People leave Charlotte for suburbs...

[M. Brown]

I assume that charlotte can annex anythin that blue area of infuence?

[monsoon]

[thumper]

I heard an amazing number that 29,000 new residences are built each year in Mecklenburg county. That would seem to indicate that most people in the are prefer to live outside of uptown because there only 6000 people there.

[Neo]

I heard an amazing number that 29,000 new residences are built each year in Mecklenburg county.  That would seem to indicate that most people in the are prefer to live outside of uptown because there only 6000 people there.

I'd wager price and amenities has something to do with that. Most people want a good yard, couple of cars and lots of space to move around...something that's very expensive downtown. Oh, and to be close to their beloved Wal-Mart!

[dubone]

I think the garage and yard demands are true for families with kids, but there is nothing more depressing than living alone in a huge house with garages, and a yard on a culdesac in the middle of nowhere if you don't have a family.

With divorcees, empty-nest boomers, dinks and oinks numbers growing fast everywhere, downtowns and close-in neighborhoods are resurging.

[ElricSeven]

I think the garage and yard demands are true for families with kids, but there is nothing more depressing than living alone in a huge house with garages, and a yard  on a culdesac in the middle of nowhere if you don't have a family.

With divorcees, empty-nest boomers, dinks and oinks numbers growing fast everywhere, downtowns and close-in neighborhoods are resurging.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is still quite possible to live close in, such as in NoDa, PlazaMidwood, etc., and have a yard and a garage. However, everyone these days wants humungous amounts of space in their house. I lived in one of these in Steele Creek and it was so much work to clean, so expensive to heat and to furnish (and admittedly lacked personality), that I sold it and moved uptown.

For reasons as to why such houses aren't all they're cracked up to be, read the "Not so big house" website: http://www.notsobighouse.com/press.asp I predict a backlash sooner or later against the great big surburbanite houses, especially with worsening traffic, increasing oil and gasoline costs and other factors pointed out on that website.

Of course, then again, I'm often wrong.