Where to Live in Charlotte

There's lots of opinion here, but most people will tell you that if Charlotte is a circle and you drew two vertical lines about an inch apart from center--that you should stay in the middle of the two lines. Generally, east and west of city center is considered a bit shady--and those areas north and south of the city aren't. Of course, your pocket book will really dictate where you end up for the most part.

Those areas north and south are more expensive, and the areas east and west are dirt cheap. You'll see a map of the area is divided into zones called "areas." For example city center is called Area 99, Union County is Area 10 and so on. So, when you talk to your realtor, you basically tell them what zone you want to live in. It's living in New York and saying: I want to live in the East Village or Harlem. They are neighborhood areas.

Charlotte is spreading out quite a bit. Areas in the outer reaches like Lincoln County and Union County are growing like wildfire. Union County, in fact, is the fastest growing county in North Carolina and the 20th fastest growing county in the USA. Just a few years ago, it was nothing more than beautiful farmland. Today there are houses springing up where the cow patties used to lay. There are heaps and heaps of northerners living in Union County, there is also heaps of disposable income there. You will find everything from the simplest trailer home to multi-million dollar mansions. The dichotomy is truly amazing.

The schools in Union County are generally considered the best in Charlotte (and in some respects the state). You can review school data at www.greatschools.net if schools are a consideration for you. One caveat is that since everyone wants to move into Union County, the schools are overcrowded. You will find temporary buildings behind many of the schools. Weddington High School, for example, has more children in temp buildings than in the school building itself. It's not their fault--its ours. We keep moving moving here in droves with our kids and they can't keep up with adding new schools. Basically, Charlotte is having a hard time keeping up with the growth in terms of infrastructure thanks to all the newcomers. Schools and roads are bursting and they can't build 'em fast enough.

Up north there's Huntersville and Mooresville and other nice areas. It's NASCAR country, you've got the Lowe's Motor Speedway as well as Lake Norman--a beautiful man-made lake with many acres of shoreline and great for boating if you're so inclined. City center (called uptown by the natives) is hopping with newly built condos, and there's wonderful restaurants and bars that have popped up. They are building 10,000 new condos over the coming years, and Donald Trump is laying stake to putting up the tallest building in Charlotte too. Headquarters for Bank of America are here as well. Just 7 years ago, the area was a drug-infested area where no simple mortal would enter without a hefty set of cojones. Today, you've got the Discovery Place, Bobcat Arena and Panther Stadium.

Due east is the University area. IBM is located there, and its an easy commute. The area is considered convenient and accessible and homes are cheap. Most people with kids living there will tell you that they put their kids into private school, however. Just south of uptown is the beautiful Dilworth area, which sports pricey homes built in the 1920's on gorgeous oak tree lines streets. It has a more genteel southern feel that most people imagine when they think of this area. Huge columns on stunning homes, and a price-tag to match. Up and coming areas like NoDa have adorable craftsman homes that are being renovated. The area has an artsy feel thanks to all the artists that moved in and gentrified the area. Prices here are climbing as well.

If you really want dirt cheap property taxes, you cross the border to South Carolina and look in Indian Land and Fort Mill--two lovely areas just south of Ballantyne. Indian Land in particular is exploding since the opening of an enormous 55+ retirement community by builder Del Webb called Sun City at Carolina Lakes. That whole Route 521 corridor is set to explode with growth as that neighborhood becomes populated. There is a waiting list for homes in this village, and it has a huge golf course and its own shopping area.

There's something for everyone in Charlotte. Those in the under $200k price point would be better off in a townhome or condo. If you're in the $300+ range, you'll do fine in terms of finding a home. Set a budget for yourself and stick to it. You will find that you can get incredible bang for your buck in comparison to the northeast, and its very easy to blow past your budget when you see what you can get. I came here saying we weren't going to spend over $300k--we quickly bought a $429k home in Mecklenburg. Luckily, the house we sold in Jersey was $500k. (By the way, you could find the very same cookie cutter home we had there for $125k here). We had $10,000 property taxes on our house in Jersey, and the backyard was teensy. Here, I've got 3 acres and I pay $2,200. It's madness!

In terms of finding real estate here, I suggest you use the Charlotte MLS site www.carolinahome.com instead of realtor.com. You'll get much more info, great photos, and you can search by lots of criteria--including subdivision. I found this site terrific.

It would take me days to describe all the great areas to live in Charlotte, so explore the areas and be open minded. There's a place where you'll feel at home, no doubt.