Looking to possibly move to Lake Norman

I know I know, I recently started a thread asking about eastern TN area but after a lot of reading on different forums I do not think TN would be a good match for my family. We haven't completely ruled it out but I'm just not getting a good vibe.

So we have shifted our search to the east a bit and are looking at the lake Norman, Lake Wylie areas. From what I have read Norman can get real busy on the weekends and Wylie is not as bad. My question is how busy? is it just hard to find flat water or is it just a complete mad house to the point that you wouldn't want to be on the water at all? We visited Deep Creek Lake Maryland this past summer and the weekends were just plain crazy. Shore to shore boats crisscrossing each other. It wasn't only the amount of boats but the amount od stupid boaters. There was no way in hell I would be caught dead on that water on a weekend.
Is Norman or Wylie that bad?

I would prefer to be lake side but one of the most important things is to be in a good school district. I have two young daughters 8 and 10. I am a public school fan so private schools are out.
It looks like schools around both lakes are really good.
My budget is a hard $350k less would be really nice. Not looking for a big house especially if its on the lake, 2,000sq or bigger 3 beds (4th would be nice because I'm sure family will want to visit).

Any information would help. It's a big deal to move a family from a place that both my wife and I grew up but I just cant take this anymore. We where going to wait for retirement but I lost my dad a couple of years ago at 62 and now 4 more family friends have past away all between 45 and 65. I'm not going to wait around.... I may never make it.
Thanks in advance.

I moved to lake wylie from pgh pa 2 yrs ago. we live on the lake but just across the road, ft 50 with beach and dock. its not busy most of the time. areas that are, are near the main channel and the party coves. York county school district is one of the best. you need to live in Sc if you want stupid low taxes.
you won't get a nice home on the lake, but across from it, you can get a 4ooo sq ft house with property taxes would be about 2k a yr, really cheap. we live in rock hill, its a good school, maybe not the best, but thats with any school.

norman is really busy, but really big, both are great area's any questions, just ask

oh, 300k will buy just about anything you want but not on the water, you need to be 600 plus to get a nice property and deep water. deep water is what costs,

doug, thanks. I was following your thread about the garage. I'll do some research in your area. On the lake would be nice but I would totally settle for across from it. How far are you from the marina and are you able to keep your boat there? How did you find the Job situation when you moved down?

I keep my boat on Lake Norman and from what I've experienced on the weekends it basically resembles the "You scratched my anchor" scene from Caddy Shack. Weekdays, especially when it's a bit overcast, I've had perfect water even on the main channel but anything after noon on the weekends just plan on floating and taking rollers from nutty tubers. Mecklenburg county has some pretty high taxes and the schools are so-so. Depending on how close you need to live to the city you may want to consider Lake Tillery, Badin Lake, or High Rock Lake to the east of the city. I've been on Tillery a couple of times and its much smaller but pretty nice. You may even be able to get a house on the lake or in a community with slips available for under your budget. I've also heard good things about Lake Hickory and I I think you could get lakefront for $350k. (I've already picked out a couple of houses but my wifey refuses to move.....bummer) Either way, good luck.

You didn't ask about it, but don't rule out the SC upstate...not too far from Lake Norman. Lakes Hartwell and Keowee might be an option for you.

I live 10 minutes from charlotte proper, 20 from up town (which is downtown) we moved here because its close to everything but 5 miles away from everything. its quiet and we have our boat in walking distance to use almost all year long. We got 3.8 acres, a 4 sided brick home build in 2000 and a dock with a beach for under 350k. Our neighbors all boat, and we spend all the time on the water that we can. My wife stays home with out 9 month, I am a sales manager for NC, SC and part of Ga so we looked everywhere, Nice thing is we have an airport 30 min away, the best shopping you could imagine and it so cheap to live here.

I am 2 min by water to the Tega Cay marina, we have 1 restaurant on the water 15 min away and one being built this year. Rock hill has 4 high schools, most knows for the amount of NFL pro players in the country come out of rock hill (don't hold me to the exact number). The schools are good, not great, but depending on what side you live on, the elementary and secondary are really good. I have 2 neighbors that are teachers who have worked for multiple districts in the surrounding area and say "rock hill and york" are among the best. Check out rock hill as an option.

There are many subdivisions built on the lake with private docks, and some with community docks like ours, we have 4 slips just for us. 4 for visitors, we have 10 homes directly on the water and 10 across the street. So its like living on the water, but not paying for it We have lots available to build in our neighborhood but only 2 or 3 left. when we moved here, we made the decision to live on the SC side, rented for 6 months and spend everyday driving the lake until we found a compromise.

We wanted lake front, but did not want to spend 800k, My wife kept reverting back to newer homes, (all are huge here) that we really didn't need, but could not pass up the value and ended up making the decision to live across from the water. So, instead of being on top of your neighbors, i can build my garage. These are just ideas that i had when moving, this was the first time we moved (hope the last) and at 39 and my wife 32, we want to be planted for the next 20 yrs.

i would come and visit the area on a weekend, fly into charlotte and check it out, its uber clean, up scale, and in the top 5 fastest growing area's of the country.

