hardly got anything up where i'm at. Few hail balls hit the house but the storm cell literally circled around me without any precipitation and was gone in minutes

5/12/2008 4:57:25 PM

highland creek didnt get the hail

5/14/2008 3:00:45 PM

Charlotte Named Best Place to Live

Quote :

"Apparently, there's just something about North Carolina. For the second year in a row, America's best city in which to live lies within its borders, according to Relocate-America.com's annual list. This year, Charlotte, N.C., is in the top spot, the site announced this week. Last year's winner was Asheville, N.C., which slipped to No. 7 on this year's list. "North Carolina is very active on our radar," said Steve Nickerson, president and CEO of HomeRoute. "It continues to get a flood of interest from all over." HomeRoute is the real estate firm that operates Relocate-America.com, a source of community information and real-estate resources for those who are relocating. Each year, the site ranks the top 100 places to live in the country. Areas need to be nominated on the site in order to be eligible for the list; more than 2,000 were nominated this year, Nickerson said. Special efforts are made to prevent spamming campaigns from influencing the results, he added. But the site's editorial team also takes into account an area's growth, its educational and employment opportunities, crime rates and housing options before granting it a spot in the top 100. Environmental highlights also play a role, with a city gaining points for good air and water quality or the strength of its recycling efforts, Nickerson said. Home-price appreciation does get some consideration, however it's only one piece of the analysis, Nickerson said -- explaining why some struggling real estate markets in California and Florida, for example, still made the top 100. Areas that offer a comfortable climate and economic opportunity tend to be the most sought-after communities on the site, he said. 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. Second on this year's list was San Antonio, Texas, which people praised for its cost of living, recreational opportunities and diversity, he said. Chattanooga, Tenn., came in third place, noted for its vibrant downtown and affordable home prices in the nominations. Below are the top 10 cities in Relocate-America.com's 2008 list: 1. Charlotte, N.C. 2. San Antonio, Texas 3. Chattanooga, Tenn. 4. Greenville, S.C. 5. Tulsa, Okla. 6. Stevens Point, Wis. 7. Asheville, N.C. 8. Albuquerque, N.M. 9. Huntsville, Ala. 10. Seattle, Wash."

--http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105075/Charlotte-Named-Best-Place-to-Live

woo!

5/16/2008 9:11:31 AM

5/16/2008 10:57:33 AM

Sadly we also have one of the highest crime rates in the nation...

5/16/2008 4:04:04 PM

yup...no worries though

5/16/2008 5:04:14 PM

that doesn't help much if your shit is broken into while you're gone

5/17/2008 5:50:11 PM

haha, true

I knew this guy in Norfolk, and he would always say shit like "man, ain't no one going to break into my place. I'll pull out my hammer, and shoot first, blah blah blah"

I would say "it won't matter either way if they break in while you're gone. You're either going to lose some of your stuff, or you're going to lose some of your stuff plus your heater if you didn't take it with you"

he would just say "yeah, I'll pull out my hammer and blast em"


he didn't seem to grasp that you can't shoot people if you're gone. and as soon as they see your car pull out of the parking lot, they're going to go in your house. as soon as you come back to the parking lot, the 'look out' is going to call the guy inside and tell him to GTFO"

5/17/2008 6:49:42 PM

yeah i mean i have my shotgun... i need to teach lou dog how to use it... but then she might hold me hostage when she has to go out.......

5/18/2008 4:45:19 PM

Quote :

"Special efforts are made to prevent spamming campaigns from influencing the results, he added."

Quote :

"Sadly we also have one of the highest crime rates in the nation"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

out of 72 cities with population > 250k
33 for murder
49 for violent crime
46 for aggravated assault
49 for robbery
46 for forcible rape
38 for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
67 for property crime
48 for arson
52 for motor vehicle theft
59 for larceny-theft
66 for burglary

looks pretty good to me

5/18/2008 8:02:12 PM

I guess so... maybe its just our stupid sensationalist news that brings it up and over exaggerates it.

5/19/2008 10:08:22 AM

NY, NY, San Fran, Tampa, and other larger cities are down on the list... even Raleigh is quite a bit further down.

I think the thing about Charlotte is that it seems the crime has grown recently, specifically with MV theft and gang-related crimes. Then again, they seem to be in certain areas more than most (University, anyone?) which traditionally weren't as crime-ridden as they are today a few years ago.

5/19/2008 12:51:42 PM

there have been 3 break ins in the past 2 months in my apt complex

5/19/2008 1:16:30 PM

Guessing they didn't interview anyone in the University area when they ranked those cities!

5/19/2008 2:23:28 PM

The university area not traditionally crime ridden? UNIVERSITY--dumb young college kids seperated from downtown by THE GHETTO (hidden valley and the sketchness on n. tryon). It seems like an obvious target area.

The feel of charlotte being dangerous and crime ridden is largely due to local media. Any crime = lots of crime to them. It sales papers/veiwership.

[Edited on May 19, 2008 at 2:29 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on May 19, 2008 at 2:30 PM. Reason : ]

5/19/2008 2:28:18 PM

Yeah I know....I work in that area...sucks having to always look around to make sure you're not about to get jumped.

5/19/2008 2:29:27 PM

Shoot i live near uptown and it isn't great

The problem with charlotte is most of the nice areas displaced bad areas...

