rock hill "the good & bad sides of town" (Fort Mill: crime, home)

[nixon13]

looking to relocate to the area and was wondering the make-up of the beautiful city. i mean, the better sides of the city to raise a family, maybe lower crime, better schools, newer developments. thanx for your help. any and all tips are greatly appreciated.

[CarolinaWoman]

Well since no one has replied, I will give you my purely unbiased opinion.

I was born and raised in downtown Rock Hill ... a city gal. But ... long ago hubby and I moved to the boonies. It's no longer the boondocks. We have developments all over Hwy 274, India Hook Rd, Twin Lakes, Hwy 5 ... I am not familiar with all the new housing developments and perhaps a realtor can provide you with the info you need there.

If you google map Rock Hill, we live north/west of RH in the 'burbs of Newport. We moved here because of the schools. Our daughters attended Mt. Gallant Elementary School, Rawlinson Rd Middle School and Northwestern High School. This area is in a good school zone and now we have a new middle school, Dutchman Creek on Mt. Gallant and a new elementary school India Hook.

We do not have a problem with crime in this area, we've never had a problem and we've been here a long time. This area is really growing we have a new Walmart Supercenter under construction in ... I'll call it downtown Newport ... even though Newport is not officially incorporated and we just have one traffic light with a quick shop, an ice cream place, a guy selling fresh veggies out of the back of his truck.

The nuke plant is out here and we were here before the plant was built and we don't 'glow in the dark' ... never had any problems there. We are convenient to the Charlotte airport, Lake Wylie and shopping in Charlotte or Gastonia if you want variety. Grocery stores and home improvement stores are nearby too.

If you google map RH, watch out for the RH Airport area ... there has been some controversy there with homeowners vs the county & city councils over extending a runway to accommodate larger planes ... not commerical airlines though just planes that will make more noise then those that fly out of there now.

Personally we prefer living outside of the city limits of RH as we only have to pay county taxes annually on our home (real property), our vehicles, boats, RV and motorcycles. Living in the city limits one has to pay city taxes on these items (due to city services you receive) and county taxes. This is not to scare you away, our taxes are reasonable but I've always felt it was dual taxation when you live in the city.

Not much else I can tell you ... I am sure there are board members here that can provide info on other areas they prefer.

One bit of advice ... find employment before you relocate. We have so many people out of work right now.

Best wishes for you and your family if you do make the move to Rock Hill. It is a good place to live!

[loulamb]

Take a day or two and drive around some neighborhoods. Despite the number of subdivisions popping up all over, there are some nice neighborhoods in "old Rock Hill" with some very affordable properties.

BTW, city residents do pay higher taxes, but we have trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup, and pay a lower water and sewer rate. If you plan to live outside the city, factor in what it would cost to have your trash picked up unless you plan to haul it yourself.

[CarolinaWoman]

York County has manned Convenience Centers all over the county and yes you have to haul your own trash which is not a problem for most people. Also we have independent services that offer weekely trash collection for a fee. As far as water and sewer, we have a septic tank and our own well. When you look at developments outside the city limits you might want to inquire if it's community water and sewer or if the home has a septic tank and well.

As suggested you need to visit the area and spend a few days touring the area. Find a good realtor that will give you dependable info.

[bmd69]

Celenease and India Hook/Herlong

[coped]

Oakland Ave./Eden Terrace/Seventeen Acres are nice 'hoods near the center of Rock Hill. They are older though, but more established.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by nixon13

looking to relocate to the area and was wondering the make-up of the beautiful city. i mean, the better sides of the city to raise a family, maybe lower crime, better schools, newer developments. thanx for your help. any and all tips are greatly appreciated.

If schools are a priority, and if it was me? I would move a few miles North to Fort Mill to raise a family. Lower crime, yes, better schools yes, newer developments all over the place. Fort Mill hands down.

[bmd69]

Originally Posted by Mrs. P

If schools are a priority, and if it was me? I would move a few miles North to Fort Mill to raise a family. Lower crime, yes, better schools yes, newer developments all over the place. Fort Mill hands down.

I live in a pretty nice area here, and see no problems. Why does everyone put down RH.

[Mrs. P]

Originally Posted by bmd69

I live in a pretty nice area here, and see no problems. Why does everyone put down RH.

I concur RH has nice areas. I don't know why people put RH down.

My response was based on several of the criteria the OP stated.
Fort Mill schools are better, just the way it is. Don't know why, but they are.
If I had children that would be my choice hands down.

[bmd69]

You have to remember that Rock Hill is much larger than Fort Mill in population. Fort Mill has what? Baxter Village and the new shopping center on Route 160.

Not much do in either areas.