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Hi everyone, we're planning on moving to NC in the summer. We have picked NC because of the weather, location (East Coast) and all things outdoors.
We're a family of four with two young kids.
We are not very familiar with the state and we are trying to settle onto a specific area before taking a trip down to explore
Our priorities are:
- schools (especially with IEP programs)
- things to do for the kids (sports, etc.) and adults (shopping, restaurants, etc.)
- larger lots/larger house, rural feeling, but close to everything
- within 1 - 1 1/2 hr from the airport
Note, I work from home, so no need on being somewhere particularly
Any recommendations? Particularly on the first item
Hi everyone, we're planning on moving to NC in the summer. We have picked NC because of the weather, location (East Coast) and all things outdoors.
We're a family of four with two young kids.
We are not very familiar with the state and we are trying to settle onto a specific area before taking a trip down to explore
Our priorities are:
- schools (especially with IEP programs)
- things to do for the kids (sports, etc.) and adults (shopping, restaurants, etc.)
- larger lots/larger house, rural feeling, but close to everything
- within 1 - 1 1/2 hr from the airport
Note, I work from home, so no need on being somewhere particularly
Any recommendations? Particularly on the first item
Many thanks
Honestly a lot of this depends on budget, especially when you want good schools. There are some good schools in Union County, good private schools over near Gastonia, good schools in the Cornelius/Davidson area, or down across the NC/SC line in fort mill. And all of these have very different price ranges…
The Fletcher School (private) is highly regarded in the area and one of the best for students with learning disabilities. I would do your research as the traditional "good public school" ratings in the area does not necessarily translate over to a great IEP program. For example, Providence High School would possibly eat your student alive and the admin won't care as the school is focused on rigor.
For many of the public schools, they will evaluate the specific situation of your child to recommend the right program for their IEP. For example, if your child has an emotional disability, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools may place your child at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Academy rather than in a traditional school setting. If you need Specialized Behavior Support, you may not attend your neighborhood school, but one of a handful of select elementary and middle schools that offer a program. https://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartm...-Services.aspx
The public school systems here are largely by county, so you can google them by searching "Mecklenburg Schools", "Union County Schools", "Cabarrus County Schools", "Gaston County Schools", et. to read how they implement an IEP.
Honestly a lot of this depends on budget, especially when you want good schools. There are some good schools in Union County, good private schools over near Gastonia, good schools in the Cornelius/Davidson area, or down across the NC/SC line in fort mill. And all of these have very different price ranges…
Thanks. Our budget is around $1M, with some wiggle room.
Our preference would be very much to stay around the best areas for schools, safety, etc.
Thanks. Our budget is around $1M, with some wiggle room.
Our preference would be very much to stay around the best areas for schools, safety, etc.
Well personally, I’d prefer to spend $1 million in Weddington/Waxhaw/Marvin or around Davidson/Cornelius before I invested a million in the other areas mentioned. A million bucks goes a long way in those areas, but I don’t think it would be a wise investment in some of the other areas
Well personally, I’d prefer to spend $1 million in Weddington/Waxhaw/Marvin or around Davidson/Cornelius before I invested a million in the other areas mentioned. A million bucks goes a long way in those areas, but I don’t think it would be a wise investment in some of the other areas
Can I ask you why? Does that mean that Weddington/Waxhaw/Marvin or around Davidson/Cornelius are overall better places or that houses are cheaper there and therefore I can buy more property?
Myers Park or Dilworth would be my top picks. They're also the prettiest and safest parts of the city. Location is super ideal as you're just south of the city and a short drive to surrounding towns. It has a quaint feel.
North of the city in towns like Huntersville, Davidson, Concord etc have a cancer cluster so I would personally avoid. Largest in the state I believe. It has spread to Statesville also. I'm not sure why people keep mentioning Gastonia to live. Its not a good area at all. I recently saw a woman who fell for a "joke" video someone posted showing Gastonia as looking like the Swiss Alps. She drove all the way from Florida to see it and got there and said and I quote "And then all of a sudden we get there, and it’s just rundown gas stations - like we had to go to the bathroom and there was no bathroom that worked in any of the gas stations". I have said from day one when I first moved to Charlotte that was exactly what I saw in Gastonia also. Realize that Charlotte is just urban sprawl. There is almost no distinction crossing from one town into the next as its most made up of strip mall after strip mall. The exception being you leave the city to go north or head towards Belmont. There are a lot of rough areas in between and so I would do TONS of research on the crime and where the areas are that you should avoid.
