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Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,666,340 times
Reputation: 10256
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckles34
He said he only needs to be in Maiden a few times a week and is flexible. So why encourage him to look out in the boonies? They're coming from an upscale, densely populated part of the country with amenities at their finger tips. As usual, I love Loves idea regarding Foxcroft and Montibello. Love those neighborhoods and their schools.
Chuckles, Gastonia is not the boonies. Housing developments in Lincoln County are not either, but would be a more rural existance, but easy access to what they want. The question is to provide good schools & shopping. I agree that going to the mountains would be culture shock.
The OP did not answer my direct question of whether this is connected to the Apple server farm. There is also more property being marketed in Maiden for high-tech.
There are 2 things behind my recommendation. First, while infrequent, fog. When the fog rolls in, if the OP is already driving 90 minutes, it's going to be an awful trip to Maiden.
Second, the reason that I specifically asked about the Apple server farm is that Maiden & Kings Mountain are going after the same high-tech firms. Maiden won round one, Kings Mountain won round two. The same company in Atlanta is marketing additional land in both towns, for high tech.
The OP wants this to be a permanent move. If something happens with the job in Maiden, there will be other companies to apply for in both Maiden & Kings Mountain, if this is high tech related. Location between the two seems like a judicious thing to do, since, if something happened & the OP switched jobs, there would be no guarantee that his presence would not be needed 5 days a week.
Gastonia has old money & new money, as NCgirl has said in other threads. It's a city. Right now downtown is nothing to write home about, but they are working on it. There is sufficient shopping to satisfy most of their needs and wants & whatever isn't there is easy to get to.
Three or four years down the road the OP might wish to be in Kings Mountain, but right now, in my opinion, they would hate it. I'm good to go here, but I came down from South Jersey, in the Philly metro, not the NYC metro. That's why I am not recommending it.
Additionally, all of Cleveland County will, eventually, be wired for fiber optic, so additional high tech beyond Kings Mountain is a very real possibility. http://www.shelbystar.com/news/high-50753-tech-hub.html (broken link) Access beyond Kings Mountain would be far more practical from Gastonia or Lincoln County.
Last edited by southbound_295; 11-03-2010 at 09:52 AM..
Reason: add link
Appreciate everyone's help. Some great suggestions so far. At the end of the day, we are looking to just slow down a bit from the non-stop life we have been living in NYC area and some potential job opportunities allow that. In the end, we'll choose a house and neighborhood that we are most comofrtable with, allows us to raise our two small children until they leave, gives us a mix of suburbs and Charlotte. Sure, we are fortunate to be able to afford properties in a higher price range but that won't be our #1 priority. It is a no lose for us if it happens. Keep the suggestions coming and thanks again.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,666,340 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by JT29
To answer one of the posts...we are not part of the Apple Server move. Communications consultantancy.
Thanks.
Close enough.
Considering the various projects that are currently in the works in Kings Mountain, & the knowledge that there will be more, there is the very real possibility that you may be dealing with both towns in the future.
I grew up in Westchester County, we have been here for 12 years now. Our first home was in South Charlotte and now we are in Western Union County. The school systems are structured differently here than they are up north -- for the most part they are county-wide, and this sometimes leads to school reassignments. We love the area where we live now, but for sure look at all of your options since the commute may not be a big deal at first but may grate on you after awhile
As others have said, you will have many many options in your price range. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what your money can buy here!
I grew up in Western North Carolina and the schools there are much more stable than the schools either in Charlotte or Union County. This area have been a total culture shock to us and not in a good way. The school I went to as a child was a much better school environment than any school my children attended and we moved into Union County to seek improvement also. Western North Carolina schools are more like the private schools in this area.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,666,340 times
Reputation: 10256
I forgot to mention that if you choose to live in a development in Lincoln County, Hickory is also close for shopping.
Lincoln, Gaston & Cleveland Counties are the 3 counties west of Charlotte, closest to the city. (Well, eastern Cleveland County is relatively close, the western part is about as removed as Catawba County.) All 3 were hit very hard when the mills were offshored. Then the recession hit. I'm aware of what is being done primarily in Cleveland & Gaston Counties to get new businesses in. I know that something is going on in Lincoln, but don't know as much about that. We have posters on this board who live in Lincoln County. I hope that some will find this thread.
Looking at some of the older, more established neighborhoods in the area of Gastonia that I mentioned will get you larger yards than you generally find in the new construction neighborhoods, even though you are in a city. Gastonia has the most shopping west of Charlotte. There will be a commuter train from Gastonia to Charlotte, but I don't have a timeline on that.
Overall, public schools tend to be better in Lincoln & Cleveland Counties than Gaston, but the area that I pinpointed in Gastonia has some good schools, plus Gaston Day School is there.
There is no one definitive answer for you. I would suggest that you check existing threads on here for more detailed information on the various areas. Post threads asking about specific areas. Even though you are not anticipating a 5 day a week schedule, I would not recommend Union county. No one can anticipate the future, but I would be horrified to make that drive to Maiden in bad weather. (But, then, I came here from South Jersey, & we don't do driving in bad weather with good grace.)
Appreciate everyone's help. Some great suggestions so far. At the end of the day, we are looking to just slow down a bit from the non-stop life we have been living in NYC area and some potential job opportunities allow that. In the end, we'll choose a house and neighborhood that we are most comofrtable with, allows us to raise our two small children until they leave, gives us a mix of suburbs and Charlotte. Sure, we are fortunate to be able to afford properties in a higher price range but that won't be our #1 priority. It is a no lose for us if it happens. Keep the suggestions coming and thanks again.
I'm still betting that you'll be most comfortable in the Southpark area of Charlotte, but good luck in your search!
As has been mentioned, you'll have tons of areas to choose from
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