Today I’m going to answer these questions and more as I share my top three reasons why I feel Charlotte is such an amazing city to live in.

Charlotte is located in central North Carolina, which is in the Southeastern U.S., which means we get the benefit of seeing all four seasons, but in a much less extreme way.

Our summers are hot, but not unbearable. Go anywhere in the country like Georgia or Florida and you’ll feel the difference. By comparison, summers are not that bad here.

Our falls are incredible! Fall is very extended in North Carolina and winter is very bearable.

Do you want to know how great it is in the winter here? People lose their minds when it’s in the 30s, and maybe one week out of the year, we’ll see it dip below the 30s. As appealing as a white Christmas may be up North, so is being able to walk outside on Christmas Day without having to wear a jacket.

Charlotte is situated right in the middle of North Carolina, next to the mountains. So if you like going up to the mountains, we’re 2 hours from Boone, Blowing Rock, and a small town called Asheville that you might have heard of.

We’re also about 3 hours from several beaches, including Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, and Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and Hilton Head in South Carolina.

If the beaches and the mountains aren’t for you, but you love being on the lake, Lake Norman and Lake Wylie are in our backyard in Charlotte. Not only is this a great state to be in if you’re a lake person in terms of proximity, in regards to weather, you can use the lake pretty much all year round. Oh, and as a Hokie fan and Virginia Tech grad, having Blacksburg two and a half hours away doesn’t suck.

Charlotte truly is a large city. We have the 10th busiest airport in the country. It’s an American Airlines hub, which means you get direct flights all over the world, but rarely does it ever take more than 5 minutes to get through security and get to your gate, which makes it feel like that small town airport.

When it comes to sports, Charlotte has professional sports teams like the Panthers (NFL), the Hornets (NBA), and the Charlotte FC (soccer). We also have the minor league baseball team, the Charlotte Knights.

As big as these teams are, and as good or bad as some of them are, you’re guaranteed to run into people that you know when you go to their games. Plus, their ticket prices are way less than the teams that they’re playing against who are coming from other cities.

Oh, and how could I forget? We’re like the NASCAR capital of the country, so if you like racing, this is a great place for you too.

Moving away from sports, there are a lot of corporations that are headquartered here, and it should come as no surprise that there are a lot of banks and banking opportunities here in Charlotte as well.

Sports and business have put Charlotte on the map, which has brought recognizable name-brand restaurants to the city. However even with all the big name restaurants, I guarantee that the Mom and Pop restaurant your parents went to in the ’80s are going to be just as packed on a Friday night as any of these new name-brand places.

There are lots of people looking to eat in the city because Charlotte has over a hundred people moving here every single day. We’re closing in on a million residents!

However even with the influx of new residents, I can promise that if you walk around Uptown during the business day or if you’re walking around South End on the rail trip, you’re going to run into someone that you know. And that’s truly what makes this big city feel like a small town.

Whether you’re into being outdoors, sports, the food and drinks scene, or maybe you’re into the music and art scene, there’s always something going on here.

As for outdoors, we have over 42 golf courses in Charlotte. If you’re into water sports, we have Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, and the Whitewater Center, which is the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

When it comes to the food and drinks scene, there are new restaurants and breweries and cocktail lounges opening every single day here. We’re bringing in award-winning chefs and mixologists for cocktail lounges that can do stuff that would blow your mind. There’s always a cool new place to check out if you’re into that.

Sports more your thing? We already talked about all the pro sports teams that are here, but let’s not forget about college. We have UNCC Charlotte right up the street, and we host tons of collegiate athletic events as well. Charlotte always has college football games and kickoff games, plus the ACC Championship. As for basketball, we’re hosting all kinds of tournaments, including some NCAA tournaments.

Lastly, if you’re into music and art, every major artist tours through Charlotte. Travis Scott just performed last night, Drake just wrote a song about when he was here, Beyonce came to the city, and even the Rolling Stones came through on their tour. The list goes on and on. In Charlotte, you’ll be able to see your favorite artists anywhere from a stadium all the way down to the most intimate concert venue.

And on the flip side of the music scene, when it comes to the art world here, there are actually a lot of neighborhoods that are specifically known for their art culture like NoDa, Elizabeth, and South End. So if that’s something that’s important to you, go live there or spend the day so that you can ingrain yourself in the art community.

This is why I tell people all the time, if you live in Charlotte and you are bored with this city, that’s your own fault!

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