5/19/2008 4:24:49 PM

I never really felt safe in University
Felt very safe in Matthews (my neighbors also had big guns and dogs )
Felt safe in Pineville(ish, Carmel/51 area)
Feel safe thus far in Southend (plus, my building is secure - that helps!)

Anyone know when the South Blvd. exit off of 277 will be fixed? the detours are annoying

5/19/2008 5:45:28 PM

Quote :

"The university area not traditionally crime ridden? UNIVERSITY--dumb young college kids seperated from downtown by THE GHETTO (hidden valley and the sketchness on n. tryon). It seems like an obvious target area."

speaking of crime, http://www.wsoctv.com/news/16322908/detail.html happened pretty much across the street (at the bojangles) from where i work in south end

[Edited on May 19, 2008 at 6:30 PM. Reason : .]

5/19/2008 6:28:43 PM

was that the Bojangles at the corner of South and West?

i remember coming back from a Hornets game one night and seeing some dude at the corner of that intersection just chilling with a shotgun...shit was worse back then though...Wilmore had more crime than Hidden Valley

5/19/2008 7:16:24 PM

it's actually at west and tryon. but yeah. west of tryon? SKETCH. heading east? break out your grande cappucinos

[Edited on May 19, 2008 at 11:11 PM. Reason : ^_^]

5/19/2008 11:10:30 PM

EAST SIDE REPRESENT!...

5/20/2008 10:33:19 AM

Anyone live at a place with a pool that would hook a brotha up ?

5/20/2008 4:41:07 PM

i got some puddles in my backyard, you could come roll around in that?

for a nominal fee, of course

5/20/2008 6:59:28 PM

haha sweet ???

5/20/2008 8:41:04 PM

when do you want to go to the pool? now?

5/21/2008 6:17:50 PM

I just saw on charlotte.com that Thomas Street Tavern was named one of the best bars in America!

5/22/2008 9:59:28 AM

i dunno whenever
i just want to have some pool availability this year

5/23/2008 1:11:19 PM

bttt

Heat wave in Charlotte! 10 days of 90+ degree weather. It was like 85 degrees at midnight last night.

and Taste of Charlotte starts today, I think.

6/5/2008 1:20:47 PM

how hard is it to get into the pool @ the trade mark ???

i wants to swim but my condo has no pool!!

6/5/2008 1:31:39 PM

Epicenter's alive after five thing is better than wachovia plaza's

6/20/2008 8:09:33 AM

went to eastover ridge pool today, just walked in and acted like we lived there, nobody said shit

6/21/2008 5:26:07 PM

anyone hang out a lot in Noda? went down there for the first time in about a year. Had a great time at Solstice and the evening muse. Will go back again. Definitely a nice change of pace from uptown, wasn't too overcrowded with hipsters like i assumed

6/23/2008 3:48:39 PM

I like Noda and Elizabeth better than uptown on most nights for the lack of crowdification.
Lou dog and i are members @ "the dog bar"

6/23/2008 4:02:29 PM

NoDa is pretty sweet...I go out there about once a month.

South End, NoDa, Thomas St. > Uptown

6/23/2008 4:22:41 PM

I hear thomas st. is the shit.. i'm a big fan of philosopher's stone.

6/24/2008 2:37:26 PM

Never been to the Stone, but Jack's next door is awesome

6/24/2008 7:28:54 PM

i got hit on by a dude at jacks...

6/24/2008 7:35:13 PM

im going to thomas st. tomorrow woo

6/24/2008 10:49:37 PM

Wachovia AA5 or Epicentre After 5 concert which are you going to

6/26/2008 9:30:10 AM

Anyone go to the Wine Vault, Bad Dogs, or Boardwalk Billy's? I like all three. Bad Dogs has some really cheap beer. Boardwalk Billy's has a good atmosphere most nights, and the deck by the water. I love how chill the Wine Vault is. It's one of my favorite places b/c of how laid back it is and the people are real nice.

6/26/2008 10:04:46 AM

I know a band that plays BBs a lot... they went to my h.s. i think they call them selves audacity now... or something

6/26/2008 11:16:41 AM

I wanna move to charlotte

6/26/2008 11:48:53 AM

If you need a place... i have a room with a roommate that i have nothing in common with who is renting month to month

[Edited on June 26, 2008 at 4:39 PM. Reason : .]

6/26/2008 4:38:00 PM

I'm seriously planning on moving down there once I get to a point at my job where I'm traveling several days a week. Right now I have to be in Asheboro everyday so it wouldn't work out so well but that's a definite possibility in 6-12 months if the offer is still there.

How much would rent be btw?

6/26/2008 8:06:58 PM

Epicentre was fun last night (until the rain)

Was anyone else there?



[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 11:59 AM. Reason : ]

6/27/2008 11:57:14 AM

yeah i got soaked
it was awesome

6/27/2008 12:08:15 PM

I still have yet to make it to a dead alive after 5

6/27/2008 1:37:47 PM

the epicentre one is like 30 seconds from my house... free music is worth it....

6/27/2008 2:04:03 PM

I agree! it was fun there. Great meeting you Kelly! Sorry for running off my ankle was killing me.

We left at the right time we got back to my place around 9 and it was pouring by 9:30

6/28/2008 10:38:34 AM