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Lots of newer subdivisions and such in Fort Mill. You'll have options outside of Baxter Village, but BV is a new urbanist development that provides something of an insular town feel. I like it for what it is.
So based on the two Fort Mill suggestions, both said Baxter Village, does that mean that's the only desirable place in Fort Mill, as in it's Baxter or not at all?
Or if I don't get a place inside Baxter Village, would Fort Mill still be a nice place, or should I look elsewhere?
Thanks again.
Fort Mill has plenty of desirable neighborhoods for you, but Baxter meets the criteria you listed, i.e. shops, amenities, etc. As far as the schools go, the schools in FM are better than some CMS schools, if that is important to you as well.
I think the best other option, if you are hell bent on being in Charlotte, is to live in the Ballantyne area. You are going to be looking at an ugly commute, though, and it's a minivan soccer-mom mecca out there, but if that's what you're after, you'll find it there.
Fort Mill has plenty of desirable neighborhoods for you, but Baxter meets the criteria you listed, i.e. shops, amenities, etc. As far as the schools go, the schools in FM are better than some CMS schools, if that is important to you as well.
I think the best other option, if you are hell bent on being in Charlotte, is to live in the Ballantyne area. You are going to be looking at an ugly commute, though, and it's a minivan soccer-mom mecca out there, but if that's what you're after, you'll find it there.
Ok, I would like to be 'hell bent' but I'm not. I'd take a FM neighborhood, just wanted to make sure that Baxter Village wasn't just a nice pocket in a terrible area...
I'm getting a good idea of where to look-- thanks a lot to everyone who offered info.
Ok, I would like to be 'hell bent' but I'm not. I'd take a FM neighborhood, just wanted to make sure that Baxter Village wasn't just a nice pocket in a terrible area...
I'm getting a good idea of where to look-- thanks a lot to everyone who offered info.
Oh no - Fort Mill is a very nice area! The majority of S, SE and SW Charlotte are nice too. We don't really have pockets of good within bad areas, it's more like huge swaths of bad areas that are pretty separate from the good. haha! You don't have to worry about anyone here steering you wrong. The regulars give really good relo advice.
Right now, San Fernando Valley, so it's average living conditions, average schools, terrible traffic. I don't live in a terribly crime ridden, "poor" area, but also not rubbing elbows with the 'rich people over the mountains.'
Isn't SC HORRIBLE education state? NC is better, statistically. Are you saying that the Rock Hill, or Fort Mill area schools are better than anything in NC around Charlotte?
Yes the schools in York county are rated higher than CMS. York 4 (Ft. Mill) has the highest rated school district in SC. The only school districts in NC that have higher ratings are either Charter Schools or Montessori (none of which offer K thru 12). All 4 districts in York are rated better than CMS (who has a rating of .505 based on this site that gets its data from the US Dept. of Education)
The deficiences in SC education are in the rural parts of the state. In most of the metro areas the school tend to be pretty decent. For example the county just south of York is Chester. It is one of the poorest counties in the state. The county at one time had an unemployment rate near 25%. Educational attainment levels are very low there. There are many educational resources lacking in the county because the tax base cannot provide the resources necessary. York County on the other hand is suburban, and has a much lower unemployment rate. Hence it has the tax base and resources to spend more on the schools.
There are actually quite a bit of nice neighborhoods in Ft. Mill, Tega Cay, Lake Wylie, and Rock Hill. In Rock Hill you are a bit further out, but homes are cheaper and the schools are still better than those in Charlotte.
If you just want to avoid SC at all costs I would suggest Union County/Indiana Trail would be of interest to you. Huntersville and Matthews still feed into CMS schools.
On another note, there are no freeways like the 405 or 101 here in Charlotte. I know that'll be a nice change for you. I went to grad school in San Diego and often took trips up to LA as I had friends in both Koreatown and Calabassas. You'll like Charlotte quite a bit. It is a great city.
