Charlotte and family-oriented suburbs
 

We are from the Midwest, and are considering a move to the Charlotte area. I was hoping some of you could give me a little insight into different suburbs around the city that would be a good place to raise children. Our kids, ages 6,8 and 9 are all involved in soccer, tennis and swimming. We love the outdoors, so walking/biking trails would be nice as well. What suburbs have the best public schools? What suburbs are known for their family-friendly activites? Currently, we live about 20 miles from a major metropolitan area in a city of about 37,000. The schools are excellent, as is our neighborhood - a planned community on a golf course. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

bttt

As a resident of Matthews, I would highly recoomend it, particularly if you prefer a small-town type atmosphere. This is only one of many options & there are many golf-course-type communities as well.http://www.matthewsnc.com/ http://www.soarsports.com/ www.charlottechamber.com www.cms.k12.nc.us www.charlotte.com Please let me know if you have any specific questions. Your choice ,ay also well depend on where you will be working. Although the commute here is not as bad as probably where you are coming from (I am from Ohio) you don't want to live in Matthews & work in Huntersville.

Charlotte has many many wonderful neighborhoods. As was said in the other post, your work location should enter into this decision very heavily because of commuting time. The future is bright for our public transit, but it is a number of years away for completion.
You can find many almost center city communities such as you apparently have now.
What will be your work locale? If at home, then you will have MANY areas to choose from. If you want to live on the water, Lake Norman to the north of Charlotte is very attractive--IF you don't have to commute to midtown Charlotte.

My husband is considering different physician groups within the area, so I am not sure yet where he would be working. Because he usually starts work at 7am, rush hour - at least going to work - is not an issue. How are the public schools in Matthews? We also live in Ohio, and although we pay very high property taxes, our schools are top-notch. Can the same be said of Matthews or others areas around Charlotte?

Hi. We moved from Simsbury Ct (#1 rated school in Ct.) to Charlotte, NC about 7 years ago. We really like it here and have been happy with the schools. It is a super family friendly place. You just need to be very careful about the "neighborhood home school" b/c that is most likely where your children will go to school, unless they go magnet or private.
We live in the South Park area, where alot of drs live, mainly b/c we live about 15 minutes from the 2 major hospitals in the area. We live about 5 minutes from the Harris YMCA, which has every sport your children would want to particpate in, and has indoor and outdoor pools too. My kids are 6 and 7 and do soccer, swimming, gymnastics and dance through the Y. Realtors can get you alot of this information that you are looking for. Good luck

Schools (public) are hit or miss as the school system encompasses the entire county. We also have magnet schools for arts, IB, special needs, etc. that you have to lottery into. The Char-meck website is very informative as it breaks down everything from demographics to teacher experience to test scores. Based on what you are looking at (for work) the areas you'll likely see are Uptown, Matthews, Southpark area, Randolph Rd. area for Drs. Although we live in Matthews and love it there, my oldest goes to Cotswold (for IB) & my youngest will as well, as he will be 'siblinged' in. I believe they are actually doing applications for the lottery right now, for Fall 2009. What part of Ohio ? I grew up in SE Ohio near Athens, but I went to school in Dayton & also lived in Columbus.

To answer your question we are pleased w/the schools to date (& my wife is a special needs teacher among other things) so we are not the easiest to please. Our big concern is High School due to the sheer size of the High Schools in Char-Meck, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Thanks for all of your good advice. I have never heard the term, "Magnet school" before - what does that mean? What is "IB?" Is the South Park area actually in the city of Charlotte or is it a suburb? I will definitely check out the "Char-meck" website suggested. It sounds like much research is needed to find good schools - which is very important to us. We are from Dublin, a suburb NW of Columbus. Although we Love everything Dublin has to offer, (I wonder if there is a place like Dublin around Charlotte!) we're getting tired of the weather, and the fact that so many great places to visit are so, so far away. My parents also live in the South East, so we'd be moving closer to family.

South Park is in the City. IB is International Baccalaureate.

