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Relocation to Fort Mill is a future possibility for me.
I'm going to be passing through with my wife and 2 kids (4 and 1) on our way to the beach. We're staying overnight in the area (late night arrival, lunch time departure).
I want to give my wife a quick tour of the area to give her a feel about the location. Probably just a quick drive through some spots along with some breakfast or lunch.
What items/areas in Fort Mill should we try to pass by to get a feel for the area. I know it;s as short a tour as one could get, but it would be good to give her a feel of the area.
There's Carowinds Theme Park and Plaza Fiesta on Carowinds Boulevard (don't know where you're coming from, but if you're going 77 south, you WON'T miss the exit!... and you'll see the new "Intimidator" coaster on the right).
You can begin at that exit (It'll say "Carowinds"), turn right onto Carowinds, drive straight (for breakfast there's a Cracker Barrel on the left if that interests you), and then make a left onto Pleasant Road. When you get to the intersection of Gold Hill and Pleasant Road, make a right onto Gold Hill Road and it will take you towards Tega Cay, which may as well be a part of Fort Mill because it's just an eye blink - but very nice. (It is "kinda" a part of Fort Mill, but people there will let you know it's "Tega Cay" - No insult! I like Tega Cay).
Make a left at the traffic light onto the 160 (There's a McDonalds there). Take the 160 as far as it goes - you'll pass plazas, Bruster's Ice Cream, a very nice Wal-Mart, you'll see "Baxter Village" on the right (Kind of a neat BIG neighborhood with Starbucks, shops - worth a drive through - there's a YMCA there - a REALLY nice one). You'll pass "over" the 77, keep going straight and you'll see "The Peach Stand" on the right, some nice greenery with horses on the left, Walter Elisha Park on the right... when you come to the first traffic light after Walter Elisha Park, go through it and make a left onto Main Street (over the train tracks - very quaint and is part of the "160").
Make a right onto Tom Hall Street (still part of the "160"). You'll see a sculpture of flowers and a "Hardy's" - you'll see Bank of America on the left, a fire hall, the Post Office. Keep going and pass the CVS on the right (at a traffic light, cross street will be "Banks").
You'll see the Leroy Springs Complex on your left. This is a FANTASTIC facility - kind of like a YMCA but they have activities for kids like horse back riding, archery, cheerleading, karati, etc... (adult stuff, too) - it's a work-out facility and the people there are AWESOME!
Once you go past Leroy Springs Complex, make a left onto Springfield Parkway (a new Walgreens will be on your right and Fairway Gas Station). You'll go up Springfield and Fort Mill Elementary School will be on your right, you'll go past some new apartments going up. Keep going straight and there's the neighborhood "Springfield" on your right and across from that is "The Field Trial Barn" (well, the road to it! People have weddings and stuff there. I went to one in the fall and it was GREAT! So much fun!).
The new Nation Ford High School will be on the right (Fort Mill has two high schools, and quite a few elementary and middle schools - the schools here are second to none!).
Once you pass the high school you'll come to an intersection (you'll see a beautiful white house straight ahead and slightly to the left), make a left at this light and you'll see some nice greenery, more horses and "The Dairy Barn" on your right (The Field Trial Barn is a part of The Dairy Barn, one of its facilities). This road will take you straight back to the "160" and let out at Walter Elisha Park (that you would already have passed). Make a right turn and you'll be on the "160" again and go past the horses and the Peach stand and head back to the 77.
NOW - you can forego making a left after the high school and go RIGHT instead. This will take you back to Gold Hill Road and get you back onto the 77 as well (you'll pass Springfield Elementary school on your left, go straight through that light at the School and also pass The Charlotte Knights Stadium (Baseball) on the left as well (the roadway to it anyway). You'll go through an intersection where "Captain Steve's" restaurant will be on the right.
You'll keep going and pass a CMC urgent care medical facility on the right. The 77 should be right there.
This route will take you in a huge circle, however, it's not even close to all that Fort Mill has to offer. I've just given you some of the main roads. You'll see some nice neighborhoods, but there are MANY roads and hidden gems along the route I have given and beyond.
Fort Mill neighbors Charlotte, NC and Pineville, NC (great malls and restaurants). It also neighbors Indian Land in SC and Ballantyne (a part of Charlotte, NC that's pretty neat). It also butts heads with Rock Hill, SC which has some neatness of its own (Dave Lyle Blvd - an exit you'll pass if you are going 77 South - in Rock Hill has Manchester Cinema, a mall, a Target, a Walmart, restaurants).
At first glance you may feel like you're far from everything in Fort Mill, but trust me - it's the PERFECT location location location! You are a mere 20 to 30 minutes from Uptown Charlotte and the other areas I've mentioned (some areas only a 10 - 15 minute drive).
You get the best of both worlds - country and city!
Good luck! I hold no responsibility if you get lost! LOL
(If any Fort Millians find any errors in my post - please correct me!)
That was a good description of seeing the highlights of Fort Mill, but if you are thinking of relocating here, you need to actually get into Tega Cay.
When the poster told you to turn left at the corner of Gold Hill Road and 160, I would go straight which takes you into Tega Cay. You come back later and turn right on 160 to complete the tour.
Tega Cay is a housing area that is popular with families with kids. It offers parks, walking trails, a beach on Lake Wylie, a marina, a park on the beach and other ammenities. The road into Tega Cay will bring you back out since all of it is basically on a pennisula on Lake Wylie... one way in and out.
My suggestion is to look up the entire tour on mapquest before you attempt it.
