cctraveler

I have job opportunities in both Charlotte and in Suffolk, VA. I've been to Suffolk but have yet to go to Charlotte. Anyone out there ever lived in both? My concerns are commute time and schools. I have 3 small children.

ncgrrl

Haven't been to Suffolk, but do know some about Charlotte.

If you pick Charlotte, find a place to live near the jobsite. The county is growing by leaps and bounds and so are the schools. I'd expect trailers and redistricting if you live in an outlying area with lots of new housing developments. The state of NC has year-end testing of all pupils. Scores should be available from Dept. of Ed. website.

cctraveler

Thanks! My quick research has pointed
me toward Belmont and Mount Holly as
possible area's. Both are about
13 miles from job site. Any thoughts
about this area? Commute would be to
Taylor Drive in Charlotte.

cctraveler

Any comment on the crime in either of
these areas? I plan on being in the
Charlotte area very shortly. Via the
web, I've target a number of towns.
- Huntersville
- Belmont
- Mount Holly
- Davidson

Anyone care to comment on the relative
"safeness" of these communities? How
about the commute distance to the
north charlotte area?

BKelly

My wife and I live in Huntersville, which is north of Charlotte, and south of Davidson. I'd consider both Huntersville and Davidson very safe communities. I'm not real familiar with Belmont and Mount Holly, but I'd consider both of them safe from what I've heard / read. We don't have kids yet, so I don't feel qualified commenting on the schools, but I do know that most of the schools receive high national marks, despite the constant negative media attention. There is also a "choice plan" that I'm not familiar with so you'll want to check the Charlotte Mecklenburg School website for additional information (www.cms.k12.nc.us/) Also, I believe Mount Holly and Belmont are in Gaston County, so you may need to search for the Gaston County Schools website for information.
Commuting in Charlotte depends on what you're used to in a commute. Most say it's bad, but when you've spent time in Atlanta or DC traffic, you realize Charlotte traffic is really not too bad. Now, if you're coming from an area with very little traffic, the commute could be a shocker to you. Since they've widened I-77 north of town and they're completing work on I-85, traffic in north Mecklenburg has improved quite a bit from a couple years ago. My wife and I take the I-77 HOV lane into downtown from Huntersville and it's a breeze. You may want to drive the route from your prospective locations to work during rush hour just to see what it would be like. Best of luck to you. Feel free to ask any other questions.

cctraveler

Thanks BKelly !
Huntersville and Davidson are of interest to me. My commute would be to David Taylor Drive.
Mapquest says ~8 miles and 20 minutes from Huntersville and
~19 miles and 29 minutes from Davidson. Is this reality? Thanks!

Gretchen

That is probably the fastest growing part of Mecklenburg County. The interstate has been widened with an HOV lane (you need 2 people, however) and the commute is done by tens of thousands/day. Charlotte and its environs is a great place to live.
Why are you desiring to live in that area if you have not seen the internal neighborhoods of charlotte? There are lovely places to live.

BKelly

My guess is that is it would be around a 30 minute commute from Huntersville and closer to a 40 minute commute from Davidson in rush hour traffic. Huntersville and Davidson are both off of I-77, which runs directly north / south. David Taylor is located in northeast Charlotte and there isn't a real direct route there from Huntersville or Davidson. So you'd have to head south on I-77 and then east to get there or east over to I-85 and then south to David Taylor, or possibly a backroad route, that I'm not aware of.

cctraveler

BKelly: Thanks.
Gretchen: Good question. Basically because I don't know enough about Charlotte yet. Idealy I'd like to have as short of a commute as possible, in a safe area with great schools. I currently live in a very quiet town of 5000 ( in tourist season ). So I'm a bit concerned about heading directly into an urban setting. So my first inclination is to head just outside of the city. I will be in Charlotte this week for a very short trip and am hoping to at least get a quick drive thru of a couple of areas. Thanks!

GoTravel

Living outside Charlotte will almost insure you a long commute.

Gretchen I think lives in the vicinity and could tell you better than I can but, I worked in Charlotte for about six years and the traffic was horrible and getting more so.

I'd say Charlotte is less than a decade behind Atlanta the their horrific traffic.

If you don't want a commute, live near your place of work.

Charlotte has some drop dead gorgeous neighborhoods inside the city limits. What is your housing budget?

cctraveler

If I had to I could go to $400k. I'm looking for 4 br and hopefully 1/2 acre. I've done some searching on the web and it seems like that is very doable. A high priority is schools as well.

tdyls

David Taylor Drive is off Mallard Creek Church Road in the University area. Given your budget (up to $400k) and and a desire to live relatively close to work, I can recommend two general areas:

The first is Highland Creek, just a couple of miles up Prosperity Church Road. Highland Creek is a planned golf-course community that's located off Ridge Road. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is building a new elementary school there this summer (to open in 2006), and a new high school will be located nearby on Johnston-Oehler Road opening in 2007. A new middle school next to the elementary school may be built later this decade.

There is also a subdivision off Galloway Road called (I think) Fountaingrove. My next-door neighbor works for the builder of this subdivision, so if you have questions about it, he may be able to help you. Galloway Road runs parallel to Mallard Creek Church, about 1/4 mile to the north. It would be very easy to get to and from David Taylor Drive from here by using Claude Freeman Drive through a new Pulte subdivision.

(Please make my kickbacks from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the NC Association of Realtors payable in cash.) >

Gretchen

For your money, you can live IN Charlotte in the best school areas. I'll check back tomorrow.

cctraveler

Thanks for the info on Charlotte. I'm heading to both Hampton Roads and Charlotte this weekend for a whirlwind tour. In Hampton Roads I'm focusing on the penninsula area. Poqouson looks good to me, but I expect the commute will be too much.

Brian_in_Charlotte

Take tyls's advice and look closely at the booming University area. I'm a firm believer that people completely underestimate the total cost (in dollars and time) of not living close to work.

We have friends who live in Highland Creek and love it.