Choosing the right Charlotte suburb
Having lived in the big cities, I moved to Charlotte in 2006. I have had the experience of being in various sections of Charlotte, and I can honestly say all are great. For those looking to move to the Charlotte area from another state, or a big city, I can assure you that you will find what you are looking for here in Charlotte. I found a recent study that covered the top 10 suburbs to live in. I wasn’t surprised that 2 of them are Charlotte suburbs. The suburb study is based on criteria including cost of living, education, and amenities. At the top of the list is Westerville, OH, a suburb of Columbus, OH. The rest of the list is comprised of cities in states including Texas, California, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Tennessee:
1. Westerville, OH
2. Plano, TX
3. Georgetown, TX
4. Round Rock, TX
5. Cedar Park, TX
6. Cupertino, CA
7. Matthews, NC
8. Cornelius, NC
9. Newton, MA
10. Germantown, TN
The study is based off the top 75 suburbs connected to the largest 20 cities in the U.S.
- Amenities (shopping, dining, entertainment, etc.)
- Cost of living (percent above or below national average)
- Crime (percent above or below national average)
- Education (student to teacher ratio compared to national average)
- Employment (income and unemployment compared to national average)
From sources including the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics—we were able to see how each city did in the individual criteria (on a scale of 1 to 75, with 1 being best) and also on average to give them an overall score.
DETAILS ON MATTHEWS and CORNELIUS
#7. Matthews, NC

Source: Wikipedia user Jon Platek
The first of two North Carolina suburbs (of Charlotte, NC) the top 10, Matthews, population 27,198, isn’t as safe as the cities we’ve talked about thus far. With 2,952 crimes per 100,000 residents, its crime rate is only 6.6 percent below the national average.
Thankfully for its residents, the city did better in other areas. One of them is cost of living, where it is 3.3 percent below the national average (and only .2 percent above the average for the rest of North Carolina). Median household income is also quite high at $70,742, which is 35.2 percent higher than the national average.
VIEW LISTINGS NOW IN MATTHEWS OR CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM SEARCH
You thought it didn't exist! 440' of shoreline, open water views from sunrise to sunset on private peninsula lot with ES Johnson-built right-sized retreat in a gated neighborhood. Stunning pool & spa steps from the main living area, 3 car garage, primary on the main. Big water views from nearly every room. Open main floor melds living & dining with multiple outdoor entertaining spaces. Kitchen offers oversized island with granite counters, Miele appliances (inc. steam oven), breakfast pantry, and under counter wine fridge. Behind the kitchen is a walk in pantry w/barn door & waterfront laundry room & mud/drop zone. The dining area is surrounded by windows & open to kitchen. Living room has built in bookshelves, gas fireplace, window seat for 2, and sliders leading to covered porch w/vaulted ceiling, gas FP & retractable screens. The waterfront primary bedroom on main has a covered bluestone patio, an en suite bathroom with garden tub, oversized dual entry shower, split vanities, private water closet, heated towel rack, walk-in closet w/wall safe & windowed flex area for den, or add'l boutique style closet with double glass pocket doors. A silver travertine-wrapped pool & spa (ozone powered, even less chemicals than salt, heated by conventional gas or heat pump) is steps from living area, primary suite & pool bath with shower. Meander upstairs, where the landing features built in bookshelves and a delightful reading area. Two upper bedrooms share a Jack & Jill bath (one of which has access to 317sf of unfinished lake-facing space), and an additional en suite bedroom has 2 walls of windows facing the lake. The rec room has built in desk, wet bar w/under counter fridge & shiplap detailing. The 3 car garage, accessed via breezeway, offers 700sf+ of unfinished opportunity, with lakefront windows in place to build out an add'l living space, wellness center, or recreational space. This custom home is 9 years young, and offers enhanced rip rap, 2024 tankless hot water heater, security cameras, gutter guards, Hunter Douglas automated shades in living room, security cameras & Control4 technology. On-site kayak/paddleboard launch. *HOA-assigned slip #6 is a short walk from the home & transfers with sale. (Private dock not available in Pointe Regatta per Duke.)*. Truly no wasted space, feels like a yacht; curated and water-oriented. Located 30 min to Uptown Charlotte & CLT Int'l Airport. Please see attachments for Features Sheet, Floorplan, Survey and add'l info. SHOWINGS BEGIN MON 12/22.