Yes the schools in York county are rated higher than CMS. York 4 (Ft. Mill) has the highest rated school district in SC. The only school districts in NC that have higher ratings are either Charter Schools or Montessori (none of which offer K thru 12). All 4 districts in York are rated better than CMS (who has a rating of .505 based on this site that gets its data from the US Dept. of Education)
The deficiences in SC education are in the rural parts of the state. In most of the metro areas the school tend to be pretty decent. For example the county just south of York is Chester. It is one of the poorest counties in the state. The county at one time had an unemployment rate near 25%. Educational attainment levels are very low there. There are many educational resources lacking in the county because the tax base cannot provide the resources necessary. York County on the other hand is suburban, and has a much lower unemployment rate. Hence it has the tax base and resources to spend more on the schools.
There are actually quite a bit of nice neighborhoods in Ft. Mill, Tega Cay, Lake Wylie, and Rock Hill. In Rock Hill you are a bit further out, but homes are cheaper and the schools are still better than those in Charlotte.
If you just want to avoid SC at all costs I would suggest Union County/Indiana Trail would be of interest to you. Huntersville and Matthews still feed into CMS schools.
On another note, there are no freeways like the 405 or 101 here in Charlotte. I know that'll be a nice change for you. I went to grad school in San Diego and often took trips up to LA as I had friends in both Koreatown and Calabassas. You'll like Charlotte quite a bit. It is a great city.
That's good to know. Thanks.
I don't particularly want to avoid SC at all costs, it's just based on what I've heard (I've done no research at all yet, not really) it seems like SC is just behind the times, poor, poorly educated, the epitome of "redneck"... so I figured I should try my best to live in Charlotte; which based on that research (hardly anymore than I've done into SC, admittedly) looks like a fine place to be, all the advantages of both southern living and metropolitan bustle I like.
I'm moving from northern Chicago suburbs, and while traffic was labeled bad, it wasn't 405 or 101, and I've seen a mention or two of the bad traffic in Charlotte, good to hear that it's relative and my experience will make it feel like a Sunday drive... (here's hoping)
Now that I've got a good base of where to actually research, I look forward to convincing myself that SC is worthwhile for me.
That's good to know. Thanks.
I don't particularly want to avoid SC at all costs, it's just based on what I've heard (I've done no research at all yet, not really) it seems like SC is just behind the times, poor, poorly educated, the epitome of "redneck"... so I figured I should try my best to live in Charlotte; which based on that research (hardly anymore than I've done into SC, admittedly) looks like a fine place to be, all the advantages of both southern living and metropolitan bustle I like.
Sounds like someone has filled your head full of stereotypes about SC that aren't wholly true. There are some areas of SC that fit that, but the same can be said of NC, VA, and heck even rural PA and NJ.
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Originally Posted by lowercountry
Sounds like someone has filled your head full of stereotypes about SC that aren't wholly true. There are some areas of SC that fit that, but the same can be said of NC, VA, and heck even rural PA and NJ.
This is absolutely true. There should be a on this board a sticky stating something to this effect.
Remember Tim Russert's oft-quoted line about Pennsylvania. "You have Philadelphia on one end & Pittsburgh on the other, & Alabama in-between."
For the most part, "Alabama" is beyond commuting distance from Charlotte.
That's good to know. Thanks.
I don't particularly want to avoid SC at all costs, it's just based on what I've heard (I've done no research at all yet, not really) it seems like SC is just behind the times, poor, poorly educated, the epitome of "redneck"... so I figured I should try my best to live in Charlotte; which based on that research (hardly anymore than I've done into SC, admittedly) looks like a fine place to be, all the advantages of both southern living and metropolitan bustle I like.
As it was stated, all of SC isn't like that. Like any state, most of the cultural and social differences come down to urban vs. rural areas, and SC is no exception. It's extremely difficult to paint an entire state with a broad brush. The areas in SC with these negatives are no different than the ones in NC, and for the most part you'd come out better living in an urban area in SC vs. a rural area in NC. The difference is just that SC doesn't yet have a city of the size, population growth, and economic base of Charlotte or Raleigh to help balance out the state's image. Once you do your research, I'm sure you'll arrive at a much more informed conclusion of your living options in the Charlotte metro area. You'd actually be surprised at the large number of people from Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) who are migrating across the state line to York County, SC, particularly for better schools. There's a reason why York County is the second-largest county in the region.
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