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I know this question has been posted at exhaustion, but I really cannot find an answer to question (or maybe it is a feeling?).
There is a lot of great information sharing on this site.
Judgment free zone:
My husband and I (plus our 6 and 4 year old) will be moving from Monmouth County NJ to one of the Carolinas. We will be working in Uptown or Ballantyne. So we took the advice of a lot of people on these threads to come visit, go to the grocery stores, go to restaurants, go to the parks, well you get it...
We love the homes in Fort Mill that we looked at (Masons Bend, RiverChase) and heard fantastic things about the schools. HOWEVER, we just didn't get the same feeling of being with like minded people, driving around the area looked a bit more rural than we expected, conveniences seemed limited.
I would appreciate feedback on the "feeling" of Fort Mill. Why did you choose Fort Mill over other areas... We understand schools are good and taxes are low.
Thank you in advance,
A mom trying to make the right decision.
I know this question has been posted at exhaustion, but I really cannot find an answer to question (or maybe it is a feeling?).
There is a lot of great information sharing on this site.
Judgment free zone:
My husband and I (plus our 6 and 4 year old) will be moving from Monmouth County NJ to one of the Carolinas. We will be working in Uptown or Ballantyne. So we took the advice of a lot of people on these threads to come visit, go to the grocery stores, go to restaurants, go to the parks, well you get it...
We love the homes in Fort Mill that we looked at (Masons Bend, RiverChase) and heard fantastic things about the schools. HOWEVER, we just didn't get the same feeling of being with like minded people, driving around the area looked a bit more rural than we expected, conveniences seemed limited.
I would appreciate feedback on the "feeling" of Fort Mill. Why did you choose Fort Mill over other areas... We understand schools are good and taxes are low.
Thank you in advance,
A mom trying to make the right decision.
Not rural in my opinion. On this map you see the Riverchase area marked with #2. Each arrow points to growing areas as far as businesses. RiverChase is down Doby Bridge Road. If you turn right onto 521 you get a Publix and Harris Teeter, doctor offices, schools. If you turn left up 521 you pass a Food Lion and at 160 there is a Lowes. A mere mile or so further up 521 you get two more Harris Teeter's and pass Walmart. That puts you in Ballantyne which is a suburb of Charlotte. Above Ballantyne you see Highway 51. That's closer to Charlotte than Pineville and right there near 485 is Carolina Medical Center. Mason's Bend puts you equally near Lowes, Walmart, grocery stores. There are schools galore. At either location you are only maybe 5 miles from the Charlotte city limits. Anything you might want should be within a few miles of either location you mentioned from shopping to schools, doctors, auto parts, restaurants. Both areas are growing very rapidly.
From Mason's Bend get on 77 and go south 4 miles and you have a huge shopping area around exit 79 with Walmart, Target, Lowes, Kohl's, J.C. Penny, Movie Theaters, over 10 restaurants and you'll pass a Home Depot on the way.
East of downtown Fort Mill and Indian Land used to be rural but not any more. There is a now a parkway to get you from Doby Bridge Road over to 160 and across Hwy. 21 and to I-77.
You might like living in Ballantyne itself if you felt Fort Mill was too rural for you. When you drive around Fort Mill, you likely see some things from when it was a small town and not a suburb such as the truck stop, fire work shops, some areas with older housing on large lots, some mobile homes, then a huge new school, new subdivision again, etc... just all mixed together. There are subdivisions of Fort Mill that are master-planned, but town wide there are older areas and newer areas all mixed together.
Masons Bend in particular has that Love's truck stop and as you continue north on Sutton Road you have some cars parked in the lawn, random boats, the Baptist Church, etc... in the non-subdivision housing along Sutton that kind of look like a rural small town. Only you can determine if that will bother you. It is a rather small area outside Masons Bend that isn't part of a newer development and may even be sold off over time. 29708 (that side of Fort Mill) has a median household income of $102,839, so the older housing is greatly outnumbered by newer residents where people don't leave their car on the lawn.
Ballantyne is more built out, so you aren't going to see that as much, but you will have Charlotte property tax.
Not rural in my opinion. On this map you see the Riverchase area marked with #2. Each arrow points to growing areas as far as businesses. RiverChase is down Doby Bridge Road. If you turn right onto 521 you get a Publix and Harris Teeter, doctor offices, schools. If you turn left up 521 you pass a Food Lion and at 160 there is a Lowes. A mere mile or so further up 521 you get two more Harris Teeter's and pass Walmart. That puts you in Ballantyne which is a suburb of Charlotte. Above Ballantyne you see Highway 51. That's closer to Charlotte than Pineville and right there near 485 is Carolina Medical Center. Mason's Bend puts you equally near Lowes, Walmart, grocery stores. There are schools galore. At either location you are only maybe 5 miles from the Charlotte city limits. Anything you might want should be within a few miles of either location you mentioned from shopping to schools, doctors, auto parts, restaurants. Both areas are growing very rapidly.
From Mason's Bend get on 77 and go south 4 miles and you have a huge shopping area around exit 79 with Walmart, Target, Lowes, Kohl's, J.C. Penny, Movie Theaters, over 10 restaurants and you'll pass a Home Depot on the way.
East of downtown Fort Mill and Indian Land used to be rural but not any more. There is a now a parkway to get you from Doby Bridge Road over to 160 and across Hwy. 21 and to I-77.
Howard555
thank you for your reply. It helps to put it in perspective the proximity of our necessities. I guess it just felt much larger (farther away) during our adventure.
