Charlotte Rated #98 in Best Cities to live?

[atownrocks]

I recently bought a book called Cities Ranked and Rated which ranks 400 U.S. cities. I was really looking foward to see what Charlotte was rated, I was appauled to see that Charlotte was #98. It says that Charlotte has bad healthcare. It says that Charlotte has bad crime rate(which is true, but not uncommon with a city of 1.5 million. Not only that sevral U.S. cities beat Charlotte, and some of the cities are shocking: ok here we go: The number #1 place to live is Charlottesville, VA. #7 was Atlanta(Now I am from Atlanta, it is a great city), #9 was Reno, NV #11 was Roanoke, VA #13 was Raleigh, #14 was Bryan-College Station TX, # 15 was Lynchburg, VA, #23 was Lafayette, IN, #27 was Fayetteville, AR #32 was Abilene, TX, # 35 was Wichita, KS, #41 was Dayton, OH, and here is the shocker #50 was Columbia, SC. . Not only was this book crazy it is stupid, according to this book Orange County, California gets more tornadoes than Charlotte does . What do you all have to say about this.

[turbocraig]

I wouldn't get too worked up about it. Those types of lists are always suspect and heavily subjective. It reminds me of all those dumb Forbes "Best" or "Most" lists. You know they didn't send a group of researchers to all 400 cities to judge the quality of life, so there can't be any consistency in real world comparisons. They're usually just a compilation of pre-existing research and raw statistics.

[teshadoh]

The only list that matters is your own

[monsoon]

I guess we need to know their criteria to know if it was valid or not. I've seen other lists that put Charlotte at close to top of their rankings.

My opinion is that people vote with their feet. If this wasn't a great place to live, we would not have so many people moving here. And it is not just job related as many people find this a great place to retire.

[krazeeboi]

#27 was Fayetteville

Is this Fayetteville, NC or Fayetteville, AR? If the former, then THAT is truly the shocker here.

[atownrocks]

Is this Fayetteville, NC or Fayetteville, AR? If the former, then THAT is truly the shocker here.

It is Arkansas, but still.

[voyager12]

I can understand Raleigh's ranking because of the Universities nearby and RTP. As well as Charlottesville, even without UVA which adds a great deal, Charlottesville is a great city. The rest are puzzling.

[monsoon]

Charlottesville is a very nice city. But it won't appeal to a lot of people as it is a bit off the beaten trail and it is not that large of a place. I do wish it was a little closer to CLT however.

I do applaude Charlottesville for removing the automobile from their center city.

[krazeeboi]

I don't think the shock factor is so much how some of these metros fared in the ranking as it is the fact that they ranked ahead of Charlotte. I do know that as far as the top 50 go, there are a few cities in that bracket that were also named one of America's most livable cities according to Partners of Livable Communities, which include Minneapolis, Fayetteville, Roanoke, and Charlotte's southern neighbor, Columbia. What I have noticed about the list is that college towns/cities seemed to fare very well: Charlottesville at #1, Atlanta at #7, Raleigh at #13, Bryan-College Station at #14, Austin at #22, Bloomington, IN at #29, State College, PA at #13, Athens at #34, etc.

[voyager12]

God knows I am beating a dozen dead horses...but Charlotte could have had a much more expressive vibe if UNCC had been conceived in the city's core. College towns have the intangible "active" vibe that always catapults most to the top of national rankings.

[monsoon]

Honestly, I think neighborhoods near college campuses are some of the most unliveable places in the USA.

[krazeeboi]

^If you mean in terms of housing prices, I agree with you (for most colleges, that is).

[teshadoh]

It varies - it depends on if college students live in the neighborhoods adjoining colleges. Otherwise there are a number of college ghettos - but also some of the best neighborhoods beside colleges (Eden Terrace in Rock Hill)..

[krazeeboi]

Not only was this book crazy it is stupid, according to this book Orange County, California gets more tornadoes than Charlotte does .

Well, according to the data, Orange County has indeed experienced more tornadoes than Mecklenburg County from 1958-1998. In that time period, Orange County experienced 28 tornadoes compared to 15 in Mecklenburg County.

