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How bad? I just bought in Berewick and it will be about a year before my daughter goes to kindergarden.....I'm more concerned about preschool or pre-k right now. Any suggestions there?
I'm not sure about Pre-K, but I know that Berry Hill Elem is in the ghetto of Charlotte near the airport and has been performing poorly over the last couple of years. It is a shame too, Berewick got screwed in my opinion when CMS put Sanctuary and Palisades in Winget Elem, and put the Berewick kids in the Ghetto school. Hopefully there is funding for a Berewick school in the next couple of years......or the tax break for private school law goes through.
We recently moved to the Charlotte area from Mesa, AZ in Oct, 2005. We knew nothing of the area so we rented an apt in the Ballantyne area for 6 months while we searched home builders and communities. My wife, at the time worked in the Ballantyne area, and I work in Uptown for Wachovia Securities. We have two children; one who is 6 yrs old who is just completing his first year of school at Winget Park Elementary and the other one who is 4.
We chose Regent Homes as our builder through the help of our realtor, Susan Johnson with Allen Tate Realty. We chose the Waterlyn subdivision b/c of the great value for our dollar, the fact that it is still in Unincorporated Mecklenberg County which keeps the taxes down somewhat, and the ease to access so many points within the city.
When you are building a new house; you always run into a few problems here and there. That is the nature of the process; but it is those builders who are willing to work with you that makes the difference. We found that Regent was very willing and accessible when we had concerns. There are two other builders in the Waterlyn subdivision; Davis and Craft. Both of these also are very good. This gives you an option within one community of three different builders and many different options depending on your budget and needs.
If you have a family; there are plenty of children in the community and we all try to be very neighborly with each other. Last Fall; they completed the "clubhouse" here in the community and the pool complex. The kids love to play in the "kiddie" pool complete with slide and platform that they can shoot water from via "water guns". Our oldest son and a few of the other neighborhood kids play soccer in the Steelecreek Association on Choate just off of Tryon just north of the Rivergate Shopping Complex.
Being in the Steelecreek area of Charlotte gives us ready access to so many areas. Lake Wylie is only minutes away (practically a stones throw). We have the McDowell Forest Preserve which is right on the Lake within three minutes; they have hiking, camping, fishing, boating, boy scouts, etc. Carowinds which is a great park is only 10 minutes from the house (far enough away to not have any of the noise or traffic) but very much accessible and great fun for the boys.
As I said; our oldest boy, who is 6, is just completing his first year of kindergarten at Winget Park Elementary. This is the first year the school has been open so EVERYTHING is brand new. The school is very receptive to all parents input and is very much involved in the community and keeps the parents connected and up to date on school "happenings" via almost weekly phone calls from the principal, Mary Sturge. We are looking forward to next year as our child enters first grade.
They are quickly completing the construction of the Rivergate Shopping extravaganza...Home Depot (which with a new home is a godsend) and Target both anchor the center but there are also many other stores such as Best Buy, Mervyns, Petsmart or Petco (one of the two), CVS Pharmacy, a number of fast food and speciality shops. Across Tryon on both corners of Tryon and Steelecreek are more shops and both Harris Teeter and Bi-Lo. They also just finished building a brand new full service firehouse just north of Shopton Road West on Tryon. There are also new medical office buildings going up just south of Steelecreek on Tryon and a hospital annex scheduled to open end of yr 2008.
The middle school is close by as well just west on Steelecreek from Tryon and there is also a library which is part of the Mecklenberg County Library system. We have found this to be a great resource for our family.
Needless to say; we feel that this is a great part of Charlotte to live in. We see a great deal of promise down the road as the area becomes more noticed and grows even more which we feel can only help propery values. We think there is a lot to do here and there is always more opportunity presenting itself.
Thanks so much for the Responses. Ksiros you answered losts of questions that i had in mind!thanks. We plan to make a trip really soon to do some more research! To a previous poster that responded to my question about the communte to Spartanburg-you gave us something to consider. you're right-I think it's more lucrative to look at some subdivisions closer to that area. I just hope to find something thats far enough from the city/crime,yet close enough to everything (hope that makes sense)-that we like as much as So. Charlotte area. Keeps your suggestions coming!
Berewick is a "master plan" community which means they will be adding schools in the near future - you just don't know how good they will be. The rest of the area on that side of Charlotte is above average for schools.
We stayed away from Berewick because of what we heard about KB Homes and we thought McCar homes were too bland. We're looking into Davis Homes at Waterlynn and I wanted to get some opinions on that area and the homes there, even if you own a Regent or a Craft home (other builders in there).
Anyone?
Last edited by aag-charlotte; 08-13-2007 at 12:12 AM..
I would have to say it would be a little too far for me to travel... I have heard great things about the greenville sc area... that would be closer and you probably get more house for the money. Then if your husband ends up transferring to Charlotte in a couple years then I would check out this area..... i'm sure by then more schools will be built and hopefully all the school willl raise their grades. That's just my opinion....
Yea I think your husband will hate the commute, an hour each way at least. My wife works in the Spartanburg area and she hates the drive, down 85, which is known for accidents. Her boss lives in Greenville, SC and she loves it. I would suggest you look into that area as well.
I used to live in Greenville and also used to commute down 85 when we moved to Charlotte. Depending on what you're looking for, Greenville might be too small for you - that's what we found.
They have built up alot around the north side of Greenville, though, in the last few years. It's growing, just not like charlotte. Driving down 85 on a daily basis can be scary and a pain in the neck - the road is too narrow for all the trucking done on that road.
Spartanburg to Greenville downtown is a about 30 mins most days. Beware of speed traps.
If your husband is going to be working in Spartanburg why not look in the Greenville area. It is a great small town. There are some cultural activity and I understand the school system is quite good. The cost of living is much lower than Charlotte. The commute for your husband would only be about 26 miles.
I'm not sure about Pre-K, but I know that Berry Hill Elem is in the ghetto of Charlotte near the airport and has been performing poorly over the last couple of years. It is a shame too, Berewick got screwed in my opinion when CMS put Sanctuary and Palisades in Winget Elem, and put the Berewick kids in the Ghetto school. Hopefully there is funding for a Berewick school in the next couple of years......or the tax break for private school law goes through.
I know this is an old post, but since this thread just got resurrected I realize I must have missed this the first time. If I HAD seen it, I would have definitely commented on it.
Berry Hill Elementary IS NOT in a "ghetto"! Believe me, there are no ghettos anywhere near the lake, and no real ghetto's in Charlotte period. This is an older school in an older rural area, that's all. No, it is not shiny and new, but it is well staffed with professionals just waiting to work with parents who will work with them. It's test scores are not the best, but they aren't the worst either. For anyone who thinks this school is "ghetto" I say, you have no idea what a ghetto really is.
I know this is an old post, but since this thread just got resurrected I realize I must have missed this the first time. If I HAD seen it, I would have definitely commented on it.
Berry Hill Elementary IS NOT in a "ghetto"! Believe me, there are no ghettos anywhere near the lake, and no real ghetto's in Charlotte period. This is an older school in an older rural area, that's all. No, it is not shiny and new, but it is well staffed with professionals just waiting to work with parents who will work with them. It's test scores are not the best, but they aren't the worst either. For anyone who thinks this school is "ghetto" I say, you have no idea what a ghetto really is.
lovemountains is right about this one a ghetto is a place and not the actions of people.
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