Who's got the scoop on Charlotte NC?

A company just outside Charlotte NC is flying me down for an interview on Wednesday. Who's got the scoop on living in the Charlotte area, particularly the southwest 'burbs down to the NC/SC line?

When I was there a while ago the traffic on 77 in the morning is CRAZY.

I was looking at the northern burbs so I cannot help more than that. Be careful on choosing where you live if you have kids. Watch school districts closely and you'll be fine.

One of my buddies in college worked at MGM brakes in charlotte... I'll have to see if he is still there.

I got a sister that lives in Charlotte. You couldn't pry her out with a crowbar and a stick of dynamite. She loves it.

CCR does an autocross at Carowins in a huge lot. This weekend as a matter of fact. Supposed to be one of the largest autocross lots in the SE. Of course, not as good as the one we do at Micheline Proving Grounds.

I lived there for about a year way back when, it's changed so much now that my recollections would mean nothing at all. The southwest side should be pretty close to the old Heritage USA (Jim and Tammy Bakker's place) and also to Carowinds.

One of the only out of town jobs I ever applied for was in Charlotte. It was head tech for UNC's Motorsport's shop. Not a teaching position, but basically run the schools race shop, labs, etc.

Come on down!

The comment about 77 is right. It is very crowded, so crowded in fact that anytime there is a rush hour backup the overflow from 77 clogs up any and all surrounded roads.

The SW area puts you near the junction of Gaston and Mecklenburg counties in NC and York county in SC. This area has quite a few different "styles" of living available. There is everything from trailer parks to gated communities, lakeside to sorta mountains.

Mecklenburg county has the highest property taxes in the area so you might want to look to Gaston or York counties if a little extra drive time doesn't scare you. I chose Clover in York county, SC because I wanted something a little more rural after 6 years in a Charlotte apartment. It usually takes me about 35-40 minutes to get to work in the morning.

I lived there for 3 years and loved it. We lived just off Carmel Rd near the intersection with Quail Hollow. Four true seasons, none of which are brutal in any extreme, close to the mountains, not too far from the beach (Wrightsville Beach is down 76/74 and fantastic).

If you do end up there, look for something near one of the YMCA's. They are amazing facilities and pretty inexpensive to join as a family.

And the further south you live of the city, the closer you'll be to Carolina Motorsport Park!

Nothing useful to contribute, except that I had my first job out of law school in Charlotte for one day. Yes, one day. Flew down, interviewed for what would have been a very cool job that would have had me running a new business unit for a large bank within 6 months, was offered job and accepted on the spot. Flew home, got call the next day saying job I had just accepted couldn't be filled due to hiring freeze :( It all worked out fine, I'm happy doing what I do now where I do it (except when I think of all the taxes here in upstate NY) and the business unit I would have been heading up folded about a year later but it was damn disappointing at the time...

My brother has been down there for about six months and loves it except that the teaching jobs he and his wife were offered evaporated on their way down.

Plus it's NASCAR country, which means REALLY COOL garage sales (No I am serious)

The parts many Cup teams toss are perfect for idiots like us ;)

I live about 70 miles down I-85. Lots of traffic, lots of people. Banking businesses located there aren't doing too well (surprise surprise). Think of it as a smaller, cleaner Atlanta. Last time as was in downtown, I was amazed at all the housing (condos) in downtown.

Carolina Motorsports Park and Rockingham aren't too far away.

We have a branch office in Charlotte. Most workers there live well out of the city and commute in.

I lived there for about 6 months after graduating from college. I was not able to find an entry level job that suited me so I moved back home to the DC area. I was trying to get into the insurance game and was working at Hertz in the meantime. This was within the last 5 years. I love the city. It is "small" but large at the same time. On a sunday morning you can drive through downtown in about ten minutes but the surrounding area is huge.

I was commuting from the Ballantyne area up to Lake Norman everyday. It was about 60 miles and took me just about 1 hour. The "traffic" seemed like a relief to what I was used to in the DC area (13 miles = 45 minutes). I loved the area. It is nice and clean in most parts and like others have said you are close to a lake, mountains and not too far from the beach. Housing was reasonable when I was there and if I could have found a job I would have stayed. In fact before I came to work with Grassroots I was planning on transferring to Charlotte within the company I was working for.

Good luck with the interview! Charlotte is a great town and is pretty central to most of the east coast.