To go along with our special Battle of the Hoods: Round 2 edition of this year’s Urban Explorer’s Handbook, Creative Loafing is once again giving you, dear readers, the chance to vote and pick Charlotte’s greatest neighborhood.
Let your voice be heard by finding your favorite hood in the list below and selecting it as the best. Now, if you don’t like any of the neighborhoods on our list, feel free to write in your own choice as a comment below the poll.
Vote as many times as you’d like (hell, even encourage your friends and/or form teams to vote, too). We’ll let folks cast “ballots”— until March 24. After that we’ll determine a winner and present a representative (of our choice) from the No. 1 hood with a sexy plaque to display, a write-up in our newspaper and bragging rights for the rest of the year. Be sure to check this space and the print version of Creative Loafing often to see which hood wins the big prize.
NoDa won last year’s award. Who will win this year? Here’s your chance. May the best hood win!
This article appears in Mar 10-17, 2009.
Matthews is stepping up!!! Represent the burbs Mr. Creative Loafing Editor Dude…
Starmount is the best!!!!!!
I must say, after last year’s contest, I got a chance to hang in some of the other hoods. The battle made me curious. I needed to spend more time outside of NoDa and Plaza Midwood. All the hoods listed are nice. We had a NoDa Scavenger Hunt and used some of the other hoods in our clues. The people we met in Starmount were very nice!! Special thanks to the Pet Store. May the BEST hood win. :0)
Carlton my friend… I beg to differ with you. If I remember correctly, you handed me a certificate last year that proudly displays in all of our businesses that clearly says that NoDa is in fact the Best Hood… lol Until your wonderful magazine announces otherwise in a couple of weeks, the tiara stays HERE!!
University City…Seriously? What about Wilmore?
OK, you got me there Kenny. We’ll see what happens this year!
Kevin — We can count one vote for Wilmore!
If memory serves, part of the NoDa scavenger hunt was to get a pic of the team at the independent record store in Starmount. A certain someones wife got that pic – while holding the best ‘hood in Charlotte plaque from last year – just sayin’ 😉
Dilworth, NoDa, Plaza Midwood, etc are a bit too young urban professional for my taste. No Belmont on the list? How about some real hoods.
NoDa is bringing it! Look at there votes!
We will win again!!
South End needs to rally.
Friek, your memory is a little off… lol the clue was: recently Noda faced off against another neighborhood in a battle for the best hood. Get a picture of one of your team mates in that hood in front of a sign that says, NoDa is the best hood. LOL Any business in Starmount qualified. But I came in second so what am I even talking about…. :0)
NoDa is bringing it cause we all know each other… and we know how to rally, and… WE HAVE THE BEST HOOD IN CHARLOTTE!!! NoDa ROCKS!!!!
I’m on your side
Dilworth is hands down the best hood in Charlotte. Everyone knows this.
Amen Dilworthy. Our hood is just as authentic, forward thinking, artsy, and funky as Noda, PM, or the SouthEnd. We have great restaurants and shopping as well. Plus the trees. Can’t forget the trees. Yes, hands down the winner.
Dilworth is a very pretty area. It’s true that everyone knows of it’s charm, it’s beauty, and old Charlotte money. AND, who can forget the trees… I drive through there with my out of town guests so they can gawk at the majestic mansions but it’s usually on my way to a different neighborhood to entertain them. Lets be real though, what REALLY constitutes the best hood? Here are the very specific reasons that NoDa is HANDS DOWN the best hood. If it’s not apparent from this year already and last year, we communicate with each other very well and have created several means of communication. We don’t stay inside our comfy little mansions with blinders on. We know our neighbors and are there for each other. We may not all have lunch together every Tuesday, but, I can bet you that if someone is in need of something, that message is communicated to most of us and one of us or more step up to the plate. We meld every type of person and lifestyle into a respectful, cohesive working and growing neighborhood. We make a difference AS a community with involvement in crime and safety, beautification, future growth, and even socially. When you walk into a bar, restaurant, gallery, concert venue, convenience store… they people working and hanging there know your name and greet you. We know who has what kind of dog. We know who the kids are running around. We can walk everywhere and when we drive, there’s never a parking issue. We have bike patrols for safety and garbage clean up parties. We have amazing restaurants, bars, and concert venues. We can get to up town by having to hit only 3 stop lights and 3 stop signs. We share the same zip code with Plaza Midwood the very close SECOND best hood in Charlotte. Oh, and we have trees too. NoDa is more than a hood. It is a big family, a state of mind, a unified entity, a growing force to be reckoned with. SO… these simple, specific, REAL reasons are why NoDa is HANDS DOWN the best hood. Go NoDa, Go NoDa, Go NoDa!!