I think Wylie is definitely less saturated as far as crazy boaters than LKN. I store my boat in Tega Cay but live about 30 minutes away in Matthews NC. I can still get to my storage and put the boat in pretty quickly, but on the weekends it can get crazy as most lakes around here do. We hit Wylie every Friday afternoon in the summer and always find great water. Sundays also as long as you get out before noon.

little allison creek is great in the morning and evening, crazy in the noon time. people run to the sand bar to party, big allison is usually pretty good all day, but may see spurts of traffic, there are coves all over the lake, just depends on where you live and how far you want to go to get clean water, take about 45 min to run the entire length of the lake

No matter where you move i would think heavily about saving money by NOT living on the water.

I live a half mile from our ramp and keep my boat in my extra garage. I love being able to keep it heated all winter and keep the weather and bugs off of it.

Something to think about

These comments about Norman are correct. If you just want to ride early mornings and maybe in the evenings Norman is ok. It is a lot bigger on socializing than Wylie. Wylie has a few sandbars to hang out on and as mentioned a resturant (is not that great in my opinion) and supposedly another one coming. Norman has a lot of resturants and more places for partying.

I hate Rock Hill and the schools do suck. Fort Mill, Lake Wylie, Tega Cay and parts of York are on the water and schools are decent. Fort Mill schools are top notch. Now if for some reason you want to stay in NC (higher taxes in most places and fuel cost) Belmont is an awesome little place. Just as close to Charlotte and a lot of nice water. Even Mt Holly would work but there is a slight (sometime more or less) current from the damn up that way.

Mountain Island lake may also be an option as well. Less crowded and close to everything.

I lived on Norman and Wylie. I have lived all over Wylie and ended up in Tega Cay, if you buy in Tega Cay have a garage for you boat or a slip rental. Taxes are a little higher in Tega Cay than other places. If I had to do it all over again I would have moved back to Belmont. Lived there a year and loved it.

Give me a shout if you get down and want a tour of the areas in question. 704-506-5700

As far as Lake Hartwell and Keowee, fantastic lakes. I grew up on Hartwell and it is super sweet. Keowee is a beautiful lake but does look crowded due to the housing. Never wakeboarded on it. I have a little secret spot down that way I hit a few times a year :-) .. I also go to Hartwell a few weeks during the summer camping and wakeboarding.

Lake Murray (Columbia SC) is an option too.

I went back and read your post again. For what you are looking for, Norman NO.. Wylie if you are in Tega Cay, Lake Wylie, Fort Mill, or Belmont. I have a little one to and I am here for the schools and lake.

Some very helpful info, thanks.
I'm not to worried about party coves or sand bars. Most of my partying days are over.
I am looking into all of the places that have been suggested.
How are the wages down there. I have a thread going on city-data and it sounds like they are drastically lower than the north. I am a maintenance supervisor at a large upscale nursing home with 18yr experience. Plumbing, electrical, electronics, carpentry, and HVAC license. The wages suggested by some on that site are less than my 3rd shift security guard makes.

I can tell you by moving from Minnesota to Florida a few years ago(I moved back) that the wages are WAY LOWER. I went from being a working mid level mechanic for a Caterpillar dealer in Minnesota to being a service manager(2 steps up the food chain) of another Caterpillar dealer in Florida and took a $10 per hour+ hit!! Mechanics there made less than half what I was making. Same job, same product, 1450 miles apart.

I would say you would be making less. Atlanta's pay grade is $6 a hour more than Charlotte's is in my field. I looked at your job to and it says in the 20$ a hour range but I would think 25 or more. I know a guy left our company for a similar role and he has to be making 25+ or he wouldnt have left. Are you Union? if so they should be able to tell you what the locals scale is here. If you arent maybe look and see what the Union here pays. This area is not huge on Unions but I do believe there is a presence from each field.

i can't chime in on pay scale because i am a commission sales rep and its the same no matter where i live in the states. so moving here was a huge pay raise. As for schools, i agree fort mill, tega cay are great, tega cay is strange from a housing perspective, we tried to find something there, but its unusually weird in the old section, and the newer section is not on the lake or close enough for our family to enjoy it the way we do living across from it. We live in the SC sand bar, at the end of little allison creek, its crazy some weekends but nice to be able to float out to the sandbar and not need a boat to be in the party

i hope rock hill will not be a problem for the school issue, but my wife and i are not opposed to private school, so not as big of an issue for us if we choose that route.
you will like it here but wages may be a problem, come down for a weekend and check it out

Yeah Tega Cay is a little weird for finding a house. I am in the old section and actually have a flat yard. Front sides and back! Its hard to find sometimes over here. I am walking distance to the private beach and can be at the ramp in a few minutes. They sort of screwed that whole situation up selling it off to the marina but it is horrible yet.