Hello all,
My family and I will be moving to the Charlotte area soon and I am hoping you can help me. We have two school aged girls, they will be in 3rd and 5th grades next school year. We also have an 18 month old son and another baby on the way.
I am looking for information on the public school system and neighborhoods.
We are currently in one of the top school districts here in MI and are looking for the same quality education in Charlotte. I have been told to look in Fort Mill, SC which seems to be a nice area based on my online research but I would like more insight. Other districts? Test scores? School rankings? Type of testing that is done? Our current school system has been so wonderful. Volunteer opportunities all the time, most of our parents are friendly and willing to help anyone new to the school with any questions they have.
My husband will be working at the Charlotte airport so we would like to keep his commute to 30 minutes or less due to his crazy work schedule...odd hours and it changes daily.
In looking for a house, we will likely rent first then buy. When we buy we would prefer a neighborhood where we aren't on top of our neighbor. We don't want multiple acres but a large private yard is certainly at the top of our list. Currently, we are on just under half an acre which puts us a good distance from our neighbors. Our budget would probably top out around $250,000 or so...give or take a few thousand.
We are looking for friendly neighbors and great schools...something pretty much everyone with school aged children wants I suppose!!
Can you please suggest some areas for me? Any info on the city and surrounding areas will be GREATLY appreciated. Areas to stay away from???
Any real estate companies/agents to look into or stay away from? We have had some shady characters cross our path in the past.
Any good sources on the web for me to search about schools, cities, shopping, culture, etc.???
Thank you so much in advance :) We are SO looking forward to moving!!
A realator should have a lot of the info you are looking for. You also may want to try the Chamber of Commerence. You may also be able to find a Moms group on meet-up or similar website and send an email and ask questions.
Both of my sisters live in Charlotte and LOVE it! They live in a neighborhood NE of the city called Highland Creek. I think there are about 5000 homes in the development (there are sub-developments). The home prices probably range from $100,000 to $750,000.
The neighborhood has several club houses, gyms, playgrounds, and a pool (maybe more than one). They have their own elementary schools and daycare centers. There are lots of kids!
My sister's kids go to Cox Mill Elementary in Cabarras County. Some of the kids go to Highland Creek Elem in Mecklenburg, but the schools aren't as good. The county line runs right through the development.
The neighborhood is also close to Concord Mills, which is a great outlet!
I don't know the area but I did notice you are moving to Charlotte, NC but someone mentioned Fort Mills, SC. Seems odd to me unless it is very close to hubby's work.
I just did a search for school and found this:
http://www.greatschools.org/north-carolina/charlotte/
It shows Collinsworth being closest to "Charlotte".
You could check those schools out in comparison to where hubby will work and then start checking those areas.
STAY AWAY from Mecklenburg schools period! With that being said you could go North but it would put you farther from the airport. You could also go West but Gaston county isn't the greatest either. East is out because of distance. South is good!
I moved to the area two years ago from Colorado. My daughter was in an excellent school system there and I wanted to be able to mirror that here. Anywhere pretty much right over the NC border into SC is good. Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Lake Wylie. I currently live in Lake Wylie and my daughter's elementary school was ranked top 10 in the state and so is her current middle school. It would also work out well for your husband since the airport is only about 13-15 miles up the road (you can go through the back way into the airport which is nice). It is a very nice area with everything you need; Walmart, Walgreens, churches, schools, resturants, etc. There are some very nice neighborhoods here as well with homes that do have some distance.
Also taxes and cost of living is cheaper in South Carolina. For instance take gas, in NC you would pay $3.41 and in SC you would pay $2.99. If you would like a good realtor I can refer you to the one I used. Just send me a message. She is very good. Hope this helps a little.
