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Old 03-08-2012, 07:59 PM
 
9 posts, read 26,914 times
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I'm graduating from UNC in May, getting married 2 weeks later, and starting work in the Charlotte office of a consulting firm in August. If possible, we'd like to live in an area relatively convenient to the airport and downtown. My fiance will study for the MCAT and do clinical work before applying to med school for next year. So, we will only live in CLT for a year. We're looking to spend less than $900/month for a small home or townhouse (i.e. we want a dog!). We are both new college grads, so we don't expect anything luxurious...just basic housing. Both of us aren't into the bar scene, so uptown isn't attractive. I'd probably prefer to use craigslist rather than a real estate agent simply to save money. In order of importance: safety, price, convenience.

Which neighborhoods would you recommend?

Thanks!
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Old 03-08-2012, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Up above the world so high!
45,218 posts, read 100,333,105 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dshack View Post
I'm graduating from UNC in May, getting married 2 weeks later, and starting work in the Charlotte office of a consulting firm in August. If possible, we'd like to live in an area relatively convenient to the airport and downtown. My fiance will study for the MCAT and do clinical work before applying to med school for next year. So, we will only live in CLT for a year. We're looking to spend less than $900/month for a small home or townhouse (i.e. we want a dog!). We are both new college grads, so we aren't planning on getting anything very luxurious...just basic housing. Both of us aren't into the bar scene, so uptown isn't attractive. I'd probably prefer to use craigslist rather than a real estate agent simply to save money. In order of importance: safety, price, convenience.

Which neighborhoods would you recommend?

Thanks!
In your budget you'll need to be looking at town homes or apts I'm afraid, not homes.

Given all the rest of what you want I think one of your better options is going to be the Steele Creek area, also known as area 7 if you look on rental sites.

Look at TR Lawing and Meca to get started, though Craig's list might be good too
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Old 03-08-2012, 08:28 PM
 
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Thanks for the reply! I'll certainly check out your recommendation.

Are there any areas on the northern side of Charlotte that would roughly fit my criteria? All else equal, I would prefer to live on the N side because I will likely drive back to Chapel Hill relatively often.
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Old 03-08-2012, 09:11 PM
 
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,809 posts, read 34,443,504 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dshack View Post
Thanks for the reply! I'll certainly check out your recommendation.

Are there any areas on the northern side of Charlotte that would roughly fit my criteria? All else equal, I would prefer to live on the N side because I will likely drive back to Chapel Hill relatively often.
Look at Belmont in Gaston County. I 85 goes through town, & you can quickly get to Uptown & the airport on US 74/Wilkinson Blvd. The airport is on the west side.
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Old 03-08-2012, 10:00 PM
 
Location: Up above the world so high!
45,218 posts, read 100,333,105 times
Reputation: 40194
Quote:
Originally Posted by dshack View Post
Thanks for the reply! I'll certainly check out your recommendation.

Are there any areas on the northern side of Charlotte that would roughly fit my criteria? All else equal, I would prefer to live on the N side because I will likely drive back to Chapel Hill relatively often.
On the north end of the county up I77 I would not go further north than Huntersville (exits 23 and 25) or you'll have major major traffic to deal with getting into uptown for work. And it would make no sense for you to live northeast of uptown off of I85 either if you don't have to, as that is WAY too much traffic to volunteer to drive in.

Southbound's suggestion of Belmont off of I85 in Gaston County is a good one for convenience to your job, so you may want to check there.

I understand you like the north end for trips back to Chapel Hill. But here's the thing, if you are leaving for Chapel Hill after work on a weekday you will still be leaving from uptown, not your home (heavy traffic at rush hour heading north from uptown).

And if you are leaving/coming back on weekends, the trip from say Huntersville to Steele Creek is no more than 15 minutes - so living up that way doesn't really save you much time in the grand scheme of things.
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Old 03-09-2012, 08:25 AM
 
Location: Ayrsley
4,713 posts, read 9,659,426 times
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You may want to check out Ayrsley. We live in a townhouse there and can be at the airport or uptown in about 15 minutes (we travel for work with some frequency so convenience to the airport was something we were looking for as well).

For rentals, you would mostly be limited to the two apartment complexes in the development (although one is only a few years old and quite modern - and does have several two-story townhouse-style units for rent) however there are also a few townhouses for rent in the neighborhood as well.

There is a website for the neighborhood at: About Ayrsley
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Old 03-09-2012, 11:55 AM
 
821 posts, read 1,842,354 times
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I was going to suggest the Belmont area, but someone beat me to it. I would have made the same observations.
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Old 03-10-2012, 09:05 PM
 
Location: Between Belmont & Cramerton, North Carolina
199 posts, read 955,471 times
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I also moved to Charlotte for a consulting position and decided on Belmont because:
- proximity to the airport
- easy commute to uptown (~20 mins)
- safety
- relatively inexpensive housing (I rented a 2/2 house on 6th Street for $850).

You can check out the Catawba apartments (300 Prince St), they are pet friendly and very close to the historic downtown in Belmont.

Hotpads is a good site to go apartment hunting: HotPads.com - Real Estate, Apartments, Homes for Sale and for Rent, Rental Houses, Sublets, Roommates
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