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Catawba County is kind of on the edge for being considered part of the Charlotte region. It is typically not included in the Charlotte metro, but it is considered in the Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for Charlotte because a lot of people do commute between the 2 areas (myself included)
I moved from Mecklenburg County to Catawba and love it. I would consider myself part of the Charlotte area (actually closer to Charlotte than Hickory but that is only true for a small part of Catawba County).
Catawba County is large and there is definitely both rural and urban areas. Granted, I live on the very edge of Catawba County. Technically, I am in Sherrills Ford but right on the Catawba/ Lincoln County line
Catawba County taxes are great (I pay about the same for a $300K house as I did for a $125K townhouse in Mecklneburg).
Besides having access to Lake Norman, you have access to a lot of amenities in Mooresville, which is only about 10/15 mins away. And there are increasingly more restaurants and amenities along Hwy 16, which runs along the western "quieter" side of Lake Norman.
I am about 40 mins from Charlotte with the new Hwy 16 Bypass and about 45 mins to Hickory for access to larger cities.
Don't have kids but have heard good things about the Catawba County school system.
There are also a lot of smaller towns (Newton, Claremont, Conover) in addition to the city of Hickory (~50K). I think it is a good mix.
You could probably get a very nice house with over an acre of land for your price range anywhere in Catawba County with the exception of maybe Lake Norman (Sherills Ford) or in Hickory.
Hickory is a great town if you have a job lined up. My sister lives there & I've always loved going there. They have malls like anywhere else, lots of supermarkets & eating places. Large enough town to have all of that but small enough not to get swallowed in.
Many people there are out of work with lots of furniture & textile places closing the last several years. My brother in law is 1 of the few fortunate furniture workers right now.
I don't think you could find better people anywhere. It's a very friendly town.
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