We liked Davidson a lot when we lived there. Before that we lived in Huntersville, which was nice also but not as intimate of a town.

Here's a link to the IB program -
http://www.ibo.org/

Magnet schools are schools that offer a different approach than the regular public schools. The type of magnet schools vary.

One big difference between Ohio and NC is that the school systems are mostly school districts based on the county (larger, county-wide school districts).

Hey Neal/623, if the practice opportunity is mid or south Charlottte, you might look across the border in SC. Fort Mill has great schools, lower taxes, good housing and easy commute...good luck and welcome...dave

Columbus & Charlotte are not too different in lay-out when it comes to neighborhoods although CLT tends to be a bit like a bicycle wheel. Upper Arlington would be similar to Myers Park. German Village = Elizabeth. Short North = South End & Noda. Lane Ave. = SouthPark. Dublin = Weddington. Just some comparisons based on my humble opinion(s). I lived in both Hilliard & German Village & am fairly familiar w/Dublin. Weddington would be more like Dublin 10 or 15 years ago. Best of luck w/your search.

We also have a couple of language immersion schools which is interesting in that all subjects are taught in that language. Offered are French, Spanish, German, Japanese & Chinese.

I did some research on Charlotte-area public schools - It does appear that the magnet schools are the way to go or private. (I do have to wonder why they have a county-wide school system though, rather than separate districts.) After spending some time on real estate websites, I was also interested in the Fort Mill area, as someone suggested. Any more opinions on this, provided that the commute would not be ridiculous for my husband? SANParis2, thank you for your Columbus/Charlotte comparisons. It's very difficult to compare two cities when we really don't know the personality of different areas within Charlotte. Your information is very helpful, as we continue to gather facts.

School districts are county-based in much of the South. The South ended up with county-based school districts because segregation imposed diseconomies of scale on district operations and required larger land-area districts. When desegregation occurred, there was significant "white flight" to private schools. Consequently, public schools districts remained county-based as a means of drawing enough economic support for less economically advantaged neighborhoods. The Charlotte area has some very good public schools but you will need to search for individual schools, not districts.

Based on my experience & research the following schools always seem to be near the top of things Elementary - Matthews, McKee Rd., Cotswold, Landsdowne, Elizabeth Traditional & Smith Academy. Not to say there are not many more good schools, these are just the ones I have some knowledge of (all Elem.) for High School - Myers Park is recognized frequently in National publications for their achievements. In addition, private & public schools are rarely intermingled here for sports & extra-curriculars, also much different than in Ohio. If you are looking private, my top picks would be Latin (for general), Charlotte Christian (for religion based) & The Fletcher School (for special needs). Just my 2 cents.

Fort Mill, to me would be similar to a Canal Winchester. Just outside the Beltway, still has some small-town charm in the Downtown area, but lots of subdivisions. Fort Mill also encompasses quite a large area & taxes in SC are a bit cheaper. If you are looking for more of a small town feel, I would place Fort Mill, Matthews & Belmont near the top of my list.

If you are going to be in a medical group, you need to find out WHERE he will be. They are located all over the city and county--and in the middle of the city.
Personally, we have always lived 5 minutes from the hospitals (DH is a physician). It REALLY depends on his specialty. I can see no reason to live in Fort MIll. Charlotte has beautiful mid/in town neighborhoods, convenient to downtown for all that is going on there.
Schools are good--better some areas than others. The private schools are excellent--and expensive.
Until your husband has his group and his "assignment", I would stay very open to all parts of Charlotte/Mecklenburg.
Your question about why county is interesting, since because the Lake Norman area is in the county, it has excellent public schools.
And since SanParis offered his idea about private schools, I'd have to recommend Charlotte Country Day first (for diversity and education)--Providence Day has a fine program, as does Christian and Latin. For elementary grades there is Trinity Episcopal school that is doing a very good job--up to 8th grade.
Commuting in Charlotte is not a good situation for traffic.
ON the medical side, Charlotte is a truly remarkable medical community with excellent care at all levels and with outstanding hospitals.
What is his specialty?

