Moving To Charlotte-Confused with North and South Charlotte areas (Gastonia: cliquey, chapel)
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Hello! We (husband and 2 elementary aged children) are moving to the Charlotte area in the late spring/early summer. I have been researching the areas (many thanks to the posters on this forum!) and I'm a bit confused as to the differences between the North and South Charlotte areas. They both seem to be nice areas with nice schools. My question is, besides their locations and commutes to downtown, are there any real differences? We'd like to stay around 350k if possible, but we could go a bit higher. Also, my children will most likely be going to Catholic school (which one is yet to be determined) and I'd like to be relatively close to their school. It looks like St. Mark's is the only one in the North and there are more in the southern part. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Hello! We (husband and 2 elementary aged children) are moving to the Charlotte area in the late spring/early summer. I have been researching the areas (many thanks to the posters on this forum!) and I'm a bit confused as to the differences between the North and South Charlotte areas. They both seem to be nice areas with nice schools. My question is, besides their locations and commutes to downtown, are there any real differences? We'd like to stay around 350k if possible, but we could go a bit higher. Also, my children will most likely be going to Catholic school (which one is yet to be determined) and I'd like to be relatively close to their school. It looks like St. Mark's is the only one in the North and there are more in the southern part. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Midwest girl
I previewed St. marks school last year and was extremely impressed! Strong academics, great sports and activities. The building is new so the classrooms,labs, cafeteria,etc are spacious and updated. Staff was very welcoming...we met quite a few teachers.
We are relocating this summer and I think we have settled on S. Charlotte/ union county area. If not,my boys would definitely be registered at St. marks. FYI - look into admissions ASAP.
Good luck!!
thanks for the info mountains and shirlgirl! Mountains, I would appreciated it if you would send me her name! I really like the idea of St. Mark's being a k-8 school, but if there's a waiting list for 3rd grade next year then that won't work! I'm a little apprehensive of such a large middle school and I don't know if it's changed, but I think I remember reading that some people were unhappy with the middle school. I can't remember reading if it was cliquey or bad influence, but I think I remember reading something like that. I'm a little more of a traditional Catholic (I like the tabernacle on the alter or next to it not in a chapel outside of the church, etc) and I think I remember one of the church websites showed that (St. Anne's maybe?) Are there any schools in South Charlotte that have a reputation for being cliquey? I'd like to stay away from that.
My husband has just started looking for a job, so we don't know where he'll be working and what exact areas to move to. We're just starting the process I guess. My hubby's from outside Charlotte (Gastonia) and we've decided to move back down there. He comes from a large Baptist family, so they won't be much help with the Catholic questions. We go there to visit a few times a year, but we rarely leave Gastonia so I don't know much about the other areas.
Thanks again!
St. Matthews in on the South end near Ballantyne. I will be touring the school next month but so far I'm very happy with their programs and stats. Down side- its K -5th only.
Hello! We (husband and 2 elementary aged children) are moving to the Charlotte area in the late spring/early summer. I have been researching the areas (many thanks to the posters on this forum!) and I'm a bit confused as to the differences between the North and South Charlotte areas. They both seem to be nice areas with nice schools. My question is, besides their locations and commutes to downtown, are there any real differences? We'd like to stay around 350k if possible, but we could go a bit higher. Also, my children will most likely be going to Catholic school (which one is yet to be determined) and I'd like to be relatively close to their school. It looks like St. Mark's is the only one in the North and there are more in the southern part. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
You will find that the people North of the City rarely venture south and the South people rarely venture north. I live in Huntersville and I loathe going south - too crowded too many people bad traffic. I could not tell you where Matthews is and barely know where Ballantyne is (my husband works there so that is the only reason).
Ask a person from the south and they cannot imagine why anyone would want to live out in the sticks (aka North of Charlotte) You have to check for yourself what appeals to you.
St. Mark is indeed K-8 and is a very small, family friendly school. The kids there, as they reach the dreaded middle school age, seem to keep one foot in childhood longer and have less 'drama'. Also, as a small school the kids usually can do most sports and arts programs.
The center city of Charlotte and south side of charlotte feed to k-5 elem. catholic schools and there are MANY to choose from (large/small, diverse/not diverse, etc). Then all the kids go to Holy Trinity for 6-8th. The advantage of that is that they meet lots of new kids in 6th and usually can find a niche with sports or band or academics. But it also can be like stepping into high school at 12 years old on some levels (lots of kids dating, cell phone to no end, make up, bullies, etc.) and can be overwhelming to some.
In the end, they really are both good options for different reasons. Some kids at St. Mark feel 'stuck' and yearn for more interaction by 6th grades; some at Holy Trinity feel lost because of the size. Most, at both places, are fine.
It may just come down to where you want to live and whether, for logistical purposes, you prefer to have your kids in the same school for as long as possible.
If you go the k-5 then Holy Trinity route, just be sure to check which elem. schools will have openings for you and if you will be happy with them.
Hope this helps!
T
No offense to my Northern Charlotte friends but to me North of Charlotte all feels like different hubs separated by exits off of a highway. There is really only 1 way to get from N. Charlotte to anywhere south of the city (such as the uptown area)and that involves getting on the interstate which has very bad traffic at times.
Living in S. Charlotte I have about 5 different routes I can take to get into the city or around town that do not involve a highway. We also have the light rail train which connects parts of S. Charlotte to uptown. Its unclear when or if N. Charlotte will get a light rail train.
When we were looking at houses we looked in Huntersville as well as South Charlotte and I just connected more with areas south of the city. I think it depends on what you like and you really need to drive around to get a feel for both.
One big difference is proximity to where the jobs are (and the nicer parts of the city). North is closer to Uptown, but south is closer to Ballantyne, Matthews, and South Park.
It's not true that North (at least the nicer parts of it) is closer to uptown. South could be Dilworth or Myers Park- practically adjacent to uptown. Cotswold is not far either.
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