Anyone here from the Charlotte, NC area?

[kawc1945]

Looks like due to DH's job, we will be relocating there before school starts at the end of August. We went to check it out and enjoyed it and it seems like a good area. What are your thoughts? Do you love it? Hate it? Does it ever get cold there? We experienced the heat so I know what that will be like!

Also, we already have a trip to Disneyworld in September booked. Who knows anything about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district and what is their absence policy like? I think we only have a few more weeks to cancel before we pay more to cancel.

Thanks for any info on the area! I'd really appreciate it.

 

[pixiedustaholic]

My brother-in-law lives just outside Charlotte in Fort Mill, SC....just across the border. They love the area. My nephews go to Nation Ford High School and SIL seems pleased. They get annual passes to Carowinds...I know, it's not Disney but it's much closer and saves $$. Good luck and welcome to the Carolinas...the best area in the country..IMO.

 

[kawc1945]

Thank you!!! Your response is exactly what we encountered there.....SO many friendly people willing to answer any question that we asked. It was so different from what we experience here in the West where we live now. I'm really starting to get excited about it!

 

[mhsjax]

Looks like due to DH's job, we will be relocating there before school starts at the end of August. We went to check it out and enjoyed it and it seems like a good area. What are your thoughts? Do you love it? Hate it? Does it ever get cold there? We experienced the heat so I know what that will be like!

Also, we already have a trip to Disneyworld in September booked. Who knows anything about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district and what is their absence policy like? I think we only have a few more weeks to cancel before we pay more to cancel.

Thanks for any info on the area! I'd really appreciate it.

We are highly considering a move up to Charlotte, we have family up that way.

We have done much research and talked with many people that live there, we go up a lot to visit family and hubby will grab anyone he sees and ask their opinion. Anyway, stay clear of Mechlenburg school system, from what I understand some of them are good, but the tend to change the zoning quite often We are looking at Waxhaw and Weddington, and even Ft Mill SC. These seem to have great schools.

Good luck, who knows maybe we will be neighbors. lol

 

[dis-happy]

We love the area, living in South Charlotte. We homeschool and I don't know anything about the school attendence policies. Our neighborhood (as many in Charlotte do) has a swim and tennis club and playground...it's a great way to meet people and hang out with other neighborhood moms too. Pick your school area carefully if you are planning on public school...the school board just dismantled the best magnet school in the city last fall, making a good neighborhood assignment the safer bet these days.

 

[kawc1945]

We are highly considering a move up to Charlotte, we have family up that way.

We have done much research and talked with many people that live there, we go up a lot to visit family and hubby will grab anyone he sees and ask their opinion. Anyway, stay clear of Mechlenburg school system, from what I understand some of them are good, but the tend to change the zoning quite often We are looking at Waxhaw and Weddington, and even Ft Mill SC. These seem to have great schools.

Good luck, who knows maybe we will be neighbors. lol

I'd love to have a DIS neighbor!

 

[MomofKatie]

We live in Union County (southeast of the city). Schools here are good- we researched before we bought a home and the best schools in affordable areas were in Union Co. We live in Indian Trail- other communities with really good schools in Union Co are Weddington, Waxhaw, and Fairview. The only real area I'd avoid are schools in the city of Monroe.

We have taken DD out of school every year for WDW vacations. Anywhere from 2-5 missed days- never had any problems with the county or her teachers/principal. Mostly, they tell us to have fun. The official attendence policy is that if they have more than 20 unexcused absences in one school year, they could be held back. It isn't definite, just a contributing factor. We have never worried about missing days- as DD gets older, though, we try not to miss as much as when she was in elementary school, since there is more makeup work to do when she gets back now that she is in middle school.

As for your non-school questions- we have lived here for 10 years, and we really like it. It does get hot in the summer, but it isn't terrible. Winters are generally OK- we usually only get one or 2 snows per winter, and they average less than an inch. Temps are mostly bearable- lows in the 30's, highs in the low 50's.

Our area is very family-friendly. Many activities for kids- Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops are plentiful, LOTS of sports leagues- anything from soccer to cheerleading to hockey. Most of Union Co offers the small-town experience with the big city near enough to take advantage of cultural events, shopping, and major sports teams.

I think you would like living here- welcome to the Southland!!

