Charlotte Move - a good thing?

[hokiegirl]

Hi girls,
Hubby and I are looking at moving to Charlotte in the near future. Although we love S. Florida, we agree that we really don't want to raise our kids here. It's too transient and the people are rude. We'd miss the weather and opportunity to hop in a boat to scuba dive at any whim that came to us, but TTC is in our near future and now we're thinking about that.

We explored Charlotte and hubby fell in love with it. I admit that the friendly attitudes and the prospect of raising kids in the area were appealing to me.
We checked our the Ballentine area that our friends live in and took a tour of the Palisades since it was Homearama and found the prices wonderful and the models amazing.

Do you girls have any advice, thoughts, stories, horrors or good things to share about Charlotte? I'd like to learn more from locals or from people who know the area while we are thinking about the area.
Thanks girls!

[MLA]

I don't live in Charlotte -- or NC yet, for that matter, but I thought I'd stop by to say that DH and I are moving to Durham for some of the very reasons you mention. We visited Charlotte and really liked it, but DH is planning to get his MBA soon, so being near Duke was important. Also, Durham is more liberal than Charlotte, which was important for us.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi!

[hokiegirl]

Thanks for your post! I see you're kind of in the same situation as I am in that you are leaving beautiful weather for beautiful attitudes! Good luck with your move and look forward to hearing how your move goes.

[mya174]

Just saw this post! I have lived in Charlotte all my life. Now I live in a small town just outside of Charlotte, Belmont. I LOVE BELMONT. We are so close to the city (literally 5mins) but still have that hometown feel.

The Charlotte schools get A LOT of heat. I used to work there so I won't express my biased opinion (negative). I will share kudos of the Gaston County schools, especially the ones in Belmont. The constantly make school of distinction (which is a high honor).

Feel free to ask questions about Charlotte or Belmont or where ever! I know the area that you were looking in is a great and growing area.

[Atlanta_eBride]

hokiegirl, my parents live in Ballentine and LOVE it. My mother is constantly trying to get me to leave where I am and move up there. It's a smaller version of where I live and I've always enjoyed visiting. The good news will be you won't have to deal with the hurricanes up there. ;) If you have any specific questions I can always ask my mom for you.

[Jaycee]

Hey hokiegirl, just wanted to chime in and let you know that I live in Ballantyne, so if you have any specific questions, than ask away...As far as the schools go, Ballantyne has some of the best in Charlotte which is why we chose this area.

[MLA]

Thanks for your post! I see you're kind of in the same situation as I am in that you are leaving beautiful weather for beautiful attitudes! Good luck with your move and look forward to hearing how your move goes.

Thanks for the good wishes. DH has moved already, and I'm moving at the end of September. It really sucks being separated, but it will make moving out there all that much better.

Let us know what you decide to do!

[Camdynlyn]

I grew up about 45 minutes east of Charlotte and I love the area. I highly recommend the area for raising kids. The prices aren't too bad on houses and the surrounding counties have good schools.

I am currently in Raleigh but I would move back to my hometown (SMALL) in a heartbeat if my family was going to stay there. I was born in my hometown hospital and love it but my parents are going to retire to the beach.

I can't say enough good things about NC!

[kam]

Hate to be the dissenter here, but the myth that people in NC are somehow nicer is simply not true. People are people, no matter where that state they live in. The neighborhood has a lot to do with who you encounter as well as the scenerio. The ways one displays their rudeness/friendliness may be different but they are just as rude/friendly in NC as they are in any other state I've lived in. Just wanted to put that out there that somehow crossing state lines will make someone more friendly or not. Also, definitions of friendly can vary from person to person.

As for Charlotte, I don't have any personal experience with it. A good friend used to live there and has said that it has become extremely conservative in comparison to what it once was (she has since moved to Durham). I'm not sure if that will impact your decision or not.

[Jaycee]

Hate to be the dissenter here, but the myth that people in NC are somehow nicer is simply not true.

Of course it is Kam, look how nice I am and I live in Charlotte :D


As for Charlotte, I don't have any personal experience with it. A good friend used to live there and has said that it has become extremely conservative in comparison to what it once was (she has since moved to Durham). I'm not sure if that will impact your decision or not.

This is true, the majority here is of a more conservative nature, however this is no small town and there is definitly something for everyone. I am pretty darn liberal and I don't find it to be an issue.

[hokiegirl]

Oh man!! I didn't realize there were any responses until now - sorry about that!!

So Dh and I decided not to move to Charlotte. Partly due to the fact that we would want to get him off the road (software consultant) and the technology industry is not as great in Charlotte as it is in other parts of NC, so now we are going to expand the search out to the Raleigh/Durham area.

I'm going up for a football game the second week of Sept and we're meeting with a real estate agent who will be able to show us the houses and hopefully we'll get a better feel by then of the area to live in. Any suggestions on towns/developments to look into?
He sent a list of some houses and man, there are some great houses for a great price!!