Lake Norman Area Residents - need your Help (Charlotte, Huntersville: fit in, transplants)
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Wife and I are considering a move to one of the surrounding areas. Neither of us has lived in NC. I am 53, she is 45, and we want this to be our final "retirement" move as well as where we'll commute from for the next 10-15 years while working. We don't have kids so no need to go into school-related stuff.
Key questions:
Has commuting to Charlotte taken a toll on you? We drove it a number of times and our sense is that if either of us works in Charlotte, we would need to stay around the lower half or third of the lake to make the commute even manageable.
We saw what seemed like a lot of FOR SALE signs this past week and wondered "why so many in such nice areas?" Housing crisis aside, is there anything happening in the market there we should be aware of, or...
Is there a significant "turnover" of residents who move to the lake with idealistic notions about lake living, then leave after X number of years because it was too hard (commuting, shopping), too remote, too isolating?
How hard is it to meet people living up there? We would be coming with no established friends or family there and wife is concerned it might stay that way since homes on the lake are not close proximity (and logically so since many want peace and solitude). We are committed to meeting people, but if the opportunities aren't there....could be very tough.
What have been the best and worst aspects of living near the lake? Please be straight up with us - we appreciate candor and objectivity. Any big surprises positive or negative? For example, we are also looking at Lake Travis outside Austin, but right now, that isn't even a lake anymore, more like a pond due to drought.
Would living there be a good place to retire, or would things be too hard for a couple as they go into their 60's, 70's and 80's?
Bottom line - we are attracted to the area but cannot afford to make a bad decision at this stage of our lives. It's easy to fall in love with the lake areas, but living there can be another matter altogether. We hope to learn all the inside scoop stuff to help us make a very informed decision one way or another.
Wife and I are considering a move to one of the surrounding areas. Neither of us has lived in NC. I am 53, she is 45, and we want this to be our final "retirement" move as well as where we'll commute from for the next 10-15 years while working. We don't have kids so no need to go into school-related stuff.
Key questions:
Has commuting to Charlotte taken a toll on you? We drove it a number of times and our sense is that if either of us works in Charlotte, we would need to stay around the lower half or third of the lake to make the commute even manageable.
We saw what seemed like a lot of FOR SALE signs this past week and wondered "why so many in such nice areas?" Housing crisis aside, is there anything happening in the market there we should be aware of, or...
Is there a significant "turnover" of residents who move to the lake with idealistic notions about lake living, then leave after X number of years because it was too hard (commuting, shopping), too remote, too isolating?
How hard is it to meet people living up there? We would be coming with no established friends or family there and wife is concerned it might stay that way since homes on the lake are not close proximity (and logically so since many want peace and solitude). We are committed to meeting people, but if the opportunities aren't there....could be very tough.
What have been the best and worst aspects of living near the lake? Please be straight up with us - we appreciate candor and objectivity. Any big surprises positive or negative? For example, we are also looking at Lake Travis outside Austin, but right now, that isn't even a lake anymore, more like a pond due to drought.
Would living there be a good place to retire, or would things be too hard for a couple as they go into their 60's, 70's and 80's?
Bottom line - we are attracted to the area but cannot afford to make a bad decision at this stage of our lives. It's easy to fall in love with the lake areas, but living there can be another matter altogether. We hope to learn all the inside scoop stuff to help us make a very informed decision one way or another.
Thanks everyone!
Lake Norman is a great place to live. Personally I would not passed the Davidson area for a commute (I am a big baby I live between Exit 23 and 25) my commute is less than 30 minutes usually without rushing at all.
The reason there are so many signs is the economy. Many people were in banking or worked for companies that worked with the banks and that sector has been hit hard. As the banks shed job so did other companies and the houses up in the areas (mid range all the way up) have taken huge hits.
I live in a very nice Huntersville neighborhood and I could not get for my home what I paid for it in 2006. In my neighborhood most people selling are those who lost jobs and they simply have walked away or if in a better situation, are renting their homes out.
Meeting people is up to you - Charlotte is full of people from other places. I find that if you try and fit in you fit in. If all you do is talk about how great X was and how Charlotte sucks, unless you find more people like you people will smile, say Bless Your Heart and move on.
The worst thing for me up here is that some things I really like - Cheesecake Factory, Ghengis Grill are all the way down in Ballntyne and SouthPark and that is a hike. Shopping is great up here - I personally cannot stand South Park Mall, Northlake has pretty much everything I need but I am not into Nordy's or NM.
One thing you will find here is if you live north of the city you rarely venture south and vice versa. The thought of driving to Matthews glazes my eyes over. LOL And I have never stepped foot in Union County either.
Love it, you'll love it. No one is from from here...therefore very willing to meet others. I'll focus on the negative though
Complaints:
-25 min to Trader Joe's & Costco.
-Lack of diversity (in Cornelius, where I am) is a huge one - in race, income, etc. - but mainly a concern for my kids. Hope you like white folk driving mercedes & escalades - lol.
-It's small - same people, overlapping circles, etc. - it may be tough to escape some folks
-Too many people care about money/status (again, likely a Cornelius thing) - again, tough to avoid those folks in a small town
Is Mooresville the same, except for worse traffic, further away and better schools?
I don't buy into the Mooresville traffic being worse. I do Brawley School and Williamson Roads everyday and I prefer those versus dealing with traffic at Exits 25 & 28 and their surrounding areas.
As far as commuting, I am a veteran of No. Virginia, Baltimore, and No. Jersey commutes, so I am rather unfazed by the hop, skip, and jump to Charlotte from 33 or 36 that others seem to freak out over.
Is Mooresville the same, except for worse traffic, further away and better schools?
I think it is fairly similar. Lots of transplants, easy highway access, lots of basic shopping close enough so no real need to venture into Charlotte. In the last week or so, there seems to be significant progress on Brawley. The only slight difference in Mooresville is that you can stay towards the east side of town and avoid most of the traffic problems, but by doing that you are a bit further from the lake which is what the poster was focused on. The east side (28115) also offers the MGSD which is a big draw to that side for families with children since the district is so small and well managed.
I don't buy into the Mooresville traffic being worse. I do Brawley School and Williamson Roads everyday and I prefer those versus dealing with traffic at Exits 25 & 28 and their surrounding areas.
As far as commuting, I am a veteran of No. Virginia, Baltimore, and No. Jersey commutes, so I am rather unfazed by the hop, skip, and jump to Charlotte from 33 or 36 that others seem to freak out over.
Stripes, hope so too. Let me ask about the lake levels. Is it pretty usable during the warmer months. What I am comparing it to is Lake Travis near Austin, which is in terrible condition and virtually dried up.
Stripes, hope so too. Let me ask about the lake levels. Is it pretty usable during the warmer months. What I am comparing it to is Lake Travis near Austin, which is in terrible condition and virtually dried up.
I don't know Lake Travis so I cannot help with comparisons.
Lake Norman, for the most part, is usable during the warmer months... if you have a deep water dock.
You can track the lake levels here: Check Lake Levels -Duke Energy It's a little low right now, but the lake is still usable.
Lakeside - How long have you lived near the lake? What area are you in?
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