Fort Mill/Tega Cay currently have 3 class action lawsuits against New Indy Paper Mill for the horrenous pollution and poisoning. There are stories as recent as last month of people starting to move away. The mill releases hydrogen sulfide which causes horrific brain damage in children. People are also reporting dizziness, nose bleeds, chronic coughs, headaches etc. Anything 30 miles out from the plant is considered "the zone" and there are a slew of moms on my fb moms page who live in Waxhaw, Stallings, Marvin, Indian Land, Ballentyne, and even Matthews who have said they've smelled the plant at one point or another. We lived in Steele Creek right next to Fort Mill and you could smell it there. It smells like hot garbage and it will burn your nose and mouth. My daughter had 3 nose bleeds in the span of 2 months just before we left and she had never had them before in her life. Was it related? Maybe, I don't know for sure be we left Charlotte and weren't sticking around to find out. That was just us though. I will say though the smell is prevalent especially in summer when we can get haze and little breeze
Myers Park or Dilworth would be my top picks. They're also the prettiest and safest parts of the city. Location is super ideal as you're just south of the city and a short drive to surrounding towns. It has a quaint feel.
North of the city in towns like Huntersville, Davidson, Concord etc have a cancer cluster so I would personally avoid. Largest in the state I believe. It has spread to Statesville also. I'm not sure why people keep mentioning Gastonia to live. Its not a good area at all. I recently saw a woman who fell for a "joke" video someone posted showing Gastonia as looking like the Swiss Alps. She drove all the way from Florida to see it and got there and said and I quote "And then all of a sudden we get there, and it’s just rundown gas stations - like we had to go to the bathroom and there was no bathroom that worked in any of the gas stations". I have said from day one when I first moved to Charlotte that was exactly what I saw in Gastonia also. Realize that Charlotte is just urban sprawl. There is almost no distinction crossing from one town into the next as its most made up of strip mall after strip mall. The exception being you leave the city to go north or head towards Belmont. There are a lot of rough areas in between and so I would do TONS of research on the crime and where the areas are that you should avoid.
Fort Mill/Tega Cay currently have 3 class action lawsuits against New Indy Paper Mill for the horrenous pollution and poisoning. There are stories as recent as last month of people starting to move away. The mill releases hydrogen sulfide which causes horrific brain damage in children. People are also reporting dizziness, nose bleeds, chronic coughs, headaches etc. Anything 30 miles out from the plant is considered "the zone" and there are a slew of moms on my fb moms page who live in Waxhaw, Stallings, Marvin, Indian Land, Ballentyne, and even Matthews who have said they've smelled the plant at one point or another. We lived in Steele Creek right next to Fort Mill and you could smell it there. It smells like hot garbage and it will burn your nose and mouth. My daughter had 3 nose bleeds in the span of 2 months just before we left and she had never had them before in her life. Was it related? Maybe, I don't know for sure be we left Charlotte and weren't sticking around to find out. That was just us though. I will say though the smell is prevalent especially in summer when we can get haze and little breeze
I’d also say Myers Park and Dilworth would be my top picks. But my partner and I are considering a move to Dilworth or Myers Park, our budget is $1.2M and honestly we have been surprised at how few options there are under $1.2 through there right now that meet our criteria. Granted, we are being picky, as we would be giving up a lot that our home in Weddington has for less money…but those two areas are by far my favorite spots in town.
Can I ask you why? Does that mean that Weddington/Waxhaw/Marvin or around Davidson/Cornelius are overall better places or that houses are cheaper there and therefore I can buy more property?
Davidson is a pretty town. I love driving into Davidson and had we looked there before we found our lot in another city, we would have ended up in Davidson.
Can I ask you why? Does that mean that Weddington/Waxhaw/Marvin or around Davidson/Cornelius are overall better places or that houses are cheaper there and therefore I can buy more property?
Those areas have high performing public schools, are pretty upscale areas, very low crime rates, and in general the real estate prices are higher there than other areas of town (excluding Dilworth, Myers Park, Eastover)…so no, not cheaper, quite the opposite…those are just very desirable areas to be in. As others have said, Dilworth and Myers Park would fit the bill as well, but a million dollar budget is not very healthy for those two parts of town…it would work but that’s close to entry price for those two areas.
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