A month or so ago I created a thread requesting feedback on areas in Winston or Charlotte to live as well as employers. My wife is very much set on moving to the Charlotte area. We've considered somewhere outside in Iredell or Cabarrus Counties. We currently live on the out skirts of Washington D.C. We love the convenience of being close to a major city, however having the freedom to enjoy somewhat of a suburban or rural area. Any suggestions on surrounding cities in these two counties? We are working on narrowing it down, for next year will be the year we hope to move. Also, are there any App State connections regarding employment in the area? I currently work in banking, and although I enjoy this industry, I would be willing to change career paths. All help is greatly appreciated.

I'd recommend Winston-Salem, or its outskirts. If I'm not mistaken, Statesville is about equidistant from Charlotte and W-S.

I'm pretty sure there are a lot of App connections at BB&T. PM me and I can give you a name of one I know there.

Southern Iredell can be higher priced housing in the lake norman areas, but can probably find some things in the outskirts as well.

I live in Concord and work in Charlotte. The drive from Concord to Charlotte is I'm assuming much better than the Mooresville/Statesville drive given the disaster that is 77. Make sure to fully consider that drive both ways before making a decision where you want to live.

Personally, I enjoy Concord as it has everything we could need, taxes in Cabarrus County are obviously lower than Mecklenburg County and I can be in uptown in less than 30 minutes.

I live on the Concord/Harrisburg border. Although, I currently work from home, I used to work in Uptown and the traffic isn't terrible. I wouldn't say its non-existent, but it's not too bad. I also used to live in Huntersville/Mooresville area and that traffic is horrendous.

We have lived in Concord/Harrisburg area for almost 4 years now and love it. Small enough to have a great community feel, but also big enough to have everything you need.

Having lived in both, I would recommend Cabarrus county over Iredell county easily. Although, I only lived in one section of Iredell so I guess I don't have a great judgement on the entirety of the county, we have enjoyed our time in Cabarrus a lot more than Iredell.

I live in Mooresville and work for Wells Fargo in Charlotte. The Mooresville area is growing fast. Lots of new restaraunts and things to do. I commute to Charlotte via bus. Catch the bus in Davidson and let someone else worry about driving through the I77 traffic. The Mooresville Graded School District is nationally recognized and was one of the first school systems nationwide with a digital initiative. Every student from 4th grade up is given a laptop for the school year (the head of technology is an App Grad). The Iredell county schools are very good as well, and they also now have a laptop intiative. If you want to get out of banking, Lowes Hardware is headquartered in Mooresville. Also, my wife is a realtor if you need help finding a home. IM me and I will send you her contact info.

appbanker wrote:I live in Mooresville and work for Wells Fargo in Charlotte. The Mooresville area is growing fast. Lots of new restaraunts and things to do. I commute to Charlotte via bus. Catch the bus in Davidson and let someone else worry about driving through the I77 traffic. The Mooresville Graded School District is nationally recognized and was one of the first school systems nationwide with a digital initiative. Every student from 4th grade up is given a laptop for the school year (the head of technology is an App Grad). The Iredell county schools are very good as well, and they also now have a laptop intiative. If you want to get out of banking, Lowes Hardware is headquartered in Mooresville. Also, my wife is a realtor if you need help finding a home. IM me and I will send you her contact info.

My dad works for Lowes at the corporate HQ. He wants me to work there badly. Haha. I guess its good he feels my experience could be useful. Working at Lowes would make living in Mooresville an easier choice. Which county has the better tax choice?

I've lived in the South Park area for over 10 years and cannot fathom living in another county and working in Charlotte. I've worked uptown, Fort Mill and South Park and never had to commute more than 20 minutes to work, sometimes as little as 5 minutes. Only place I would consider living outside of Mecklenburg County would be Fort Mill/Tega Cay in South Carolina, which also comes with the benefit of lower taxes and better grade schools. However, one positive to Iredell or Gaston is that you will be 30-45 minutes closer to Boone. I have friends in both Iredell and Cabarrus counties, but they may as well be in Greensboro as much as I see them due to the distance away.

If you want small town close to Charlotte check out Belmont in Gaston County. Good public schools and some nice neighborhoods. Maybe 20 minutes to downtown Charlotte. Downtown Belmont has some great restaurants also. Good chamber that organizes lots of community events. Nice historic town.

/\PP ST/\TE GRAD 09 wrote:

appbanker wrote:I live in Mooresville and work for Wells Fargo in Charlotte. The Mooresville area is growing fast. Lots of new restaraunts and things to do. I commute to Charlotte via bus. Catch the bus in Davidson and let someone else worry about driving through the I77 traffic. The Mooresville Graded School District is nationally recognized and was one of the first school systems nationwide with a digital initiative. Every student from 4th grade up is given a laptop for the school year (the head of technology is an App Grad). The Iredell county schools are very good as well, and they also now have a laptop intiative. If you want to get out of banking, Lowes Hardware is headquartered in Mooresville. Also, my wife is a realtor if you need help finding a home. IM me and I will send you her contact info.

My dad works for Lowes at the corporate HQ. He wants me to work there badly. Haha. I guess its good he feels my experience could be useful. Working at Lowes would make living in Mooresville an easier choice. Which county has the better tax choice?

Property tax rates in Cabarrus County are .93%, Iredell .68% and 1.13% in Mecklenburg. The Fort Mill/Tega Cay area is very desirable with nice, new homes and the low rates on pretty much everything in SC. My mother-in-law lives there and really likes it. However, tons of folks have caught on to that.

The Charlotte area wasn't prepared for the population explosion, and it truly shows in the infrastructure which is one of the most frustrating aspects of living in what is otherwise a great place. I would advise you to be very deliberate in choosing where you want to live.