Originally Posted by Emma M

I'm 27 too, and I can tell you I have found nothing thats even similar to good nightlife here! lol! Don't get me wrong, NC isn't without it's charm, but if it's a good letting your hair down sort of night out you are looking for... well. NC just doesn't seem to do it. My husband and I tend to get some beers in, crank up a bit of trance or house music and party indoors.

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

When ever my siblings and I discuss all the great years we spent growing up in NC and what it would be like to move back there, maybe one of two biggest down sides we believe to such a move usually is the lack of night life.When you think of Jazz clubs,dinner bars with live entertainment that cater to a mix ethnic cliental,you learn quickly its difficult to find that in North Carolina.

Charlotte and even Durham to a lesser extent do have some music venues but most club/bar offerings tend to cater to the youngish(18-25) college crowd. I'm sure there are establishments to be found for the mature (28-50) group but they are few and far between and not on par with venues found in large U.S. cities like Miami,Chicago,New York,Portland,Seattle even compared to cities like Orlando orTampa.

There are not many downsides to NC but I would say lack of a decent vibrant dating scene for singles is a big draw back to living in the Carolinas.I've been to more house parties in North Carolina than I care to remember.But on the up side if you like dinning out there is no end to the amount of places to have a good meal.I'm not saying NC is boring but if a new resident were leaving a active sizable city for a move to NC you can expect to experience culture shock to some degree.

I moved from northern New Jersey 15 minutes out side NYC to the Greensboro area to a beautiful home and managed to adjust pretty well for the first 6-8 months. Then came the reality/shock that I was no longer that person who was use to a slower pace of life and came to the decision that what I wanted was the mix of a friendly community while being in a progressive inviroment that also offered night life.I love NC for the great wholesome up bringing it gave me but great night life,progressive thinking has very little to do with the Tar Heel State.

Oh btw my second gripe(a biggie) with living in North Carolina is how segregated the state is.Growing up there like most kids we never noticed racism we just got on with it.Not until I hit my middle teens did the realities stand out like a waving confederate flag in the wind.I believe the high level of segregation and the lack of night life were the deal breakers to living there for my family.

As a side note I did notice that if you do live in a up scale gated community most of your neighbors do seem to be from other progressive states from around the country.Which does make a hugh difference to the community where you live.Most of my neighbors were from Colorado,Delaware,California and even the person who I sold my house to is from New Jersey.We were greeted upon moving there with invitations for dinner and more bunt cakes than we possibly could have eaten.

Having said all the above North Carolina is a great state to call home but I am abit bias!

P.S. If you were to combine a progressive state government and progressive community with the out doorsy feel along with NC's beautiful landscape in addition to good night life it would equal out to= Portland Oregon.

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

...
Oh btw my second gripe(a biggie) with living in North Carolina is how segregated the state is.Growing up there like most kids we never noticed racism we just got on with it.Not until I hit my middle teens did the realities stand out like a waving confederate flag in the wind.I believe the high level of segregation and the lack of night life were the deal breakers to living there for my family.

...
P.S. If you were to combine a progressive state government and progressive community with the out doorsy feel along with NC's beautiful landscape in addition to good night life it would equal out to= Portland Oregon.

Originally Posted by ulpul

I think finding some bars and clubs has moved up the priority list for the June trip as NC seems to tick every other box. Coming from a fairly scenic part of southern England, scenery and the outdoors is very important to me but at the same time somewhere for some beers is also.




Excellent information, thank you. Very interesting you say Portland as this was one of the areas that the Find Your Spot site returned for me. I actually know a cyclist from the UK living there also and the research I have done on it looks awesome.

Maybe time for an "Oregan, a place to live" thread :P

Originally Posted by Emma M

I live in NC, does anyone know of anything to do, like nightlife?! Major culture shock going on, there are no clubs, no decent pubs, all there are, are about 50 million restaurants and churches. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!
The only music anyone seems to like is hip hop, rap, country. I want to find a club that plays trance, house, garage, decent music, basically. The only club I can find that play anything decent is a gay one. I think my husband and I would get funny looks if we went in there.
I love the area for the weather, it is pretty everywhere, clean, etc. but it's soooo damn boring!

Originally Posted by Steerpike

Oregon - not Oregan! - I mention that only to ensure you get better hits on searches, etc!