Uptown gets no love. 🙁
Uptown is great. Think about it… we ALL hang out in Uptown. It’s where we all go for special occasions and to feel sophisticated. We have one of the better city centers in the country in my eyes. The only thing bad about Uptown is the one way streets and no right turns… Idiots like me have difficulty getting around.. lol
If Dilworth is the best hood and everyone knows this, why is it losing so badly?
Dilworth is not getting votes because people know we are the best already. What’s the point?
We have a very strong community spirit in this neighborhood. I am not wealthy. I rent a small historic apt in Dilworth. We all don’t live in mansions. Our neighborhood runs the gamut of people and backgrounds. We look out for each other and have great pride in our neighborhood. Dilworth Community Development Association (DCDA) is very pro-active, free to join and open to all.
We have old Charlotte institutions like Berrybrook Farm,PaperSkyscraper,300 East and more.
We are walkable to great parks and a supermarket. You can’t find a more thriving scene than East Bvld on a nice spring or summer night. The vibe is fantastic. And the sidewalks are packed with runners,walkers, and people going out for the night. None of the other city neighborhoods outside of Uptown have the same scale of options. We are the most talked about for a reason. That’s just the facts folks.
Well. I’ll go to Paper Skyscraper, LOVE that place.. and that great Thai restaurant next to it is fun. Zen is also a great place and the beautiful people who own it and work there make it a good night out. Theater Charlotte always does an amazing job. But you’re not voting because you already know you’re the best? Silly. That’s like some chick calling the news and pronouncing that she’s Miss America and doesn’t need to compete cause she already know’s she’s Miss America. All of the hoods that make up Charlotte have their good points and bad points.. and they make up a city that I’m proud to live in. I moved here from San Francisco 8+ years ago and haven’t looked back. But this contest is about the best HOOD in Charlotte. NoDa has it. If you believe otherwise, prove me wrong. I’ll keep voting.
and that’s the facts, jack…
th-th-th-tha th-tha-that’s all folks!!! lol
Obviously some very determined individuals who live in a neighborhood that rhymes with Yoda are voting multiple times to skew the results. It’s cool though, Elizabeth doesn’t need a bunch of new people coming in and crowding up our bars and douching it up in our hood. That’s why we don’t live uptown, right.
“Obviously some very determined individuals who live in a neighborhood that rhymes with Yoda are voting multiple times to skew the results.”
You are absolutely right Bobert. Its obvious that certain people are voting multiple times. I guess that’s proof that people in YoDa can actually read.
“Vote as many times as you’d like (hell, even encourage your friends and/or form teams to vote, too)”
Both Bobert and Randy are right. The voting is fair, but it doesn’t reflect Charlotte’s opinion. If the contest were called “Most Yuppified Hood” (yuppie gentrification), then the current leader (yoda) would be accurate.
Well yes Randy, people in Elizabeth can read too. I just don’t agree with the system of voting as it reflects the opinion of a few overly motivated individuals and not the city at large as G’s Front was saying. I mean does every poll or election have to be so American Idolized today. Why don’t we just go ahead and make the 2012 elections a “text to vote”. You guys have voted like 40,000 times. That’s freaking ridiculous,impressive I suppose but also kind of douchy. Like one of those high school football teams that’s winnning by 200 points and is still scoring touchdowns. I also think most people in my hood have more important things to do than spend the entire day hitting the page back button and voting thousands of time per day, like actually going out and enjoying the neighborhood. NoDa must be pretty lame if you guys are spending that much time behind a computer.
G… are YOU the voice of Charlotte? SO “Charlotte” has a chance to vote for the hood they think is best… but they’re NOT voting and “they” think that NoDa would win most “yuppified”? So instead of VOTING, they appointed YOU as their spokes person? It’s nice to have a direct link to “Charlotte’s” opinion. Give me a break with your sour grapes. I’m not a yuppie, and I chose NoDa cause it was the most diverse neighborhood. The bulk of the yuppies that are here come from the other hoods to enjoy themselves HERE. When they do, they are mixed with hippies, artists, bankers, accountants, gays, lesbians, drum players, fire dancers, ballerinas, poets, mechanics, you name it, we got it. Sling names all you want… I’ll beat you to the punch… I’m a gay, redneck, blue collar, handicapped, country boy from the city. There’s nothing “yuppie” about me. NoDa rocks baby.. This is what happened last year. People started slinging mud at NoDa because we were winning. It’s comical and sophomoric. Spit your sour grape seeds at the people in your hood who aren’t voting. Don’t hate on us cause we are unified, proud, and winning once again.
and Bobert… what the hell is douchy? and I suppose I would think Elizabeth was lame too, if they were winning….
