America's Fastest Growing City Is Also It's Worst (Charlotte, NC)

Ajouté : 2026-06-06

[00:00:01]Charlotte, North Carolina. The Native American tribe of Catawba used to inhabit this land, >> [music] >> but when English colonists settled in 1755, they brought a boring name for a city and a little something called smallpox. Within 4 years, half of the native tribe had died due to this new deadly disease.

[00:00:21]It was and still is a tragedy, in one part because of the massive death toll, but also because none of them ever got to see the NASCAR Hall of Fame or Bojangles Coliseum. Since its incorporation in 1768, Charlotte has grown significantly in population.

[00:00:36]Today, it is the 14th most populous city in the United States with over 960,000 people living within the city limits.

[00:00:44]According to the US Census Bureau, Charlotte is the fastest-growing city in the country. However, as a native Charlottean, as we apparently call ourselves, I can't understand for the life of me why that is, why we keep growing. There is nothing going on in Charlotte.

[00:01:00]In my naive and all-too-self-important opinion, a city's worth is measured in its nightlife.

[00:01:07]So, tonight I am taking on the town. My goal is simple.

[00:01:12]I I don't really have one. I want to know why it is that people keep moving here. I want to see it for myself. I want to see where, if anywhere, the nightlife scene is.

[00:01:23]>> Everyone's got a secret life, believe it or not, you know.

[00:01:26]>> Tonight, we're visiting Charlotte, North Carolina. Specifically, we're in South End right now. Not a hell of a lot going on down here, so we're going to try to find out. Hey, check Get a shot of that.

[00:01:34]Get a shot of that. Chicken wing. And the Charlotte is a lot like this uh chicken wing here. That's kind of it, you know. Got to be for real.

[00:01:44]Appreciate that, guys. We begin our journey in South End. Pre-2007, it was a massive industrial train yard. Now, $2 billion later, it is a preppy, cute home to many young professionals who've just made their first big boy or big girl paycheck.

[00:01:59]>> Look at that young lad.

[00:02:00]>> You should have shined that light in that guy's face.

[00:02:02]>> You want to be in an interview?

[00:02:04]You okay? Okay.

[00:02:06]>> That's all right.

[00:02:07]>> Hey guys. Are you looking to be bothered?

[00:02:11]>> You can be bothered.

[00:02:13]>> Hey, do you want to be bothered?

[00:02:16]Understandable.

[00:02:17]It didn't hit me until there.

[00:02:21]Right there. You could see the exact moment when I realized that I have never done anything even remotely as social as this. And my plan was to ask these total strangers meaningful questions. Whose idea was this? Am I high? No, I can't be high. Being high feels good. I feel awful. I want to go home.

[00:02:41]>> It's not It's not good. Kind of feels like I'm Chuck E. Cheese, you know?

[00:02:46]I'm inside of a big [music] rat costume and all the little boys and girls are trying to avoid me.

[00:02:51]>> How does that look?

[00:02:53]>> You look like a sad, lonely little man.

[00:02:57]>> Well, if I start smoking a cigarette, I'll just look cool. How close is that?

[00:03:01]>> Uh I can see like a whole bus.

[00:03:04]>> A bus?

[00:03:04]>> You look so goofy.

[00:03:06]>> Damn, my career is over and it hasn't even started. Maybe I should just suck it up. Time to grow up, cut my hair, and get a job. Or well, I can at least get a job. I've got no hope left. It would take some kind of a miracle to >> What kind of interview is this?

[00:03:21]>> Oh.

[00:03:23]A miracle.

[00:03:23]>> It's a lot of corporate people and you know, they like to go out on the weekends and stuff like that. That's fun. So, like when you go out to Charlotte on the weekends, lit, fun sometimes, depending. People only want to go to South End. If you're over 27, get out of South End.

[00:03:43]>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:03:43]>> It's It's time. It's time. South End is cool, don't get me wrong. Crowd is too similar. You see the same type of people. I feel like you go to Noda, Plaza, some other places, there's a little bit more diversity, a little bit more, you know, since it's a lot of corporate people, they're not going out on the weekdays, you know? Majority people here, you know, it's like the finance capital, like there's like a whole bunch of other, a lot of corporate jobs. So, like people aren't like willing to go out on a Wednesday because they got work at 9:00 in the morning.

[00:04:15]>> going out on a Wednesday?

[00:04:16]>> I mean, if I'm feeling spicy enough.

[00:04:19]Sometimes I I mean, I'm employed, so I have to pick and choose, but if the occasion is lit enough, like I'm going to Rufus next weekend on a Tuesday.

[00:04:28]Wednesday feels sinister, Thursday.

