Help! My wife wants to move to Charlotte, NC.

[Zooport]

Our only kid, her husband and our two grandkids have relocated to Charlotte, NC.  Killer job, big pay, beautiful house.  Now my wife is bugging me to pick up stakes and move there too so we can be a part of the grandkids life.  I understand this, but I have never lived 3 hours away from surf in all of my 59 years, and I'm not excited about going only once in a while.  Given, it's not that far from Cape Hatteras, but surfing every morning will no longer be possible. 

Charlotte is a beautiful town, with a lot of nice people.  I know there are alternatives such as flatwater, touring, racing, SUPing the rapids park there...but I'm a surfer damn it!  Always have been.

So here are my choices:
1. Refuse to move and live with an angry wife.  Daughter wouldn't be too happy with me either.
2. Get a divorce. 
3. Move and mostly give up surfing which has been my joy for 45 years.

What would you do?



.

[bbqSUPer]

Not to make things sound worse but it is closer to 7 hours from Hatteras.  About 3 1/2 from Wilmington.

I say move to Wilmington and drive to Charlotte to see the fam.  Or get a divorce. 

[Zooport]

Not to make things sound worse but it is closer to 7 hours from Hatteras.  About 3 1/2 from Wilmington.

I say move to Wilmington and drive to Charlotte to see the fam.  Or get a divorce. 

Whaaaaat?   7 1/2 hours?  Nooooo!   Is there surf in Wilmington?

[spirit4earth]

It's about 5.5 hours from Charlotte to Nag's Head.  If you live in Cali, expect the surf to be very different.  There are waves, but I doubt they are as big or reliable as those where you are now.  That being said, Hatteras National Seashore is beautiful! It's pretty around Charleston SC, too, but you'd have the same wave problem, maybe worse.  The best place to live in NC is the mountains, where I guess you'd have to take up whitewater kayaking!  🙂

[lucabrasi]

Move closer.........does it have to be Charlotte? Closer to the ocean.
Rent for a year, keep your pad in So Cal?
Hell, you want those kids and grandkids to be able to have a place on the west coast in sunny So Cal to stay and visit.
Could have been Casper or Rapid City.

[Zooport]

Move closer.........does it have to be Charlotte? Closer to the ocean.
Rent for a year, keep your pad in So Cal?
Hell, you want those kids and grandkids to be able to have a place on the west coast in sunny So Cal to stay and visit.
Could have been Casper or Rapid City.

Oh yeah, because my home of 36 years is less than 2 blocks from the beach, I can rent it for some pretty good money.  I plan to hang onto the house for sure.  It's a goldmine. 

[PonoBill]

Compromise. Move to the outer banks. Driving distance to the kids. Your wife has to see that as a reasonable thing. If you keep the house and rent it you can always go back when she figures out that living close to relatives, no matter how much you love them, is not always a wonderful thing.

[WhatsSUP]

Zoo:  Wow ....tough call for sure.  Some good surfing around the Wilmington area...I'm more familiar just north (up around Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune to Morehead City.  Maybe the compromise is a conversion van (like a Transit or Sprint) of sorts for overnighters/road trips.

You can make it work if need be!!!   

 

[Dwight (DW)]

Get a place on Lake Norman. Ease the pain. Add to your water sports. Foiling, windsurfing, kiting.

[southwesterly]

Ignore any talk or conversation of moving away from the ocean. Spend most of your time in the water. Buy lots of new boards. Do this until her anger and frustration overflows and she leaves without you.

Oh wait, you weren’t asking what I did, just advice.

I’m going to recuse myself from further consultation.

[pdxmike]

Move closer.........does it have to be Charlotte? Closer to the ocean.
Rent for a year, keep your pad in So Cal?
Hell, you want those kids and grandkids to be able to have a place on the west coast in sunny So Cal to stay and visit.
Could have been Casper or Rapid City.

If he wants to stay in So Cal, and she wants to move to NC, then moving to Rapid City could be great compromise.  Another might be Amarillo.

[NorthJerzSurfer]

I spend a lot of time in Charlotte for work and as I am in banking have had , and almost been forced, many times to move there.

NEVER EVER.   Really no redeeming quality about the place. (IMHO) Hot, sticky,  no surf, used to be but now so much anymore 'cheap' housing.

Im speaking as a surfer and Sup Surfer. 

[Rideordie]

You could also move to my area, Lake Murray just outside of Columbia, SC. Less than two hours to Charlotte, Charleston and the mountains. People and cost of living are both great.

[K-541`]

Face it your SCREWED.

[Zooport]

Move closer.........does it have to be Charlotte? Closer to the ocean.
Rent for a year, keep your pad in So Cal?
Hell, you want those kids and grandkids to be able to have a place on the west coast in sunny So Cal to stay and visit.
Could have been Casper or Rapid City.

If he wants to stay in So Cal, and she wants to move to NC, then moving to Rapid City could be great compromise.  Another might be Amarillo.

AMARILLO??!!  AMARILLO??!!  Argggggg!