My wife and I relocated with our 3 children from Fayetteville-Manlius Schools in Upstate New York. Coming from a top 1% school district, we were nervous about relocating to Metro Charlotte.

When someone told me the schools were better in Fort Mill, SC and the taxes were cheaper this seemed suspect but in our view it's true.

We compared the Fort Mill area to Ballentyne. Even in the very affluent areas of the Charlotte Mecklenberg School district, it is not uncommon to find 100 trailers behind the school. By comparison you will not find one trailer behind any school in the Fort Mill disctict. Every school is new and every classroom is equipped with a smartboard, projector and PC.

Nation Ford is a great high school. Lots of good involvement between parents and teachers. The marching band won the state championships and will be one of only 8 high schools marching in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. If you child likes music, it's taken as serious as any sport in this area. They are excellent and it's great fun.

Fort Mill is a great community and if you choose the right area, you can be downtown in less than 20 minutes.