 

[kawc1945]

We live in Union County (southeast of the city). Schools here are good- we researched before we bought a home and the best schools in affordable areas were in Union Co. We live in Indian Trail- other communities with really good schools in Union Co are Weddington, Waxhaw, and Fairview. The only real area I'd avoid are schools in the city of Monroe.

We have taken DD out of school every year for WDW vacations. Anywhere from 2-5 missed days- never had any problems with the county or her teachers/principal. Mostly, they tell us to have fun. The official attendence policy is that if they have more than 20 unexcused absences in one school year, they could be held back. It isn't definite, just a contributing factor. We have never worried about missing days- as DD gets older, though, we try not to miss as much as when she was in elementary school, since there is more makeup work to do when she gets back now that she is in middle school.

As for your non-school questions- we have lived here for 10 years, and we really like it. It does get hot in the summer, but it isn't terrible. Winters are generally OK- we usually only get one or 2 snows per winter, and they average less than an inch. Temps are mostly bearable- lows in the 30's, highs in the low 50's.

Our area is very family-friendly. Many activities for kids- Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops are plentiful, LOTS of sports leagues- anything from soccer to cheerleading to hockey. Most of Union Co offers the small-town experience with the big city near enough to take advantage of cultural events, shopping, and major sports teams.

I think you would like living here- welcome to the Southland!!

Thanks for all the info! We looked at many areas in South Charlotte. Very pretty! DH is leaning towards Huntersville (I think that's what it's called, I saw so much stuff I can't remember for sure) because of it's proximity to Lake Norman, quiet neighborhoods, and smaller town feel but many amenities. Know anything about the area?

Where we live now, there are no where as many private schools are there are there. It's making me nervous that public schools, no matter what the rating, aren't the best choice. Very stressful trying to figure out where to go. I'm glad to know there are a lot of kid friendly activities because having two young kids we'll want to make friends fast and get settled in.

You will probably find this funny, but I'm 35 and had grits and sweet tea there for the first time in my life this past weekend. I liked both! I couldn't get over the fact that grits were on every menu at every restaurant we went to. Can't find that anywhere here. There were many good restaurants to eat at, too!

BTW, glad to know we can go to Disney without any issues with attendance. DD's will be glad to know our Disney obsession can continue!

 

[MomofKatie]

Thanks for all the info! We looked at many areas in South Charlotte. Very pretty! DH is leaning towards Huntersville (I think that's what it's called, I saw so much stuff I can't remember for sure) because of it's proximity to Lake Norman, quiet neighborhoods, and smaller town feel but many amenities. Know anything about the area? When we moved here 10 years ago, the schools in Huntersville were severly lacking. The area has really grown, though, so they might have improved greatly. Still, Char/Meck schools in general are extremely hit-or-miss. Oh, and the traffic on I-77 between Charlotte and Huntersville is AWFUL!!!

Where we live now, there are no where as many private schools are there are there. It's making me nervous that public schools, no matter what the rating, aren't the best choice. Very stressful trying to figure out where to go. I'm glad to know there are a lot of kid friendly activities because having two young kids we'll want to make friends fast and get settled in. Ask your Realtor to send you the NC School Report Card- it has good info on which public schools to avoid, and the ones to shoot for.

You will probably find this funny, but I'm 35 and had grits and sweet tea there for the first time in my life this past weekend. I liked both! I couldn't get over the fact that grits were on every menu at every restaurant we went to. Can't find that anywhere here. There were many good restaurants to eat at, too! Funny thing- I have lived down South most of my life, and I hate both grits and sweet tea!! Just remember, if you don't want your tea sweet, you have to specify UNsweet tea. There are lots of good Southern cookin' restaurants here in Charlotte, but you can also find Peruvian, Lebanese, Thai, Eastern European, and Cuban, to name a few. You won't be stuck eating BBQ, grits, and fried green tomatoes if you don't want them all the time.

BTW, glad to know we can go to Disney without any issues with attendance. DD's will be glad to know our Disney obsession can continue! That is important!! And it is just an 8 1/2 hour drive, door-to-door!!

Y'all will like NC. It is a friendly place!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We moved from Huntersville to WA two years ago. Huntersville schools are some of the best in the state. Check the Great school website....all 9s or 10s. There is an overcrowding issue, but I highly recommend the area.

