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My husband and I will be relocating to Charlotte from Broward county (Miramar, FL) in late July. He will be working at TIAA CREF which is up where 485 and 85 meet on the east side of Charlotte. Coming from South Florida we understand what the words traffic and rush hour mean. LOL! We want to have around a 20 minute commute time if possible but 30min wouldn't be that bad. Right now we are driving about 25 miles which takes us 1hr sometime 1 hr 20 min to get to work. It's ridiculous. We really wanted to find a neighborhood with very good school systems (elementary as we have a 2 and 3 yr old). We are looking in the 350-400K price range. We like the newer homes which are less than 10 yrs old. We love Ballantyne but have heard that it is a crazy commute to TIAA. Any other ideas for communities like that but an easier commute? Thanks in advance!
I'm one of the many TIAA-CREF employess who live in Huntersville. Most of the folks I work with live in the Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, Highland Creek, Mallard Creek, Concord, Harrisburg, and Matthews areas.
You could try Mint Hill - there are some nice new SD's going up there. The commute from Matthews/Indian Trail wouldn't be bad. You can PM me if you want and I'll tell you more about that. There isn't much traffic going that way. I don't even think Ballantyne would be that bad. You'd be going against traffic. Just hop on 485 and it would probably be around 30 minutes. If you love the area then a 30 minute commute isn't bad.
I agree with the Harrisburg/Concord suggestion. Especially Harrisburg... you'd find a bunch of communities there within your price range, and you'd have decent highway and back road options to get to TIAA-CREF. It would probably be about a 20 minute drive without traffic, maybe 30 minutes with traffic.
I have checked into a lot of these areas and have to say that most are a perfect fit for us. We really liked Mint Hill as there are a lot of options but I am curious about the school systems there. Also, we probably will rent first then buy a little bit later as we have yet to sell our home here in South Florida. Are there places to rent that will take dogs? That is kind of a foreign concept here in Miami, as most places only accept dogs under 20 lbs. Thanks!
I second the Highland Creek or Harrisburg area. In reality, after messing with Ballantyne traffic, it's 30 solid miles around the city on 485, then about 10 minutes to TIAA-CREF. That's a solid 45-60 minute commute. Why do that to yourself when you have equally lovely options that are so much closer? Good luck with your decision! I almost left my current employer a few years ago to work at TIAA-CREF - it is a great company, and it's a wonderful campus up there.
I'm one of the many TIAA-CREF employess who live in Huntersville. Most of the folks I work with live in the Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, Highland Creek, Mallard Creek, Concord, Harrisburg, and Matthews areas.
I have a neighbor that lives here in Rosedale (Huntersville) and she works at TIAA CREF. Seems like it's usually a 20-30 minute drive. There is also a doggie park in Cornelius to take your dogs. I haven't heard much about having problems renting with dogs, only a complaint of a friend that has 2 great danes.
My only concern about the Harrisburg/Concord/Kannapolis area is the lack of water, legal issues over the water rights, and the expense. I received my water bill the other day for 2 adults for the month and it was $20 (standard use, no sprinklers). I don't know if anyone in the Harrisburg/Concord/Kannapolis area can compare their water bill to that, seems like I read a complaint on here that their water bill was 10X the cost of mine. I'd do a little research on the water issue. I know I wouldn't personally buy/rent in an area that has that kind of problem if I could help it, although they are very nice areas, I wouldn't do it.
I used to live in Pembroke Pines and the traffic here is nothing compared to what you are used to!
I have a neighbor that lives here in Rosedale (Huntersville) and she works at TIAA CREF. Seems like it's usually a 20-30 minute drive. There is also a doggie park in Cornelius to take your dogs. I haven't heard much about having problems renting with dogs, only a complaint of a friend that has 2 great danes.
My only concern about the Harrisburg/Concord/Kannapolis area is the lack of water, legal issues over the water rights, and the expense. I received my water bill the other day for 2 adults for the month and it was $20 (standard use, no sprinklers). I don't know if anyone in the Harrisburg/Concord/Kannapolis area can compare their water bill to that, seems like I read a complaint on here that their water bill was 10X the cost of mine. I'd do a little research on the water issue. I know I wouldn't personally buy/rent in an area that has that kind of problem if I could help it, although they are very nice areas, I wouldn't do it.
I used to live in Pembroke Pines and the traffic here is nothing compared to what you are used to!
The water bill here in Kannapolis doesn't seem too out of the ordinary. We're a family of 4, we don't water the lawn but the washing machine never stops. We pay about $50 a month.
University City, Concord, or Harrisburg would be the places to look. You're commute from these area would be anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on where you live. Many nice SD's in these areas.
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