Best Charlotte neighborhood close to uptown (Gastonia, Concord: appointed, HOA, hotel)
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My family and I are relocating to Charlotte from Tampa fl. We were there visiting last week to look at areas and we liked Mathews and huntersville for the distance to uptown where we both work. Do you have an opinion or recommendation on either one of those towns or is there another town that is a good commute to uptown? Under 30 minutes is preferable.
We are African American, with two boys ages 7 and 9. Things that are important to us are strong schools, church options for African American culture churches, a close knit neighborhood where the kids can grow upward their neighbors, mature trees , homes that have decent sized back yards, active little leagues, grocery stores within 15 minutes and a nice town square area would be nice, parks and lots of events to attend within close proximity to where we live. Our house price range is up to 270k. I would the area to be walkable to a town square but it's not necessary just no more than 15 minutes from home to shops, neighborhood events, grocery stores, parks etc.
I grew up in Florida and love water, but can be within 30 minutes of a lake and be fine, my husband wants close access to uptown for a shorter commute.
Other questions for Charlotte folks, feel free to be honest!
What is the culture like for African American families? In fl things are still kind of segregated, when we were here we noticed neighborhoods that had a large mix of cultures and races, is this typical? Is this also the case for the schools?
Is there a African American Art scene? ( dance, jazz, art) or is everthing mixed all in?
How nice is the swim area at lake Norman and are there any other swimming areas that feel like the ocean?
How long does winter last?
What is the typical commute from Mathews and huntersville to uptown? How about other areas you may recommend.
Does Charlotte have dog parks?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ncurry27
Hello all,
My family and I are relocating to Charlotte from Tampa fl. We were there visiting last week to look at areas and we liked Mathews and huntersville for the distance to uptown where we both work. Do you have an opinion or recommendation on either one of those towns or is there another town that is a good commute to uptown? Under 30 minutes is preferable.
We are African American, with two boys ages 7 and 9. Things that are important to us are strong schools, church options for African American culture churches, a close knit neighborhood where the kids can grow upward their neighbors, mature trees , homes that have decent sized back yards, active little leagues, grocery stores within 15 minutes and a nice town square area would be nice, parks and lots of events to attend within close proximity to where we live. Our house price range is up to 270k. I would the area to be walkable to a town square but it's not necessary just no more than 15 minutes from home to shops, neighborhood events, grocery stores, parks etc.
I grew up in Florida and love water, but can be within 30 minutes of a lake and be fine, my husband wants close access to uptown for a shorter commute.
Other questions for Charlotte folks, feel free to be honest!
What is the culture like for African American families? In fl things are still kind of segregated, when we were here we noticed neighborhoods that had a large mix of cultures and races, is this typical? Is this also the case for the schools?
Is there a African American Art scene? ( dance, jazz, art) or is everthing mixed all in?
How nice is the swim area at lake Norman and are there any other swimming areas that feel like the ocean?
How long does winter last?
What is the typical commute from Mathews and huntersville to uptown? How about other areas you may recommend.
Does Charlotte have dog parks?
Thank you!
Look at Belmont in Gaston County. There's a nice little downtown. You can do most of your shopping in Gastonia.
Check out Highland Creek, it's a large community with four pools, parks, schools, etc all in the neighborhood. It's on the Charlotte/Huntersville/Concord line and is located right next to 485 and it only takes me 10 minutes to get to 77. It's pretty diverse, we're one of the few white families on our street, but we have African American, Asian, Indian and other neighbors in our little section alone. We moved here from out of state and our son has had a blast. Here's the HOA website to check out. If you're around this weekend, Santa will be in the clubhouse taking pictures from 11-2 Saturday. Depending on where you live in the neighborhood, you could walk to the new Prosperity Town Center.
My family and I are relocating to Charlotte from Tampa fl. We were there visiting last week to look at areas and we liked Mathews and huntersville for the distance to uptown where we both work. Do you have an opinion or recommendation on either one of those towns or is there another town that is a good commute to uptown? Under 30 minutes is preferable.
We are African American, with two boys ages 7 and 9. Things that are important to us are strong schools, church options for African American culture churches, a close knit neighborhood where the kids can grow upward their neighbors, mature trees , homes that have decent sized back yards, active little leagues, grocery stores within 15 minutes and a nice town square area would be nice, parks and lots of events to attend within close proximity to where we live. Our house price range is up to 270k. I would the area to be walkable to a town square but it's not necessary just no more than 15 minutes from home to shops, neighborhood events, grocery stores, parks etc.
I grew up in Florida and love water, but can be within 30 minutes of a lake and be fine, my husband wants close access to uptown for a shorter commute.
Other questions for Charlotte folks, feel free to be honest!
What is the culture like for African American families? In fl things are still kind of segregated, when we were here we noticed neighborhoods that had a large mix of cultures and races, is this typical? Is this also the case for the schools?
Is there a African American Art scene? ( dance, jazz, art) or is everthing mixed all in?
How nice is the swim area at lake Norman and are there any other swimming areas that feel like the ocean?
How long does winter last?
What is the typical commute from Mathews and huntersville to uptown? How about other areas you may recommend.