[00:04:31]>> That's when you go out.

[00:04:32]>> Yeah, Thursday, Thursday. Like I don't feel as guilty. It's almost like a rush.

[00:04:36]It's literally almost like a rush, like it's Thursday, I got work on Friday, but that's the last day.

[00:04:41]>> It's like you're It's like you're not supposed to be doing it.

[00:04:43]>> supposed to be doing it, so I have more fun.

[00:04:46]But Wednesday, I'm like, damn, I have 2 days left. I don't really have a lot to recover, but on a Thursday, I only have one day.

[00:04:52]>> How [music] long have you been in Charlotte?

[00:04:54]>> I grew up here.

[00:04:55]I grew up here. Yeah, we both grew up here. We went to high school here, we went to middle school here, and elementary school here. Yeah, it used to be boring as [ __ ] And now it's cool. I mean, we're like getting there.

[00:05:05]We're going TO NODA. BYE.

[00:05:07]>> [laughter] >> ALL RIGHT, WELL.

[00:05:08]THANKS. A simple thanks is all I gave. I was starting to lose all hope when a feminine hand reached down from heaven to save me from my own lacking social skills. Thank you, God. I've seen your face, and I had no idea you were Latina.

[00:05:22]>> Like a Like an interview?

[00:05:25]Why are you recording that, fellow?

[00:05:28]>> Nice.

[00:05:29]Nice.

[00:05:30]Nice.

[00:05:35]>> I mean, sure, we have some nice areas.

[00:05:37]Our current city planners have taken a page out of our settler founders playbook and have started forcing poor people out and replacing them with things like expensive beer gardens and gourmet vape shops.

[00:05:48]Previously poverty areas like South End and Noda have been given a sloppy new coat of paint called millennial designed to fool you into thinking, "Wow, has Charlotte always been this nice?" To which I can only reply, "No." The city calls it revitalization.

[00:06:02]However, those among our revitalized populace would probably describe it as gentrification. I digress. I personally have mixed feelings about the city's revitalization efforts, but these two feel very, very strongly.

[00:06:15]>> How do you feel about the growth in Charlotte? You know, it's the fastest growing city in the United States.

[00:06:19]>> Yeah, of course. I hate it.

[00:06:22]>> [laughter] >> GET THE [ __ ] OUT OF MY CITY.

[00:06:25]>> SOUTH END HAPPENED in like our lifetime.

[00:06:26]Noda happened in our lifetime.

[00:06:27]>> Well, that's because they got gentrified.

[00:06:29]>> Gentrified. That's a great That's a great point. That was one of my questions. So, are we [ __ ] with gentrification or not?

[00:06:34]>> No. No.

[00:06:36]>> So, [ __ ] no. It's like tear down old homes, bring in new Yeah, come on. Yeah. I don't [ __ ] with it.

[00:06:44]>> [laughter] >> But, I mean, I understand what they're doing, but you know, that's just >> Yeah, you're not profiting from it. My thing is like if they gave me even a little bit, like maybe like 50 bucks a month, I'm easy. I'm going to let them gentrify. That's what >> to let them gentrify you?

[00:06:57]>> Gentrify me? Oh, hell no, brother. I don't even want to know what that means.

[00:07:00]>> Is everything getting too expensive?

[00:07:01]>> Yeah. Yes.

[00:07:02]>> It's been too expensive.

[00:07:03]>> Okay, yeah. And follow up, what are you going to do about it?

[00:07:07]>> [laughter] >> No, here's my question next. What is there to do around Charlotte? Like, what am I supposed to be doing right now?

[00:07:12]>> I think I think do your own. Do your own. Like, you know, grow yourself. Grow yourself.

[00:07:16]>> That's inspiring, but I meant more specifically.

[00:07:19]Yeah, exactly.

[00:07:20]>> Yeah, like like go-karting.

[00:07:22]>> No, if you want to smoke a nice cigarette, you would go to Common Market in Plaza because the Common Market in South End is a little bit too preppy, but the Common Market in Plaza has like the oddball alternative people, which is really nice because you can smoke your cigarette without being [ __ ] judged by Miss Karen like literally 0.5 miles away from you.

[00:07:37]>> So, follow up question of what is there to do around Charlotte? Who is there to do around Charlotte?

[00:07:42]>> Uh Hinge, download that [ __ ] Like What are you waiting for?

[00:07:46]>> Babe, they're everywhere.

[00:07:47]>> What are you waiting for?

[00:07:48]>> If you're looking for love in Charlotte, you're [ __ ] I'm sorry.

[00:07:51]>> god.

[00:07:51]>> Like actually no, you're [ __ ] >> You think so?

