Live within the 485 boundary if you canā¦iāve spent the past 2 years commuting to uptown from kannapolis and my wife has spent the past year commuting to gastonia! Iād much rather take the $600+ a month that we spend on gas and put it into a house in the cityā¦plus my wife likes to talk on the cell phone while sheās commuting (during peak hours!) double whammy!
Oh yeah, the time spent in the car sucks too!
Itās all relative. I live near the Randolph/Sardis Road area. I drive 4 miles to work and can get there or back home in 10-15 minutes MAX. While some are fighting I-77 or driving 30 miles ONE WAY, Iām already cutting my grass or getting a cold one. Itās a nice, but older neighborhood thatās quiet and safe. So what do you want? New stuff FARRRRR away with maybe lower taxes or what I have. The tax you āsaveā, you spend on gas my friends. Believe it. Iāll keep my sanity and safety thank you. BTW, my son went to CMS schools and is in the process of getting his PhD in physics at Wake Forest, so donāt use schools as an excuse to live elsewhere. Good luck.
My wife and I live in the SouthPark area and I have a 20 minute commute to uptown via Park Road, Kenilworth Avenue, Stonewall Street, and Mint/Poplar streets.
Having grown up in North Meck and lived in the University City area, the traffic situation up that way will only get better once I-485 is completed, plus the multi-laning of:
o Old Statesville Road/NC 115 (all the way to Mooresville)
o Statesville Road/US 21
o Beatties Ford Road
o Prosperity Church Road (all the way to Eastfield Road!)
o Eastfield Road
o Mount Holly-Huntersville Road
o Sugar Creek Road/Browne Road
o Extension of Harris Boulevard/Reames Road/Vance Road from Mount Holly-Huntersville Road to Brookshire Boulevard/NC 16 (this one has been approved and awaits funding)
o Sam Furr Road/NC 73
o Mallard Creek Road (all the way from Sugar Creek Road to Lowes Motor Speedway)
o Old Concord Road
o the completion of the Mallard Creek Church Road project from US29 to NC49
o the completion of the missing link from University City Boulevard to City Boulevard (US29 to I-85) plus the extension to Sugar Creek Road/Graham Street
When I remarried recently and moved to my current 28210 zip code, I understood where all the highway money had been going!
Yep, the pastures and wooded areas of North Meck will soon look like S. Meck. Letās hope they lay it out better and preserve more greenspace.
Lefty, how true. Over the past couple of decades Iāve watched the University City planning document pretty much tossed out the windowā¦
[i]Originally posted by run49er[/i]@Jul 13 2004, 11:50 AM [b] My wife and I live in the SouthPark area and I have a 20 minute commute to uptown via Park Road, Kenilworth Avenue, Stonewall Street, and Mint/Poplar streets.[/b]
Folks, until youāve experienced Atlanta traffic, you havenāt experienced traffic. The commutes are still reasonable for most folks in Charlotte and almost any place is accessible. The I-285 beltway perimeter in Atlanta is the main reason for most traffic bottlenecks because the traffic doesnāt get terrible until you hit the perimeter. Then you have folks commuting 30-40 miles outside the perimeter from there. One word: sprawl.
I live in town here in Atlanta and Iām thankful for it everyday. But heck, just the other day my 4 mile commute took 30 minutes to downtown. My advice is for Charlotteans to move into the city to strengthen the place instead of contributing to sprawl that has plagued Atlanta and has/will continue to be an issue for Charlotte.
The I-485 beltway will be a disaster for Charlotte just as predicted, so move back in while you can or become the farce that is Atlanta. Oh and, public transportation? Thereās not even a lottery in NC, so thatās surely a pipe dreamā¦
I guess my point is that Charlotte will get as big as the city/county leaders let it, but you have to have the different leaders of each county working with each other instead of against each other to contain sprawl and strengthen the center city. Be thankful for the fact that uptown Charlotte has undergone such growth and has become more than just a place to go to work each day. But so much more could and should be doneā¦
[i]Originally posted by ATL_Niner[/i]@Jul 13 2004, 03:58 PM [b] Folks, until you've experienced Atlanta traffic, you haven't experienced traffic. The commutes are still reasonable for most folks in Charlotte and almost any place is accessible. The I-285 beltway perimeter in Atlanta is the main reason for most traffic bottlenecks because the traffic doesn't get terrible until you hit the perimeter. Then you have folks commuting 30-40 miles outside the perimeter from there. One word: sprawl.I live in town here in Atlanta and Iām thankful for it everyday. But heck, just the other day my 4 mile commute took 30 minutes to downtown. My advice is for Charlotteans to move into the city to strengthen the place instead of contributing to sprawl that has plagued Atlanta and has/will continue to be an issue for Charlotte.
The I-485 beltway will be a disaster for Charlotte just as predicted, so move back in while you can or become the farce that is Atlanta. Oh and, public transportation? Thereās not even a lottery in NC, so thatās surely a pipe dreamā¦
I guess my point is that Charlotte will get as big as the city/county leaders let it, but you have to have the different leaders of each county working with each other instead of against each other to contain sprawl and strengthen the center city. Be thankful for the fact that uptown Charlotte has undergone such growth and has become more than just a place to go to work each day. But so much more could and should be doneā¦ [/b]
Asheville traffic is horrible. Just yesterday it took me ten minutes to get downtown from my house and I live almost seven miles away. Iām moving to the country.
