Amy Baldwin

Chuck and Priscilla Sawicki moved back to Charlotte in 2007, about 35 years after they first called it home. And they took up residence somewhere they never would have imagined: uptown.

With money tighter and jobs harder to come by, some Charlotte newcomers say they'll spend their first Thanksgiving here rather than go back home. And for some transplants, their dinner tables here will have empty seats as out-of-town relatives stay put rather than spend money on gas or airfare.

Amy Baldwin: I've moved around a lot, so I've had my share of newcomer Thanksgivings. I've always found a seat at a family dinner table and I'm grateful for that.

This is the second in an occasional series on five things to do in various areas around Charlotte. Today's focus: around Lake Norman.

Life's simple pleasures can bring people together

Andrea Perullo is a Charlotte newcomer and a not-so-newcomer. She grew up here, left and came back.

Charlotte has no military base. No fort. No battleship. No military installation. Yet we have an interesting war history.

The waves of moderates and independents who've moved here have made this a battleground state, one that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has a chance to win, pollsters say

Janet Carothers lived in Pittsburgh her entire life, raised four children there and saw eight grandchildren born there. And then in summer 2007, she left her city and family for a new life in the Charlotte area.

Charlotte has been getting a lot of national attention as home-grown Wachovia Corp. crumbled before our eyes. And it's been interesting to see how outsiders view and describe Charlotte.