Growth is good, right? And Charlotte is growing, growing, growing. Just open the newspaper… more schools, wider roads, a new wing at SouthPark mall, and the possibility of (gasp) a Trump condo building! Everything is new, clean, fresh, and expensive-looking – a developer’s dream. And yet, the enchanted feeling I had when I moved here in 1998 is fading. Where is our sense of history? Our sense of authenticity? Our sense of people who are real, and true, and unabashedly middle class?
We have a newer, bigger, better arena, so let’s tear down the antiquated (19-year-old) Coliseum. Mom-and-pop restaurants? Nahhhh, we need another parking deck. And Farmer Jim can’t afford his property taxes anymore, so we might as well buy him out and build a new subdivision... with a quick 20-mile, hour-plus commute over 485.
I’m not against growth and change. But, the changes I’ve seen in this city within the last few years make me long for a simpler life – one without traffic, sprawl, or pretense. “Why don’t we move to the country?” I casually suggested to my husband earlier this week. “Way, way out there. Buy a couple acres, live off the fatta the land, get a couple more dogs…” A quick sideways glance indicated he had either not heard me or tactfully chose not to respond to my plea.
There are compelling reasons to stay in Charlotte. Lots of job opportunities. Plenty of fantastic independent restaurants. A network of supportive friends. The Panthers. And last but not least, my husband’s pension.
But is it possible to stay here without becoming a slave to the system? Is it possible to slow down and simplify without shutting down or being shut out? Only time will tell.
2 comments:
Good observations. My family moved to Union County in the mid 90's, and I remember how great it was that we lived in this really rural farm country and that Charlotte was close enough to go visit on the weekends and get a taste of the city life (Panthers, museums, restaurants...). As the years progressed from there, that whole wonderful dynamic eroded, with the endless construction of subdivisions and Harris Teeter strip malls (always with a cleaners and a Chinese-food restaurant) closing in all around. I now live and work in Portland, OR and when I return home, it becomes more and more evident that very little of what made it great remains, and that uninteresting low-density sprawl makes for uninteresting communities. I hope that the area can wake up and see what has happened, but until then, Portland looks all the better to me.
Post a Comment