[00:07:52]>> Oh, absolutely.

[00:07:53]>> you guys meet?

[00:07:54]>> Oh, we work at a coffee shop.

[00:07:55]>> In Charlotte?

[00:07:56]>> Yes.

[00:07:56]>> Did you meet in Charlotte?

[00:07:58]>> Oh, yes. Yes.

[00:07:59]>> Are you in finance like Monday through Friday?

[00:08:01]>> Why do you say that? What about me makes me look like I work in an office building?

[00:08:04]>> Uh it's New Balances, isn't it?

[00:08:06]>> about to say.

[00:08:07]>> It's the glasses.

[00:08:08]>> It's I was about to say just the green.

[00:08:10]>> It's the green tie.

[00:08:11]>> Oh, cuz of money? Is this a cartoon?

[00:08:14]>> I work at a bank cuz I wear a green tie?

[00:08:16]What am I, a Lego minifigure?

[00:08:18]>> [laughter] >> Do you think you would hang out with a guy like me?

[00:08:21]>> [ __ ] we're doing it now.

[00:08:23]>> We're doing it.

[00:08:23]>> Do you guys think I'm cool?

[00:08:25]>> Yes.

[00:08:25]>> Yes, bro.

[00:08:26]>> Like one out of 10, like out of 10.

[00:08:28]Yes, c o o l.

[00:08:31]No, 10.

[00:08:32]10. 10. Numbers, okay.

[00:08:34]10. Okay, we can edit we can edit that afterwards. We'll make it into a 10.

[00:08:38]Here's Here's one for you. Do you think like life is just a cycle of like suffering and constant rebirth? Or is that just me?

[00:08:47]>> It's just you.

[00:08:48]>> It's just me.

[00:08:49]>> I'm sorry.

[00:08:49]>> [laughter] >> Yo, I'm sorry about that, yo. That sounds >> Yeah.

[00:08:53]>> I'm sorry for me, too. And since I'm apparently the only one experiencing the cycle of suffering and rebirth, let's get this suffering over with. Okay, just a little more wallowing.

[00:09:02]>> I I don't know why, but there's accents of uh my my seventh grade dance, you know, this level of rejection I'm feeling.

[00:09:10]Uh it's it's palpable.

[00:09:12]And it's not good.

[00:09:18]Oh, you're still recording?

[00:09:19]>> Yes.

[00:09:20]>> My rebirth came in the form of swapping out my camera man and being so tired from all the walking that I had no room left to be anxious. I reached something of a flow state. Hey, wait. It's like I escaped samsara. Wow, that metaphor really worked out. My replacement camera man had been drinking before I picked him up, which made for good company and less than good footage. Funny guy though.

[00:09:42]>> Get some Get some boogers.

[00:09:44]>> [laughter] >> Just press it.

[00:09:45]>> No, this is This is good footage. This is like something you can throw in the end of the video.

[00:09:48]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:09:49]>> Blooper reel.

[00:09:50]>> A 38-minute [laughter] long blooper reel.

[00:09:52]>> I'll just like make sure to like put my fingers [music] in like the shot, too. Like >> It's like the the interviewee says something that I don't like and I'm just like >> [laughter] >> According to research conducted by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, for every 1 day, approximately 113 new people move to Charlotte. Statistically speaking, only 41% of Charlotte residents are North Carolina natives. In one sense, the more the merrier.

[00:10:20]Diversifying a city as boring and lifeless as Charlotte is something most young people welcome. That being said, the influx of outsiders is proving a real problem for locals. Want some more scary statistics? In the past 6 years alone, the median cost of a home in Charlotte has doubled from $238,000 to $429,000.

[00:10:39]This constant growth is met with routine pushback from locals, young families, and the homeless, all just trying to survive another day in the Queen City.

[00:10:48]Occasionally though, you'll meet a non-resident who is pushing back. Not so much against the city, more so against the Charlotteans themselves, physically.

[00:10:56]>> Do you guys live in Charlotte?

[00:10:57]>> We do not, but we come here often.

[00:10:58]>> So, how often you come here?

[00:10:59]>> Probably, I'd say at least once or twice a month.

[00:11:01]>> Once or twice a month?

[00:11:02]>> I'm trying to get a vibe here. What's the deal with Charlotte?

[00:11:05]>> Like a bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] I'll keep it a buck with you.

[00:11:06]>> Yo, what He said it, I didn't say it.

[00:11:08]>> Yeah, he This is what I've been saying.

[00:11:09]>> Bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] Listen, we step, they don't step, period. Bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] I mean, do I look like a bad dude? No. I promise you I don't.

