chgeeb

Hello,
Currently, the fiance and I live in Boston, MA.
In about a year and a half we will be relocating to North Carolina...not sure yet if it's going to be near Charlotte or near the Chapel-Hill area. I'm applying for my phD and getting a new job, and she is getting a new job also. So depending on where I get in (cross your fingers), I need some help!
We'll be a young 20's couple, who primarily are looking for a safe neighborhood, affordable, and not too close into a big city. To be honest, I don't know too much about the area, but heard good things about Cornelius and I think a Fort Mill in South Carolina....just some suburbs or something. Completely open minded, but we're going to be visiting in a few months to check out places and I'm hoping this will help us narrow it down!
Thanks!

~Chgeeb

SAnParis2

There is a fairly recent post on here re: Charlotte & certain suburbs. Affordable for you (coming from Boston) may also be miles apart. The more info you can provide, the more we can help as there are about a dozen frequent posters on here that reside in CLT.I'll see if I can top that post for you, for starters. Also, what kind of jobs are you looking at ?

chgeeb

She's going into elementary education, I'm in the finance field. I'm not sure what other information you'd need? Just looking for safe neighborhoods to look!
I'm applying for my phD at Charlotte and at UNC at Chapel Hill and at Duke...going for Finance so I can become a professor!
So we'd need a place that's pretty drivable to these areas (doesn't have to be RIGHT there, as if it was Charlotte, I'd want a "neighborhoody" feel to it as we may be starting a family also?
Thank you!
I'll search for that post also. Thanks!

Brian_in_Charlotte

The Charlotte metro region currently has the 3rd highest unemployment rate in the nation, and it's expected to continue to get worse. And schools have not been spared, a big round of teacher cuts is coming soon.

Not trying to discourage you, and hopefully things will be better by the time you move, but just be aware that jobs aren't a sure thing around here anymore. Good luck.

SAnParis2

Finance & banking have been especially hit hard. I was in banking, in Charlotte for 12 years (& have nearly 25 years experience in the field), I am currently working in Greensboro (about 100 miles away from where I live). Unless you are in Loss Mit or are seeking an entry level type of position, it will be difficult to get an interview, let alone a permanent, F/T position (BTW, I was out of work for nearly 2 years). Your best bet from a teaching perspective is the private sector. Just make sure your wife is talking to well-established, private schools as I will be surprised if some of the smaller ones survive. One here in Greensboro, just shut down this week. We'd love to have you, but please be aware of what you are walking into.

chgeeb

Thanks guys!
We are!
The finance stuff I'd be doing, the college is setting me up with, since I'll be in the program full-time, the finance gig is more like a "work study" but for the phD program.
As for the lady, I have confidence, I mean, it's about 2 years away, and she has a good niche for kids and elementary education (along with special ed. and speech therapy).
So, with that in mind, any areas that are good suburbs or nice neighborhoods?

SAnParis2

http://www.thefletcherschool.org/ My wife teaches, & is an Administrator here. If she has special ed in mind, it is the best (although I may be slightly biased). I have several posts on the other thread, rather than repeat myself... However, if you end up @ UNCC you may want something farther north, a la Davidson. http://www.downtowndavidson.org/

jent103

If you end up at UNC-CH, almost anywhere in Chapel Hill will fit your criteria, if it fits your budget. (It's the most expensive town in the Triangle area, but has an excellent school system.) Durham has some good neighborhoods and some not good neighborhoods, but the good neighborhoods will be less expensive than Chapel Hill. I moved away in 2005, but I think the Southpoint area is fine, and there are other good spots. (But with Durham, you can't say "south Durham is fine and north Durham isn't." It's pretty random.)

If you end up at UNC, living in either Durham or Chapel Hill will be fine - they basically overlap, and the universities are about nine miles apart. Lots of people live in Durham and drive to the UNC park & ride lots for work or school. (UNC has very little student parking, but Chapel Hill's bus system is free and there are several park and ride lots. If you live in Chapel Hill, you'll probably just take the bus to campus.) If you end up at Duke, there's not much reason to live in Chapel Hill unless you just like it enough to pay the premium.

Hillsborough might be another good town to look into - it's fairly close to either Durham or Chapel Hill, and is a nice town; you could get somewhere more rural there, if that appeals to you. Carrboro is adjacent to Chapel Hill and might also have some good options for you. (Chapel Hill and Carrboro are on the same school system, but the rest of Orange County is a different system.)

Raleigh also has some great neighborhoods and good schools, but I'm not as familiar with it. North Raleigh and Cary are popular areas. If you live in Raleigh, you're looking at a 30-45-minute commute to either Duke or UNC during rush hour, most likely. That's a lot for me, but if you're coming from Boston, it may not seem like much to you. There are express buses that run between Raleigh and Chapel Hill, and I assume Durham as well.

Jaynee7283

Charlotte is a great area - despite the fact that unemployment is high right now. Since you aren't planning on coming down for another 1 1/2 - 2 years, there's time for things to improve here, although it sounds like you would have jobs in place before coming down.

Fort Mill, SC is just south of Charlotte and is a very nice bedroom community with good schools, lower taxes and a decent commute time into Charlotte. I won't mislead you though - the school budget will be taking a hit this year and it's possible that schools will suffer (with bigger class sizes and overcrowding although they ARE building more schools). There are a few local resources to learn about the town, including a community blog called ScoopMill that was recently started, and a weekly paper, the Fort Mill Times, which is online.

