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My husband and I are looking at relocating/retiring and Charlotte has come up on the list.
We live in a coastal town in MA now (Newburyport) and love it albeit for the dreaded long winters and high cost of housing. Last year we had 100 inches of snow, and you cannot touch a nice single family 3BR, 2BA in this town for under 650K.
We are not big city people, so do not want to live in Charlotte itself, but want to be close enough to be able to go in for sporting events, major hospitals, etc.
However, we will likely spend most of our time in our own community, as we rarely go into Boston now, even though it isn't all that far.
Our wishes:
A place with a real "downtown" with bookstores, library, restaurants, shops.
Grocery store, hardware store, and drugstore in town
A place nearby to buy necessities - pajamas, socks, underwear, etc.
Someplace with a sense of community and things going on - farmers markets, house tours, etc.
Our needs:
Close to a good hospital, preferably in town, as my husband has a heart condition and asthma that have cause late-night frantic visits
Safety - we own a dog, and I often walk her alone late at night. Don't want to be somewhere where I have to be "on guard" at night
A good vet, and ideally a 24-hr animal hospital close by
Job necessity is up in the air - depends on the house price. I am in financial services now, also have a background in health care. But I am not picky about what I do. Wouldn't mind a change - working in a bookstore or vet's office.
Our budget is max 250K. We don't require a huge place, it's just the two of us. 3 BR, 2 BA, 1800 sq ft, preferably newer, and preferably with a yard we could fence for the dog - we would need a development that allows high privacy fences, as she can scale a 6' fence.
We don't have kids, so schools are not a consideration.
We'd like a place that is friendly to transplants.
We are in our late 50s, early 60s. Like to do things, but are pretty low key - a movie here and there, going out to eat at a non-chain restaurant once in a while, walking downtown with our dog, walking in parks, biking.
We are also looking at Willimsburg, VA, as we ddn't want to be too far from the water, but housing there is getting up in price. We love the vibe of the place, though, and are looking for a similar feel.
I'm assuming weather is similar - hot and humid in Summer and nicer Winters than we have in MA with little snow and not frigid temps.
Have "looked" (on-line) at Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews and Cornelius. Not sure if we are barking up the right tree? -)
My husband and I are looking at relocating/retiring and Charlotte has come up on the list.
We live in a coastal town in MA now (Newburyport) and love it albeit for the dreaded long winters and high cost of housing. Last year we had 100 inches of snow, and you cannot touch a nice single family 3BR, 2BA in this town for under 650K.
We are not big city people, so do not want to live in Charlotte itself, but want to be close enough to be able to go in for sporting events, major hospitals, etc.
However, we will likely spend most of our time in our own community, as we rarely go into Boston now, even though it isn't all that far.
Our wishes:
A place with a real "downtown" with bookstores, library, restaurants, shops.
Grocery store, hardware store, and drugstore in town
A place nearby to buy necessities - pajamas, socks, underwear, etc.
Someplace with a sense of community and things going on - farmers markets, house tours, etc.
Our needs:
Close to a good hospital, preferably in town, as my husband has a heart condition and asthma that have cause late-night frantic visits
Safety - we own a dog, and I often walk her alone late at night. Don't want to be somewhere where I have to be "on guard" at night
A good vet, and ideally a 24-hr animal hospital close by
Job necessity is up in the air - depends on the house price. I am in financial services now, also have a background in health care. But I am not picky about what I do. Wouldn't mind a change - working in a bookstore or vet's office.
Our budget is max 250K. We don't require a huge place, it's just the two of us. 3 BR, 2 BA, 1800 sq ft, preferably newer, and preferably with a yard we could fence for the dog - we would need a development that allows high privacy fences, as she can scale a 6' fence.
We don't have kids, so schools are not a consideration.
We'd like a place that is friendly to transplants.
We are in our late 50s, early 60s. Like to do things, but are pretty low key - a movie here and there, going out to eat at a non-chain restaurant once in a while, walking downtown with our dog, walking in parks, biking.
We are also looking at Willimsburg, VA, as we ddn't want to be too far from the water, but housing there is getting up in price. We love the vibe of the place, though, and are looking for a similar feel.
I'm assuming weather is similar - hot and humid in Summer and nicer Winters than we have in MA with little snow and not frigid temps.
Have "looked" (on-line) at Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews and Cornelius. Not sure if we are barking up the right tree? -)
Any help would be much appreciated.
Well, first you need to understand the lay of the land
Charlotte is a VERY suburban city. It is not like old historic cities such as Boston, Chicago or New Orleans.
You can actually live in the city limits of Charlotte and feel as though you ARE in the suburbs.
For all the things you say you'd like to be able to do the towns surrounding Charlotte with a "real downtown" will be Matthews and Davidson. However, I can't think of a place in either town where you could walk to buy socks or underwear, lol. And Davidson is just about out of your price range. So that leaves Matthews, which does have a nice hospital and a real sense of community.
Other than Matthews, I would suggest you look at south Charlotte itself. There are neighborhoods, nooks and crannies to find all you are looking for scattered throughout.
What about Summer's Walk in Davidson? Seems Ryan Homes is building some homes @ 220K there.
I like Ryan Homes and I like Summer's Walk. But it isn't within walking distance of anything - it's more of a country setting. You'd have to drive to everything.
Well, first you need to understand the lay of the land
Charlotte is a VERY suburban city. It is not like old historic cities such as Boston, Chicago or New Orleans.
You can actually live in the city limits of Charlotte and feel as though you ARE in the suburbs.
For all the things you say you'd like to be able to do the towns surrounding Charlotte with a "real downtown" will be Matthews and Davidson. However, I can't think of a place in either town where you could walk to buy socks or underwear, lol. And Davidson is just about out of your price range. So that leaves Matthews, which does have a nice hospital and a real sense of community.
Other than Matthews, I would suggest you look at south Charlotte itself. There are neighborhoods, nooks and crannies to find all you are looking for scattered throughout.
Wondering if Waxhaw or Fort Mill may be suitable as well.
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Summer's Walk?
I sense they want something more walkable than that, more small town feeling 
