Hello and welcome tajelilant-First of all I would say you will be making a wise choice as so many of your other friends from the east have already found out. We came from the other direction (CA) and could not be any more happy (just wish we had done it sooner). If you have read any of my other prior posts I will sound like a broken record to you, but just in case you have not may I suggest you look at Tega Cay, SC (www.tegacaysc.org) or Fort Mill, SC. Both of these locations are 20 minutes outside of downtown Charlotte. The school districts are super (Fort Mill School District). We are within York County which is one of the fastest growing counties in SC. Most people I have met are from the NY, NJ, CA, OH, you name it. Tega Cay is a peninsula sitting off Lake Wylie, we have tons of things for kids and adults (swimming pool, tennis courts, soccer & baseball fields, walking trails, golf course and of course plenty of water activity on the Lake). You might take a look at allentate.com for realty. Regarding garage sales....you will love em' (from one junkie to another :o). Shopping is not a problem either....from Nordstroms to Wal-Marts they are all well within your 30 minute range. Oh and I almost forgot to mention....for the little one's....in Fort Mill...is Parmount's Carowinds amusement part. Hope that helps some and if you need anything else just post! Take care

Also check out the Hickory NC area and Catawba County - offers many subdivisions to live in, in safe and family oriented neighborhoods. Schools are good in the county, along with Newton-Conover Schools and the Hickory City Schools. Hickory has shopping, restaurants, community theaters, convention center, the Furniture Mart and much more. If you can't find it in Hickory, we are less than an hour's drive to Charlotte. We have an airport here that Delta will be flying commuters to/from Atlanta. We are also less than an hour's drive from the Mountains.

I moved from Boston to NC in 1989 (first to Sanford NC - culture shock for me, so I can understand why you don't want to go Heath Springs...), but when we moved to Hickory in 1992, and to see the growth that Hickory has gone through (and still is...), I just love it here and could never move back north (and I was Born and Raised a New Englander!).

Good luck and let us know what happens!

If you want the best schools you probably need to stay out of Mecklenburg County. Mecklenburg County is where the City of Charlotte itself resides. It has gotten too large and there are numerous cities such as Huntersville etc.. that are trying to break apart from the school system. There are several diverse area within Mecklenburg County and something can be said for living closer to the city for convience, but with that comes other concerns. The schools are not as good as other surrounding county's, there is higher crime, and higher taxes. However, schooling is the number one reason I do not live there.

I will recommend three area's based upon schooling and quality of life. All three of these area's or county's you should be able to look up on the web.

1) Mooresville, NC in South Iredell County is home to some of the best schools in Greater Charlotte. It is on Lake Norman approximately 20-22 miles North of Charlotte. Mooresville is known as Race City and is considered the home of NASCAR. It is also the new location for Lowe's Corporate that will employee nearly 6,000 when they are fully staffed.

Mooresville is made up of the old and new. Old Mooresville looks like a town from the late 1800's to early 1900's, and though diverse is much older in it's appearance due to the older homes, building etc.. The Mooresville City School district is very good. Overall, the old part of Mooresville reminds me of a smaller Northeast town.

The newer part of Mooresville where I live on the Lake Norman side is much newer, and this is where the explosion of growth has gone. There are new strip malls, and housing developments going up, including a new $10 million dollar YMCA that Lowe's is financing in Morrison Plantation as a way to be a good steward to the Town of Mooresville. In addition their are newer retailers like Wal-Mart Super Center, Super Target, Kohl's Department Store, World Market, Pier One, TJ Maxx, Ross Stores, Panera Bread, Starbucks, Caribou Coffee and the list goes on. The housing is pretty affordable compared to where I have lived in the past. My home for example is near Lake Norman Elementary and is a 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath home with about 2,200 square feet. My home is worth approximately $185,000-$190,000 give or take. Being from New York you understand what property taxes are all about. My taxes which include County and City taxes and include trash service are approximately $1600.

2) Harrisburg is a town In Cabarrus County which is in SE Charlotte, and also has excellent schools from what I have heard. It also is quite affordable. My sister in law who is a Real Estate broker stated that they had excellent schools. I do not know a lot about this town other than that. It is within 15-20 minutes of the City. Low taxes here as well!!

3) Union County which would be in the Southern part of Greater Charlotte is also known for having good schools and affordable housing. One of the Towns within this area is The Town of Waxhaw. Low taxes here as well!!

Now back to Mecklenburg County.

1)The University area is area 6-7 miles North of the City that is very diversed. The negatives with this area from what I have heard are increased crime, a school system that is struggling, very transit area in which there seems to be alot of homes for sale. The postives are it is near Microsoft, UNC Charlotte, Wachovia customer Service Center and many other business. It is probably the most central location in Charlotte. The housing is very affordable. There are many people who really do like this area of Charlotte, however, to me there are more negatives than postives. There is also a new mall going in at exit 18 called North Lake which will be a convient mall to shop at and will be opening next year I believe. Higher Taxes here, but nothing like New York!!

2) Huntersville is in North Charlotte approximately 10-12 miles from Charlotte. Just like Mooresville it is a nice city and is growing like crazy. There is an incredible shopping area called Birkdale Village. The negative here would be the School system which is trying to break apart from the Mecklenburg School System as we speak. Higher Taxes here!!

3) Ballantyne Area in South Charlotte is totally brand new and is very nice. It has the newest shopping centers and housing developments and is a very planned city. Very nice area, but with that comes higher home prices. Higher Taxes here!!

4) Town of Matthews, Town of Pineville, Mint Hill are other cities within Mecklenburg County that you can check out.

I recommend coming down to Charlotte and doing the tour for yourself. Talk with people. Ask them about their neighborhood, their schools, diversity etc.... There is the perfect area for yourself I am sure. I have left out numerous other towns within Greater Charlotte that are very nice so please do not think the above locations are the only places to consider. Good Luck!!!

We are from the Rochester NY area and plan to retire to Hickory. We have visited many areas in NC, SC and FL. Lake Hickory reminds us of Finger Lakes area of NY and we have met many nice people in Hickory during our visits over the last few years. Check out www.nclakefront.com.