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I will be moving to the Charlotte area from Maryland within the next few months and we are trying to find the optimal place to live. We have definitely decided that we want to take advantage of lake living with a home on the water, but don't want to have a horrible commute to uptown. We also need good schools and, most importantly, a great community for a young family. Budget for a house is probably around $700k-low 800s.
I've narrowed the choices to Cornelius (East Lk Norman), Denver (West Lk Norman), and Tega Cay (Lk Wylie). We can probably make friends anywhere, but can anyone add some input regarding what each community is like? We can visit and do all the research we want, but need the "inside scoop" when it comes to what it's like to live there.
Our questions include: Family-Friendly - How friendly, nice, tight-knit, easy to make friends, kids around, etc. - in each of these communities? Lake Norman vs. Lake Wylie - Is Lake Norman too crowded/rowdy? Is Lake Wylie too small? We will mostly be using the lake for boating/jet ski/swimming/hanging out as a family and with friends. We tend to be more low-key. Real Estate Market - While all areas are probably too developed to get a "deal", any thoughts on where lakefront property is overpriced or underpriced?
Cornelius - Is the community welcoming and friendly? It seems like a pretty wealthy area - does it have young professionals in their 30s like us, or will it be retirees, rich snobs, etc.? Denver - Is it too remote/rural? Is it too far from amenities, uptown, and/or from a Jewish temple/community (I don't need, nor want, everyone around to be Jewish, I just want to make sure my kids will have that aspect of spiritual and cultural life around). Tega Cay - What is the lake life on Lake Wylie like? What is the community like? Are some of the older homes/subdivisions something to watch out for when buying property? Some parts are seemingly newer than others.
I know that's a lot of questions. I'm sure one person can't answer all, but I appreciate any perspective y'all have (despite my being a yankee, my wife is from the South, so I that allows me the occasional "y'all").
I will be moving to the Charlotte area from Maryland within the next few months and we are trying to find the optimal place to live. We have definitely decided that we want to take advantage of lake living with a home on the water, but don't want to have a horrible commute to uptown. We also need good schools and, most importantly, a great community for a young family. Budget for a house is probably around $700k-low 800s.
I've narrowed the choices to Cornelius (East Lk Norman), Denver (West Lk Norman), and Tega Cay (Lk Wylie). We can probably make friends anywhere, but can anyone add some input regarding what each community is like? We can visit and do all the research we want, but need the "inside scoop" when it comes to what it's like to live there.
Our questions include: Family-Friendly - How friendly, nice, tight-knit, easy to make friends, kids around, etc. - in each of these communities? Lake Norman vs. Lake Wylie - Is Lake Norman too crowded/rowdy? Is Lake Wylie too small? We will mostly be using the lake for boating/jet ski/swimming/hanging out as a family and with friends. We tend to be more low-key. Real Estate Market - While all areas are probably too developed to get a "deal", any thoughts on where lakefront property is overpriced or underpriced?
Cornelius - Is the community welcoming and friendly? It seems like a pretty wealthy area - does it have young professionals in their 30s like us, or will it be retirees, rich snobs, etc.? Denver - Is it too remote/rural? Is it too far from amenities, uptown, and/or from a Jewish temple/community (I don't need, nor want, everyone around to be Jewish, I just want to make sure my kids will have that aspect of spiritual and cultural life around). Tega Cay - What is the lake life on Lake Wylie like? What is the community like? Are some of the older homes/subdivisions something to watch out for when buying property? Some parts are seemingly newer than others.
I know that's a lot of questions. I'm sure one person can't answer all, but I appreciate any perspective y'all have (despite my being a yankee, my wife is from the South, so I that allows me the occasional "y'all").
Thanks!
Hands down my fave lake living is at Tega Cay.
You can't beat the schools and the town. The other lake communities don't have quite as good of schools as those in the Fort Mill district (where Tega Cay kids go to school).
Lake Wylie is more for fishing and swimming - not so much the skiing and partying that goes on on Lake Norman.
This would be a slam dunk for me, seriously, you could not pay me to live in all that traffic and congestion at Lake Norman, both on the water and on the roads
Tega Cay is all residential, with the commercial services just outside it. I mean there isn't even a sandwich shop or laundrymat in Tega Cay. I briefly considered it, just to live in a scenic place, but something bugged me about needing to leave the development for the littlest of things. The commute to uptown Charlotte is not short and I think that practicality figured into my decision too. In the end I chose to live in Charlotte and visit the lake on weekends when I wanted to.
Cornelius is a real town with services, but also quite expensive (by my standards). I would not want this commute either. It's closer to Charlotte than Tega Cay but there will be more traffic.
Lake Wylie is kind of a middle ground of those two. It's small and quiet, not quite as expensive as Cornelius. It's more of a straight shot into Charlotte on HWY 49, but you don't need to drive all the way to Charlotte. There are several shopping centers recently built over the last decade in southwest Mecklenburg county.
Like many questions on here, it comes down to visiting and deciding first hand what works for you and within your scale of importance.
I would also include the town of Lake Wylie in your search. It meets all of your criteria. As it is unincorporated the tax rate is very favorable and the Clover school system is highly rated.
In your price range you should find some very nice waterfront properties in all of the areas you mentioned.
To search the Lake Wylie area, go to allentate dot com and search under zip code 29710 and enter waterfront as your criteria.
I live in cornelius - going on 4 yrs now. We are also a young family in our early/mid 30s with young kids. We love it. Met many others - no one is 'native' so very friendly as everyone remembers being new to the area at one time. It's a pretty small town; we rarely are at a restaurant where we don't recognize someone else. We also love Davidson - more of the downtown feel vs. cornelius. Awesome parks, schools, fun on the lake for kids, etc.
My sis lives down in Tega Cay, also loves it. Many more families down there though in comparison, but also less expensive on the lake.
Do some searches in this forum; i've commented a few times on the pros/cons of Cornelius.
Don't underestimate being close to where you work. Commute downtown from Cornelius (25 min no traffic) takes 35 in the AM, 45 in the PM. They are widening the highway to exit 28 (which is Cornelius)...someday...which will help.
This is the original poster - thanks for the input. Does anyone living in Cornelius or Denver have a take on those areas/Lake Norman?
Thanks.
I do a lot of work in those areas, check out the homes in The Peninsula Peninsula Lake Norman Waterfront Homes for Sale in Cornelius, Waterfront .
Gorgeous area, and close to lots of shopping and entertainment.
I like Cornelius because it's close to everything....Davidson (quaint college town), Mooresville, Huntersville, and a short commute to Charlotte.
Denver is much more quiet and laid back, unless you live on the water there isn't much to do without going to the above places mentioned.
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