Neal623

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.

Neal623

bttt

SAnParis2

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.

Gretchen

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.

Neal623

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?

plambers

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

SAnParis2

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.

SAnParis2

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.

Neal623

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.

DancingBearMD

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.

starrs

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).

SCdave

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

SAnParis2

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.

SAnParis2

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.

Neal623

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.

padams421

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.

SAnParis2

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.

SAnParis2

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.

Gretchen

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?

Neal623

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!