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My wife (24 yo) and I (29 yo) have been considering relocating to the Charlotte area to escape the ridiculous traffic and exorbitant cost of living in Northern VA. We also want to move to an area that has a similar laid-back feel to the area that we're both originally from (Hampton Roads area in SE Virginia). We have visited the area before and we were both impressed by what Charlotte had to offer. The only questions we have left before we go ahead with selling our condo and making the move are about housing and job prospects. What are some good suburbs around Charlotte with good school districts (we're thinking about having kids soon) and affordable homes (less than 250k, 2000 sqft+)? Also, how does the job market look for a software developer specializing in Microsoft technologies (i.e. .NET, SharePoint, ASP.NET, etc.) with approximately 7 years of experience? My wife is a lead preschool teacher and her company has already given her the OK to transfer to another school in the Charlotte area so that part is already taken care of. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I can't speak about the job market, but Matthews is a good suburb. If you live near Idlewild Road, the commute uptown is not terribly bad. I travel 13 miles and leave at around 7 everyday and am at my office around 7:30 - 7:40. The school district was good when I moved here and our house is under the price you listed with more square footage.
Just moved (2 weeks ago) from NoVA to the Charlotte area. Found a nice apartment in the Matthews area and love it. Eventually planning to buy a place. I did live in the Matthews area many years ago, so Matthews was an easy sell. I did see places in the 200k range in Matthews.
Not so sure about the school district as my children are grown up, went to school in Northern Virginia and are now in college. I am sure others on the forum will weigh in with regards to school districts.
With regards to opportunities for a Microsoft developer, send me a PM, if you are interested and I will put you in touch with a technology recruiter.
We are from NoVA also. We absolutely love it here. We are on the North side of the City, smack dab in between 85 and 77 (Concord and Huntersville). CMS schools are ok, both our boys graduated (09 and 11) from Mallard Creek HS (opened in 2007), they didn't have too many problems. Cabarrus County is close by and schools are not as crowded (but getting there), Union County (SE) is getting bombarded. We stayed close to my husbands work (off WT Harris Blvd). Thought about moving up by the lake, but coming from NoVA we knew how traffic can be and didn't want to deal with that. We would rather pay higher taxes (city and county) then sit in traffic and car wear and tear. Traffic has gotten so much worse since we came in 98, the growth of the city is great, but it has it's downfalls. Figure out where your going to work (if possible) first.
Homes in Cabarrus and Northern Mecklenburg meet your budget. Not sure on jobs, this is a banking city, seems to be a lot of jobs in the medical field also. BOA is uptown and Wells Fargo is uptown, but most employees are at CIC which is off WT Harris Blvd.
We love it, no regrets leaving family and friends, although we miss them, it was best for us and our kids. Fredericksburg was a long way to/from our jobs (near Springfield) (45 minutes and that was leaving at 5am in the late 90's) and we needed a better quality of life for our boys as well as us. We both grew up in Dale City (70's-80's).
We are from NoVa as well. We moved down in 06. We are near Aquastone though we are in Cabarrus County. We have a 5 and 6 year old and our school pyramid is great. They are actually in the process of building a relief school for the overcrowding issues. We love it down here. I telecommute for a tech company that has an office in the Reston area. I've been telecommuting since we moved down here. It's a great area to raise kids.
I can't speak about the job market, but Matthews is a good suburb. If you live near Idlewild Road, the commute uptown is not terribly bad. I travel 13 miles and leave at around 7 everyday and am at my office around 7:30 - 7:40. The school district was good when I moved here and our house is under the price you listed with more square footage.
I keep hearing good things about Matthews so I'm definitely going to have to check it out. By the way, a 30-40 minute commute at 7 AM sounds like heaven right about now. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by v2a66
Just moved (2 weeks ago) from NoVA to the Charlotte area. Found a nice apartment in the Matthews area and love it. Eventually planning to buy a place. I did live in the Matthews area many years ago, so Matthews was an easy sell. I did see places in the 200k range in Matthews.
Sounds like Matthews has everything I want so I'll probably start looking there. Thanks.
Not so sure about the school district as my children are grown up, went to school in Northern Virginia and are now in college. I am sure others on the forum will weigh in with regards to school districts.
With regards to opportunities for a Microsoft developer, send me a PM, if you are interested and I will put you in touch with a technology recruiter.
I will PM you because it probably won't hurt to start getting a feel for the job market down there right now. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aquastone
We are from NoVA also. We absolutely love it here. We are on the North side of the City, smack dab in between 85 and 77 (Concord and Huntersville). CMS schools are ok, both our boys graduated (09 and 11) from Mallard Creek HS (opened in 2007), they didn't have too many problems. Cabarrus County is close by and schools are not as crowded (but getting there), Union County (SE) is getting bombarded. We stayed close to my husbands work (off WT Harris Blvd). Thought about moving up by the lake, but coming from NoVA we knew how traffic can be and didn't want to deal with that. We would rather pay higher taxes (city and county) then sit in traffic and car wear and tear. Traffic has gotten so much worse since we came in 98, the growth of the city is great, but it has it's downfalls. Figure out where your going to work (if possible) first.
Homes in Cabarrus and Northern Mecklenburg meet your budget. Not sure on jobs, this is a banking city, seems to be a lot of jobs in the medical field also. BOA is uptown and Wells Fargo is uptown, but most employees are at CIC which is off WT Harris Blvd.
We love it, no regrets leaving family and friends, although we miss them, it was best for us and our kids. Fredericksburg was a long way to/from our jobs (near Springfield) (45 minutes and that was leaving at 5am in the late 90's) and we needed a better quality of life for our boys as well as us. We both grew up in Dale City (70's-80's).
Good Luck!!
Good to hear that you're happy with your move. A higher quality of life is exactly what we're aiming for too; we don't want to spend half of our lives sitting in traffic. I haven't heard of Cabarrus before, but I'll check it out. Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley09swb
We are from NoVa as well. We moved down in 06. We are near Aquastone though we are in Cabarrus County. We have a 5 and 6 year old and our school pyramid is great. They are actually in the process of building a relief school for the overcrowding issues. We love it down here. I telecommute for a tech company that has an office in the Reston area. I've been telecommuting since we moved down here. It's a great area to raise kids.
Good to hear that you're happy with your move as well. I actually work in Reston for a tech company too. I love my current company, but they cannot support me working remotely so that's why I need to start looking for employment down there. I'm going to read up on Cabarrus County because I hadn't actually heard of it until reading these replies, but it sounds like it has everything we're looking for. Thanks.
Have lived in Cabarrus County since 1998 and love it here. Harrisburg - Rocky River Road side - is a good choice if looking for proximity to CLT neighborhoods like Plaza-Midwood and NoDa, close to I-485 with Concord Mills and Northlake areas a short drive. Downtown 30 min max. Housing reasonable and you can find plenty in your range. Concord towards Huntersville and the Highland Creek area another great part of Cabarrus county as well. Excellent schools in both areas.
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