Well, if you're looking in Mecklenburg county, look at Matthews. There you have the Little League,the Farmers Market,local businesses,access to I485,strong town leadership,a town green where they hold spring/summer/fall concerts/arts and crafts shows/childrens carnival. Matthews is very independent of Charlotte. They even repave their own roads. Taxes are cheaper than Charlotte and the town has plenty of corporate and manufacturing tax support. Good banks..BB@T is the strongest most solid bank in North Carolina (no TARP funds needed). Local theater for plays. Lots of church variety to choose from. One church has its own K-12 school (Covanent). Matthews School (elementary) is still excellent. There are actually multiple elementary schools,middle school and high school although assignment is determined by your location and schools are part of Mecklenburg County public school system. Big, new, town library. Presbyterian/Matthews Hospital. Marios Pizza, Carrabas and tons of other good eateries. Siskey YMCA (huge indoor outdoor facilities) The weather is a micro climate in most parts of Matthews. It can be a touch cooler/colder than Charlotte and Pineville but in 20 years and one hurricane (Hugo) I found the worst of the weather skips west of Matthews. Water quality is good, better than what we have in Union County (different source). Of the Mecklenburg towns, including Charlotte, I'd say Matthews has best adapted itself to accommadating northern transplants while retaining the Southern flavor and hospitality.

Even though native and well-adapted to local growing conditions, newly planted shrubs need a period of time to become established before they can be assumed to be 'self-sufficient'. That would extend through at least one full growing season - often a longer period is required. "Some rain" is very likely not enough water if you have not been regularly irrigating them as well. You can check to see if the ailing plants are truly dead by scraping off the bark on a lower stem or the trunks. If it shows green underneath, the plants are still alive and may benefit by pruning back hard to let them regrow (with adequate watering!!). I'd avoid using any fertilizer at this point - when plants are under stress for whatever reason, they are unable to metabolize fertilizers properly and applying it unnecessarily will only stress them further. If it is not green, then they are indeed dead and will need to be replaced. New plants will require regular deep watering during the period of establishment - do not rely simply on rainfall. It is not enough. The other thing you should check is depth of planting. Many newly planted shrubs and trees fail because they have inadvertantly been planted too deeply.

bestyears, while you are waiting for more good advice from others, I'll chime in here. As far traveling between Atlantic Beach and the Outer Banks, I would do one or the other. My choice would definitely be OBX! There is good bit of travel time between the two, long country roads and lengthy ferry ride. You will be at the mercy of the ferry schedule from Cedar Island to Ocracoke and this time of year you certainly need to have reservations so not to be stranded. (you can find out more online on the NC Ferry system website) Once in Ocracoke, you have to drive up to catch another ferry over to Hatteras and above, though those are short and run frequently and are free I think. So, just be aware of the need for a lot of time to get nowhere, if that makes sense. Part of the charm IMO, but it will probably be lost on teenagers. I have not done the OBX with teens though used to spend a lot of time there when DS was younger. But as for visiting the first time, I would suggest somewhere like Hatteras  esp. if there is interest in fishing, or around the Kitty Hawk or Nags Head areas. That way you'll have more to do around you but be more centrally located if you want to explore the more remote areas like going north to Corolla or south to Ocracoke. (My personal favorite, but it is quaint, laid back and no ocean front housing) Hanging out at the beach will be a lot of fun for teens so I would try for ocean front or easy access. IÂm sure there are plenty of water sports possibilities in addition to sight seeing. We always enjoyed the Wright Brothers museum, the NC aquarium and visiting JockeyÂs Ridge State Park where there is a huge sand dune w/hang gliding. ThereÂs lot of info online. I always like to check out tripadvisor.com to see what people have to say about places I visit. IÂve also used the Insiders Guide books when visiting new places. Sorry I canÂt help with recent info. I don't live too far from there but haven't made the trip in a while. I look forward to getting back there soon. I hope that you enjoy it! FC

Okay so you don't have prefect timing. Had you asked the question last August, timing would have been perfect and you could have done the reno. But if you follow the following guidelines, your weeds will be much nicer than anyone else's weeds. Basics of Lawn Care After reading numerous books and magazines on lawn care, caring for lawns at seven houses in my life, and reading numerous forums where real people write in to discuss their successes and failures, I have decided to side with the real people and dispense with the book and magazine authors. I don't know what star their planet rotates around but it's not mine. With that in mind, here is the collected wisdom of the Internet savvy homeowners and lawn care professionals summarized in a few words. If you follow the advice here you will have conquered at least 50% of all lawn problems. Once you have these three elements mastered, then you can worry about weeds (if you have any), dog spots, and striping your lawn. But if you are not doing these three things, they will be the first three things suggested for you to correct. Watering Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an inch in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. Do not spread this out and water for 10 minutes every day. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. If that does not work, then you might have to water more than once per week during the summer's hottest period. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. You will have to learn to judge when to water your own lawn. If you live in El Paso your watering will be different than if you live in Vermont. Adjust your watering to your type of grass, temperature, humidity, wind, and soil type. It is worth noting that this technique is used successfully by professionals in Phoenix, so...just sayin.' The other factors make a difference. If you normally water 1 inch per week and you get 1/2 inch of rain, then adjust and water only 1/2 inch that week. Mowing Every week mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. However, bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses will become the most dense when they are mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. In fact there are special mowers that can mow these grasses down to 1/16 inch. Dense grass shades out weeds, keeps the soil cooler, and uses less water than thin grass. Tall grass can feed the deep roots you developed in #1 above. Tall grass does not grow faster than short grass nor does it look shaggy sooner. Once all your grass is at the same height, tall grass just looks plush. Fertilizing Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 5 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above. Follow the directions on the bag and do not overdo it. Too much is better than too little*. At this point you do not have to worry about weed and feed products - remember at this point you are just trying to grow grass, not perfect it. Besides once you are doing these three things correctly, your weed problems should go away without herbicide. * This used to read, "Too little is better than too much." Recent test results show that you cannot get too much organic fertilizer unless you bury the grass in it.