Does Charlotte have dog parks?
Ashg, this neighborhood sounds like one here in Tampa that is really nice. Thank you for telling me about the diversity! The houses are also affordable. We won't be there this weekend, I'll miss Santa! Ha, but we will be there the following weekend and we are going to be sure to check it out, I think this is close to the hotel we stayed last week? was on research drove but about 10 minutes from the university since we went to drive through it.
I also like Highland Creek but it isn't "close" to uptown but it should fit your criteria. Myers Park, Dilworth, and Elizabeth are close to uptown but housing is steep. Myers Park Little League is pretty impressive but Highland Creek's district should be pretty good they are part of Huntersville/Lake Norman. Here is the boundary maps League Boundary
Downtown from Highland depending on traffic can be 30min to an hour, but getting around with 485 complete makes things easier. Highland Creek Elementary is rated like an 8, the middle is a 7-8, and the high school is a 7 I think. Also since you are from Tampa you will be happy to know they just opened a Publix right outside of Highland Creek yesterday.
My family and I are relocating to Charlotte from Tampa fl. We were there visiting last week to look at areas and we liked Mathews and huntersville for the distance to uptown where we both work. Do you have an opinion or recommendation on either one of those towns or is there another town that is a good commute to uptown? Under 30 minutes is preferable.
We are African American, with two boys ages 7 and 9. Things that are important to us are strong schools, church options for African American culture churches, a close knit neighborhood where the kids can grow upward their neighbors, mature trees , homes that have decent sized back yards, active little leagues, grocery stores within 15 minutes and a nice town square area would be nice, parks and lots of events to attend within close proximity to where we live. Our house price range is up to 270k. I would the area to be walkable to a town square but it's not necessary just no more than 15 minutes from home to shops, neighborhood events, grocery stores, parks etc.
I grew up in Florida and love water, but can be within 30 minutes of a lake and be fine, my husband wants close access to uptown for a shorter commute.
Other questions for Charlotte folks, feel free to be honest!
What is the culture like for African American families? In fl things are still kind of segregated, when we were here we noticed neighborhoods that had a large mix of cultures and races, is this typical? Is this also the case for the schools?
Is there a African American Art scene? ( dance, jazz, art) or is everthing mixed all in?
How nice is the swim area at lake Norman and are there any other swimming areas that feel like the ocean?
How long does winter last?
What is the typical commute from Mathews and huntersville to uptown? How about other areas you may recommend.
Does Charlotte have dog parks?
Thank you!
SouthEast Charlotte. Look at East Forest or Oakhurst. Oakhurst is getting a little expensive but the area right past it is being rebranded as MORA. It's right between Oakhurst and Matthews. The commute from Matthews is 45 minutes during rush hour. Independence has heavy traffic.
It's only 15 minutes from Oakhurst or Mora if you drive during off hours.
Charlotte's newer neighborhoods have dog parks. The older ones just have parks.
Winter is barely 3 months and we only get snow once every 2 or 3 years and the whole city stops moving until it melts.
If 270K is your range you can get a nice house but it will be on the smaller size the closer you get to the city.
Since you have kids in school you may want to choose Huntersville or one of those places outside the city. The commute will be a monster though. I don't know anything about the diversity in that area but i hear the schools are good.
I also like Highland Creek but it isn't "close" to uptown .
Neither are Huntersville or Matthews. As Felt mentioned commute from those two depending on where exactly is probably closer to 45 minutes, but I think all 3 are good suggestions given OP's criteria. Mint Hill as well.
Personally OP I think you might be disappointed by the water aspect coming from Tampa. Lake Norman is nice but nothing compared to the ocean and there is not a ton of public access in general and only a couple places where swimming is allowed. IMO if you don't live nearby the lake I doubt you'd be there very often.
Matthews is in the blue "wedge" illustrated on this map The Racial Dot Map: One Dot Per Person for the Entire U.S. (zoom in to Charlotte). If you really value diversity, I'd suggest looking at the University Area. Of the large suburban areas in the US, its among the most diverse (meaning white, asian, black and hispanic in roughly equal unsegregated proportions).
As far as the "wedge" goes, you can read about it in dozens of articles about Charlotte. I shows up on many Charlotte maps, from race, income, education, voter affiliation, ect. Also, I find the suggestion regarding Myers Park as comical. If the wedge has a soul, its Myers Park. Take a typical census block, such as the one between Providence and Colony (you can find them on the City Data Maps), and you will find that of the 3,326 residents, there are 41 black people and 9 hispanics. Also, the $270k budget of the OP is about 1/3 of the median home price.
Neither are Huntersville or Matthews. As Felt mentioned commute from those two depending on where exactly is probably closer to 45 minutes, but I think all 3 are good suggestions given OP's criteria. Mint Hill as well.
Personally OP I think you might be disappointed by the water aspect coming from Tampa. Lake Norman is nice but nothing compared to the ocean and there is not a ton of public access in general and only a couple places where swimming is allowed. IMO if you don't live nearby the lake I doubt you'd be there very often.
I agree thats why I put it quotes and said it should fit. Also as someone from FL originally I agree the water will not be what you think it is.
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