We’ll admit it. We’re suckers for a survey, poll, or any kind of listicle; particularly the type that lump Charlotte into categories you’d least expect. Like this article in Axios Charlotte, that says lists Charlotte – along with Baltimore, Detroit, and Miami – as places young people are most likely to leave.
It’s not as click-baity as, “shocking truths,” or “this one simple trick.” But like Chazz Michael Michaels said in Blades of Glory, “It’s provocative… it gets the people going.” Or at least got us reading an article based on a year old survey of 2,200 kid-free late Millennials and early Gen Z types.
If opportunity, amenities, or climate lure folks to a city like Charlotte, it’s culture and a sense of belonging that keep us on the line, the article suggests. We’d submit that Charlotte’s running scene fosters both.
- Run clubs are everywhere: It seems there’s not a day, time, or part of town where you can’t find a running partner these days. There are currently 91 run clubs listed on the Charlotte Running Club website.
- Some of NC’s biggest running events are here: Charlotte is home to The Novant Health Charlotte Marathon (11,500), Around the Crown 10k (7500), and the Charlotte Turkey Trot (11,000).
- Nurturing the next generation of runners: Did you know? Girls on the Run AND Let Me Run were founded right here in Charlotte. These programs teach character and life skills while building toward a 5k.
- Growing diversity and inclusion: Mad Miles, Latinos Run, Black Men Run, Black Girls Run, and other groups help even more runners find community within the running space.
- Specialty Running Shops guide and support new and veteran runners: In Charlotte, we’re lucky enough to have multiple locations of Charlotte Running Company, Fleet Feet, and Run For Your Life stores. Runners of every type and experience level can find local pros practically anywhere in town.
And don’t even get us started on the growing number of trails and greenways in the area. Sure, we want more; but when we first moved to Charlotte, we’d never imagined we’d be able to run clear down to the South Carolina state line without dodging cars. But here we are.
We’ll agree there’s certainly a case to be made that things are more expensive and that jobs, housing, or friends might get harder to find in a fast-growing city like Charlotte. But the 57,000-plus who moved here in that same survey year suggest the grass is still plenty green here. If the local running scene is any indication, we believe we’re moving in the right direction.
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