My husband is a radiologist, and once he finds a group he likes, we'll be able to make more decisions. You have all been so very helpful. I feel like I have so much more insight on the Charlotte-area now. We are headed in that area in Feb, so we'll have the opportunity to chech out some of the cities and areas you have mentioned. Again, thanks for you help!

Well, there are a number of hospitals in addition to the center city ones. Good luck in your search. Whatever group he joins will probably have real estate agents they deal with. It would be good to engage one for the day to take you around the city to show you the possibilities. You will love the neighborhoods/divisions. It is a beautiful city with a LOT going on.
One plug for the center city--your children and you will want to do things in the downtown area--museums, sports, children's theater,etc. It is nice not to be 40 minutes drive from downtown.

Best of luck in your search. Even in the best of situations, moving can be difficult at best.

Don't know where you went to school but both Ohio State & Ohio University have sizable, & very active, alumni associations here in CLT. You may want to contact them as well, if you are an alumni, of course.

topping for chgeeb

ttt justin case

This message is for SAnParis2. I don't know how better to contact you but my husband and I are searching for a neighborhood around the Gastonia area...preferably between Gastonia and Charlotte that is similar to Dublin in Columbus, Ohio. We currently live in Hilliard, OH but plan on moving to Dublin if we stay in Columbus. I saw that you have expensive knowledge in the two major city comparisons and were able to provide great surrounding suburb comparisons as well and would really like your help. Any direction you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!

Although not necessarily 'like' Dublin, the only place I would really consider on that side of town is the Belmont area. Adjacent to Lake Wylie & home of the www.usnwc.org. The West side (due to the Airport & Industrial nature of I-74/Wilkinson Blvd. are not ideal. The older part of Belmont is not unlike the 'older' part of Hilliard. Most anything else are smaller towns (like McAdenville) which hosts the annual XMas light extravaganza. Will you/your husband be working in Gastonia ? How far a commute would you consider acceptable ? If you are going TO Gastonia you would be going against traffic which may alter your perception of an acceptable location in which to live. Belmont is also in Gaston Co. which means cheaper taxes as well (well most of it anyway). http://www.cityofbelmont.org/, http://www.belmontrocks.com/

How about Cramerton, San?

I don't know much about Cramerton...I only know about Belmont as I thought about moving there at one point in time + I've spent a little time on the Lake over that way.

I agree on Belmont. You certainly don't want to live on the west side of Charlotte and probably don't want to live in Gastonia either. Mount Holly is reportedly an up and coming area, though I think it still has a way to go. McAdenville is cute, but the housing stock is still largely little mill houses I think.

If you're coming from a city, anything between Belmont and Gastonia is going to feel like the country, and not always in a good way.

I am jumping on the bandwagon a little late here but have to agree with many of the others on the towns that have been mentioned (I am a big fan of Belmont, NC and Matthews, NC). I also agree with Fort Mill, SC but I also wanted to throw out Tega Cay, SC. Both are within the FM school district which has an excellent reputation. Tega Cay has walking trails, a golf course, located off of Lake Wylie, tennis (public and private), organized sports for children and kids.

In regard to medical facilities - there are plenty in town and near by.

Answer to 'Why do you like the Fodor's Forum?': This post and the detailed thread that follows. I'm also a doc in the midwest- SE Michigan, and we're seriously thinking of moving to Charlotte. We're passing through at the end of August, and will check out some of the places mentioned. Does anyone know if there are rowing clubs in the area??

http://www.nccommunitysailingandrowing.org/, http://www.usnwc.org/

Hi to all! If any of you happen to see this post from so long ago, I'd love to hear your opinion about a few other towns in NC. There is a group in Salisbury looking for a radiologist, and from the homes availble there, we guess that this is a rather small, still-developing town. It looks as though there are many attractive towns within about 20 miles of here: Kannapolis, Concord, Lexington, and of course the entire Lake Norman area. We will be visiting this area shortly, and would love to hear what you all think of this area (and any other areas close to Salisbury). Thanks so much (again!)