| MLS#: | 4330388 |
| Price: | $4,385,000 |
| Square Footage: | 3775 |
| Bedrooms: | 4 |
| Bathrooms: | 4 |
| Acreage: | 0.66 |
| Year Built: | 2016 |
| Type: | Single Family Residence |
| Virtual Tour: | Click here |
| Listing courtesy of: | Ivester Jackson Christie's - ColleenL@IvesterJackson.com |
Contact An Agent:
8. Cornelius, NC

Source: City of Cornelius, NC
With 24,866 residents, the second suburb of Charlotte to earn a spot in our top 10, Cornelius, is about on par with the national average in terms of crime; 314 crimes per 10,000 residents annually. Property crime in the city, however, is slightly higher than the national average.
Cornelius is the first city we’ve detailed where the cost of living is actually higher than the average than the rest of the country (by 2.5 percent). Its median household income of $81,532 is 55.8 percent higher than the American average and 85.3 percent more than the average for North Carolina. In terms of education, its class sizes are double the national average; it has a 32-to-1 student-teacher ratio compared to 16-to-1 for the U.S. average.
Cornelius, also has the drawn of Lake Norman. A beautiful lake, boasting million dollar lake homes, condos, and restaurants.
VIEW LISTINGS NOW IN CORNELIUS: OR CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM SEARCH
You thought it didn't exist! 440' of shoreline, open water views from sunrise to sunset on private peninsula lot with ES Johnson-built right-sized retreat in a gated neighborhood. Stunning pool & spa steps from the main living area, 3 car garage, primary on the main. Big water views from nearly every room. Open main floor melds living & dining with multiple outdoor entertaining spaces. Kitchen offers oversized island with granite counters, Miele appliances (inc. steam oven), breakfast pantry, and under counter wine fridge. Behind the kitchen is a walk in pantry w/barn door & waterfront laundry room & mud/drop zone. The dining area is surrounded by windows & open to kitchen. Living room has built in bookshelves, gas fireplace, window seat for 2, and sliders leading to covered porch w/vaulted ceiling, gas FP & retractable screens. The waterfront primary bedroom on main has a covered bluestone patio, an en suite bathroom with garden tub, oversized dual entry shower, split vanities, private water closet, heated towel rack, walk-in closet w/wall safe & windowed flex area for den, or add'l boutique style closet with double glass pocket doors. A silver travertine-wrapped pool & spa (ozone powered, even less chemicals than salt, heated by conventional gas or heat pump) is steps from living area, primary suite & pool bath with shower. Meander upstairs, where the landing features built in bookshelves and a delightful reading area. Two upper bedrooms share a Jack & Jill bath (one of which has access to 317sf of unfinished lake-facing space), and an additional en suite bedroom has 2 walls of windows facing the lake. The rec room has built in desk, wet bar w/under counter fridge & shiplap detailing. The 3 car garage, accessed via breezeway, offers 700sf+ of unfinished opportunity, with lakefront windows in place to build out an add'l living space, wellness center, or recreational space. This custom home is 9 years young, and offers enhanced rip rap, 2024 tankless hot water heater, security cameras, gutter guards, Hunter Douglas automated shades in living room, security cameras & Control4 technology. On-site kayak/paddleboard launch. *HOA-assigned slip #6 is a short walk from the home & transfers with sale. (Private dock not available in Pointe Regatta per Duke.)*. Truly no wasted space, feels like a yacht; curated and water-oriented. Located 30 min to Uptown Charlotte & CLT Int'l Airport. Please see attachments for Features Sheet, Floorplan, Survey and add'l info. SHOWINGS BEGIN MON 12/22.
| MLS#: | 4330388 |
| Price: | $4,385,000 |
| Square Footage: | 3775 |
| Bedrooms: | 4 |
| Bathrooms: | 4 |
| Acreage: | 0.66 |
| Year Built: | 2016 |
| Type: | Single Family Residence |
| Virtual Tour: | Click here |
| Listing courtesy of: | Ivester Jackson Christie's - ColleenL@IvesterJackson.com |
Contact An Agent:
Here are the details found on CORNELIUS and MATTHEWS.
CITY RANK AMENITIES EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT $LIVING CRIME RANK
If you would like to search homes in the Cornelius or Matthews area please visit www.daniellewasser.com for
my easy to use Real Estate search in the Charlotte area, and Charlotte suburbs.
Look forward to answering any of your questions!
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