Myers Park in Charlotte, North Carolina

Welcome to our review of the Myers Park neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. In this article, you'll learn all about the Myers Park area and what makes it such a unique place to live. So without further ado, let's jump right in.

Neighborhood Summary

Myers Park is more than just a neighborhood in Charlotte. It's also a national historic district, located in the heart of the city. This history of the neighborhood dates back to the early 1900s, when landscape architect John Nolen started working on preliminary designs. Nolen worked with developer George Stephens to plan the neighborhood, incorporating a pedestrian-friendly loop design.

A century later, this loop design is still intact, and it's one of many things that make Myers Park different from other neighborhoods in the Charlotte area. Use the map provided below to explore this neighborhood in street-by-street fashion.


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Myers Park Homes and Architecture

The homes in Myers Park could best be labeled as southern estates. Most of them reflect the predominant architectural styles of the early 1900's, such as the colonial revival and Tudor styles.

Being a historic district, Myers Park has certain architectural restrictions in place -- as it should. While homeowners can quite a bit to customize the inside of their homes, the outside is a different story. Externally, houses must maintain their original design and structure. This is common to any historical district.

Myers Park is an upscale neighborhood, with an average household income well over $100,000. At the time of this publication, the median house value was around $800,000, though some homes are priced over a million. I confirmed this through Realtor.com in July 2009.

Southern Snobbery, Alive and Well

Myers Park is widely regarded as one of the most snobbish neighborhoods in the Charlotte metro area. The residents themselves would probably argue this, of course, but that's to be expected. It's almost as if the modern-day residents think they have some connection to the southern aristocrats who preceded them. It's a phenomenon that is all too common in the United States -- some of the places with the most beautiful homes attract the ugliest people.

We spent some time in the Myers Park neighborhood in the past, and the elitism is virtually palpable. In reality, the entire Charlotte area is fairly homogeneous. A redneck is a redneck after all, regardless of income level. So what's with the snobbery? It's a mystery to me.

Here's a humorous but relevant entry I found in the Urban Dictionary: "A Myers Pauper is someone ... who spends all their income just so they can live in Myers Park for the prestige, yet have no extra money."

Dr. Charles Reed (of Queens University of Charlotte) made a reference to Myers Park and social snobbery in his 2006 convocation speech.

I could go on and on, quoting this person and that person. But that's not the point of this neighborhood review. The point is that this neighborhood has a pervasive reputation for snobbery, all throughout the Charlotte area. Of course, if you fancy yourself a social elitist and feel that your income makes you a far superior person to "lesser" humans, then Myers Park might be the neighborhood of your dreams.

Learn More About Charlotte Neighborhoods

You can learn more about Myers Park and other neighborhoods in the area by visiting this website: Best Places to Live in Charlotte, NC

This article reflects the individual views of a single person, the author. It is not meant to be viewed as an official description of the Myers Park area. So if you are offended by anything in this article, you'll just have to get over it.

Mayfield Ranch - Subdivision of Round Round, Texas

Are you planning to buy a home in Round Rock, Texas sometime soon? Have you been researching the various neighborhoods and subdivisions around town? If so, you might want to pay a visit to the Mayfield Ranch subdivision located in the northwest corner of Round Rock.

I have lived in Mayfield Ranch for a little over five yeas now, and I've come to realize that it's one of the best neighborhoods in the Round Rock area -- in my opinion, at least. Here is some information about this popular subdivision that you may find helpful:

About Mayfield Ranch

Mayfield is a master-planned community located in the northwest part of Round Rock, Texas, which is in Williamson County. Round Rock, by the way, is one of the fastest growing cities in the country right now. There are approximately 700 homes within the Mayfield Ranch subdivision. There are greenbelts interspersed throughout the neighborhood, so if you're in the market for a greenbelt lot you just might find one available in this subdivision.

Williamson County Regional Park is right behind the Mayfield Ranch subdivision, and if you ignore the "no trespassing" signs you can ride your bike straight through the woods to reach the park. There's easy access to grocery shopping as well, with an HEB about three miles down the road. The new IKEA furniture store is located nearby as well, as are the Round Rock Premium Outlet stores.

In my opinion (as a long-time resident), the Mayfield Ranch homeowners association has gotten pretty lax over the years. They used to have a rule about parking in the street, but that has basically fallen by the wayside. They also allow people to put "For Rent" signs in front of their rental properties, which doesn't help the neighborhood's image and property values much. I've even seen signs in yards that advertised services such as fence staining, which leads me to ask the question -- Is this a neighborhood or a business park?

If you prefer a laid-back HOA that lets people do whatever they want, then Mayfield Ranch might be the neighborhood for you. On the other hand, if you prefer an HOA that actively enforces rules and works hard to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood, you might want to look elsewhere. Again, these are my own personal views as a long-time resident.

Neighboring Subdivisions

The Mayfield Ranch subdivision is flanked by Stone Oak on one side and Vista Oaks on the other side. The residents of Stone Oak (and even some of our residents) love to speed down Mayfield Ranch Boulevard in their cars. So if you're a biker, jogger or walker ... use caution! The developers had the "wisdom" of connecting the two neighborhoods with a through-street, which is what causes this traffic situation. Round Rock police set up speed traps about once a month on Mayfield Ranch Boulevard, but the effects of their efforts are short-lasting at best. The speed limit is 30 mph on this street, but I routinely see people exceeding 50 mph or more. Like I said, cross this street with caution.

School Boundaries & Social Snobbery

There was recently a heated battle about school boundaries in the Round Rock area, and Mayfield Ranch was right in the middle of it. So if you have school-aged children, you might want to get up to speed on this issue. Basically, the Round Rock ISD is creating new schools and revising boundaries as a solution to overcrowding. This has prompted a surprising degree of social elitism and snobbery among many parents. A lot of the parents in Mayfield Ranch, for example, feel that their kids are "too good" to mingle with the children of neighboring Stone Oak (where a new school is being built). It begs the question: What are we really teaching our children?

I find this all very amusing since Texas is, after all, the intellectual joke of the United States. Yet here we have a pitched battle over social castes and intellectual superiority. Go figure. At any rate, it's worth researching if you plan to live in the Mayfield Ranch subdivision someday.