Before we moved to this area from NJ we looked all over NC - we looked at Davidson/Huntersville, Waxhaw/Weddington and Fort Mill. The minute we drove into Fort Mill it just felt like home to us. We moved here in mid-2006 and never looked back!

Good luck with your search!

hmileski

Charlotte is a great area for the type of living you seem to be looking for... Lived there for many years. if you will be at UNC-Charlotte - Fort Mill is quite a drive IMHO. You will be competing with all the traffic heading to uptown (what Charlotte calls its 'downtown' area) and then you will be another 15 mins past that. and there is traffic....

I would stay on the north side of the city. There are tons of newer developments for you to tour and explore. VERY close to UNCC on hwy 24 btn I85 and I77 there are quite a few neighborhoods that provide homes with trees and nice neighborhoods. you wouldn't feel like you were in the city, but it would be a relatively easy drive if you chose to head in for a football game or something.

Cornelius is right on Lake Norman. However, the development and sprawl has not been handled really well and anything off of 73 is just a mess from a traffic perspective. They do have some nice neighborhoods.

Personally, I would take a look at Huntersville. It's right there at the lake as well. Primarily off of exit 23 and exit 25 (I77), there are tons of newer developments. My brother lives in Northstone - a golf course community with loads of nice families in a true suburban neighborhood. I was living in Birkdale Village. There is a great shopping area with movie theater, wine shop and restaurants. Just behind this shopping is a great cottage style neighborhood with tons of 20/30 somethings. I lived there for 5 years and loved being able to walk to Dressler's or Red Rocks and then back home with no driving. But you aren't in the the city either. It's a bit more of a town feel.

Davidson is certainly a wonderful town - really special and also convenient to Lake Norman. It's just a bit further north and you will begin to test what length of a drive that you want. It's definitely doable. Depends on your tolerance.

Another option that may be good for you is Concord. It's ~20 mins north of UNCC, but in Cabarrus County. Your taxes would be lower.

And all the land between I85 and I77 has just tons of new developments. A few horse farms, golf neighborhoods, or just a random home / piece of land.

The thing about Charlotte is that it has been growing like crazy for the past 15 or 20 years - so you should definitely be able to find the right neighborhood for you.

If you are game for checking out something closer to the city - you may want to take a look at NoDa. It's an up and coming neighborhood near uptown with a bit of an arty vibe. other great places near uptown - Myer's Park, Elizabeth. This is 'old' charlotte with some big money properties - more on the yuppie end of things. Is yuppie still and 'in' word?

Charlotte is just a great location. 2 hours to Asheville or Blowing Rock in the mountains. 3 hours to Charleston / beaches.

chgeeb

Wow thanks!
Huntersville seems great!
As for prices/taxes/traffic...
I lived in New York my whole life, and have lived in Boston for the last 2 years, and it'll be 4 years here before we move...
Sooooo, prices/taxes/traffic will be a GREAT relief! We both can't wait to be done our school to leave here! Don't get me wrong, Boston's fantastic, especially me being a sports fanatic and extreme concert lover...but the frigid cold winters (which last 6 or 7 months) definitely grows on you...and I don't find it a great place to raise a family!
Thank you so much for all of your help! I can't wait!
GO UNC TOMORROW NIGHT!

Gretchen

The traffic in Huntersville and Cornelius is approaching gridlock. I just cannot tell you how bad it is both on the highway and in these small towns not equipped to handle the pressure.
Have you thought about Wake Forest for your degree?
There are absolutely terrific neighborhoods in Charlotte at all levels of cost. Now that the I485 beltway is largely completed you might even consider living south of Charlotte--someone mentioned Fort Mill and Rock Hill.
The economic situation will eventually improve I am sure. One reason our unemployment figures sort of skyrocketed is also because Charlotte has been a good magnet to GET a job, so now there are a lot of folks who aren't getting the jobs, plus the banks laying off.
Charlotte ia a wonderful place to live for young people--and old!! HOpe it works out for you.

chgeeb

Thanks again!
and yeah, last time I checked Wake Forest didn't offer the program.
I hope it works out...I'm excited for the warmer weater!!!
By the way, from this area, how long does it take to get to a nice beach (lake or ocean)?

jent103

Which "this area"? From the Triangle, it's about two hours to Wilmington, I think about four to the Outer Banks. It took me five hours to get to Charleston (SC).

absolutkz

Wow, a lot of good responses. This caught my eye, as I also live in Boston, and have been researching/considering a move to NC. Have you seen this website? http://www.city-data.com/forum/ I've gotten a lot of good info off of there.

Gretchen

I'm not sure what "program" you are saying Wake doesn't offer. You can be at the beach in 3+ hours from Charlotte, or maybe less from other cities. You need to realize that the SC beaches can be closer--and maybe even better from any city. NO disrespect meant to the NC beaches. But SC beaches are close also, and an "outlander" might not realize how the coast is.

chgeeb

Thanks so much for all the responses!
Absolutkx -- Great site! Thanks!
Yeah, let's get away from this rainy frigid weather! haha. Thanks again everyone!

elsiemoo

North Raleigh, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary are terrific places to live if you go to school at Duke or UNC, depending on what you consider acceptable travel time to school/jobs. (Not so fond of Durham.) I think you'll like about anywhere you choose in North Carolina, though. Compared to Boston area, your money will go MUCH further, but expect some real heat and humidity in the Summer!