Relocating to SW Charlotte area

[TeamMorrell]

Originally Posted by CharlotteBound14

The Fort Mill area sounds much like Cobb County here in Atlanta-- great schools, but terrible traffic. I see that the Clover area has decent schools as well and is a little more rural. How is the commute from the Clover side of the Lake Wylie area?

No where near as much traffic as Cobb County. You're going to find that the traffic in Fort Mill and Charlotte in general is almost not worth mentioning if you're coming from another major SE city with traffic issues. (Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, etc.) There's traffic during rush hour - but it's not bad beyond that.

And, I'll put up my blast shields and get ready to hear from the people who have lived here for longer than 10 years and remember when there weren't even any traffic lights.

[Girl]

As a former NJ resident, I do not think the traffic in Fort Mill is that bad. I enjoy a short 30-minute commute to and from work in uptown Charlotte, occasionally longer if there's an accident.

However, I have a friend who is a native Fort Millian who thinks it's the worst traffic EVER.

[Gapeach69]

I moved from Bartow County at the end of 2011, just north of Cobb. FM is nothing like Cobb county traffic, not by a long shot. I think you are going to be hard pressed to find the kind of neighborhood you're looking for in FM. What I liked about FM is that I didn't have to worry about which school we ended up being zoned for because they're all good. There are also good schools in Charlotte, but you will have to do a bit more homework. From where your husband's office is, I would not want to live further south. Clover is going to be more rural, but yes, they have good schools there.

I will say the area has grown up quite a bit in just the 3 years we have lived here. And they are going to do more building. It has me a bit worried for the future. Right now FM is prime for where we need to live because it's in between our jobs. My daughter has 5 more years of school left, so we'll see.

Originally Posted by CharlotteBound14

My husband's job is requiring us to relocate to the Charlotte area early next year. More specifically, his office will be close to the intersection of 485 & 77. We are wanting to find our "forever home" to raise our family and put down roots, so I'm a bit overwhelmed researching all of the options!

We're coming from Grant Park in downtown Atlanta. Things I love about our current neighborhood: Historic homes, walk-able community, large, old trees, tight-knit parents network, proximity to parks/zoo/downtown.

For our new home, we're willing to commute about 30 minutes and schools are very important to us. Our budget is about $350, $400 max. I know that Fort Mill has excellent schools, but I do not like the zero lot, garage front homes that most of modern suburbia offers. (Baxter Village seems to be the exception with traditional low-country homes (with alleys!). I'd love to hear more about this community.)

I work in period-style architecture, so I could also get excited about the idea of buying a historic home and renovating, or buying a lot and building a home I would design. Any suggestions of where to look for historic homes in good school districts? Or lots with some hardwoods and a little room outside of the zero lot neighborhoods? We are willing to look outside of south 77, too.

I have not yet visited the area, so I'd appreciate any insight on the communities that make up the SW Charlotte area!