Please recommend Charlotte NC areas similar to Montgomery or Blue Ash (Cincinnati: transplants, house prices)

[kitnguye]

FULL DISCLOSURE: I cross posted this thread in the Charlotte forum. I thought I might post here also to get some additional eyes on my post!

Hi all:
Husband and I are considering a move to Charlotte. We currently live in Montgomery, and although I love this area, my husband is not entirely fond of Cincinnati. I love Montgomery for its sense of community, EXCELLENT schools WITH lots of diversity, tree lined streets (I don't like the treeless suburbs of Mason), 25-30 minute commute to downtown Cincinnati and excellent community programs for children (i.e. soccer, lacrosse, football, swimming, art, etc). We visited friends in Mooresville recently, and although lovely, was too far from Charlotte, not very diverse, and almost treeless. I don't mind new construction, but prefer staid neighborhoods with some character. However, that is negotiable if I can find a great area with fantastic schools and a diverse population. Our price range is in the mid to upper ranges of house prices in Montgomery. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help!

[jstn]

You will have a ton of similar options in the area. Dilworth, Elizabeth and Myers Parks are all within minutes of downtown (actually Uptown) but have a great community feel. Getting into Myers park for less than a million may be a problem though. Outside of Charlotte, there is Matthews, probably more like Blue Ash than Montgomery. It's much more diverse racially and socio-economically, but less upscale than all of the other areas mentioned.

Another area, South Charlotte, is quickly becoming one of the most popular areas. There are MANY great tree lined neighborhoods in this area. It is a mix of old and new (newer as you head further south). You'll probably find this area a little more trendy than Mooresville. I currently live in a suburban area of S. Charlotte and can walk to everything from my dentist to my child's doctor to more than 70 restaurants and stores. You can find nice single family homes in this area from the mid-300's to well over a million. All the public schools in this area are outstanding (probably comparable to Lakota and Sycamore).

Just south of South Charlotte is western union county (Weddington & Marvin). Very nice homes and great schools. Breathe taking scenery. Rolling hills, trees, beautiful homes. It's really just a more rural extension of Charlotte.

Keep in mind, you are in the South, even our rural areas have many blacks, so you will probably find more diversity in any school. Also, this area is made up mostly of transplants from all around the world. It's a great city to live in.