You might like living in Ballantyne itself if you felt Fort Mill was too rural for you. When you drive around Fort Mill, you likely see some things from when it was a small town and not a suburb such as the truck stop, fire work shops, some areas with older housing on large lots, some mobile homes, then a huge new school, new subdivision again, etc... just all mixed together. There are subdivisions of Fort Mill that are master-planned, but town wide there are older areas and newer areas all mixed together.
Masons Bend in particular has that Love's truck stop and as you continue north on Sutton Road you have some cars parked in the lawn, random boats, the Baptist Church, etc... in the non-subdivision housing along Sutton that kind of look like a rural small town. Only you can determine if that will bother you. It is a rather small area outside Masons Bend that isn't part of a newer development and may even be sold off over time. 29708 (that side of Fort Mill) has a median household income of $102,839, so the older housing is greatly outnumbered by newer residents where people don't leave their car on the lawn.
Ballantyne is more built out, so you aren't going to see that as much, but you will have Charlotte property tax.
CLT4 You hit the nail on the head.
We liked Ballantyne, just concerned with CMS School System. Maybe we liked it because it felt established or "somewhat like home" - Also because it afford us a 10/15 minute work commute
We have read such great things about the FM Schools that I may have been trying to fit a "round peg into a square hole" as they say. I wanted it to work.
We want our children to grow up in a diverse area, but are conscience of the socioeconomic disparity and the effect that has on their learning environment in school.
I more than appreciate your candor.
Thanks Again. - this is clearly something my husband and I need to think more about.
I agree with CLT4. I was thinking the same thing reading your post. Ballantyne is much more built up and you can find trendy restaurants, plenty of shopping, medical offices, etc over there...Fort Mill is just a different animal and may never be like Ballantyne. We have tons of new construction but it's almost all subdivisions, oil change places, storage units, and auto parts stores. It gets frustrating at times but our schools are excellent and for me, Ballantyne is like living a in a real city not the burbs. I'm more comfortable raising my daughter in a more suburban somewhat rural setting. The demographics are similar between 28277 (Ballantyne) and the 29708. Median household incomes are almost identical between the two zip codes. I think you will see similar percentages of low income students comparing Tega Cay Elementary, Gold Hill Elementary, and Pleasant Knoll with Hawk Ridge, Polo Ridge, and Ballantyne Elementary. Also you might want to check out Marvin, NC and that western section of Union county. They have great schools also and are close to Ballantyne as well.
I agree with CLT4. I was thinking the same thing reading your post. Ballantyne is much more built up and you can find trendy restaurants, plenty of shopping, medical offices, etc over there...Fort Mill is just a different animal and may never be like Ballantyne. We have tons of new construction but it's almost all subdivisions, oil change places, storage units, and auto parts stores. It gets frustrating at times but our schools are excellent and for me, Ballantyne is like living a in a real city not the burbs. I'm more comfortable raising my daughter in a more suburban somewhat rural setting. The demographics are similar between 28277 (Ballantyne) and the 29708. Median household incomes are almost identical between the two zip codes. I think you will see similar percentages of low income students comparing Tega Cay Elementary, Gold Hill Elementary, and Pleasant Knoll with Hawk Ridge, Polo Ridge, and Ballantyne Elementary. Also you might want to check out Marvin, NC and that western section of Union county. They have great schools also and are close to Ballantyne as well.
Thank you goldhill4ever.
I appreciate your feedback! I will take a look at the demographics again. This point does not go unnoticed.
Can you clarify your comparisons?
Are you saying:
Tega Cay Elementary, Gold Hill Elementary, and Pleasant Knoll
- these three schools are similar to Hawk Ridge
Sorry about that, should have been more clear. I was saying that the Ballantyne schools are likely similar socio-demographically to the 29708/Fort Mill schools. I think Tega Cay/Pleasant Knoll/Gold Hill are probably around 6-15% low income (at least last time I checked) and the Ballantyne schools are probably about the same. So probably not going to see much difference from a diversity standpoint between those two areas.
I know this question has been posted at exhaustion, but I really cannot find an answer to question (or maybe it is a feeling?).
There is a lot of great information sharing on this site
Where in Monmouth County?
For a year I lived in Sayreville, and have friends and family in Ocean, Shrewsbury, and Little Silver.
***
You will not find a Route 9 (e.g. Manalapan) in Fort Mill, nor will you find an equivalent Route 35 (or 34 for that matter).
If you look west of 77, conveniences are within reach (e.g. supermarkets, cvs, etc). Mall type shopping will be in Pineville NC, or at the Rock Hill Galleria.
Include Matthews NC in your search, and south Charlotte might serve your interests as well (especially around Ballantyne, Olde Providence, Blakeney, etc)
We moved down from NJ as well (Somerset Cty)
I wouldn't consider it rural. Once you drive out into Lancaster Cty to the east (Indian Land) and towards Chester and York in the west it's definitely rural. This area reminds me more of Bridgewater / Basking Ridge minus having Rt 22.
The area has developed as a bunch of subdivisions on what used to be farms so you have more of the rural feel when driving outside of subdivisions.
As far as schools, all of the schools in Fort Mill are really great schools -- don't fear the diversity. I'm glad that my son's school is more diverse than Tega Cay or Gold Hill elementary -- he attends Sugar Creek. Eventually the schools feed up to what will eventually be 3 High Schools (they're in the process of building a 3rd on the southern end of town).
I work in Ballantyne, it takes me about 15 minutes to get to work which is great. I'm in the NE corner of Fort Mill near Pineville.
The first time visiting any place, things always seem further away than they actually are. I would suggest visiting again and driving around the area. You'll realize that things aren't as far as they seem!
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