North Iredell News

As realtors continue to take calls from people looking to move out of larger urban environments during the COVID-19 crisis, Charlotte may prove to be just what some are looking for.

That is the take from the Charlotte Business Alliance, which recently has been fielding more inquiries about the state's most populated and arguably most desirable municipality. 

There is not a singular specific reason drawing interest to Charlotte, but a June 25 article by WCNC-Charlotte highlighted attributes such as quality of life, lower cost of living, transit options including an airport, a growing job market and not as densely populated as other U.S. cities like New York City. 

The website governing.com, based on 2016 statistics, shows that New York City's density is 28,211 people per square mile, while Charlotte is 2,829 per square mile. 

“Charlotte stands to dramatically benefit from this type of de-densification that you’re seeing in urban markets,” Steven Pearce, who’s in charge of business recruitment for the Charlotte Business Alliance, said in the WCNC report. 

But it's not just individuals looking to move to Charlotte. Pearce said businesses have contacted him about potentially moving operations to the Queen City. 

As an example, Pearce said in the WCNC report that he recently received a voicemail from CEO that "... due to COVID-19, we're looking at consolidating and potentially relocating our global headquarters and what we know about the Charlotte region is a place we want to consider." 

The WCNC report also noted that when it comes to business and employees, the city has received more looks also because companies are embracing remote working, sped up because of the coronavirus, which Pearce said is a tool the alliance can use to attract companies to Charlotte. 

“When it comes to recruiting businesses, it’s a really good tool in our tool kit to help us when we’re selling the Charlotte region to places that are very dense,” Pearce said in the WCNC report.