It varies - it depends on if college students live in the neighborhoods adjoining colleges. Otherwise there are a number of college ghettos - but also some of the best neighborhoods beside colleges (Eden Terrace in Rock Hill)..

The Charlotte and Oakland Avenue neighborhoods are nice as well.

[teshadoh]

Though when I lived there, a number of homes around Oakland Ave were duplexes or apartments. Might not be the case anymore but was then.

But I don't think anyone should get upset about what a ranking states - I don't think the listing is faulty or wrong, it's just a ranking based on a certain data set. But numbers can lie - just the way you want to interpret them.

I think you're right though - most likely access to major colleges was a major indicator, or colleges were awarded higher scorings for arts, education & entertainment. Which of course is a misnomer - many prestigious colleges have very low attendance from their immediate surroundings...

[Spartan]

I would like to know what the criteria are for these rankings. What shocks me was Roanoke at #11. Roanoke is a nice town, but I don't think many would consider it high in the best living category. I was going to say that the pattern is college towns, but I don't think that Roanoke has one. Atlanta is too big to be a "college town."

Honestly, I think neighborhoods near college campuses are some of the most unliveable places in the USA.

What do you mean by "unliveable" ?

Neighborhoods near colleges are frequently the nicer neighborhoods in a city. Not always, but fairly often I think. The difference would be the number of college students in the neighborhood, and probably dependant on the "party college" reputation. Of the colleges I am most familiar with, the neighborhoods in their immediate vicinity are often very nice.... Just look at Queens College in Charlotte.

[monsoon]

I would like to know what the criteria are for these rankings. What shocks me was Roanoke at #11. Roanoke is a nice town, but I don't think many would consider it high in the best living category. I was going to say that the pattern is college towns, but I don't think that Roanoke has one. Atlanta is too big to be a "college town."

What do you mean by "unliveable" ?

Roanoke has a small woman's college there called Hollins. It's probably around 1000 students. It's been there since the 1840s.

I meant unliveable as in if it is a neighborhood where they rent out to college kids, then its a neighborhood that I would not want to live in.

[The_sandlapper]

I recently bought a book called Cities Ranked and Rated which ranks 400 U.S. cities. I was really looking foward to see what Charlotte was rated, I was appauled to see that Charlotte was #98. It says that Charlotte has bad healthcare. It says that Charlotte has bad crime rate(which is true, but not uncommon with a city of 1.5 million. Not only that sevral U.S. cities beat Charlotte, and some of the cities are shocking: ok here we go: The number #1 place to live is Charlottesville, VA. #7 was Atlanta(Now I am from Atlanta, it is a great city), #9 was Reno, NV #11 was Roanoke, VA #13 was Raleigh, #14 was Bryan-College Station TX, # 15 was Lynchburg, VA, #23 was Lafayette, IN, #27 was Fayetteville, AR #32 was Abilene, TX, # 35 was Wichita, KS, #41 was Dayton, OH, and here is the shocker #50 was Columbia, SC.

I mean is it that bad really, is it really that inconcieveable to think that outside of this forum that Charlotte may not appeal to everyone? You know there are great things happening outside of the Charlotte metro all around the US all the time, and has been for quite some time. It's good to see that Clum finally got off that blow and got it's act together for a top 50 ranking!

Oh well its nice press for me to hear, sorry CLT didn't rank higher maybe next year.

I feel the love coming!

[mallguy]

Before I moved to Charlotte, I heard nothing but negative views of Charlotte. Sorry, but Charlotte doesn't appeal to everyone- definitely not.

[waccamatt]

Before I moved to Charlotte, I heard nothing but negative views of Charlotte. Sorry, but Charlotte doesn't appeal to everyone- definitely not.

I know it's hard for alot of Charlotteans to comprehend, but alot of people don't like Charlotte. It doesn't have a real college presence, the only decent sized school, UNCC, is way out in the suburbs; traffic is abominable and just about everything more than 50 years old has been torn down. Charlotte does have some nice buildings and pro sports, but overall it is lacking in some areas. 98 out of 400 is not a horrible ranking - it is in the top 25%. Personally, I think Columbia should be higher than number 50, but you don't see me trashing cities in front of it to justify that.