[00:11:17]>> Where you from?

[00:11:17]>> I'm from Columbia, South Carolina.

[00:11:18]>> Ah.

[00:11:19]>> I'm from the ghetto.

[00:11:20]>> And you And you guys step?

[00:11:21]>> And my homeboy My homeboys at home know.

[00:11:23]Columbia, South Carolina ghetto.

[00:11:26]But listen, Charlotte, no [ __ ] I'm from Mooresville, it ain't far, but Charlotte, bro, stop being a bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] period. You can bleep all that [ __ ] out.

[00:11:32]>> No, no, >> no. It's going in.

[00:11:33]>> Bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] >> Real [ __ ] They [ __ ] they [ __ ] everybody a bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] in Charlotte, period.

[00:11:38]>> I'm I don't know this guy. You guys are I don't know Hey.

[00:11:41]>> Yeah.

[00:11:43]No, I'll be honest with you, bro. They [ __ ] for real. Y'all [ __ ] for real. I don't care.

[00:11:48]>> Not like a rude way. In a respectful way, we're calling them [ __ ] >> The most respectful way you can call someone a [ __ ] >> We try to step, they don't want to step, it ain't my fault. Grow a pair of [ __ ] nuts.

[00:12:00]>> Were you stepping tonight?

[00:12:01]>> Shut hell yeah.

[00:12:01]>> We have been.

[00:12:02]>> We have been. Yeah, about seven times.

[00:12:04]>> I DON'T SO, THE PROBLEM IS IS I DON'T do disrespect. That's the problem. I don't do disrespect.

[00:12:08]>> That's the problem.

[00:12:08]>> So, you come to my boy's girl, or you come to me, we got an issue.

[00:12:12]>> Right. And and and I come to have a good time.

[00:12:14]>> And you fold under pressure, that shows who the [ __ ] you are.

[00:12:17]>> Right. Seven dudes stepped to me in here. Seven.

[00:12:20]>> Seven.

[00:12:20]>> And And seven of them at the same time?

[00:12:22]>> Yes. And And here's the thing. Don't think we're hard, we're not saying we're hard, nothing like that. The difference we're saying is is what we're saying is is the difference [music] is >> When you go to talk [ __ ] to somebody, you're going to come across the wrong guy. And not even a wrong guy, you're going to come across someone who's real about what the [ __ ] they say. And that's what this Charlotte is full of, it's just a bunch of [ __ ] [ __ ] who want to talk.

[00:12:39]>> A lot of talk.

[00:12:40]>> Seven guys, Jeremy. What did you What happened?

[00:12:42]>> I got drunk as [ __ ] here, right?

[00:12:43]>> Hell yeah.

[00:12:44]>> Period. Homeboy's birthday. I got drunk as [ __ ] I was the DD. Bad idea. But, so we was coming from bar to bar, cuz we come out here and bar hop.

[00:12:52]>> God damn Jim Beam.

[00:12:53]>> Beer spilled all We had custom t-shirts.

[00:12:55]Mine said like I'm fat cuz I'm eat ass.

[00:12:56]Homeboy's said something else.

[00:12:58]Right. Bum chum. means [ __ ] if you don't know. If you are a [ __ ] >> No, we'll keep we'll keep that in.

[00:13:03]>> Keep it in because if you're If you're a [ __ ] if you're offended >> We'll keep it in.

[00:13:07]>> If you're offended by [ __ ] That's my boy Nate.

[00:13:10]>> homeboy Nate. He's our light skin.

[00:13:11]>> Yeah, if you're offended by that word, that's Nate.

[00:13:13]>> Yeah, if you're offended by [ __ ] take it up with him. Take it up with him.

[00:13:16]>> Take it up with Nate.

[00:13:18]>> That's him. He said it.

[00:13:19]>> Uh Nate, come here.

[00:13:20]How you feel about [ __ ] >> So, he's not drunk yet.

[00:13:24]>> We was walking, homeboy called us [ __ ] we stepped, that's all it was. And they all weren't about it.

[00:13:29]>> Folded. They ran away.

[00:13:30]>> Damn. Damn.

[00:13:32]>> And that's how it was. But that's what >> That's Charlotte behavior.

[00:13:34]>> It's Charlotte. Charlotte behavior.

[00:13:36]>> We ride a bunch of bikes.

[00:13:37]>> bar in Mooresville. Come fill it the [ __ ] back up cuz it's dead as hell nowadays.

[00:13:41]>> Heard that.

[00:13:41]>> Dead as [ __ ] >> Heard that.

[00:13:42]>> Shout out.

[00:13:45]>> Have a good one.

[00:13:46]>> All right. Appreciate you guys, man.

