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thanks for looking, first of all! My husband and I are planning to move to Charlotte. We have two young kids as well. Looking to rent in Charlotte suburb, that is similar to either Chicago's North Shore Deerfield, Glenview, Northbrook or Milwaukee's Shorewood, Whitefish Bay. Want it to be close to the city, with great schools(!!!), lots of things to do, and have somewhat urban feel to it as we are a young family, and would like not to move in the middle-of-nowhere. Any feedback would be appreciated!
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by metrafan
Hi all,
thanks for looking, first of all! My husband and I are planning to move to Charlotte. We have two young kids as well. Looking to rent in Charlotte suburb, that is similar to either Chicago's North Shore Deerfield, Glenview, Northbrook or Milwaukee's Shorewood, Whitefish Bay. Want it to be close to the city, with great schools(!!!), lots of things to do, and have somewhat urban feel to it as we are a young family, and would like not to move in the middle-of-nowhere. Any feedback would be appreciated!
There are numerous places, but it would help to know where the job is. The Charlotte metro is large & it helps to know where the job is & what your budget is.
My husband will have to commute to few different offices, one is in downtown, and the other, I believe to the north of it. Budget wise, I can tell you what we pay right now. We rent smallish 2 brm, here in one of Chicago suburbs, for $1100(that is not counting the heat, which is around this time of year is $300).
The first thing that you need to know is that there is no metra (taking that from your name). Public transport in the suburbs is fairly non-existent or spotty at best.
Secondly, not sure about being able to find a place for $1100.00 without going pretty far out. Heat is almost never included in the rent here, nor are any utilities, so, it would be rent alone.
About the only place here with an "urban feel" is right in the middle of downtown Charlotte. Don't know of any place here that would compare to any of those Chicago suburbs...about the closest might be the southern suburbs, Ballentyne or Matthews. But, they are pricey and not sure that you will get anything for the price that you want.
If you want to stick to the northern suburbs, you will find more of a NW suburb of Chicago feel...Des Plaines, Niles, older Hoffman Estates.
Can't speak to the schools as my kids are grown. I have not been a fan, and they currently are experiencing a lot of upheaval with the state budget business. Schools closing, lots of craziness. I will let others that are knowledgeable about the schools in the area that you choose speak to that.
Charlotte does not compare well to Chicago due to the size of the city (Charlotte is MUCH smaller) and the culture here is very different. Please do your research on the culture to expect in a southern state. the further that you go outside of the city, the more you will find natives and fewer transplants. Charlotte has people from everywhere and a good amount of Chicagoans, too. But, the further away from the city you are are usually fewer people from elsewhere and sometimes that can be a bit challenging. Now, southbound seems to have found an enclave of people from New Jersey-area near Kings Mountain, but, that is the exception, not the rule.
Travelling around here is annoying because everyone tries to drive just like they drove where ever they came from, so, the traffic is crazy. In Chicago, you're stopped. Here, you kind of have to dodge the NASCAR wannabes! hahaha...and fewer people obey traffic laws here..
If you decide on a particular area, then, we can all be of more help. Good luck!
The first thing that you need to know is that there is no metra (taking that from your name). Public transport in the suburbs is fairly non-existent or spotty at best.
Secondly, not sure about being able to find a place for $1100.00 without going pretty far out. Heat is almost never included in the rent here, nor are any utilities, so, it would be rent alone.
About the only place here with an "urban feel" is right in the middle of downtown Charlotte. Don't know of any place here that would compare to any of those Chicago suburbs...about the closest might be the southern suburbs, Ballentyne or Matthews. But, they are pricey and not sure that you will get anything for the price that you want.
If you want to stick to the northern suburbs, you will find more of a NW suburb of Chicago feel...Des Plaines, Niles, older Hoffman Estates.
Can't speak to the schools as my kids are grown. I have not been a fan, and they currently are experiencing a lot of upheaval with the state budget business. Schools closing, lots of craziness. I will let others that are knowledgeable about the schools in the area that you choose speak to that.
Charlotte does not compare well to Chicago due to the size of the city (Charlotte is MUCH smaller) and the culture here is very different. Please do your research on the culture to expect in a southern state. the further that you go outside of the city, the more you will find natives and fewer transplants. Charlotte has people from everywhere and a good amount of Chicagoans, too. But, the further away from the city you are are usually fewer people from elsewhere and sometimes that can be a bit challenging. Now, southbound seems to have found an enclave of people from New Jersey-area near Kings Mountain, but, that is the exception, not the rule.
Travelling around here is annoying because everyone tries to drive just like they drove where ever they came from, so, the traffic is crazy. In Chicago, you're stopped. Here, you kind of have to dodge the NASCAR wannabes! hahaha...and fewer people obey traffic laws here..
If you decide on a particular area, then, we can all be of more help. Good luck!
I'll agree on the drivers here!!
maybe the southern portion such as dilworth as they have the lynx system near it would help you.
Not familiar with Milwaukee but in comparison to Chicago you won't find much (if anything) that is similar to Chicago suburbs. The Myers Park area is an older, established area of Charlotte that may be comparable to Glenview or Northbrook. However, there aren't the retail centers that Deerfield has. It's about 5 minutes from Uptown and is very close to other areas which may pique your interest (South Park, Dilworth). A couple other areas to look into are Ballentyne or Huntersville. All three of these areas have great schools but not likely the quality you'll find in Deerfield or the Glenbrook schools.
I don't know the Northern suburbs of Chicago as well as the western suburbs, but Dilworth reminds me a lot of where I grew up...old houses, trees, close knit, etc.
I am not sure what the school is in that area...Myers Park Traditional is an excellent school as well as Eastover Academy. Dilworth Elementary leaves a little to be desired, though.
Late to the party (out shopping!), but you will like the south Charlotte area (Ballantyne for example). Dilworth is also a lovely older area that I would have considered if my husband did not work in S. Carolina (longer drive). Schools in the S. Charlotte area are all excellent.
I know exactly what you mean about Glenview, by the way. It's a very nice Chicago burb.
Come and visit to get a better feel for the area. I think you will like it a lot.
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