[voyager12]

Well for what its worth I like Charlotte a lot. If you don't like don't move here. I am not a big fan of Columbia.

And I am sure its hard to for many Columbians to "comprehend" how many people don't like Columbia. Oh but I am not "trashing" Columbia

[atownrocks]

I mean is it that bad really, is it really that inconcieveable to think that outside of this forum that Charlotte may not appeal to everyone? You know there are great things happening outside of the Charlotte metro all around the US all the time, and has been for quite some time. It's good to see that Clum finally got off that blow and got it's act together for a top 50 ranking!

Oh well its nice press for me to hear, sorry CLT didn't rank higher maybe next year.

I feel the love coming!

I don't see Columbia planning all that Charlotte is, Charlotte is working it's way to becoming one of the best to live(in my opinion.) In the next couple of years Charlotte will have over 2 million people in the metro area. Columbia may not even have a million. Charlotte is planning a light rail system and a major expansion of the airport, it is a major hub for a major airlines. There is a possiblity of a MBA team coming to Charlotte and a NASCAR hall of fame coming(actually I could care less about that). But I am just making a point. Charlotte has one of the most attractive housing markets in the country. And actually I don't think that most people are wild about the heat that Columbia gets, I mean every time I turn of the weather Columbia is like a 105 degrees. Yeah other cities in U.S. have a lot to offer to, but over all Charlotte is a up and coming city, which I think, down the road will be very reconizable around the country. That's why so many people are moving here, because it truly is a great city!!

[The_sandlapper]

Okay guys too clear the air I'm not a "rabid psycho city booster" infact I'll give you 2 cents for you not to tell me all of the negative stereotypes you guys may have of Columbia. I've been surfing this site for almost 2 years now and I have heard pretty much all the standard "SC is a thirdworld country compared to NC" mumbo enough to document from here to 2010, so spare me please, again if I only had a nickel! I am simply stating that yes it is obvious CLT and Columbia are not a good match when compared economically and population wise but that doesn't mean that the quality of life in Columbia is any less than CLT, ATL, LA, or NYC and infact it is better in some cases! Why is that so hard to believe? I mean we do wear shoes, put our pants on one leg at a time, and drive on paved roads?! I know civic pride will always rear its ugly head when one's city isn't looked favorably upon by outsiders but try to be "progressive" and have an open mind! I mean I was in "argueablly the most progressive state in the Union last month (California) and I didn't get nearly as many "piss on you becase you are form SC", as people throw at me from the tarheel state? The vibe I got was well welcoming, and friendly!!!

Well for what its worth I like Charlotte a lot. If you don't like don't move here. I am not a big fan of Columbia.

And I am sure its hard to for many Columbians to "comprehend" how many people don't like Columbia. Oh but I am not "trashing" Columbia

Sounds great one big happy family!

[monsoon]

I know it's hard for alot of Charlotteans to comprehend, but alot of people don't like Charlotte. It doesn't have a real college presence, the only decent sized school, UNCC, is way out in the suburbs; traffic is abominable and just about everything more than 50 years old has been torn down. Charlotte does have some nice buildings and pro sports, but overall it is lacking in some areas. 98 out of 400 is not a horrible ranking - it is in the top 25%. Personally, I think Columbia should be higher than number 50, but you don't see me trashing cities in front of it to justify that.

Your forgot about CPCC, Johnson & Wales, and JC Smith right in the downtown area. And there are more college students in Charlotte than in Columbia. They are not as noticible here as Columbia because Charlotte is a much larger place and there is a lot more going on.

[teshadoh]

Number of college students don't equate to a college atmosphere - CPCC & Johnson C Smith from my understanding are largely commuter colleges with a very limited college environment on campus. Comparing cities that rely heavily on the college atmosphere like Columbia & Raleigh aren't comparable to a city like Charlotte that has been able to develop it's own nightlife / arts / whatever without using a college as it's crutch.