Mooresville

When we first moved here and I was looking for an IT job, an opportunity came up in Mooresville. I looked at the map and it didn't look all that far away, so I set up an interview and drove up. It's about 20 miles north of Charlotte, and situated right on Lake Norman. As it turns out, I took the job and have been commuting up there every day for two and a half years.

Mooresville is in Iredell (eye-err-dell) County, and is known as Race City USA because of it's association with motor sports. As I mentioned in a previous post, many race teams have their headquarters in Mooresville, including Dale Earnhardt Inc., Robert Yates Racing, and others.
The town is bisected by I-77, and the western side of town is the lake side. There are some very expensive homes on the lake, and the associated marinas, restaurants and recreation areas. Housing is more affordable on the eastern side of the highway, which is still close enough to the lake to take advantage of what is has to offer.

The area is booming. Highway 150 (Exit 36 off of I-77) is the main commercial/retail thoroughfare in the area, and is getting quite congested with all of the new people moving in, and new businesses opening up. In general, housing and taxes are more affordable than Mecklenburg County, and because of that, a lot of transplants are settling there. (I go to a dentist in Mooresville and the hygienist is from Long Island. She told me her whole development was filled with Yankees).

Culturally, it's a little different than Charlotte, especially South Charlotte. There are more natives there and you can really get a better feel for North Carolina living than you do in, say, Ballantyne. But even this is changing as progress is driving the suburbs farther north. I have a reverse commute, and when I'm heading up I-77 in the mornings, the traffic heading south from the lake into Charlotte looks pretty bad to me.

If you go to Mooresville to check it out, stop for a bite at Lancaster's BBQ or, if you want something a bit fancier, try Jeffrey's. You won't leave either place hungry.