Late 20's moving to/near Hickory (Newton, St. Stephens: for sale, real estate, apartments)

[Beach2Mtns]

My husband has taken a job near Hickory, NC and has moved up to the area. I just found out I have a job today at one of the local hospital. So, my 12 week old daughter and I will be moving up soon. We haven't found a place to rent yet... Our house is for sale near Myrtle Beach, SC so we plan to rent for atleast 6 months or longer until it sales. We don't know anyone in the area and want to live in a nice part of town - or one of the outlying cities if that is a better fit. We are both in our late twenties. Any advice? We like to go out here and there and would also like to find a good church. Any advice as far as childcare as well? Thanks!

[hickoryfan]

What price range for the house would suffice you? Moore's Ferry in NE Hickory is an upscale community with houses starting at around $285M. Olde Mill Landing is another upscale neighborhood and very peaceful. Both have excellent houses.

What is your religion? Hickory, like most cities has many churches, synagogues, and temples.

Also, you might want to consider Newton and Conover. They are 2 nearby cities in Catawba County.

[Beach2Mtns]

We would be willing to pay up to $1200 to rent. Seems all of the houses I have seen for rent seem very old. Haven't heard of Moore's Ferry, i'll look into that. Where do you suggest looking fir a rental? Craigslist is really the only place we have looked. We are Christian - prob try to find a Methodist or non-denominational church. Drove through Newton Tuesday and it did seem nice. Thanks so much for any more advice!

[Catbirds]

We used to call Moore's Ferry "Redneck Rivera" when I lived there. Not my cup of tea. Gated community with lots of big empty houses. Northeast Hickory, where Catawba Springs is, has great schools. Actually, on the other side of Hickory, where Fred T Ford school is has wonderful neighborhoods as well.
I personally had my kids go to the county schools and my kids had a wonderful education. The schools are what I would be looking at first, and then find your church. There are plenty of churches everywhere. Just my opinion.

[ezza2117]

I have been living in Hickory the past 5 years. I recently turned 30 and am single. I have lived in The Legends Apartments by the movie theatre and Target my entire time in Hickory. I really have no complaints whatsoever about The Legends. I have great neighbors, feel safe walking my dog at midnight, very minimal noise, office staff is great. It might be worth considering if you are wanting only short term. There are alot of people and families that move here from out of state while they look for another place to live. There are many houses around Hickory for rent, but until you know where you want to live it could be a good option.
I also recommend Christ Church. It is a Methodist church and they have several campuses around town. The Fairgrove campus (on Fairgrove Church Rd) is primarily for the 20-30 year olds and there are many newly weds, couples with babies, and young families. It is not soley 20-30 year olds though. It is a new campus and is growing.
As far as daycares...I work with infants and toddlers so I have been to many daycares and hear alot of feedback on daycares. Some of the ones you may want to look into are Woodlawn Baptist Church's daycare in Conover, The daycare at Shuford YMCA in Conover (or the YMCA in Hickory), Chesterbrook Academy in the Mountain View area, Abernethy Memorial United Methodist Church's daycare in Newton. Apple Tree has 2 location and they are decent. One that looks good, but has had many issues is LeGrande Daycare on the north side of town. Steer clear of Children's Academy and D's Lovin Daycare.

[anifani821]

For rentals, check with these folks - ALL of them:

Hickory NC Apartments / Shook & Tarlton / Affordable Hickory Apartments

Hickory NC Apartments / Shook & Tarlton / Affordable Hickory Apartments

Miller & Associates - Home

Boyd & Hassell (828) 324-1515 (not sure if they do rentals but they may have suggestions who to contact)

There are probably more but these I just know off the top of my head.

Rent a place that will be in a good school district - that should be the first concern. There are several school districts: Hickory City, Catawba County and Newton-Conover. You will need to research the options and know what schools you are interested in b/f you get settled somewhere and find out the school doesn't offer what you had in mind for your children.

Another poster mentioned NE Hickory and there are some nice developments in that section. I like NW Hickory myself for elementary schools (Jenkins). If you prefer being in Catawba Co. schools, you would need to be over towards Newton for elem. schools that feed to Foard or in the NE section of Hickory for schools that feed to St. Stephens. It can get a bit complicated at first.

A good real estate agent can help you figure all this out IF you are planning to buy a home any time soon. They also many be able to find you a rental in the meantime. I highly recommend Burlene Price at Coldwell. http://www.cbbh.com/agent/Agent-Deta...OfficeCode=103

I am a native of the region, but don't live there now - however, I stay in touch and have friends/relatives in Hickory. Don't get discouraged about the rentals - there is something out there in the right area for you! Don't be as concerned about the age of the house as the location and school district - and what property management company is handling it. I would recommend sticking w/ a home that is being handled by a prop mgt company over one being handled by an owner - just my opinion.

[Beach2Mtns]

Thanks so much everyone. We have a 3 month old, so not super worried about school district at the moment. We are possibly leaning towards an apartment for rent since we have our house for sale back in SC. I am still looking for someone to keep my daughter that I like. And I start a job at Catawba VMC in less than 2 weeks. Eek. If I don't find someone to come to my home, I'll look at those daycares you mentioned, Ezza. Thanks again.