London to Charlotte Direct

Like me, Alex loves all things outdoors. Throughout the first 18 months of our relationship, he never tired of telling me about Banjo Lake in Hertfordshire, where he’d grown up fishing and camping. I had visions of this lake: jet skis skimming the water and boats motoring past the houses surrounding the lake, with little jetties leading to water trampolines and kayaks.
So one afternoon in May we drove up to the lake. It was a beautiful London day – overcast and 50 degrees, so we only had to wear a heavy sweater. We parked the car and followed a dirt path until we reached the boat storage area. Where I expected a marina, a smattering of dinghies and sailboats scattered every which way behind a fence greeted me.
Increasingly skeptical, I forged ahead, certain we’d not yet gotten to the lake. After trudging through some overgrown grass and weeds to reach the clearing, I got to see Banjo Lake in all its glory. I sucked in my breath to avoid blurting out my first reaction – it was a retention pond!

Choosing my words as carefully as I could, I suggested that Banjo Lake was sweet, but I’d read about Lakes Norman and Wylie and I thought they might be worth visiting.
It was on our second trip to Charlotte, when we drove from Indianapolis, that we first saw Lake Norman.

The sun was setting on that cold January evening, but as I turned to look at Alex’s face, I could see he now understood what I had been expecting at Banjo Lake. There were only a few boats out, but water went as far as you could see in one direction. The trees surrounding the water were greener than we imagined possible in winter. And although we could just barely see them as we sped by, Alex could tell that the houses might rival some of the biggest and most beautiful that he’d ever seen. He started to envision the fish he’d catch at Lake Norman during those lazy summer nights; the days we’d spend out on a boat; or even the two of us kayaking to explore the vast body of water in front of us.

Lake Norman was obviously a big draw for me and Alex; it’s even where we took our engagement photos. I was surprised, though, when I spoke to fellow Charlotte-transplant Desirae Woofter and found out that Lake Norman played a role in her choosing to move here, too. “During my first visit to the area in the early ’90s, we went boating on a quiet little lake with a few exclusive homes called Lake Norman,” says Woofter, an Ohio native.  “When I made my way back in the 2000s I was shocked at the growth and potential.” It was that growth potential that drove her to relocate here in 2010 without a job – and it paid off. She quickly found work as an account manager.

The pull of growth
Although Charlotte is known for its banking industry, with companies such as Goodrich, Family Dollar and Nucor headquartered here, the city attracts more than just those interested in high finance. According to the Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte is ranked eighth nationally for the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the county.
Karen Nelson moved to the area at the beginning of July to start her own consultancy business – but it was more a case of Charlotte choosing her. “I created a LinkedIn account while I was living in South Dakota and started getting inquiries from in and around Charlotte,” says Nelson, an independent lead generation consultant for the sales industry. “It made sense to move here since I was getting unsolicited inquiries. So my 16-year-old daughter and I have relocated and I’m already seeing the payoff career-wise.”

It was the potential for growth that made Alex and I believe we could make it in Charlotte. The job outlook was shocking everywhere in the U.S.; people were being laid off quicker than we could count them. At one point last year we questioned whether we should move to America at all. But like I learned from Laura Alabad, a nonprofit communications specialist based in Nashville who hopes to relocate here soon, sometimes it’s just a move you make on faith.
“Neither my husband nor I have positions in Charlotte at this point, but we’re committed to making this move happen,” she explains. “It may be a bit risky – especially if we move without job offers – but we believe that to make big things happen, you have to be willing to take big steps.”

It’s just the beginning
It’s been two months since I moved to Charlotte and I have a mile-long bucket list. I keep hearing about the Alive After Five events on Thursdays at the EpiCentre, so I hope to make it there soon for the live music, food and drinks.

My family recently visited Charlotte and we went to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, and kayaked on the river. It was nice and relaxing, but I’d love to go back and brave the roaring rapids. I’ve heard great things about the Harvey B. Gantt Center and other Charlotte museums, but I haven’t it made it to any of them yet. And I need to find a church home here, as well.

Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll have tackled more on my bucket list and Alex’s visa documents will be complete so he can join me here. Each time I call him in London I know that we’re one day closer to continuing this amazing adventure in Charlotte together.
Despite all of our planning and preparation, in the end Alex and I decided to move here for the same reason my friend Andrea did: “When I first visited Charlotte there was just this emotional connection,” she explains. “I just knew that this was where I was supposed to be. I love Charlotte – it’s home.”

~ Krystin Washington