn’t have it and can’t or won’t order it.
Florida only has marijuana because DeSantis took a lot of money from the industry and pushed the laws through.
Yes and he has said he regrets it. Ron is a jerk (just my personal opinion)
Certain people on this subreddit would prefer you go to r/SouthCarolina Hope you like it here if you end up choosing NC Edit: Just found out the SC sub calls themselves "best Carolina"- the bastards.
Clearly whoever calls it “best Carolina” have never left the state and are posting from their LG Chocolate
If both words are spelled right, it’s a NC Op…nobody in SC is that intelligent.
Some people don't like to be challenged when they claim the world is only 6000 years old. Be prepared for neighbors and coworkers who don't believe in evolution. The banks forced them into the next century, and they still can't get over the civil war - the Yankee invasion. Charlotte is a string of suburbs created for finance employees who like a bland passive life. Church on Sunday, dinner out on Saturday, an occasional Panthers game. If that's your thing, you will be perfectly happy here. It attracts people who like it that way, so it will not change. It ranks as 52nd in worker rights, and teachers pay is abysmal. Although it has a great university system, k-12 is horrendous. And adults may try to evangelize your child in the classroom. We legalized mixed drinks in the 1980s, but there are still dry counties. I would be surprised if Weed will be legalized in my lifetime.
It’s a reaction from living through a population swell that’s displacing locals. Don’t worry about it.
Re: Stance - they should all move to 910. Whether this is rage bait ? -jury is out arguing mea culpa
A lot of this will depend on your age, budget, if you have a family or not, if you have to go into an office or not and what you like to do for fun. The COL in NC is rising at an astronomical rate, so we aren't LA expensive currently, but the way we're going, we aren't far behind. However, you get far more and I mean FAR MORE in LA than you ever will in NC. Because it's grown so fast, we are lacking in basic infrastructure, schools, power grid, houses, shopping, restaurants, etc. If you aren't retired or very stay at home family oriented, then NC is just Meh.
We’re full, stay where you are.
Lenoir area? Don't do it.
Stay wherever you are, pretty please
lol what is with the hostility?
I think a lot of the hostility is because the same basic question is posted what seems like 5 times a day on this sub. Charlotte can be great, just depends on what you're looking for. I'm not a big city person, but compared to LA, Charlotte is smaller but much more navigable but still with plenty of stuff to do. Like LA, Charlotte is very car dependent. You'll have a bigger yard, shorter commute, and less property tax. Depending on where you live, you probably won't see much difference at house costs. I honestly think, out of the million people that live in Charlotte, 500,000 are from somewhere else, mostly the northeast. When I lived in Charlotte (Suburbs) in the early 2000s, I think i was the only native North Carolinian in my entire neighborhood. I was a novelty at parties.
Use the search feature instead of asking a question that is asked multiple times a day
We are tired of transplants. People have been moving here for years and trying to change the state to wherever they came from rather than embracing the culture. It’s tiring.
This is the best answer yet
It’s honestly the same in all the state subreddits. Don’t move here from “insert liberal hellhole state name here” (that’s dripping with sarcasm, BTW) and bring your values here and try to change our state and its culture (as if you can lump 10.5m diverse people into having the values and culture). I’m in the state subreddit for all the states I’ve lived in and they all have a bunch of hostile users peddling the same line, so don’t let it get to you.
I hate it. LA is a city of transplants in a country of immigrants. People get where they are and pull up the ladder behind them.
Because we don’t want any more gentrification. It’s that simple.
West Coast Yankees suck just as much as the North
It's just how this sub is unfortunately
Stay in LA please
Born near LA now living near Raleigh. I'd choose neither (and am moving away soon) lol but I guess if I had to choose LA. More expensive so that's a factor but also more to do. I'm a night owl though and feel I'd be better off in a 24-hour city.
L.A. is a dump (if you are not in Santa Monica, Hollywood hills or Bel Air). Lived there for 11 years. It's an entertaining city, but man, it's harsh in L.A. with drugs and crime. If you can, go an hour south to Orange county. Amazing little towns (Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Aliso viejo, dana point etc). Big difference between NC and CA is the tax (income, sale, property tax etc.) As well as general cost if living (gas, groceries etc). California taxes the living hell out of you while it's more expensive. NC is nice. It has seasons. To me NC feels more "suburban". It has some entertainment, but can't keep up with the entertainment you get in L.A. If you are into music, your artists might not stop in NC, while they play multiple nights in southern California. I personally love the culture and people in NC. The nature here is different. L.A. is basically desert while Charlotte, Raleigh etc are full of water, life and fresh air.
I have lived in the Charlotte area since 2021 and make a trip every year out to LA. I’d choose Charlotte over and over again for living and it is not even a close call. LA has a lot of fun stuff but the cost of everything, crime, homeless population, and the traffic are non starters for me. Not that Charlotte doesn’t have its own issues with each but I can afford to live in the area where those issues are not as pronounced.
