Charlotte, Davidson and Cornelius areas (Huntersville, Washington: apartments, condo, crime rates)

[RaimeiCorgan]

I am considering relocation in the next 3 years to North Carolina from Ohio. The places I am considering are Manteo, Wanchese, or the Lake Norman area; in particular Davidson or Cornelius. Can someone give me any information on the Charlotte area that includes Davidson or Cornelius? I have looked on the Chamber of Commerce web sites but I was hoping to get some information from locals on what the schools are like (I'm a teacher) and what living in the area is like (i.e. cost of living, crime rates, community etc.). Thanks for any insights you may have!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by RaimeiCorgan

I am considering relocation in the next 3 years to North Carolina from Ohio. The places I am considering are Manteo, Wanchese, or the Lake Norman area; in particular Davidson or Cornelius. Can someone give me any information on the Charlotte area that includes Davidson or Cornelius? I have looked on the Chamber of Commerce web sites but I was hoping to get some information from locals on what the schools are like (I'm a teacher) and what living in the area is like (i.e. cost of living, crime rates, community etc.). Thanks for any insights you may have!

Wow, living in Manteo versus Lake Norman is as different as night and day! Manteo is a nice quiet small community near the Outer Banks on the coast - Lake Norman is a bustling, busy overcrowded, but very popular, suburb or Charlotte. Davidson is one of my favorite little towns in the Charlotte area, but even it is jam crammed with people. It does, however, have a very fine elementary school (Davidson Elementary) that is highly sought after. Living in Davidson can be expensive (most homes are in the $350,000 range and above) but there are some condo's and apartments you could check out. It's just a strange thing to me that you'd be choosing one or the other? I guess the real question is, how important is city stuff versus living more rural important to you?

[RaimeiCorgan]

I appreciate the information! I've been researching the schools and definitely saw that Davidson Elementary received excellent remarks. I'm going to be a certified school psychologist in three years and this is why the school systems are so important to me.

I live in rural Ohio and so living in a suburb could be quite a switch for me. I think that's why I fell in love with the rural-ness of Manteo so much. I have discovered that housing is expensive in both locations. I am going to the Outer Banks again this summer on vacation and I hope to do some deeper investigating. However, I would also like to visit the Lake Norman area and in particular Davidson because it's been several years since I was there.

[Niftybergin]

Davidson is a college town located about 30-miles north of Charlotte. It's the home of Davidson College, which is considered one of the "new Ivies" and is sometimes referred to as the Princeton of the South. The town of Davidson is small and they've worked hard to maintain that "village" feel. They've kept their old-fashioned "down-town" storefronts on Main Street, and Davidson is known for being very pedestrian-friendly. Recently, they've allowed more commercial development, but the town planners are VERY careful about it. You won't find a lot of national chains in Davidson.

Two miles south of Davidson at exit 28 is Cornelius. About 15-20 years ago, Cornelius really started to boom, but the growth was all on the west side of the interstate. They grew too quickly for the infrastructure, and now the west side of Cornelius is a cluttered mess of fast-food restaurants and big chains and huge McMansions. They're trying to fix the infrastructure problems, but right now it's a nightmare, and because of the lake there's no easy way to go avoid the traffic woes. There's easy access to the lake from Cornelius: a couple of yacht-clubs and at least one public park with a public boat ramp (Ramsey Creek), while Jetton Park is a great recreational venue for walking, picnicking, and tennis, etc.

The EAST side of Cornelius is going through it's own revitalization. This side was snubbed originally, with all the development on the west side, but now they're developing the east side but being more sensible and careful about it. This side of town has a more unique "small-town" feel to it.

Immediately below Cornelius is Huntersville, which is fairly large. Huntersville did a better job (in my opinion) of balancing growth and infrastructure development. Still, there are areas that are a nightmare. Huntersville is more spread out than Cornelius or Davidson.

If you work in any of these three towns and work in Charlotte, be prepared for a long commute. I-77, which is 4-lanes through exit 18, but then narrows to 3 lanes, and then to 2. I used to live at exit 28 and the additional 10 miles between mile-markers 18 and 28 could take me 30 minutes to travel. And because of the lake, there's really no way to "beat the traffic" if there's a problem on the interstate. Highways 115 and 21 run parallel to the interstate on the east side and get clogged and slow way down, and on the west side there's Beatties Ford Road. That road moves faster...until it merges with 73 just south of Cornelius.

Cost of living in these towns varies. You can find expensive and inexpensive areas in all towns. In general the schools are good in all areas -- probably best in Davidson. Crime, I think, is average.

The areas are very self-sustained with respect to shopping, services, etc. You can live in the Davidson/Cornelius/Huntersville area and never need to go into Charlotte at all, unless you want to go down for a sporting event or big concert or something like that.

[SunnyKayak]

this is hard decision I can only imagine lol.

When you visit both of them try to look at it as if you are living there. Try to simulate how you live now verses how you vacation it would help you with a better realistic choice.

I cant compare the two due to they both provide alot of posistives but in total different ways

[the 7 oh 4]

Davidson & Cornelius & Huntersville (North Mecklenburg suburbs)...absolutely fabulous areas. One word of caution...traffic is horrible there 7 days a week.

[RaimeiCorgan]

Thanks you so much to everyone who has replied thus far! This information is SO useful to me in making a huge decision as to whether or not I want to relocate. Many, Many thanks!

[QC Misfit]

Originally Posted by the 7 oh 4

Davidson & Cornelius & Huntersville (North Mecklenburg suburbs)...absolutely fabulous areas. One word of caution...traffic is horrible there 7 days a week.

Dude! It's not THAT bad! yet....

[hidaya]

Traffic is not that bad at all. I've lived in Washington, DC. I know traffic!