I am not keen on the northern part of Meck. Co. or Iredell Co. To get into CLT from that area most anytime can be a challenge. Many of the towns are/were lacking any development plan & thus are travel nightmares due to the lack of planning & growth that was too fast & uncontrolled. Of the options available, my first choice would be Davidson. However, when we were exploring areas away from Uptown (we lived in Elizabeth but were disinclined to spend $400k for a Single family residence). The Southern portion of the County was way more attractive to our personal needs/wants. For example, here in Matthews, we can walk to everything, I believe the walk score on Zillow is in the 90's out of a 100. For most of the other towns, although convenient to many amenities, you need a car to pretty much go to the bathroom. Lots of slap up subdivisions w/little regard to much of anything else. The walk score for many of those towns are closer to 40 or 50 (to the best of my recollection. I can't speak much to Salisbury as my knowledge is limited but you will be right in between Greensboro & Clt & I-85 can be busy quite a lot as well.

SanParis - Are you not keen on the Northern part of Meck and Iredell Counties because of the commute into Charlotte? If my husband was working in a smaller hospital outside of Charlotte (Salisbury) where he wouldn't have to make the commute, would the area be more appealing to you? I would think we would have to stay within a 20 mile radius of Salisbury, which I believe, eliminates Davidson. (It looks like it's almost 25 miles away.) Any other suggestions, keeping in mind that we wouldn't have to commute into Charlotte?

Obviously there are tons of people that live up that way, personally, I loathe the area. It displays everything that is wrong w/unfettered development (for the most part). You may be better served to Start a new post specific to areas which you have an interest in, or I believe your husband & I are attached on LinkedIn if I can help w/specifics. A Salisbury would be like a Lancaster (to further the Columbus area v. CLT area comparisons). We didn't look that far a field but the research I have done, made our choice quite easy. I would certainly suggest a trip down after doing some research. I would also guess as far as housing goes that you may have a better opportunity in finding a 'deal', than in some other areas.

So funny - When we were looking on realtor.com this morning, my husband said, "I bet this area is like a Lancaster or Marysville." I guess he was right on target! We will still be heading down that way - It's worth a look as we will pass it on our way to SC. As I had mentioned a year ago, we love Dublin - it's an ideal place to raise kids, but the current tax situation in Ohio, coupled with the pending health care reform (which will most certainly affect us negatively,) have propelled us forward on our quest to relocate. I will continue to research different areas, but I do not feel a "Lancaster or Marysville" would be our ideal type of town. What about suburbs around Lake Norman?

For taxes you will want to look at Cabarrus County. Also Salisbury is on I85 and the Lake Norman area is on I77--not a huge jump, but significant. I would look at Concord, if you don't want Salisbury. Our niece lives there--married to an ophthamologist. We also had a family (doctor) that went to Charlotte Country Day--all the way from Salisbury. They rented an apartment in Charlotte when their kids were in HS to stay when bad weather or late sports games came up. Niece's children go to private school and Woodberry Forest now.
If you want a wonderful north Meck town, why not Davidson--you can shoot over to I85 on Route 73, I believe.
Concord/Kannapolis were mill towns that are about to and are in the midst of a true makeover. They are to become another Research Triangle because of the purchase by Robert (?--is that the one) Murdoch of the Cannon Mills property. MANY high tech research facilities are coming and some have already come. There is already a large hospital facility there--Northeast Medical Center. I would also assume that they are making large advances on their school system, and they do have a good private school in the Cannon School.

Not sure about taxes in Ohio, I thought they were actually fairly similar. I would also think (generally speaking) that Columbus housing would also be similar to CLT. Taxes will be cheaper anywhere outside of Meck. Co. W/SC being cheapest. I don't know any specifics as to the North of CLT becoming a 'new RT type' area. Call me a skeptic, but I generally need to see it, to believe it. Much like Ballantyne was going to become the new Southpark, it now sits w/plenty of cheap office bldgs. & tons of empty office space that can't even be given away. CLT is way over-built in all sectors right now, which should serve you well, if you intend on buying.