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I have accepted a position East of Charlotte and I am looking for a family friendly neighborhood with an excellent elementary school. The School and neighborhood safety is more important then my commute. I will be renting first before purchase rent $1100/monthly. Any suggestions about where to go and especially where not to go would be appreciated.
I have accepted a position East of Charlotte and I am looking for a family friendly neighborhood with an excellent elementary school. The School and neighborhood safety is more important then my commute. I will be renting first before purchase rent $1100/monthly. Any suggestions about where to go and especially where not to go would be appreciated.
Did you mean "east OF Charlotte" or "east Charlotte"??
Your budget is a bit tight for areas with the best schools in Charlotte itself, just so you know.
I would suggest you consider looking in the University area, the Highland Creek neighborhood in particular.
You could use I485 to commute to east Charlotte without too much trouble.
In addition, look at Mint Hill and Matthews - though I'm not confident you will find a house in your price range in either town, it is still worth looking given your job location.
Welcome to Charlotte, I think the University area would be great. You may not be able to get a house, but Im sure you could get a larger apartment or townhome.
Mint Hill is also a great choice.
What are the ages of your children? Some areas have pretty good elementary and middle schools, but the high schools are not so great and vice versa!
Thanks everyone I can spend more for rent if I need to that is just the current rent where I am. I thought the cost of living was a little lower there just let me know what I should expect to pay. I will be working east of Charlotte. I have two boys one pre-school the other going into 4th grade. And to the person that asked about why my race matters I wish it did not but it does we can pretend otherwise but that would be foolish and a waste of time. I am looking for honest information about where to send my children to school and where we should live.
Thanks everyone I can spend more for rent if I need to that is just the current rent where I am. I thought the cost of living was a little lower there just let me know what I should expect to pay. I will be working east of Charlotte. I have two boys one pre-school the other going into 4th grade. And to the person that asked about why my race matters I wish it did not but it does we can pretend otherwise but that would be foolish and a waste of time. I am looking for honest information about where to send my children to school and where we should live.
Can you tell us WHERE east of Charlotte you'll be working? It will help us recommend communities
And truly, I understand your concerns for your children, but as I have often said on this forum, the only color that truly matters in Charlotte is green.
Thanks everyone I can spend more for rent if I need to that is just the current rent where I am. I thought the cost of living was a little lower there just let me know what I should expect to pay. I will be working east of Charlotte. I have two boys one pre-school the other going into 4th grade. And to the person that asked about why my race matters I wish it did not but it does we can pretend otherwise but that would be foolish and a waste of time. I am looking for honest information about where to send my children to school and where we should live.
As a Black male that's a former resident of the city, I can tell you that the good thing about Charlotte is that it isn't nearly as racially polarized as some other cities, especially others in the South. Of course you'll see an incident here or there, but they won't be the sort of thing that will hang like a menacing cloud over the city. Lots of young Black families call Charlotte home; I think you'll enjoy the area.
And to the person that asked about why my race matters I wish it did not but it does we can pretend otherwise but that would be foolish and a waste of time. I am looking for honest information about where to send my children to school and where we should live.
After the "experience" that I had in Shelbyville, Indiana 7 years ago, I can promise you this. You WILL look back on your present concerns about racism in the south with a bit of embarrassment. YES, there's still racism here (and everywhere), but for the most part; this area of the country is actually a better region for blacks (when it comes to fair and equal treatment) than quite a few Midwestern locations. Though I'm not a huge fan of "best cities for AA families" lists; you can clearly see a southern trend in the following listing...
Quite a few of BET's lists are very similar to the one above (back in 2007, Charlotte was ranked #1 by BET thanks to the relatively low black unemployment rate at the time).
FWIW, blacks are also well represented within our local government. Here's the mayor and city council. Charlotte City Council Home
Maybe now you can kinda see why some folks take offense to people (usually from northern states) asking about the race relations down south. I mean, you do realize that president Obama's Democratic National Convention is about to take place here in Charlotte in just a few weeks; a convention where city leaders and residents of ALL races (and political affiliations) are excited and proud of. I know you didn't mean any harm by asking (and I'm glad that you had the guts to do so), but in the case of Charlotte and North Carolina, such a question is a borderline insult to the hard work and progress that has been made here with regards to race relations. Again, you meant no harm and you were just simply looking out for the best interests of your family (I can CERTAINLY respect that). However, as a black male who has traveled and knows this area well, it still bothers me when folks question my city and state's race relations because we're in the south. I don't know why, but that really bothers me (mainly because I've witnessed more racism first hand in northern states than I've ever seen here in the south; real talk here).
Anyways, sorry about the long rant and I hope all goes well with the new jobs and the move. Welcome to Charlotte.
You need to let us know where exactly you will be working. What city?
FWIW, the University area is often recommended when folks are AA. Typically people would recommend that you live in S Charlotte for the "best" schools. if you want honest feedback, look through some of the other threads about various areas.
I would suggest using a broker. You can give them a list of what you want, price range, bedrooms, etc and the best part is it doesn't cost a penny. If you want, I can DM(direct message) the guy we used.
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