Charlotte named Best Place to Live
Posted on 16 May 2008 by Justin Ritchie
image credit: Justin Ruckman
Every year Relocate-America ranks the top 100 places to live in the nation, and this year it is Charlotte. Why the Queen City?
“Charlotte’s diversity of housing options and home affordability were two of the reasons users nominated the city, Nickerson said. The city’s strong economy, boosted largely by the banking industry, was another selling point.
The same qualities that appeal to visitors have made Charlotte one of the Southeast’s premier places to live. More than 500,000 people reside within our borders, approximately 1.3 million within the metro area, and 6 million within a 100-mile radius. We’re home to 292 of the top Fortune 500 companies and more than 340 foreign firms. Financial experts know us as the nation’s second largest banking center (next to New York City), with more than $362 billion in banking assets. The nation’s fifth largest urban region, Charlotte and environs have attracted more and more people who want to become part of our team.”
The 2008 Top 100 Places to Live list marks the second year in a row that a North Carolina city has had the honor of holding the number one spot. Asheville was #1 in 2007 and comes in at number seven this year. Runner up to Charlotte on this year’s list is San Antonio.
Read more at Yahoo! Finance. Thanks for the tip, Tyler!
Hello out there, I’m strongly considering moving to Charlotte w/my husband and three kids. I have been living in NY most of my life and I’m tired on of living in this outrageously expensive state. Howver, I’m afraid of the rumors that I’m hearing about Charlotte’s gangs and increased home invasions. Someone please offer me some insight on the quality of life in Charlotte and what areas to avoid. Thank you!
New York, NY, proper has become one of the safest cities in America and in recent years has amazingly low crime rates. Most any other big city you move to will have higher rates.
There are all sorts of ways to slice the statistics, but I’d say crime in Charlotte is moderate to low. The crime rates here are above the national average, and higher than NY’s, but on par among large cities. The latest Congressional Quarterly rankings have us 70th. I wouldn’t be too concerned if I were you. http://os.cqpress.com/citycrime/2009/CityCrimeRankings2009.htm
Of course how safe you feel will depend on the neighborhood. Use http://www.everyblock.com/ to compare areas here, and check them against places you know in New York.