We often took our kids to WDW. We would take advantage of Fall break each year. There is one week, typically in October, that is a 3 day week. I never had a problem taking the kids out that week. CMS allows 10 unexcused (that's what they call them) absenses before there is a problem. I never had to take them out for a full week though, I would check with the staff.

Enjoy the Charlotte area! I was born/raised in Ohio before spending 17 years in the Charlotte area. The weather is wonderful and the people are super friendly.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

to the Carolinas! Like a PP said, it's a great area.

 

[kawc1945]

Thanks for all of the positive responses!

 

[SC Minnie]

My brother-in-law lives just outside Charlotte in Fort Mill, SC....just across the border. They love the area. My nephews go to Nation Ford High School and SIL seems pleased. They get annual passes to Carowinds...I know, it's not Disney but it's much closer and saves $$. Good luck and welcome to the Carolinas...the best area in the country..IMO.

I live in Fort Mill too. Love it!

 

[tar heel]

I don't know how old your chilren are, but you will find much stricter attendance policies in high schools. You can't pass a class with more than eight absences where I live. In our district, vacations are not excused absences in middle school, but no one makes a big deal about it. It's pretty easy to get them excused in elementary school.

Many people choose to live in Union or Cabarrus County in North Carolina or across the line in South Carolina instead of in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school districts. There are wonderful schools in Char-Meck but also some with problems -- it is a HUGE urban district and may be very different from what you are accustomed to.

I would also recommend that your husband drive to and from work during rush hour BEFORE you buy a house. He doesn't want to find out how much he hates I-77 or I-85 AFTER you've committed to a house.

You can drive to WDW in about eight hours -- doesn't take significantly longer than dealing with two airports and flying.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Yes, the traffic is one of the things I don't miss. It would always be bumper to bumper in the Lake Norman area. Remember that most of these roads were just deadend country roads, leading to the lake. It would take me 30 minutes just to go 3 miles to the grocery store on some days.

 

[MomofKatie]

Yes, the traffic is one of the things I don't miss. It would always be bumper to bumper in the Lake Norman area. Remember that most of these roads were just deadend country roads, leading to the lake. It would take me 30 minutes just to go 3 miles to the grocery store on some days.

Yes- as backed up as the south end 485 traffic can be sometimes, it is nothing compared to I-77 and surface streets north of town (Huntersville and Lake Norman areas). That was one of the deciding factors for us choosing Union County. School quality was another, although I understand they have improved since we were house hunting 10 years ago. Char/Meck schools are still very hit-or-miss all around the county.

 

[stm61]

as another poster said, schools are very accomadating about vacations at the elementary level, not so much at the middle/high school level. Last year I took my kids out of school for 5 days in Sept for a wedding out of state. The 3 in elementary were excused absences. The high school sent me threatening letters and wanted to put ds on an attentance plan! This is a kid who never misses school. The guidance counselor, who I can never find when he needs his schedule adjusted or needs to pick classes for the next year, called me 4 times a day for a week until I finally went to the principal and explained the situation. The rule is they can't miss more then 5 days or they lose credit for their classes, regardless of their grades.

 

[erincon23]

My DH's brother and family live in Huntersville. We live outside of Chicago, and I can say that from what I hear from them, their high school (and I can find out which one it is, if you're interested) is MUCH higher academically and much more challenging than the one my kids go to -- and we live in a very good school district. My niece just graduated from one of two NC magnet gifted/talented schools in Raleigh - they have a fine arts school and a math/science school -- they're boarding schools for junior/senior only, and if you're accepted and graduate, you get free tuition at any state school (that offer has bounced on and off, according to my BIL, but it's currently on). Their younger daughter is hoping to qualify and go as well. Sounds like a great opportunity for gifted kids.

Erin

 

[Jennasis]

Huntersville is lovely as is Lake Norman, Davidson, Cornelius, and further south Waxhaw and Weddington. Avoid Char-Meck school diostrict if you can. Some good schools, but some real issues too. Huntersville has a LOT of appeal. Don't be scared of the traffic stories. Maybe it's because I lived on Long Island for 26 years before moving down here, but I-77 traffic is NOTHING to me. It gets congested, but not unbearable. Now the drivers in Mooresville (who all seem to laboring under the delusion that they are all NASCAR drivers...THAT's a problem).

 

[MomofKatie]

A good resource for looking into how well NC public schools perform:

http://www.ncreportcards.org/src/

You can plug in schools by geographic area, zip code, or county/city name.