Please help in my escape from NY!

The wife and I want to get out of NY and have been looking around for the past six months or so. Our original destination was Central Florida, however the schools don't seem to be that good down there, according to greatschools.net, although we have not totally ruled out Florida.  We definetly want to go south somewhere and it was recommended to check out NC by friends of friends type of people. Now just browsing on the internet, I have been looking at some new home builders down there and the particular builder is building in Huntersville and Mooresville and a couple of other areas around there. In looking at greatschools.net, all the schools have great ratings, which is a big plus. Can anyone tell me about these areas, I need the good, bad and ugly facts.

Now we are not stuck on those areas, if you guys can recommend any other areas, that would be great. We are looking for great schools, nice neighborhoods, fairly close to shopping areas.

THANKS!

My brother is a teacher here in Asheville, NC. For what he tels me, the schools here are compareable to Buffalo, NY where were from. It's a nice area too, just too many hippies.

OMG hippies!  No wonder why houses are cheap there.  I live on Long Island, way south of Buffalo, don't know about Buffalo either.

I have relatives in Huntersville.  It's not a bad area.  I really don't know a whole lot about the schools, though I'd guess they aren't too bad.  My impression is that Huntersville is a bedroom community for people who work, but don't want to live in Charlotte.  There are some pretty good schools near Raleigh.  And, both Chapel Hill and Cary are supposed to have good schools.  Though neither of those areas are particularly gun friendly.  Then again, compared to Long Island....  

Concord is good, there Robinson High School is real great.  A co worker sons go there, and wouldnt want them to go anywhere else.   I live in Gastonia now, but Concord has all kinds of stuff, really a booming area.

I work for a commercial General Contractor out of Charlotte.  We've done alot of work in Huntersville and Moorseville.  The biggest problem I see with those two areas is that the roads aren't keeping up with the growth.   If you try to drive near I-77, where most of the growth is, it can take 20 minutes to go 1 mile at certain times of the day.  The outskirts of those areas aren't bad to get around though.  

I live in Gastonia. Ya could move here with all us rednecks.

Quoted: I work for a commercial General Contractor out of Charlotte.  We've done alot of work in Huntersville and Moorseville.  The biggest problem I see with those two areas is that the roads aren't keeping up with the growth.   If you try to drive near I-77, where most of the growth is, it can take 20 minutes to go 1 mile at certain times of the day.  The outskirts of those areas aren't bad to get around though.   I live in Gastonia. Ya could move here with all us rednecks.

LOL


That was one of the problems I've noticed with Florida too, looks like they are having a problem with keeping up on the increasing population.

I will check on Concord too. Thanks for ANY suggestions!

If you are looking at Huntersville, then I would suggest you move on up the street a bit into Mooresville or Concord.  Cabarrus county's tax rate and school system is better than what you will find here in Mecklenburg county.

If at all possible, stay out of Meck county, high taxes....  But Concord or Kannapolis is good, if you dont mind rednecks, yeah, come on down to Gastonia with us.  Belmont or Mt Holy is nice, but Concord Robinson High is probally one of the best public schools around.  They are making I85 into an 8 lane highway to Charlotte, will be complete in a couple more months probally.  In Concord you have one of the biggest malls around, 1.5 mile walk to go all the way around on the inside with stores on each side.  Every eating place you can think of, and low crime.  Beside, NC is a right to carry state too.

Escaped from NY(LI) about 6 months ago. I live in Wilmington, a stones throw from the ocean, the ICW and the cape fear river. Bought a new house, mortgage payment is half of the house I was renting on LI. Great place if you like the water. New housing is booming here, and they have a nice little city like downtown area. UNCW is cheap for residents after 1 year. alot of my neighbors are from the NE(carpetbaggers), but people are friendly. It's alot like LI, except traffic is not quite as bad. Indoor pistol range in town, and 2 outdoor ranges within 1 hour, where I let loose and no-one is around. I've traveled to almost every state on business and lived in CA and FL, and NC is a great place to live.

We are looking for great schools, nice neighborhoods, fairly close to shopping areas.

Yeah, come on down.. might as well. all the other yuppies are.  

Expect to spend about 5-10 years learning how to fit in.   Or you could go straight to the "walking communities" that are being built.

Quoted: We are looking for great schools, nice neighborhoods, fairly close to shopping areas. Yeah, come on down.. might as well. all the other yuppies are.   Expect to spend about 5-10 years learning how to fit in.   Or you could go straight to the "walking communities" that are being built.

Mommy let you at the computer again little boy. Do you need help with reading comprehension? I did not ask who or what was moving down there and I did not ask how long it takes to "fit in", nor do I give a shit.  If you don't have anything constructive to say, stay the fuck off the topic.

Palmer! Take it easy! You know there has got to be one in every crowd. The fact that
your posting this question on one of the most conservative web sites, tells me you're
alright. Come on down!
 I'm in a little town about 30 miles south of Asheville. Great schools, mountains, fishing,
hunting, etc. Close enough to Asheville for me to drive to work there, but not have to
live there. I also like the Greensboro & Charlotte area's. I think the best thing about
this area is the mild winters & summers. We even have spring & fall.
Good Luck !

Johnny C!

I've lived in Huntersville for the last 4 years. 10 years in Raleigh before that, and I went to high school in Gastonia.  My family and I have enjoyed Huntersville. Like all suburban areas of NC, the roads have failed to keep up with growth. You just learn to avoid certain areas at certain times, just like anywhere else. We are happy with the local schools. We've found that parental involvement makes the difference, and we definitely have that in Huntersville.


Bottom line on real estate, if you want a nice subdivision with amenities and convenient shopping, I would recommend Huntersville, Mooresville, Concord, or Gastonia. If you want a little more breathing room check out Iredell, Lincoln, Catawba or Cleveland county. You can live in the country and still be within an hour of the Charlotte city limits.


I am a NC native, and I for one have enjoyed getting to know people from other parts of the U.S. that have relocated to our neck of the woods. Feel free to email me if I can help with any type of info on our area.

Johnny_C

jdgiii


Thanks for the info guys, helps ALOT!