Moving from Southern NH to Charlotte! (Concord, Kannapolis: houses, neighborhoods, schools)

[maxxbet]

My wife and myself along with our 3 kids are planning on starting the process of looking to re-locate to the Charlotte, NC area. It looks like I may have a jo lined up in the New London (?) area. I have a few questions that I was looking to get some feedback on.

I am coming from approx. 30 min North of Boston so you can imagine that we have everything we need very close by to us. I am looking for a home in the $240-$270 range with plenty around. If I want to grab a Starbucks (or Dunkin' Donuts) or go to a Target, all I do is blink and I am near one. I am looking for an area that is going to be similar to that but with less attitude and snow than there is up here. I have heard Ballantyne is very nice. Can anyone confirm if that area should be on my radar. Also, schools are very important. How are the schools in that area.

Finally, my wife is a Dental Assistant. Is there any certification that she would need to become one there? She has been doing it for over 10 yrs here but the State does not require for you to be certified.

Thanks in advance

Steve

[cheesehead1]

It looks as though New London is quite a bit northeast of Charlotte. Ballantyne, while very nice, is on the south side of the city, which would be quite a long commute. You may want to consider some of the northern and northeastern suburbs of Charlotte. Concord and Huntersville might be good places to start. The growth in the suburbs here is extensive and recent, so there is no shortage of Targets and any convenience you can think of. When you are ready to start looking for houses, a great website is CarolinaHome.com. You can look by area. The areas I mentioned would be 1 and 9, I'm pretty sure.
Good luck to you!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by maxxbet

My wife and myself along with our 3 kids are planning on starting the process of looking to re-locate to the Charlotte, NC area. It looks like I may have a jo lined up in the New London (?) area. I have a few questions that I was looking to get some feedback on.

I am coming from approx. 30 min North of Boston so you can imagine that we have everything we need very close by to us. I am looking for a home in the $240-$270 range with plenty around. If I want to grab a Starbucks (or Dunkin' Donuts) or go to a Target, all I do is blink and I am near one. I am looking for an area that is going to be similar to that but with less attitude and snow than there is up here. I have heard Ballantyne is very nice. Can anyone confirm if that area should be on my radar. Also, schools are very important. How are the schools in that area.

Finally, my wife is a Dental Assistant. Is there any certification that she would need to become one there? She has been doing it for over 10 yrs here but the State does not require for you to be certified.

Thanks in advance

Steve

New London is not really in the Charlotte area - it's more than an hour away. If you wanted to be nearer to Charlotte you'd want to live on the very outskirts of the northeast side of Charlotte in towns like Concord, Harrisburg or Kannapolis. While these are nice little towns (with Concord being the largest) the area is more rural. You should really plan to visit the job site and get the lay of the land to see if this is what you will be happy living like before you make any definite plans. I love the area, but coming from the big city of Boston you may find it to be too much of a change. Oh, and dental assistants here are certified and do seem to have to jump through quite a few hoops to be employable.

[MA2NC]

I moved from the Boston area and although Im not sure where New London is (I'll have to look it up) I saw Concord listed as a possible place to relocate...I am now in Concord and love it. I would never move back! Definitely come check out the area....pretty much everything we had up North is here and more. Lots of restaraunts, shopping, neighborhoods, schools and great people. This is a great place to raise a family too.
Feel free to dm me if you have any questions.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by MA2NC

I moved from the Boston area and although Im not sure where New London is (I'll have to look it up) I saw Concord listed as a possible place to relocate...I am now in Concord and love it. I would never move back! Definitely come check out the area....pretty much everything we had up North is here and more. Lots of restaraunts, shopping, neighborhoods, schools and great people. This is a great place to raise a family too.
Feel free to dm me if you have any questions.

So glad to know your move has worked out for you I'm sure your input will be helpful to this poster. Thought I would add, I really like the schools in the Concord area (Cabarrus County)!

[MA2NC]

Thanks Loves! I really do love it here and try to encourage others to check out the area and offer any helpful info I have gathered....NO regrets here!

[maxxbet]

I am going to be going down in a few weeks for a round of interviews. I will check it out from there.

I understand that it will be a drastic change from what I am used to but, I definitely do not want to be in too rural of an area. Is there an area on the Eastern side of Charlotte that is similar to Ballantyne and its relatively newer infrastructure? Good, new schools with plenty of urban-like shopping and lifestyle and good looking newer homes in the low to mid $200's?

[QC Misfit]

Check out Huntersville for sure. We have a Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks within a mile of each other and a Super Target and regular Target within 10 mins of each other.

Also check with Flexy Steve he is from Boston and should be able to help you compare!

[FrankTheTank2]

Im also from southern NH (Amherst). Been in charlotte for about 2 years now. Hope you like the HEAT, I still cant get used to it myself, its rather awful.

Based on you price range I fear Ballantyne may be slightly above your price range but you may be able to find a good deal with the current housing market.

In general, areas imediatly east, west, and north of the city can get a little bit "rough" and dont sound like what you are looking for. I would also suggest Huntersville which is 25 minutes north of Charlotte and Concord (pronouced concourd down here) which is 30 minutes north east of the city. Fort Mill in S.C. is also good and is about 30 minuts south of charlotte.

[berryjuice4life]

there are some developments along Rea Rd Ballantyne Area that would suit your needs and price range...but again the commute will probably be awful...you can go to carolinahome.com and put in your price range etc, at least you can see what you can get for the money then find out how long your commute would be

good luck

there are dentists in Ballantyne-S.charlotte...However it sounds like the Concord Area might be better...