How similar is Charlotte to Atlanta?

With the recent growth that the

has experienced, it's often been called a smaller version of Atlanta. There's no doubt the Queen City has become a major Southern city in its own right and the number of people moving there dramatically increases every year. When comparing Charlotte to the metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia, how similar are the two cities?

On the surface, the two cities are just a four-hour drive apart and each has a lot of appeal. Both cities have big corporate businesses with plenty of job opportunities, major hospitals, airport hubs that make it easier to travel and professional sports teams that bring in big money and provide plenty of entertainment. Their social scenes both offer a vibrant nightlife, rich foodie culture and a multitude of fun activities that appeal to both singles and families alike, including museums, theaters, public parks, concerts and events. You'll also find plenty of shopping options in the form of malls, boutiques and grocery stores. Even the weather is comparable between Charlotte and Atlanta, with typically mild winters, with an occasional snow storm, and humid, hot summers.

As far as public transportation, Atlanta's

system has been in place for decades, while

is much smaller, with only one direct line that currently connects a very limited number of stops that don't reach far outside of the city's center. But don't count the Queen City's public transportation out just yet. The local government is working hard to extend the light rail outside city limits and add several new stops along the way to help alleviate interstate traffic.

Check out how Charlotte is similar and different to Atlanta when it comes to a host of factors, such as population, crime rate, cost of living and unemployment rate.

Population:

You'll find plenty of diversity in each city, but when it comes to population numbers, there's absolutely no comparison between the two. Atlanta is the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with almost 5.8 million residents and no signs of slowing down according to the

. While Charlotte is the nation's 18th-largest city, the metropolitan area just topped 2.3 million residents says

.

Here's how Charlotte and Atlanta stack up against the national crime rate according to

.

Charlotte

70% higher than the national average

Violent crime rate in every 100,000: 732

Property crime rate in every 100,000: 4,098

Murder rate in every 100,000: 7.5

Atlanta

123% higher than the national average

Violent crime rate in every 100,000: 1,084

Property crime rate in every 100,000: 5,259

Murder rate in every 100,000: 23.5

Cost of living 

Average monthly rent:
(Statistics reported by U.S. News and World Report)
Charlotte — $863
Atlanta — $977
 
Median home price:
(Statistics reported by U.S. News and World Report)
Charlotte — $190,404
Atlanta — $195,727

Job market 

Unemployment rate:
(Statistics reported by U.S. News and World Report)
Charlotte — 4.9%
Atlanta — 5%

Cox Media Group