Posted on 05/23/2017 7:42:24 AM PDT by shatcher
My husband began a new job west of Charlotte, NC recently. We are not familiar with the area yet, but what we have seen feels very busy and chaotic. Are there any Freepers from the area that can tell us about some good places to live west of Charlotte with a slower pace? Thank you in advance!
Hi - and welcome to the Charlotte area. You don’t say how far west of Charlotte the job will be, so that will be a factor. Plus, it might help to know what you like to do outside of work. If you like the conveniences of an urban area (restaurants, shopping, entertainment), then there are some great areas in and around Charlotte that you might like. But if your preferences are for the more quiet, rural areas, then west of west give you a lot of choices.
Are you looking for acreage? How long a commute can you tolerate (time / distance)?
I work in Ft. Mill SC, live in south Charlotte during the week and commute back home to Winston-Salem on the weekends. It’s really hard to escape the traffic, urban sprawl and frenetic pace of Charlotte in its surrounding areas. It’s like the gravitational effects of a black hole. It depends on how far you wish to commute. The traffic west from Gastonia and environs off I-85 is getting bad. You may want to look south to Ft. Mill, Rock Hill, York or Catawba in South Carolina. Lancaster is very nice but it may be too far of a trek. Getting to Charlotte is relatively simple; getting back home is never easy and mind-mangeling.
I have looked a little into Kings Mountain and Shelby. I liked them, but my husband wasn’t sold.
I take it you're in SouthPointe then? I have a property over by the State Park, near where the NC-126 bridge bi-sects the lake. Beautiful spot it is! Our builder lives in SouthPointe too ...
An aunt and uncle live a few miles outside of Shelby.
Nice area. I’d live there.
We prefer more unique homes that are not built 10 feet from adjacent homes, but we don't want a yard that will consume our time maintaining it. We like a quiet and mellow lifestyle without lots of traffic, and lots of weekends spent up in the mountains.
It’s sometimes a good idea to rent a place for six months or a year. That way you can get an idea about the area and what the commute will be like.
If you rent for six months you will have more information and you’ll be looking for a house in November or December. The competition for housing will be in your favor and you might be able to pick up a house at a good price.
Agreed ballintyne Matthews mint hill to the south
Lived in Clover and York in 2004-2005...nice towns...met a lot of fine people there, met a few folks still fighting some war of Northern Aggression, 150 years on...
if you need a good church, I recommend Trinity Bible Church in Rock Hill - Pastor Matthew is a great guy and a solid teacher.
You might want to look south of the border to South Carolina. It worked for friends who relocated there.
Clover I always forget about but I think that other folks do too. The community retains it small town charms while staying under the radar. The schools there also appear to retain old American values.
Yup. Polly Ledbetter of Lake James Realty?
Yup, Shelby is about 45 minutes south of us living on Lake James.
When people move to Charlotte they’re told they’re going to love it, they can eat dinner out-of-doors 10 months of the year.
Then they find out the two months they can’t are July and August.
Clover has held up rather well.
I visit the old home place some times.
How far west can you go? We got the hell out of Charlotte once we realized that it was full of New Yorkers. Now we’re in God’s country in the northwest corner of the state, about 1-3/4 hours from the city. Close enough to visit if we want, but far enough so we don’t have to listen to the northeasterners whine.
Belmont is a nice place, although a little expensive. My wife and I searched long and hard, taking prices and traffic to mind. I think we made the right choice by moving to York. Commuting is something you will have to get used to no matter where you are, but I encourage you to go south instead of north.
York County, SC property taxes are crazy good and the home prices are reasonable (with land). Make sure you take a look at it.
Happy hunting
That's my story and I'm schtickin' to it! d;^)
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