Is there a reason you are not paying more attention to Oregon (and Washington, and CA)? The west coast of the US is a whole other world. The weather in CA is infinitely superior - very low humidity, very little rain. SoCal has the edge on weather, but NorCal has the edge on culture/etc. SF is the best possible city to live in / near, in my opinion, but i believe Seattle and Portland offer two very good (and cheaper) alternatives. There are several other smaller cities in all three states that offer plenty of alternatives in terms of price, weather, activities, etc. The weather in Oregon and Washington (coastal regions) is the biggest drawback to me; rain and the appearance of rain are constant factors.

They are all outdoor-oriented, healthy, progressive, liberal cities.

Did you say what your line of work is? That may or may not be a factor.

If I had to bail on the Bay Area for any reason, Portland would be high on my list of places to move to. North Carolina sounds like a great place to consider but the weather, racism, and religion are the biggest deterrents.

Originally Posted by ulpul

I think finding some bars and clubs has moved up the priority list for the June trip as NC seems to tick every other box. Coming from a fairly scenic part of southern England, scenery and the outdoors is very important to me but at the same time somewhere for some beers is also.




Excellent information, thank you. Very interesting you say Portland as this was one of the areas that the Find Your Spot site returned for me. I actually know a cyclist from the UK living there also and the research I have done on it looks awesome.

Maybe time for an "Oregan, a place to live" thread :P

Originally Posted by Steerpike

Thanks for the insightful analysis. The attitude towards blacks is something I remember 'picking up on' when there on business - it was quite obvious. I've also had several women friends comment on the attitude towards women in business there. I've got several women friends who are in senior management positions, and a few have been in companies taken over by companies from NC. When visiting NC, they noticed that they were simply not taken seriously by the men, and it was clear their careers were not going anywhere from that point on.

Possibly related, there is a strong 'good old boy' network, an example of which is, this friend of mine was pretty much forced by her manager to give a key role to some guy (over her personal choice) who just happened to be a church buddy of her manager.

Originally Posted by NC Penguin

If you're hoping/expecting to find the same lifestyle as you had in the UK, you're making life tough for yourself. I'm from London originally (London born and bred) so I know exactly what you're saying. I realized after some months that it's pointless to expect to find the same variety of food, for example, in NC as London.

UK tastes in music are probably different to average American tastes in music. Like I said previously, check out events going on near the universities. Local clubs near NC State, Duke, NCCU and UNC-CH may host club nights for your kind of music. Plus, listen to the local indie radio stations (some broadcast on FM like XWYC but if you're in Wake, you might not pick up a signal. It's 89.3. They may even broadcast on the web.)

Originally Posted by YankeemovingAbroad

Oh btw I call North Carolina the man chaser state because women there chase we men with a medevil passion and don't mind being agressive with their methods.Happy hunting good man!

Originally Posted by bromleygirl

I had considered North Carolina last year as a place to relocate back to after being back in the UK for the last 3 years. I went for a 3 day visit and on my first day my female realtor who I was viewing homes with had me set up on a date that very evening even though I told her my hair had gone frizzy from all the humidity!

I have 2 young children and definitley want them to grow up in a progressive thinking area where there is culture and acceptance of everyone. For me I have had to think twice and am now considering the SF bay area.

Originally Posted by Emma M

LOL!!! I laugh, because I know exactly what you are saying! I am making life difficult for myself by wanting the same sort of lifestyle and I know I do it. I guess you can take the woman out of Britain, but can't take the Brit out of the woman. We are seriously considering moving out of the area, we need somewhere livelier. My husband isn't originally from around here, he doesn't like it here at all.

Originally Posted by Goodacre

We are quite well served in NC for indie stuff. Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill occasionally has good groups, and sometimes British ones, e.g. I saw Wedding Present there not long ago. Carolina Theater in Durham sometimes has good bands; we had a lot of fun going to see They Might Be Giants recently. The big problem I find is that there is no public transport so you have to drive to these places. And watching a band stone cold sober doesn't quite do it for me.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

If I had to bail on the Bay Area for any reason, Portland would be high on my list of places to move to.

North Carolina sounds like a great place to consider but the weather, racism, and religion are the biggest deterrents.

Originally Posted by Steerpike

<<snip>>

If I had to bail on the Bay Area for any reason, Portland would be high on my list of places to move to. North Carolina sounds like a great place to consider but the weather, racism, and religion are the biggest deterrents.

Originally Posted by Heroes

I've been reading threads after threads on this forum. Looking for a possible cheaper alternative to sunny California but this comment just put me off.