Just to clarify, I’m not ripping NoDa. NoDa is a pretty cool little hood, just not as great as the number’s are saying it is. There are other cool hood’s in Charlotte that are just as good, but it is somewhat unrepresentative of public opinion that many of them statistically have 0% of the vote. And I also have to ask as someone did before, University City, really? Seriously? Great place if you are a fan of drunk driving and lots of traffic.
I am sorry Kenny for using words that are too over your head to understand like “douchy” and don’t have the vocabulary to use and misspell words like sophmoric ( there is only one o) to make myself look more intelligent. Douchy is by no means an “official” word but you know exactly what it means so don’t act as if you don’t.
Bobert,
Thanks for the compliment. The purpose of a contest or opinion poll is to come out on top. If you scroll up, no one representing NoDa has said a single bad thing about any of the other hoods. As a matter of fact, there’s been some nice things said. When I speak, I don’t represent NoDa or Charlotte, it’s my opinion alone. The people who live here and flock here on weekends to entertain themselves, obviously think this is the Best Hood. I just don’t understand the reason for people using terms used like “yuppified” or “lame.” Those terms were certainly not meant in a productive way. Just my opinion.
Bobert,
what an asshole you are.. lol I’d rather mispell things than to act like a big douche. and I don’t have to make myself look more intelligent. I reckon I is fine wit the vocabulary I done used.
Let’s not get too personal here Kenny. No reason to call anyone an asshole. It just seemed condescending to me when you questioned me on the word douchy so I decided to shoot back. Sorry if I went too far. This contest shouldn’t be about hurling personal insults at one another. In all fairness I do believe “douchy” is actually spelled douchey since douche has an e on the end. I can provide the definition too if necessary. BTW I think that the best solution for determining the best hood would be a dueling bar crawl. Just throwing that out there.
Bobert,
apology accepted. Ask anyone in NoDa, I’m a very nice guy, I just don’t take insults very well. I’m not the smartest person in the world, I don’t claim to be. But, accusing me of being unintelligent rubbed me the wrong way. My apologies for calling you an ass hole. Let me know where the “bar battle” is and I’ll buy you a drink. Cheers.
and “douchy” isn’t in the regular dictionary, but you WILL find it in the “Urban” dictionary. So, you’re not completely wrong… lol
Apology accepted Kenny. Sorry about the whole spelling Nazi thing, it’s a simple mistake that most of us make every day. I haven’t planned this whole bar crawl thing out, but maybe sometime in May or April when it’s not too hot yet, but there’s no chance of cold weather. I’m not the most organized person, but perhaps we could post it as an event on facebook. Maybe even organize an official event, it would definately help businesses out in both hoods, especially in this economy. That might be a little ambitious, but even an unofficial event on facebook could get people out, just have plan to make sure everyone is responsible enough to take cabs, walk home or get a DD and not driving drunk.
Kenny, good comeback. We got the yuppies too. My hood has all you got except the fire dancers. Got us beat on that one. I owe you a beer if we do the bar battle thing. No more mud.
Peace, G.
peace back at you G.. I’m sure that our fire dancers go to other areas… :0) They are a pretty amazing sight during a gallery crawl. Before this is over, we’ll figure out a way to do the drink exchange… Carlton Hargro, the editor of CL, actually knows how to get ahold of me… He might be willing to forward email to me from you or Bobert if we ask nice… CHEERS!!!
If I may make a blanket statement in all of this… Last year there was some mud-slinging, and I wasn’t innocent in it, but we had fun. The best thing I got from last year was learning about things in other hoods that I didn’t know about. I learned about some great restaurants in other hoods, some good hood “best kept secrets,” and it made me venture out of NoDa a bit to do some exploring. Why not use this forum to tell people in other hoods WHY we consider our hoods to be the best. Then, the rest of us can take that info and do some exploring in Charlotte. Think about if USA TODAY had one of these contests for the BEST CITY in the US… and we all banded together… We’d kick ASS!! lol
I would have to say the best part about living in Elizabeth is its proximity to other hoods and the restaurants. It is walking distance to Plaza-Midwood and the two really give each other a lot of synergy. You basically get 2 neighborhoods for the price of one. It is walking distance to Uptown (a long walk) and close enough to Dilworth and NoDa. It also has good usscale dining, Cajun Queen, Fig Tree, but at the same time has many good affordable options (Lupie’s, Anthony’s, Substation 2, Snoops, Adams 7th Street Market). Philosophers Stone is a great bar, especially in the summer when you can play cornhole outside and listen to live music. Jackolope’s is fun too for karaoke and pool. Elizabeth is also Charlotte’s oldest suburb and there is quite a bit of late 19th century/early 20th century architecture still intact, which is a rarity in Charlotte. Because it was developed before the widespread use of cars, it is also an excellent neighborhood for walking.