[00:13:48]I'll get you guys back tonight, man.

[00:13:49]Appreciate you.

[00:13:49]>> I genuinely did appreciate them for their liveliness. They acted as a pretty clear indicator that the crowd I was interviewing had reached that point of the night where every ounce of alcohol they had drank up until that point was comfortably numbing their minds and loosening their lips. Damn, that's such a good line. I want a beer. However, this lively interview was not the beginning of anything. It was more the end. This started a very boring period of my night. Charlotte is a massive urban sprawl.

[00:14:17]>> Walking and walking and walking.

[00:14:21]>> Pen man.

[00:14:24]Oh, yeah. Get that. Get that for sure.

[00:14:27]That's staying in.

[00:14:30]I don't I don't got any change, man.

[00:14:33]You okay?

[00:14:35]I'm losing my mind.

[00:14:36]>> I wasn't the only one losing my mind. My cameraman had taken up the habit of filming every electric scooter that would drive by.

[00:14:48]>> [laughter] >> And this one supermarket for no particular reason.

[00:14:56]>> That is a pretty good shot.

[00:15:00]Did you screen grab that?

[00:15:07]Okay.

[00:15:09]>> I'm not exactly sure what, but I think something else was getting his attention. To boot, the crowd wasn't too interested in being interviewed either.

[00:15:17]>> an interview.

[00:15:18]>> Trying, yeah.

[00:15:20]Go Canes.

[00:15:21]Could you answer a few questions for me?

[00:15:23]>> Wait, I want to be It won't take long.

[00:15:26]It won't take long.

[00:15:31]Some people, you know.

[00:15:36]Some people have >> [snorts] >> Some people have better things to do than stand around and chat.

[00:15:42]>> Yeah, some people stand around and eat.

[00:15:44]Also, it seems like the cameraman was rubbing off on the camera. Even it was losing focus.

[00:15:48]>> deal with this scene? I'm walking miles to make it from bar to bar. There's like eight people out here.

[00:15:53]>> What is with that?

[00:15:54]>> Charlotte's a great place, I mean, but you got to think about it. Back-to-back busy weekends. You got right before the beginning of June. You know, new month, new vacation. We got right after Memorial Day.

[00:16:04]>> He's got a lot of excuses, to be honest with you. Not you, just like the city.

[00:16:07]You know what I mean?

[00:16:09]Small bar to spot?

[00:16:10]>> I think it's a good place to come after like midnight.

[00:16:15]Can't beat it with a stick.

[00:16:16]>> What you got?

[00:16:17]>> I got a burger. Some of the fries have already been eaten, but got a burger, lettuce, and onion. I'm not a tomato guy myself.

[00:16:25]>> I get that. I get that.

[00:16:26]>> Ketchup and mayonnaise.

[00:16:27]>> Ketchup and mayonnaise.

[00:16:28]>> If you're a Yeah, see, fry review.

[00:16:30]>> Fry review.

[00:16:32]That's right. That's what we needed.

[00:16:34]>> If you couldn't tell, half of them are gone.

[00:16:37]>> How much for that?

[00:16:46]Pat, is that it?

[00:16:46]>> Yeah.

[00:16:47]Why it's super reinforced.

[00:16:51]>> I appreciate you, man.

[00:16:53]Have a good night, Pat. Go Canes.

[00:16:54]Appreciate you guys. Thanks for the fry reviews. Canes.

[00:16:58]Appreciate you guys.

[00:16:59]Let's go Canes. Let's go Canes.

[00:17:00]Sponsored by Canes.

[00:17:02]Have a good night, guys. When all of those goons were saying go Canes, I thought they were referring to Raising Cane's, the popular Midwestern fried chicken franchise, and not the Carolina Hurricanes. But that's not important.

[00:17:12]What's important is that my question was answered. Why do people keep moving here? It's simple. That's it. It's just simple. Most other major American cities have a lot going on. Robust transit, countless high yield industries, vibrant nightlife. Charlotte has none of these things. But what it lacks in everything, it makes up for in its lack of things.

[00:17:31]Look, what I mean to say is that Charlotte is slow and boring and I kind of like that. I think most people who live here do. After spending the day bashing Charlotte, I do still continue to live here and I enjoy her many subtle charms.

[00:17:45]Mostly because it's too damn expensive to live anywhere else.

[00:17:48]>> I've got nothing left in me, Tommy. I've got no energy. Oh, my back hurts.

[00:17:52]>> Your back hurt from just walking?

[00:17:54]>> Shh. This thing's about to be dead.

[00:17:56]>> That?

[00:17:57]>> Goodnight, everybody.