Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

My husband is up for a new job in his company that will transfer him to Charlotte, NC.

We are waiting for all the final details to be worked out.

Anyone done this? Have advice? The great, the good, the bad and the ugly?

We've been down once to check out the area and start house hunting. I think we'll be looking in Union County.

Anybody down there from here who can recommend doctors / dentists (family doc, pediatrician, GYN, etc.)?

Also, we're going down next weekend with the kids this time. Anybody down there have a babysitter they can recommend and are willing to share? It'd be more productive to research areas and house hunt without having the kids in tow all day each day.

Thanks so so much for the help!!!

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

congrats!!!

we were there 5 years.

Union county...for me, and my personality, it was best to live closest to ballantyne(south charlotte)
I lived in Waxhaw. I needed access to Carowinds, the lite rail uptown, I-77 to take kids random places.

I know people love Indian Trail...but it would have just added more time onto getting me where I wanted to be.
Marvin School, Rea View, and Kensington, Sandy something...are top schools.

Weddington is really a great area too...close to charlotte. Houses are bigger so you would have to spend more.

I loved living there. Seriously. We were never bored. Carowinds passes, Discovery/nature museum passes, Imaginon musuem, Ray's Splash Planet, cheap NBA tickets, nascar races, mountains are 2.5 hours away. Just get out there and go places. Join a moms group.
Move to an area with a pool. Mine was great(cureton). baby pool, waterslide...we entertained so much there.

Ballantyne Peds is good. Never waited more then 10 mins.
Dentist, we used cureton dental in waxhaw.
ob- James Meek, carmel obgyn. wonderful. all my friends go to him as well(we did not know it until out drinking one night and comparing hot ob...did not realize everyone went to same guy)

if I was to move back, I would live right off rea rd just south of the mecklenburg border. Hunter Oaks area.

My friends share a nanny-i will see if anyone is using her this weekend.

hopefully one day we end up back there. i knew i had a good thing going the entire time i was there. now that i am gone-completely miss it.

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

We're looking around Waxhaw now.

Thanks for the doctors recommendations. I have such a long list, it's good to have a place to start.

That'd be great if they could recommend the nanny. Or if they have a back-up babysitter.

Once we get down there we'll be hiring someone probably. I work from home 3-4 days a week and up here I have someone to watch the kids at the house when I work who takes them to school, activities, etc. For two working parents its the easiest thing for us.

Thanks for the help!

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

I lived there 18 years before moving back to NY. We use to live in Matthews,NC
I know a lot of New Yorker have move to Matthews, Ballentyne,Indian Trail and Weddington

My kids went to Magnet and Private school there.

I 2nd Carmel OB/GYN I use Dr.Solmon

I use Dr. Arnold Snitz for pediatrician

Kids Dentist use Drs. Laxer, Long and Savage

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

I have family that relocated because of a job opportunity in Charlotte. When they first went down, they moved to Huntersville which was nice. Eventually, they moved to the Mooresville/ Lake Norman area. It is lovely. Best of luck with your move.

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

We moved down here in February but we're moving back in November. Where will your husband be working? Does he want a house close to his job? I really like my obgyn but they're just a little south of downtown and it might be too far for you if you decide to move to waxhaw. My personal opinion is to rent first, figure out what areas you like and then buy a house. From what I hear the schools in union county are far better than the schools mecklenburg county.

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

Another question for the Charlotte people. How bad are the summers here wise? This is one of the places on our possible relocation list and dh doesn't like extreme heat.

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

the 3 mos of summer it is hot...but not FL hot. winters are great though

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

It get pretty hot and humid. A lot of peoples go to the YMCA and JCC pool. Also they go to Myrtle Beach or Asheville to get away for the summer.

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

What are property taxes like? I keep trying to find an estimate but nothing!
Thank you

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

I don't know about taxes everywhere, but one of the houses we are considering in Waxhaw, it's $0.68 per $100 of assessed value. The house is listed for $303k so the property taxes would be $2060 if it assessed for the same value (it will probably assess higher, but that gives you an idea).

You do have to figure in most new houses are in developments with a Homeowners Association which gives you shared amenities in the community -- pool, playground, sometimes tennis and/or basketball courts, club house, etc. Those range, but the one we are looking at would be about $800+ broken down quarterly.

Compared to Long Island, it's a steal all around!

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

My husband's office will be on Arrowwood Road just off 485.

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

I think the most I ever heard someone paying was 6k...and huge doesn't describe their house.

arrowwood-def best to stay south of charlotte.
what subdivisions are you looking at?
i know people love Lawson, Hunter Oaks, Chimneys of Marvin, Kingsmead

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

The only one I can remember that has a house that we like was Briarcrest in Waxhaw (New Town Elementary). It's been taken over by Legendary Communities. We liked that the houses were not on top of each other like in some of the other communities and each property has a descent amount of yard.

We have a long list of places we are looking at next time we come down (maybe this coming weekend since we can take advantage of Columbus Day and stay an extra day). I can't remember most of the sub-division names. I think there are a couple in Shannon Vista that my husband likes that we will look at. There is one at Providence Grove that I want to look at. There is one in Lawson I think that I have checked to look at too.

It can be so hard looking at houses online because after a while all the floorplans and properties blend together in my head.

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

if you guys are looking all the way out there, def check out blackstone. people love it in there.
i have been to briarcrest a ton of times...my moms group use to meet in there for weekly walks. really nice sized backyards.
any john wieland neighborhood you will love...sometimes people neeed to get out quick and will sell at a deal.
providence grove was right by me. hopefully you like that one. much more centralized local then others. being close to ballantyne is so helpful.

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

What is all in Ballantyne?

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

everything. every store, movies, bars, restaurants, kid art classes, gym classes, YMCA...the closer you are to that area the better.

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

Janice, when were down last time, it didn't seem like Ballyantyne was that far from Waxhaw. It also seems like a lot of shopping is near Matthews also. It seemed like everything was 15 - 20 minutes away. Do you think that is a fair assessment??

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

Got your FM-you will love it. I live north of Charlotte (Harrisburg) which is a great own with great schools but would be too long of a commute for your DH. We chose here because DH and I were both commuting to uptown and it made the most sense given traffic.

For you, probably makes sense to go south. I don't know much about that area so listen to Janice!

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

We're in Indian Trail. We are about 10 minutes to shopping in Matthews, 20 minutes to the Ballantyne area (DH works there), 25 minutes to two malls. Some areas in Waxhaw are a little further from 485, but you should be able to get to Ballantyne with 10 minutes or so.

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

There is a forum that you can join that is super helpful for newly relocated mommies.

UnionCountyMommies.com

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

Living on Long Island, I feel like everything is 15/20/30 minutes away here too (sometimes because of traffic) so all of this sounds normal to me.

Thanks for the tip on the forum. I'll definetly check it out!

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

20 minutes is fair. I just felt like everytime i had to sneeze, back to ballantyne.
church was there, kids classes there, friends there. i got so tired of driving down country roads. now when i go back once a month-i think what was i thinking??? this is a huge waste of time. but i can't stay at home, so we are always going somewhere.
before living in waxhaw, i rented in ballantyne. so much easier to be right on 485.
ideal local for me is rea rd and providence intersection. right a beginning on waxhaw/weddington line.
but if you find yourself only venturing out a few times a week...that is different.

Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

people in waxhaw say they are "going into town" for things like trader joes.
there is a ton of long islander though...so they must be use to it.

Re: Relocating to Charlotte, NC - Help!

Definetly something to think about. I work from home 3 to 4 days a week (and will still be doing that there), but when I'm off with the kids we'd be active doing activities, etc.