5 Truths about Living in Charlotte

So, since we will be leaving Charlotte in less than 3 months, I thought I would do a little round up of a few things I've learned are true after living in the South for almost 3 years! Can you believe it's been that long?  I was originally going to title this "5 Truths about Living in the South" but I'm still not sure if Charlotte is considered the South. Is it the East Coast? I don't know if it knows what it is. P.S. For those who are curious, I will announce where we are moving next week, so stay tuned for that. 

Not everyone says Y'all. 

Here's the deal. Most of the people that live in Charlotte are from other places -- New York, Florida, Michigan, etc. So this city is full of a bunch of people that aren't from the South.  It's only when I occasionally hear an accent that I even remember that we are in fact, in Charlotte. And nobody say's Y'all. I know... it's so weird and sad at the same time. I totally thought I would start saying Y'all but unfortunately (or fortunately), I have not. 

No one honks. I mean no one. 

After about my second week here, I realized this. I honked all the time in Seattle. Probably every single day. and no, I am not an aggressive driver, I just honk if someone is driving like a maniac. Funny story: while I was turning left at an arrow, I was about 3-4 cars back, waiting for the arrow to turn green. The arrow turned green and the guy in front was not paying attention, so he didn't go. The light cycled through to yellow and then red again. Not a single car honked. If that happened in Seattle, I'm pretty sure about .0790894 seconds after the light turned green, he would have been on the receiving end of several honks, including mine. I sat there in awe, just thinking, wow. This city must be really polite. and for the most part it is. 

The humidity isn't as bad as you think it will be. 

After I found out we were moving here, I'll admit it. I panicked a little, about my hair. After growing up in Hawaii, I promised myself I would never live in a place where I could straighten my hair at 7 am and then look in the mirror about 4 hours later to see a full head of frizzy, wavy, curly hair. Hello, humidity?!?!? But, the thing about living here is that everywhere has AC. Your apartment, your office, your car.  It's not like that in all places, especially not Hawaii. 

Everyone drives at least 15 mph over the speed limit on the freeway. Even grandmas. 

This is the crazy part about this one -- hardly anyone ever gets pulled over. Maybe once or twice in almost 3 years, have I ever seen someone pulled over on the side of the road. So, I guess it's just a given that everyone drives way over the speed limit, except me. I can't even count the number of times that grandmas have passed me. This is why I drive in the middle lane, no need to worry about crazies getting mad at me for going the speed limit. They can do their thang, and I can do mine. 

The city is changing. 

And I can barely keep up with it. Everyday new apartment buildings are being planned, new restaurants are opening and I kind of love it.  In the short time since we've been here we've seen some places close (RIP 4th Ward Bakery) and a ton of new places open. I used to always be in-the-know about this stuff, but lately it's hard for me to even keep track of. But, I am so excited to see what the future holds for this city.  My favorite project is probably the Atherton Mill restoration and expansion. 

Do you live in Charlotte? What did I miss? Feel free to add to the comments section below.  Stay tuned for "5 Myths about Living in Charlotte"... and our special announcement about where we are moving to next...

Have a great week,