From Charlotte, NC to Greenville, SC in 10 Days
Well, my wife and I are back from our 10 day tour visiting some of the best places to live in the Carolinas! We began our tour of the best places in Charlotte, NC and ended in beautiful Greenville, SC.
It was quite a trip, and I have many things to share with you.
When we pulled into Charlotte, NC, I was really impressed with all the construction cranes sitting on top of buildings under construction.
In light of the fact that Charlotte, North Carolina is a city based on banking, it has been hard hit by the economic downturn.
Bank of America and a Wachovia (now Wells Fargo Bank) are based here, and so is US Airways, two industries greatly affected.
However, Charlotte, NC is a city that's determined to grow regardless of the economy!
Duke Energy is in the middle of building its 48 story headquarters right in the middle of the city, and the Ritz Carlton opened one of their luxury hotels with 146 rooms in October 2009.
The Nascar Hall of Fame is under construction directly across from the Charlotte Convention Center, and will open as of May 2010.
There are 109 companies based in Charlotte, NC employing from 600 people to 30,000 people each! Eight Fortune 500 companies are based here.
Charlotte has a population of approximately 687,456 people, and Mecklenburg County, within which Charlotte is located, has a population of approximately 890,000 people.
Charlotte, NC has plenty of museums, restaurants, and cultural events to frequent. It's home of the Time Warner Arena, as well as the Bank of America Stadium.
Most people refer to the downtown area of Charlotte, North Carolina as "Uptown" (go figure).
The population Uptown is pretty homogeneous. Still lots of suit-and-tie bankers, but that seems to be changing. Also, I didn't find many retail shops in the Uptown area.
Charlotte is broken into 4 distinct areas and are referred to as "Wards."
1st Ward, 2nd Ward, 3rd Ward, and 4th Ward to designate its different "neighborhoods", all of which have a different flavor.
The First Ward Neighborhood is a mixed income district that was recently revitalized through a $41 million HUD grant.
The Second Ward Neighborhood has always been known as the "government district", although new housing, restaurants, shops, and parks are being developed.
The Third Ward Neighborhood is very diverse with a mix of housing, the Bank of America Stadium, and a planned new baseball stadium.
The Fourth Ward Neighborhood was my favorite. It's the "garden district", mostly residential, filled with 100 year old houses and lush green gardens. I found it to be very quaint.
There is a light rail system through out Charlotte, NC, and the old charming trolleys are still running.
Next week I'll tell you about the neighborhoods surrounding Charlotte, the best places to live outside Charlotte, and some areas that are not so main stream, but are right near Charlotte, and I feel may have some great potential.
In the coming weeks, I'll tell you all about an area we fell in love with on this trip for retiring or relocating to the Carolinas…Greenville, South Carolina.
We took videos of all these areas to share with you, as well as my personal best place to live in North Carolina…Asheville, North Carolina.
Keep an eye on our Video Library.
About Bob Bencivenga
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Bob Bencivenga is a professional site locator and location analyst for major corporations and has been researching the growth of NC and SC to find the Best Places to Retire or Relocate that are still affordable. |
| Visit his blog The Carolina Report and sign up for FREE updates by email,his FREE Affordable Best Places To Live Report and, get FREE Expert Advice on how to find Your Best Place to Retire or Relocate to in North Carolina and South Carolina, additional resources, and a lot more.
Bob does not sell real estate. |
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