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Is anyone familiar with both? I know that Fort Mill is not near the ocean (big negative). It is near charlotte, which seems like it could be a positive.
For a family looking for a safe and fun area for their kids with good schools, how would you compare these?
Two completely different areas . We have friends in Fort Mill and they are happy there , but will likely move to a more layed back area. It's school system is highly rated. They love being close to the city and it is indeed a suburb of Charlotte , making it very busy and congested at times. It is all in what you are looking for. There is a forum for the Fort Mill area - you should check it out.
You can also click on the Location Selector to compare specific schools.
Based on the overall county results in academics, Horry County would appear to have better schools and based on parents I've talked with, they are generally pleased with Horry County schools. I do not know any parents from Rock Hill.
As far as crime in MB, you will get differing opinions. IMHO, crime statistics in MB are overblown because they compare the number of crimes to the number of permanent residents. This is not accurate because there are millions of people who visit MB each year and bring with them a fair amount of crime which gets lumped into the comparison. Tourists also leave their brains at home and do dumb things like go walking on the beach at 2am (would you do that in the downtown area of your city?), make new "friends" at a bar and go to their hotel room after the bar closes, take their new "friend" to the ATM to pick up some cash, etc. Dangerous things that they would never do at home, they do here on vacation.
That's not to say the MB and Horry County don't have their share of crime....they do...just like any other town/county. Are there certain parts of MB and the County that I would not want to live in due to crime? You betcha. But, outside of those areas I feel pretty safe walking, shopping, visiting the beach, etc. You just need to be aware of those areas and live elsewhere and avoid dangerous situations.
Unequivocally I can say that Ft. Mill has better schools. Rated the best in the state, there was a comment about MB more laid back, I would say Ft.Mill is, I live right off Hwy 160 a mile from the border near Gold Hill Rd. MB does have more crime and more tourist which makes the area congested, although Ft. Mill is a suburb of Charlotte, it does has a small town charm that I haven’t been able to find along the coast.
Having both lived in Lake Wylie (in the same county as Fort Mill) and North Myrtle Beach, I am familiar with both areas.
As many have said before, Fort Mill has better schools hands down. In fact, Fort Mill has some of the best schools in the state. However, Fort Mill does tend to be pricier; both in terms of property values as well as property taxes. If I recall correctly, Fort Mill has a $18,000 impact fee per new single family home constructed to help with maintaining the number of available classrooms.
However, it is not to say that there are not good schools at the beach. The North Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest, and St. James attendance areas are all some of the best in the county. The other contender is Aynor, which is about 40 minutes from the beach (without traffic).
If you are interested in staying near Charlotte, check out the Clover / Lake Wylie area. Clover schools are good, property values are a little less expensive than Fort Mill and property taxes are significantly cheaper, especially in unincorporated areas.
Myrtle Beach crime is not that bad. Like many places, there are specific neighborhoods that are worse than others. If you were to move here, you'd learn the places, and avoid them. I feel safer in the Myrtle Beach area than I do in many other places.
Depending on your financial situation, you could also look at purchasing a condominium in Myrtle Beach for long weekends and vacations and live full time in Fort Mill.
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