I may be a little bias, but I do believe that Charlotte, North Carolina is quite possibly the best city. After being born in Philadelphia, PA, growing up in the small-town USA and living in the ultimate tourist hot spot, Orlando, Flordia on top of traveling across the United States, nowhere else is quite like the Queen City.
Hi friends!
It's no secret that I love the city of Charlotte. I mean, it's all I ever talked about when I would go home for breaks for when I moved to Flordia for my Disney Internship. If you all read my Dear UNC Charlotte... post you may know that I had a love/hate relationship with the city when I first moved out here. I mean, hey, change is scary. Now that I've spent 4 years of undergrad here, 1-year post-grad and moved back for work, it's hard for me to imagine myself anywhere else but here... for now at least. Today we're diving into 7 reasons why Charlotte is the place to be.
1. It's the perfect size
You know the story of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears and how Goldie Locks went through every chair, bowl of porridge and bed till she found one that was juuuusst right? Think of Charlotte like that. Hear me out.
I've grown up most of my life in your typical small-town USA. Everyone knew everyone, Friday night Football is the only thing we had to look forward to and it takes you less than 10 minutes to get to one side of town from the other. On the flip side, I've grown up visiting the top major cities with Philadelphia, PA, and Atlanta, GA is the most frequent. The problem with small-town life is that there's a lack of diversity, not much to do and little room for opportunity. On the other hand, with major cities such as Philadelphia and Atlanta, there are just WAY too many people, the traffic sucks, and you're living in a literal concrete jungle.
With Charlotte, you are able to get the best of both worlds. With it being an and coming city (not to mention the largest city in NC, Halla!), there's plenty of room for growth and opportunity as well as a wide diversity of people here. On top of that, you're able to get the small-town feel just 30ish minutes outside of the city. It really is the best of both worlds.
2. You get to experience all of the seasons
Sure, some seasons may overstay their welcome compared to others (summer, I'm lookin' at you), but you still are able to experience snow, warm sunny days, crisp fall nights and spring weather here. After living in Florida for a while and experiencing nonstop heat and humidity, having a change of seasons is something I've really started to appreciate.
3. THE FOOD
No secret that ya girl loves to eat and Charlotte is the place for it. The food scene here is inane and it's no surprise that there are food bloggers and foodies popping up left and right to document it all here. Want Koren food? Got it. Something on the healthier side? Got it. A fusion place? Got it. How about a trendy coffee shop? We got it too. Not to mention the variety of bars and breweries we have to offer here.
4. There's a solid community of creatives
I know, I know. When people think of creatives and entertainment their first thought is LA or if you think of fashion you think of NYC, but let me tell ya, don't count Charlotte out quite yet. I've been in the blogging game since 2014 and it's crazy to see how much the community has grown here. From beauty YouTubers to bloggers to podcasters to photographers the number of creative minds here is just crazy. Even coming back to Charlotte a year later I'm blown away with how much the community has grown and how many were able to quit their full-time job to pursue their passions.
ALSO, not to mention that the majority of the people here some of the nicest people you'll ever meet (they don't call it Southern hospitality for nothing). I always joke with people that most of my friends are made online, but it's so true! Blogging / doing anything out of the norm is nerve-racking as is and it's nice to know that there's a community here that understands that.
5. It's home to the Carolina Panthers
I had mentioned that high school football was the only thing to look forward to in my town, but nothing compares to the NFL football scene here in Charlotte. I never really got into football (despite being a cheerleader growing up.. whooops), until I moved here. I mean, how can you not? With tailgates and the whole city dressed up in black and blue every Sunday, it's hard not to be a part of the festivities.
6. There's a solid fitness scene here
Yeah, it may not be at LA's level with fitness classes, but it's still pretty dang good here. From dance cardio to barre, to yoga fusion to cycling you can pretty much find any class you're looking for here. I just recently started getting into fitness classes thanks to Cara of Caralina Style and there's just so much to choose from with even more popping up! Also not to mention all of the various pop-up events they have at breweries and parks around the city. My recommendation is to try out ClassPass so you can try out different classes around the city.
7. Location, location, location
Want to go to the beach? It's a 3-hour car ride. How about the mountains? Two hours in the opposite direction? Out of the country? Don't worry we have an international airport for that. The best part of Charlotte is that the best parts of North Carolina are within driving distance and we have one of the largest international airport on top of that. Also not to mention we also have Lake Norman in our backyard if you wanna take the boat out for the day. This may just be me being a little bias since even going to the airport or mall was a 2-hour treck for me in my hometown and don't even get me started about the beach.
Are you sold yet?
If not, my girl Tomi of GoodTomiCha wrote a post on her 9 Things She Loves Charlotte, NC! I can go on and on about my love for this city and it really is the one place where I really have felt at home. I'm so thankful for all of the opportunities it has brought me and the people I have been fortunate to meet here.
Are you sold yet?
If not, my girl Tomi of GoodTomiCha wrote a post on her 9 Things She Loves Charlotte, NC! I can go on and on about my love for this city and it really is the one place where I really have felt at home. I'm so thankful for all of the opportunities it has brought me and the people I have been fortunate to meet here.
Do you love Charlotte, NC as much as I do? Let me know your favorite thing down below! Think about visiting? Let me know too! I'd love to chat in the comments! If you want to see more of my adventures in Charlotte, be sure to follow me on Instagram! I hope you all have a great day and as always, thank you for reading!
xoxo,
Amy
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