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We are relocating to Charlotte and were a little confused. We thought we were looking at Ballantyne neighborhoods but someone told us that some were actually in Provincetowne. All of the homes said "Ballantyne area" in the MLS profile. Is there a difference between Provincetowne and Ballantyne - particularly in regards to schools, crime, quality of life, etc.
Provincetowne subdivisions were not developed by the company that planned Ballantyne and some are older, but it is basically the same area and definitely the "Ballantyne area." Schools feed into Ardrey Kell High (up to you to decide if that's a good thing). Violent crime is low. Property crime is slightly below average. Quality of life in Ballantyne is family focused, suburban, new houses, new money, preppy, people take care of their homes, and are mainly transplants from outside the Charlotte area (you will hear a lot of people compare vs. New York, New Jersey, etc...). Most shopping is dominated by chains, but there are some local shops even in the big strip malls. Traffic is heavy on Johnston Rd at rush hour and 485 outer is red at rush hour in the evening starting at South Blvd. AM commutes are better in Ballantyne area than evening.
I lived in that area for ~4 years and until this thread, I never knew that area was officially called "Provincetowne"...I always just thought of it as "Ballantyne East" or "Piper Glen". If you're South of I-485 and near Johnston/Rea Rd and people ask where you live, you usually just reply: "Ballantyne". There's not much difference between the two and if you like Ballantyne, I wouldn't limit yourself to just "Ballantyne Proper". As CLT4 said, commute is probably the biggest issue and I found the commute south on Rea Rd to be better than the commute south on Johnston Rd...though I never had to take I-485.
We are relocating to Charlotte and were a little confused. We thought we were looking at Ballantyne neighborhoods but someone told us that some were actually in Provincetowne. All of the homes said "Ballantyne area" in the MLS profile. Is there a difference between Provincetowne and Ballantyne - particularly in regards to schools, crime, quality of life, etc.
Zipcode 28277 is divided into many different areas, Ballantyne, Provincetowne, Piper Glen, Stone Creek etc.
To be fair Ballantyne is a specific part of zipcode 28277 but this whole area is great with a lot to do for both families and individuals. The big shopping area in Provincetowne is Blakeney, with restaurants, groceries, fancy stores like Victoria secret, Banana Republic, Best Buy, Pet smart, Target etc as well as a big medical center with urgent care etc.
Thank you for the feedback. We love the Blakeney shopping center - lots of nice, upscale shopping and restaurants. We also really like Waverly, which I assume is in the Ballantyne area. Our primary concern is excellent schools, low crime and amenities close by. We were looking at a price point of between 350K and 450K and the neighborhoods don't seem much different in "Ballantyne Proper" vs. the Ballantyne Area, i.e. Provincetowne. All things being equal, as was previously mentioned I don't think it matters. I did have another question. We were told that Charlotte Mecklenburg recently had a major school redistricting. Schools are extremely important to us and just wanted to know if we can be assured that there won't be any more changes for a few years - I guess the school board does this every 6 years?
Thank you for the feedback. We love the Blakeney shopping center - lots of nice, upscale shopping and restaurants. We also really like Waverly, which I assume is in the Ballantyne area. Our primary concern is excellent schools, low crime and amenities close by. We were looking at a price point of between 350K and 450K and the neighborhoods don't seem much different in "Ballantyne Proper" vs. the Ballantyne Area, i.e. Provincetowne. All things being equal, as was previously mentioned I don't think it matters. I did have another question. We were told that Charlotte Mecklenburg recently had a major school redistricting. Schools are extremely important to us and just wanted to know if we can be assured that there won't be any more changes for a few years - I guess the school board does this every 6 years?
There likely won't be any major re-redistricting for a while since they just completed their last re-assignment plan and they are working on getting a bond passed that would build new schools. For Provincetowne, almost all of the schools within a 20-30 minute proximity of the Provincetowne area are very good and highly rated no matter where the boundaries line up.
Longer term there is a bond that will be voted on in November by county voters that would support construction of new schools to relieve crowding and renovate schools. Anytime you build a new school, the boundaries are going to shift to populate the new school and relieve the existing school. Here is a link to the projects in the "Southwest" area of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools if the Bond passes, that includes Ballantyne/Provincetowne.
If this passes, expects shifts once the new schools are finished (unknown when exactly that will be, but I would guess at least 3 years out for the new construction (renovations will be faster)).
Directly impacting Provincetowne would be the boundaries after a new elementary school is built in the Ballantyne/Provincetowne area. This will result in boundary changes for Polo Ridge Elementary, Elon Park Elementary, and Hawks Ridge Elementary.
Also impacting Provincetowne (possibly), would be the boundaries after a new high school is built in the Southwest region that will result in boundary changes for Ardrey Kell High (where Provincetowne attends), South Mecklenburg High, and Myers Park High. Middle school boundaries may shift with the new high school boundaries, but no new middle schools are planned to be built. All middle schools near Provincetowne are highly rated. My guess is Provincetowne would remain in Ardrey Kell or possibly attend the new high school depending on its geographic location.
Schools in that whole area are good. You'll hear some people complain if they are moved out of Ardrey Kell HS and into South Meck HS...but honestly the schools are rated equally. If you like Blakeney/Waverly, look into the developments up along Providence Rd as well (up north of I-485 -- Raintree, Providence Plantation, etc)...most of those will be zoned for Providence HS which is a good HS too. Easiest way to start w/your relator is to run a search for Ardrey Kell & Providence HS homes, and then filter down from there.
I wish we could say that there will be no more changes in the school areas but as you can see from the link that CLT4 provided so many new schools will be built. You know that good schools means different things to all of us but if you mean what I think you mean, that it's rated a high number by Great Schools, then you'll find many schools in the South of Charlotte rated high as well as in the Fort Mill, SC area. Unfortunately no one can guarantee that you'll have the same school unless you buy a home that is just within walking distance to the school, even then I wouldn't say that you're 100% sure. But if you find a home that is situated in an area where there are more than one school meeting your criteria, one could assume that even if the boundaries were to be changed you'd still be assigned to where you'd be happy. All county's have websites where you can check the school boundaries, see for example cms boundaries at https://goo.gl/Qrojmn
They usually don't split neighborhoods into different schools either. So even if there is a future redistricting, you can be comforted that they'll still be in the same school as their neighborhood friends.
Thanks for all of the great replies. I was particularly interested in the information about the school bond provided by CLT4. There was a recent article about this in the Charlotte Observer, which indicated the odds for approval are very good. The new schools slated to be built in Ballantyne are not scheduled for completion, however, until 2023. Assuming the schools are built, the overcrowded schools they would be pulling from are all good schools, so I would guess the new schools would also be strong academically. I also learned that the neighborhoods we are looking at are all located in School District 6, and there is a is an upcoming election in November for an open seat in this district. We had a dysfunctional school board in the city we are moving from (part of the reason we are moving) and due to bone headed decisions made, over the years there was a huge drop in both student achievement scores and property values. Needless to say, we will be familiarizing ourselves with the candidates running and following this race very closely if we do move to the area. On a side note, I understand there is a charter school being built in Ballantyne - does anyone have any information about this? Thank you!
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Province Town
