The wife and i are lookin to relocate in the next year or so and were thinkin charlotte. anyone know of a good area close to lakes(like 20-50min) and not to city? thanks for any input

cornelius. its about 20 minutes from charlotte and on lake norman. also huntersville or mooresville

^^^ What Taylor said.. <BR> <BR>However, We live on the west side of Lake Norman in Denver. We moved down from MI in Oct of '07. <BR> <BR>The west side is quieter than the east side of the lake, with less road and boat traffic. Wife commutes to Charlotte in 30 minutes. <BR> <BR>If you have kids in school, many people steer clear of Mecklenburg County because of the schools.

you can also look near lake wylie, i personally can't stand norman. weddington/waxhaw is about 30 mins from wylie, maybe a little farther than you were looking to be but the development around the lake is growing like crazy so i'm sure you'd be able to find something a little closer. half the lake is in sc, half is in nc. imo wylie is better all around, good luck.

move to fort mill SC you have all the things you want from charlotte but way cheaper to live! fort mill is so close you can thro a rock and hit charlotte! lake wylie is in fort mill and morman is 30 mins away(me driving)!

thanks for the input guys.

oh and one more thing. I see when looking at houses most have crawl space or slab foundations. Is this common in the south? Up in ohio almost everything has a basement

Yes, its very common. Basements are very rare in the south. You can find them on older homes, 20+ years. Most newer homes and sub-division homes are all slab/crawspace. <BR> <BR>Lake Norman is the popular lake. I've spent a lot of time out there. It can be a lot of fun, a lot of large homes to cruise by and look at, a lot of open water, and some fun lake front bars and restaurants to pull up to and grab a bite to eat and some cocktails. But there are also lots of big boats, lots of traffic, and lots of idiots to be wary of on the water way. The waters can be very rough on a busy day. But that being said it has a good party reputation, its a popular place to be, and its not too far from the city. But its very expensive to live on, and Cornelius is absolutely horrible to drive through these days. Traffic is just awful. <BR> <BR>The west side, as said, is quieter but its a longer commute to the center city of charlotte. <BR> <BR>Lake Wylie has come a long way in the last 10 years. I haven't spent much time out there, but its growing and improving very quickly. <BR> <BR>If you wanted to be a little further out you could think about somewhere near Mountain Island Lake (please correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't believe there are any homes built on this lake). And then about an hour north is High Rock Lake just outside the town of Lexington. That's where our lake house is. Its a quiet lake with a very different culture than LKN. Mostly pontoons and a more relaxed atmosphere. Much more family oriented and less party lake. <BR> <BR>Lake Tillery is also east of Charlotte in Albemarle. <BR> <BR>I currently live in Concord which is just outside of Charlotte. I can get to any of the above named lakes in less than an hour. You could look into this area as a start. <BR>(Message edited by whiskeytown on June 15, 2009) <BR> <BR>(Message edited by whiskeytown on June 15, 2009)

J-Sos, Where do you mostly board at High Rock? I am on the Rowan County side near Tamarac. I mostly ride in Dutch Second Creek and Panther Creek Coves.

cosmocat, i'm actually on the other side up Abbott's Creek. The #8 Bridge is still too low for me to get up to your area unless i'm on my pwc.

I am on the Rowan side of High Rock also. Right in between Goat Island and the Boat and ski club. <BR> <BR>Lake Norman in my opinion is way to crowded for me, we only go down there for Wake the Lake. High Rock usually has some smooth water and still has places to go beach and party if thats what your into. <BR> <BR>I wouldnt leave High Rock for the world. Also, in between High Rock and Badin theres a little lake called Tuckertown thats one of the best places to ride since there is usually only a hand full of fisherman on the lake. <BR> <BR>Lake front property on High Rock has went up in the last 5 years but still is no where close to Norman.

Shaun dont tell anyone else about our secret lake please. <BR> <BR>thanks

You guys are leaving out the real reason anyone should ever go to High Rock: Tamarac has the best fried pickles on Earth.

Man we High Rockers need to get together some time. My family's only had our place for a year so I don't know too many people.

mt. island has houses on it but it sucks for boarding..... I wouldn't go <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>

I wouldnt say Mt. Island sucks for wakeboarding at all. If you go a little North you can get up in the river and god knows any narrow river with a tree line trumps a cove on the lake any day of the week. <BR> <BR>Charlotte has a lot of wakeboarders but it is an extremely unorganized scene. Probably doesn't help that with 3 lakes within 45 minutes from downtown kind of spreads everyone out.

Hey David <BR> <BR>I believe Ringo might be trying to keep others away! Up the river on Mt. Island is one of the better places in the Charlotte area to board imo. <BR>Always can find glass up there. The only problem is getting through the shallow water to get there. Better know your way through! Google maps satelite imagery will give you a clue! <BR>As far as Lake Tillery goes, I would advice all wakeboarders to stay away. There have been several 20 ft Shark-a-gators seen up that way. They are vicious!

Local High Rock website to hook up with other riders muddywaterpirates.com <BR>Another one for NC and Virginia lakes endofropegang.com

Tim you just might be right. Ive got a few guys I ride with on the Catawba right around where I-85 passes over but occasionally we have put in at Mt. Island and headed up the river. Water is great but like you said you gotta keep your eyes peeled, especially after a recent rain when there's a lot of debris floating around. <BR> <BR>Nice Bubu too - I havnt seen too many of those on Wylie. Saw one at the North Sandbar on Wylie last Saturday and was kinda surprised. The reverse tower is sharp.

Everyone giving away the secret spot. Mt island is waaay busier this year so far. In fact, I had never seen a cop on the lake until this year and they've been out every time I've gone. I agree with knowing your way around too. I saw a MC beach it with 8ppl and rider in tow. One guy ended up in the bow. Nobody was injured, which is good. I couldn't do anything except watch it happen. <BR> <BR>Focker, did they put NWZs up there by the river homes just north of 85? For some reason I swear I saw some buoys out there. I used to put in at Dales on weeknights, but that place has gotten reeeal shady.

yes mt. island's sand bar is actually a "SAND BAR" and is the last obstacle before u hit the river. i live on norman and therefore kinda hate it. MT ISLAND IS THE PAJAMA JAM JAM for charlotte riding.

Ryan - They've thrown some buoys up right there but us, along with everyone else I've seen, have been running on by just trying to stay as far away from them as possible. That area is an accident waiting to happen with how narrow it is and how quickly it can get congested. It doesn't help when 30 kayakers from the water park get all out in the middle and sit there. I'd imagine they will start enforcing the NWZ fairly soon, until then Ill keep ollying the kayakers. <BR> <BR>Ringo - can you clarify what that means? I thought I was pretty current with the urban slang but I can't translate that one...