Bobert,
you spelled “upscale” wrong… lol (you know I’m only having fun at this point). I LOVE LUPIES!! Philosopher’s Stone… FANTASTIC!! I agree, Elizabeth is a great neighborhood. I probably spend an equal amount of time outside of NoDa in Plaza Midwood, Elizabeth, Dilworth, and Uptown. I don’t like to drive and I don’t like traffic so these areas, apart from being fun…. fit the bill for my wanderings cause they’re so close by. QUESTION: Are Carpe Diem, Nothing but Noodles, and Hawthornes Pizza considered Elizabeth? If so, I had lunch at the noodle place today, good times. We have a fantastic pizza and ale place in NoDa now where Mello Mushroom used to be. It’s called Revolution Pizza. I have to say, one of the best pizzas in Charlotte. On a typical night in NoDa, especially during gallery crawl, a person can swing by Dolce Vita for a glass of wine or two, then over to Cabo Fish Taco for a margarita and some fun app’s, then over to Revolution for a personal pizza and a good hearty ale, then over to Smelly Cat for some good coffee, then to hear a band at The Evening Muse, after which they could go shopping for retro sheik at The Rats Nest. In their new duds they can by a T-shirt or some incense at Sunshine Day Dreams, walk to The Boulevard for art or boutique items, gander at some art at one of our many galleries, have a drink at The Boudreaux’s Bar, which we call Sanctuary…. grab a sandwich at Salvador Deli, watch a drum circle, get crocodile bites at Boudreaux’s, buy a new fabu condo at Mercury, and then finish the evening with a late night burger and some drinks at Solstice Tavern… my favorite. The Neighborhood Theater also features big names in music in an intimate venue. You may have to break it up into 2 or 3 nights… BUT.. this area is fantastic, these are the places I love and recommend, and it makes me proud to be a member of this community.
Well, if we want to talk yuppies
Dilworth wins. No contest Ha.
We are more laidback and less stuffy than Myers Park. There is actually plenty of affordable rentals in Dilworth with a mix of folks if you don’t mind living in old quads. I like the historical charm as opposed to sterile new complexes.
I have lived in Dilworth for five years and it feels like a small town to me. I love the walkability to all that East Blvd offers and the covenience of being so close to South End and LYNX.
In the end it makes the most sense to unite as one proud group for all of our neighborhoods. Charlotte is mostly generic sprawl, we need to promote and protect all the authentic older neighborhoods. They give the city it’s heart.
I wish they were all bigger. Too often we are drowned out by the numbing dreck that surrounds us.
Yeah, everything over by CPCC is in Elizabeth. Double Door, Visualite all that. That pizza place in NoDa is really good and they have a ridiculous beer selection and Solstice is cool especially in the summer. I still wish they had Fat City though, sucks they’re not around anymore. That was a fun place. I wonder why CL didn’t do anything on the the Selwyn area out by Montford drive. They have the bowling lanes, Jeff’s Bucket shop, Moosehead, Sir Edmond Hailey’s etc. That should be on the to do list.
Have the rest of the neighborhoods just given up? You slackers.
Hey Starmount Citizens. Follow your neighborhood on twitter and we can share what’s going on to make our neighborhood better. Not that we aren’t already the best there is.
Click on my name and click follow!
We at the very LEAST out bodega the lot of you. 🙂
Dilworth sucks. Once everyone finally realizes this, rental rates will go down so I can move there.
I understand a little trash talk, but some of you guys … jeez. I think other than bringing attention (and business) to each hood, the point might be for some of you to – brace yourself – venture out of your little comfort zone? I mean, I know your palms will get all sweaty and you’ll be nervous and everything, but I you’ll be okay. One thing I noticed when I moved here is how cliquish the music ‘scene’ was, and I suppose it’s citywide? Somewhere between a ‘bridge and tunnel crowd’ and ‘townies’ – that’s where we’ll be. ‘Tards.
I am just an unfrozen caveman nerd so I may not understand your fancy new math – but how can NoDa be at 95% and Starmount at 94%?
I wish I got paid this way… 200% of the amount I am owed… lol
How can this be??? the math on this poll is def wrong.
Starmount in second? Cotswold last??? Reallllly Carlton… I wonder….
Hey Cotswold barely voted! And there’s no prize for second …
This whole thing seems a bit off. Who cares about who votes for their own neighborhoods? Larger neighborhoods typically get more votes. The numbers don’t make sense and how can I put a vote in and still have 0%? Ridiculous.
Very glad to see this article, thank you for sharing.