Info. about Hickory (Charlotte, Gastonia, Huntersville: crime, credit, house)
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Can anybody tell me if Hickory is a nice area to raise a family and if a commute to Gastonia from there would be ridiculous. We are looking for a nice, safe small town to move to with our four children. My parents, who are ready to retire, will be moving with us. My husband is an auto mechanic, and it seems like most of the job listings are in Gastonia. I don't want to be too close to a large city. Can anybody please recommend some nice, safe towns that would appeal to both families and retirees, within commuting distance of many auto repair shops. We all love to take walks outdoors, which is why a small town would probably be ideal. Lakes nearby would be a plus. We are looking for a large house (4 bedrooms, 2500+sq. ft.) for around $250,000, so it can't be a very expensive area. An older home would be fine. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your replies!
You might want to look in Clover SC. You should have no problem finding a home like you described. It is in a highly rated school district and enjoys low SC taxes.
I do the commute each day. it is 40 minutes and not much traffic but still a hassle since its 40 min. of course, in charlotte, lots of people have 40 min commutes
Parts of Hickory are nice, but like any other city there are also parts where most people try to avoid. It's growing pretty fast, with even more growth projected, so I'm not sure if it would fit most people's definition of a small town anymore.
On the other hand, Lincolnton has more of a "small town" feel ,and lower crime rate, and is closer to both Gastonia [only 20 miles] and Lake Norman, which borders the eastern end of the county.
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Last edited by autumngal; 02-23-2008 at 02:03 PM..
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Could you elaborate on what areas are bad in hickory? Also, where are the kid centered families living in that price range 250-280,000.
I heard that the northwest and n east are better is this true?
Yma
That is where I would prefer to live if I were to live in the city limits of Hickory. There are also many areas that are very nice outside the city limits. All depends on what you are looking for . . . I like the county school system, myself . . . but I like the convenience of living in NW Hickory, w/ retail, docs, hospitals, etc. close by. Look in Viewmont.
Could you elaborate on what areas are bad in hickory? Also, where are the kid centered families living in that price range 250-280,000.
I heard that the northwest and n east are better is this true?
Yma
Bad places in Hickory can be almost universally anything with a southwest address. Like 1st St Sw or something.
You can tell by merely looking at the homes if it is a bad place or not. Hickory is much older and established than many of the suburbs of Charlotte like Huntersville. Hickory was hit very hard economically around 2001-2003 with jobs leaving. Many people were left unemployed. Things are definitely improving now.
Now when I drive through Hickory, there is something new being built all the time. The downtown area of Hickory called 'Union Square' is much unchanged from the 1800s and is well kept and every shop has a tenant. The Highway 70 corridor that runs through Hickory is the main commercial hub and has tons of restaurants, mall, movie theatre, etc...
The nicest places of Hickory tend to be just north of downtown Hickory, where there are much older homes. Kind of like Myers Park in Charlotte. Newer homes can be found in the northwest part of the city, where locals refer to it as where "the money is." Also Dale Jarett lives in this part of Hickory too.
Hwy 127 runs north/south through the city and splits the city between east and west. Turning left off of Hwy 127 (once you pass downtown) and you will be in the northwest, a right turn and you will be in the northeast.
I will have to give the powers that be credit for bringing the jobs back to Hickory. Many of the new jobs are medical industry related but also call centers and service jobs like that.
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hickory to gastonia
