What It’s Really Like to Move to a City
By: Madeline Toy
Tags: Live In The Moment, City, Urban Life, City Living, Charlotte

Noisy. Expensive. Traffic. No moral system. Crime.

These are some of the things that come to mind when a lot of people think about the word and place that is known as a “city.”

But why is there such a negative connotation to living in a city?

Can it really be that bad?

After I graduating in May 2019, I moved from my college town of Cleveland, Tennessee to the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. This was a big leap for me because before going to college, I grew up in a small, rural town full of lots farms and a Walmart.

To some, Charlotte is small. To me, it was a huge change up. But I am here to tell you that moving to a city isn’t as scary as it seems.

If you are considering moving to a city sometime in the near (or far) future, this article is for you. I want to give you an inside look of what I gained from the move to help you decide on whether moving to the city is right for you.

3 Reasons You Should Really Move to A City

1. A Fresh Start

Everything is just different.

Laws are different. People are different. And you know what? Different isn’t always bad.

I moved to Charlotte because I had no direction after college, no significant other, and no job. I didn’t have plans to go to grad school, and my main aspiration was to get hired on to work at a marketing agency.

All I knew was that I needed a fresh start and moving to a city was the place to do it. With so many people and opportunities, I thought, “why not?”

2. The Space to Find Your Self

If you grow up in a small town, it can be hard to find yourself. The same ideas, people, values, and places are all you begin to know. You wonder who you are, and for many, it is easy to conform to what everyone else is doing.

But, there isn’t just one way to go about life.

When I moved, I gained so many new perspectives and opinions that I wouldn’t have heard anywhere else.

I started hot yoga class, a full-time career, and I moved in with complete strangers that I met on a FB group!

I realized which people should and shouldn’t be part of my life.

I learned that singleness isn’t something to be dreaded, but something to be held onto as long as I can.

I’ve felt the sting of rejection. (198+ job applications of rejection but who’s counting right?) I’ve also learned to be a little more savage and take opinions like a grain of salt.

These are just a few of the things that I’ve collected as little life lessons. This is just a mere scratching of the surface.

3. New Friendships

My Charlotte experience would not be the same without my friends.

There is no shame in meeting friends online. Like I said, I met my roommates through FB and I’ve met some awesome people on Bumble that I wouldn’t have gotten to meet otherwise.

We grew up reciting the phrase, “don’t talk to strangers.”

With the rise and accessibility of internet friendships, I still wonder if this phrase still should be the golden standard.

Should we be afraid of meeting new people all together? What about if you are completely new to an area? Should you just curl-up into a ball to try to never come into contact with another person because you “shouldn’t talk to strangers?”

I think with discernment, you most definitely should meet those online friendships. They can be some of the most life giving people you can meet. We were not meant to do life alone and the internet has become an avenue for us all to be closer to people that we wouldn’t be close to without it.

What’s Your Move After the COVID-19 Pandemic?

This was actually a post I wrote a year ago right after I made the move. I wanted to share this with you and let you know that the idea of moving to a new city isn’t so insane after all (except during a pandemic. Please wait until after the pandemic to make a big move!)

You might have people telling you to not ever do it, but I wanted to be that one advocate to tell you why you should do it. So after COVID, where are you moving to?