Commute from Charlotte to Fort Mill (Winston-Salem, Belmont: apartment, renting, neighborhood)

[KJ3]

I'm considering relocating to the Charlotte area and taking a position in Fort Mill. I'm a single 29 year old male and would like to be around other young professionals - I would be renting an apartment. It sounds like the best areas for this would be in the Southend and Dilworth areas. I was playing around with google maps and it appears the commute from southend would be around 35 minutes in the morning and 45-50 minutes in the afternoon. Are these times pretty much accurate? I know the commute times would vary depending on traffic (and actual location of job and apartment) but how often would I run into 1hr-1hr 15 minute commutes in the afternoon? Multiple times a week, weekly, etc. I would be working a standard 9-5 position. Also, would there be other suitable areas further south that would cut down on the commute but still be good for young professionals? I would like to be in a safe and walkable area on or around to the light rail. I'm currently in the Winston-Salem area and have a 25 minute commute but almost never run into issues with traffic.

Budget: I've looked into the southend apartment rents and I'm fine with them. I'm more worried about trying to balance the location vs commute times.

I think I've included everything but just ask if I've left anything out.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[BC1960]

Those times would probably be about right if there were no extraneous issues like wreck or breakdowns. You would be going the opposite direction of most commuters, so that helps.

[CLT4]

Your commute times are accurate and you picked a good part of town.

[martikus]

Is Southend same as Noda? A lot of the 20 somethings at my work lived in the Noda area and enjoyed it and commuted further than fort mill (they went to rock hill) and didn’t mind.

[CLT4]

No, South End is the neighborhood immediately to the south of Uptown, where NoDa is north of Uptown about 1.5 miles (Belmont is in between).

[KJ3]

I'm fine with commutes around that length with some being longer due to traffic issues.

Thanks for the replies! They have been very helpful!