Whatās your point pi?
Boston isnāt comparable to Charlotte or Atlanta. Itās the oldest city in the nation and has physical boundaries that neither of the two cities I compared have. Thatās why their leaders were forced to dig a tunnel under the entire city and make the rest of the nation pay for it when it became a 20 year mistake of a project. Iām sorry I didnāt do a complete evaluation of the nationās traffic problems and rank the cities accordingly.
The point I was trying to make is that there are 16 counties in the Atlanta metro area and none of them work together to contain sprawl or come up with transportation solutions. There have been books written about the mess here. The 5 or 6 counties around Charlotte can still try to prevent problems such as the ones encountered in Atlanta because the cities are so similar (i.e. southern beltway cities). Voters and taxpayers in Charlotte and surrounding areas have a voice and need to keep that in mind or risk encountering Atlantaās problems.
Thatās all I was trying to say.
[i]Originally posted by hootie[/i]@Jul 14 2004, 07:20 AM [b] Asheville traffic is horrible. Just yesterday it took me ten minutes to get downtown from my house and I live almost seven miles away. I'm moving to the country. [/b]Do you use snowmobile or dogs in the winter? :smirk: How would the commute to Charlotte be? I like that area. Talk about urban sprawl.
Atlantaās traffic is horrible! I had a week long training class just north of Atlanta in the Duluth/Norcross/Gwinett area that ended early Friday afternoon. I left from training at 3:30 driving back and it took me over 6 hours to get to Charlotte. I managed to travel a whole 13 miles the first hour! Talk about being aggravated! After 3 1/2 hours I finally made it out of Ga and stopped to grab a bite to eat to allow the rest of the pack to move on. When I got back on the interstate it was smooth sailing from there - (I think the glass of wine at dinner helped ease the nerves more than the traffic pack moving on). Iāll think twice before leaving Atlanta and driving home on a Friday afternoon!
For any of you who live in the University area, you just have to know the shortcuts. Instead of fighting to get on 85, just bypass it and take either Tryon or Graham straight into the heart of uptown Charlotte, it doesnāt even take 20 minutes to go that route.
thanks for all the comments guysā¦on 2nd though I may just stay in Winston-Salem and commute!
[i]Originally posted by ATL_Niner[/i]@Jul 14 2004, 08:43 AM [b] What's your point pi? Boston isn't comparable to Charlotte or Atlanta. It's the oldest city in the nation and has physical boundaries that neither of the two cities I compared have. That's why their leaders were forced to dig a tunnel under the entire city and make the rest of the nation pay for it when it became a 20 year mistake of a project. I'm sorry I didn't do a complete evaluation of the nation's traffic problems and rank the cities accordingly.The point I was trying to make is that there are 16 counties in the Atlanta metro area and none of them work together to contain sprawl or come up with transportation solutions. There have been books written about the mess here. The 5 or 6 counties around Charlotte can still try to prevent problems such as the ones encountered in Atlanta because the cities are so similar (i.e. southern beltway cities). Voters and taxpayers in Charlotte and surrounding areas have a voice and need to keep that in mind or risk encountering Atlantaās problems.
Thatās all I was trying to say. [/b]
That was my only point. Good day.
Fair enough there pi,
Iām the epitome of arrogance and your point is well taken.
Yeah ALT, you are a jerk. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
I would say anywhere south of the boarder is better than Char metro. Char-Meck taxes are just insane.
Itās less than a 30 minute commute from Rock Hill or Ft. Mill. I used to live in Lancaster, SC, and that was about a 45 minute commute. You have to put up with one hell of a southern accent, though.
[i]Originally posted by Sideshow[/i]@Jul 15 2004, 09:03 PM [b] I would say anywhere south of the boarder is better than Char metro. Char-Meck taxes are just insane. It's less than a 30 minute commute from Rock Hill or Ft. Mill. I used to live in Lancaster, SC, and that was about a 45 minute commute. You have to put up with one hell of a southern accent, though. [/b]This obsession with "Charlotte taxes" is amusing. See my earlier post on this. So, how much of that "saved" tax money do you spend on gas, insurance, oil, wear and tear, car repair, time, safety risks, etc. etc.? While you're in your 30 minute (or more), ga$-burning, time-wasting commute, I'm already safe at home after a 10 minute (or less) drive, relaxing on my deck. As I said, the choice is relative. You're happy, I'm happy. You gotta see what's best for YOU and your family, get it and live with it. I think it's "worth" what I pay in those god-awful Charlotte taxes. Some don't and that's fine. I won't be stuck in traffic with you and thousands who share your opinion about this. :)
Chill out dude. I respect your opinion. You donāt have to bite my head off.
Iād rather spend money on gas (an act of volition) than have my money stolen from me by government (taxes). I may sit in traffic longer, but at least I willfully chose to do so.