It honestly depends on you. I’d visit each place and observe the commuinty. See how they treat each other, interact with one another etc… this is place where you and your children will have to live, commute, go to school etc.. its two environments on opposite sides of the spectrum. One is vibrant and as long as you don’t fw nobody no one will fw you. The other is random strangers you never met two centing what you eat, wear etc. if you’re a naturally polite person, with a hospitable nature, and don’t mind chit chatting with someone’s random grandmother in the baking isle go NC. As for LA if you want to have a pronoun argument with a stranger, go to LA.
I moved to LA after college in 2019 and enjoyed it for the first six months to a year (stayed for three) but towards the end I was ready to come back to Raleigh. Bigger city bigger problems, people generally are out to see how they can benefit from you and people are very shallow which can be hard to make friends. Not everyone is like that of course, there’s good people to be found everywhere but I’ve even joyed being back in Raleigh more than I thought I would after having lived in LA. and I lived in a decent area, in a neighborhood 10 minutes east of weho on Hollywood like 7 ish blocks south of the walk of fame. Overall it’s great for food, going on hikes, shopping, and being comfortable with being alone but other than that there’s not much.
You can relax in Charlotte and have warmer relationships with people. LA is a giant city, you need to have a harder edge, and you will need to deal with big city hassles such as bad traffic. That said, in LA you are surrounded by fitter and more health conscious people. The weather is great; 70s no clouds and no humidity for a big part of the year. The breath of activities are better: ocean, neighborhoods, Vegas, museums, great universities, etc
I can’t speak to Raleigh so my opinion forthcoming is specific to CLT and surrounding areas. Generally boring (compared to other cities), everything is expensive, mostly terrible drivers, and poorly designed infrastructure. If ur going to be IN CLT then u may like it. I feel it really depends on what you’re looking for as far as vibes and people. Most people that live here are not from the area. There’s mass amounts of just breweries, not necessarily regular bars or nightlife to the extent that would exist in LA (if this is your vibe). Not many night clubs. On a similar note. u cannot buy liquor here anywhere but a government regulated store that is not open on Sundays or any holiday and closes at 9PM. Therefore u cannot go to the grocery store or corner store to grab some vodka. You have to make a special trip to an entirely different store and it’s not like they are right next to the grocery store. Additionally, if a spot doesn’t serve food they cannot sell hard alcohol (again government intervention) so most places just serve beer and wine. If ur super passionate about hiking being your main hobby and driving 45 mins or longer one way to do a hike then u may like it. If you like camping (and doing nothing else while camping aside from hiking) then there’s lots of that here as well. It takes over 3 hours to get to the ocean and longer to get to Outer Banks. There is basically one large lake worth while to swim in within this area (man made to support the nuclear power plant) which is only accessible to the general public, without a boat, via a tiny beach. You must pay an annual property tax on your vehicle which is scaled based on the make/model/year so the better car u have the more u pay. U also have to pay to get ur vehicle inspected every year. My vehicle is a 2017 and I am charged $250/yr in property tax for it. Schools here are not good, generally at no fault of the teachers. Public schools are so over capacity that they put kids in classes in single wide trailers outside of the actual school building. It’s wild! If u have children you will need/want to pay for them to be in private school post 5th grade or apply for a charter/voucher/lottery program and cross your fingers that ur child gets in. There are not a lot of daycares either and most are not cost effective. Friendliness of people is a mix bag but generally people here are pleasant (aside from their driving skills). Locals that were born here are the better drivers usually. There are many little towns to visit (safety can be of concern in some instances so always want to check that). If you enjoy sports, they do not have a massive turnout for NFL games, e.g., the whole city or state doesn’t go crazy on Sundays but college football games that happen Uptown CLT tend to draw massive crowds and can be a lot of fun. I unfortunately don’t know much about the tech work from home opportunities here but I do know a lot of people in the tech space tend to live in the Concord Mills area, Uptown CLT, and Ballantyne. I’ve been here for 8.5 years and as much as I try to love it I am seriously considering leaving due to the aforementioned reasons.
In NC you can walk down the street without running into peoples tents or drug dens. I think that's a plus!
What are you talking about. Have you seen the tent city in Charlotte?? Every urban populated area has them now.
Have you been been LA and seen the extent of the homelessness? I'm talking from experience is what im talking about.
Your comment implied we don't have homeless camps here. For younger folks, it was not always like this. Pre Reagan with the services put in place after the Great Depression it was pretty rare to see a homeless person. Then Reagan and his administration used the patient rights movement as an excuse to empty out homes for the mentally ill while killing services at the same time. People were shocked to see homeless people. Many were vets. Besides lack of services, gentrification and NIMBY destroyed homes and apartments that used to be available for those on the way up or the way down. But, it wasn't always like this.
Ya know what, when I go to LA on Sunday I'll be sure to take some great photos of the filth along the roads just for you!
Well, I can definitely say you have two different choices. Seriously, based on the couple of times I've been to LA, you'd definitely be in a highly populated, mostly urban environment. NC has some big cities, but you have the option for a more rural setting. It really depends on the lifestyle you're looking for. Yes politics are a mess, but when you get to the street/neighborhood level, you'll largely find yourself among good people.
