Soul of the Community

The information in our study covers the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, N.C.-S.C., Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In each community, the Soul of the Community Study identified factors that emotionally bond residents to where they live. Some of these community characteristics were rated highly by residents, and are therefore community strengths while others were rated lower, making them opportunities for improvement. This information can provide communities a roadmap for increasing residents’ emotional attachment to where they live, which the study found has a significant relationship to economic vitality.

In the Charlotte area, openness (how welcoming a place is), aesthetics (an area’s physical beauty and green spaces) and education are the most important factors emotionally connecting residents to where they live.

Aesthetics – the community’s highest rated area – and education are perceived as community strengths. Charlotte residents rated the area’s natural setting highly. Meanwhile, K-12 public schools were rated significantly higher in 2009, though they were still eclipsed by the ratings of local colleges and universities.

Openness (particularly to college grads, where there was a significant drop in 2009) and social offerings (particularly perception of residents caring about each other) are seen as areas needing improvement.

Not surprisingly, ratings of the local economy dipped significantly in 2009, however the economy is still not a key factor emotionally connecting residents to their community.

Residents who feel a strong emotional connection to the area are most likely older, retired, home owning mid-to-high income and higher educated residents. Those least likely to be emotionally attached are under 55, divorced, non-employed (including students) and lower income residents.