Baxter Village which the poster mentions is also an area for families. I think Baxter Village and Tega Cay have websites which would give you more info.
The whole area is extremely well located and has good schools.
Tega Cay is nice. It wouldn't hurt to drive through it as it wouldn't take up much of your time, but if you skip it this time around, you won't miss too much. If you're not pressed for time, though - do see it. When we were moving out here in 2001, we looked at Lake Wylie, Tega Cay and Fort Mill. I really like all three areas.
There are family oriented neighborhoods along the entire route I posted. Trust me - you'll see MANY signs for new homes along the route, especially on the 160. Most newer subdivisions have walking trails, club houses, pools, play grounds, etc. and Fort Mill has quite a few parks. Tega Cay has a freeze at it's elementary school, which has been in effect ever since we moved here almost 9 years ago. But it should be lifted next year.
There's a really nice subdivison going up in Tega Cay called "Lake Ridge". When you're going down the 160 from Gold Hill, when you pass the Wal Mart on your right, you will come to a Texaco Station on your right as well. Make a right turn at the Texaco Station. Keep going straight until you see a BIG sign for new homes (I believe it is a TRUE Home sign) and what looks to be a white church on the left. Make a left turn there. (Sorry, but I can't name the road).
Continue Straight and you will see "Lake Ridge" on BOTH sides, but you'll pass some trailer homes to get there. But it's not seedy looking, so don't let that scare you. When you pass Lake Ridge, the street will end into another road (again, I don't know the name - sorry!) and you will make a left turn. This new road will take you behind Baxter Village and let out at Sutton Road. You can make a left onto Sutton Road, which will take you back to the "160". You'd make a right onto the "160" to get back to my original route (at the CVS and Walgreens / Bullfeathers). It's actually a nice diversion.
My original route was just the quickest thing I could think of to let you see a lot of Fort Mill at it's perimeter in the shortest amount of time.
If you take any of our suggestions, post again and let us know how it turns out. Good luck!
If you are down towards the end of the peninsula in Tega Cay --how much would it add to your commute to 77 going towards downtown Fort Mill area? What does the FREEZE on the schools mean? If I move into the new neighborhood can my kids not attend the local elementary school?
I did a similar tour this weekend but skipped the Tega Cay part myself thinking it was just adding more time to the commute when comparing it to Ballantyne or Marvin (work site would be near intersection of hwy 160/521).
If you just drive straight up and down the main road in Tega Cay, you'd be able to do that pretty fast - it's not anything that would ad a half hour to drive time. Yes the freeze means your child/children wouldn't be able to attend the local school, however, the freeze is supposed to be lifted next year.
alise007
If you will be working near the 160/521 intersection, you might look at neighborhoods down Doby's Bridge Road, which intersects 521 just a bit farther down than 160 does. The part of Doby's Bridge near 521 is in Lancaster County, which feeds into Indian Land schools, and then it changes into Fort Mill district. Dominion Bridge and Whitegrove are 2 Ryan neighborhoods in the Fort Mill district. Also, a neighborhood called Massey is popular and has a lot of new construction--but I'm not sure about Massey's school district. There are also quite a few other neighborhoods on this road - Ardrey Acres, Sterling, etc. It's a quick, easy drive down Doby's to 521 in the morning. SC taxes are a good bit lower than what you would pay in Ballantyne (Meck taxes are pretty high, I understand.)
alise007
If you will be working near the 160/521 intersection, you might look at neighborhoods down Doby's Bridge Road, which intersects 521 just a bit farther down than 160 does. The part of Doby's Bridge near 521 is in Lancaster County, which feeds into Indian Land schools, and then it changes into Fort Mill district. Dominion Bridge and Whitegrove are 2 Ryan neighborhoods in the Fort Mill district. Also, a neighborhood called Massey is popular and has a lot of new construction--but I'm not sure about Massey's school district. There are also quite a few other neighborhoods on this road - Ardrey Acres, Sterling, etc. It's a quick, easy drive down Doby's to 521 in the morning. SC taxes are a good bit lower than what you would pay in Ballantyne (Meck taxes are pretty high, I understand.)
I will check that area out. I have a friend here in Hickory that pretty much warned me to stay away from the other side of Fort Mill (across the bridge as she put it) and to stick to the west side of 77. She said the schools were better but otherwise not really sure what her prejudice's were for the eastern side of 77! She hasn't lived there in a few years but loves Fort Mill and the schools on that side. Really want to shorten hubby's commute after his long drive these past 4 yrs. (almost 40 miles all interstate which adds to his day away from the kids)
alise007,
I understand about shortening that commute! Here are some neighborhoods on Doby's Bridge that you might be interested in checking out on a realtor site. Prices range from around the 200's on up to the 800's in the various ones. Besides Dominion Bridge, Whitegrove, Stirling (spelled it wrong before - sorry!), Massey, and Ardrey Acres, there are also Lynnwood Farms, Oxford Place, and Beckenham.
We live off of Doby's and our schools are Fort Mill Elem and Fort Mill Middle, and Nation Ford High. I work on 521 and it's an easy, straight shot into work in the mornings. There are also some cut-through roads that connect Doby's Bridge and 160. Happy house hunting! You will enjoy Fort Mill!
Thanks for all of the info. Seems like this will give us a pretty good feel for the area.
We'll probably try to grab a bite to eat, breakfast or early lunch. Anything close to that route that fits the bill (and is suitable for 4 and 1 year olds)? Would prefer a local business vs. a chain.
Thanks again everyone.
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