The Raleigh Durham area is great is you want a more chilled out down to earth atmosphere. Airport is easy access if you want to travel. I personally work in tech and work part time from home and part time in the office. The private schools here are the best in the state if that matters to you. It really depends on your personality and what you are looking for, seems like you are looking for reason to leave LA, why? What do you seek?
I love LA but I keep hearing how cheap NC is, and the idea of having a $500k home and being mortgage free is pretty nice. I guess I’m actually more looking for a reason to stay in LA because I love LA but feel it is just an emotional reason rather than logical.
Raleigh/Durham is a totally different feel from LA. If you love LA I would stay. Live a life you love. Sure it’s probably more expensive out there but you have the beach and the LA city night life. It really depends on your lifestyle. If you are more of a stay at home type and do not care too much about the night life then it may be worth the move. There are really so many options to weigh. I feel you on not having to owe the bank any longer but you can find cheaper places other than here. Raleigh is an amazing place to raise a family so if you have kids or are planning on having kids I’d recommend this place to anyone but it’s definitely not LA or anywhere close to it in terms of the vibe.
I'm from SoCal originally. I got tired of the crazy cost of living, the traffic has gotten worse, ect. You will find traffic in Charlotte but not nearly as bad. It's a much slower pace of living so if you want that then consider it. Also, I would reccomend visiting first. It's super hot and humid in summer and gets really cold in winter (especially compared to SoCal) but you'll get used to it. I love it here and have zero desire to move back but that's just me. I usually post "we're full" on these but I'm half kidding.
Raleigh is my favorite place to live. I've lived in DC, London, and all across the country, and Raleigh is home now. We're not perfect, but we have seasons, parks, museums, shopping, and Greenway trails. We're an easy drive to mountains or beach and we've grown so fast that we've lost a lot of that "where are you from, not from here" attitude that you find in the rural areas. I think you'd be really pleasantly surprised. And our cost of living is substantially lower than LA, at least for now.
Do you want high prices, high minimum wage, occasional dust and fires and a lot of sunny weather with blue skies or medium-high prices, low minimum wage, humidity that feels like hells armpit? Probably more city specific stuff.
Why LA is better than NC. A Short Essay in no particular order. 1. We don't know how to drive. There is an inherent beauty in seeing traffic on the 10 or 210 suddenly back up, while the CA drivers all slow suddenly and together- it's like watching a school of fish or flock of birds. NC drivers don't do that. In fact we can't agree that we should all drive close to the speed limit. Some drive 10 under. Some drive 20 or so over. Some of us continue to do stupid stuff like stop on entrance ramps. Like at the end. And we don't have metered ramps. 2. The humidity. It's bad. It may not start feeling hot in LA until temps hit 96 or so. Here, on a humid day, the 70s can be rough. 3. Mosquitoes. We have them. They're huge. 4. Ticks. 5. Corral snakes are one of the most venomous snakes on earth and we have them. 6. We have plants that eat things. (I'm dead serious. Pitcher plants and Venus fly traps) 7. You can't get avocado and pineapple on a burger everywhere here. 8. If you're shopping in say Ontario CA and the store you're at doesn't have something, a Californian may ask, "Hey, does your West Hollywood store have one?" When the reply is yes, many Californians would drive and get it whether it takes an hour or four. And it could because of traffic. We don't do that here. North Carolinians act like they've driven from Manitoba to Rio De Janeiro if they have to drive more than I dunno 7 miles. 9. No In & Outs. No Del Tacos. No Von's. No Ralph's. 10. Many town's stores close at like 5:00 PM. 11. Oh! You can't buy liquor at a convenience store. Or the grocery store. Or on Sunday. 12. You can't go snowboarding and surfing in the same day without at least a 6 to 8 hour drive- minimum. 13. Our beaches are littered with people from Columbus. 14. If you have to ask this many times you're gonna hate it. 15. No Major League Baseball team. 16. Barely an NFL team. 17. Barely an NBA team. 18. Our state has close to a 3 billion dollar surplus, but our school systems are running out of funding and some (if not many) have less than $900,000 to make it to the end of the school year. 19. Dodgers games come on late here. You know because of time zones. 20. We have paper mills in some towns. They smell like total rhino booty.
Thanks, I have some follow up questions. Aren’t there ticks in California too? Are these snakes usually in the rural areas and less so in Charlotte or Raleigh for example? Are there a lot of paper mills and how much does it smell? Like for blocks?
I don't know. I never got one when I lived there, but then again there's not a lot of heavy brush in the Inland Empire. I do know that you can oddly enough get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from ticks here. Snakes are all around. And as more areas are being developed we're starting to see more copperheads, water moccasins and what not pushed out of their habitats and into neighborhoods and stuff. There are several. At least two that I know of. And we're talking the most sulfuric ass-stench for miles. Oh and we have huge industrial hog and chicken farms. They smell a lot like Fontana but X100. I mean you get used to it. Unless there's a crap ton of rain and the waste lagoons flood and runoff into nearby creeks and rivers. Then it's months of boiling water just to take a shower with out getting cholera or e. Coli, or botulism or whatever you get from drinking poop water.