Living in Ballantyne and South Charlotte Including Blakeney, Stonecrest, Providence Plantation and Waverly
The master planned community of Ballantyne was carved out of south Charlotte woodland in the 1990s. A new interstate followed — and soon came tens of thousands of new residents..
Today, Ballantyne is a major business hub and the 28277 ZIP code is one of the most desirable in all of Charlotte to live and work. But the greater Ballantyne area spreads farther, encompassing most of Charlotte south of I-485 from the south Carolina line on the east to Providence Road on the west.
The centerpiece of the neighborhood is Ballantyne Corporate Park, a 2,000-acre collection of Class A office space that’s home to the largest collection of corporate headquarters outside of Uptown. MetLife chose Ballantyne for a major relocation in 2013, and companies like Wells Fargo, SPX, LendingTree, Siemens and XPO Logistics all have their headquarters or major presence in the area.
Right next door, Ballantyne Village offers the nightlife hub of the neighborhood. Its restaurants and bars are full of date-nighters every weekend.
Surrounding the corporate park are dozens of neighborhoods with newly built homes. Spreading to the east, the greater Ballantyne area has several more centers of activity. StoneCrest has the area’s most popular movie theater and numerous restaurants. Blakeney has developed into a hot retail destination as well. And finally, out on Providence Road, the Waverly development has come to define live-work-play in south Charlotte.
Ballantyne could soon be in for another major boost. The Charlotte Area Transit System is in the early stages of planning how to extend the popular light trail Blue Line into Ballantyne — instantly connecting the neighborhood to Uptown and University City.
Vitals
Population: 40,195
Commute distance to Uptown: 30 minutes
Median age: 38
Median household income: $108,124
Median home sales price: $339,777
Average rent: $1,352
Things to do in Ballantyne
The Spa at Ballantyne. Located inside the Ballantyne Hotel, this spa makes a staycation oh so appealing. Many packages come with free white wine. Details.
Terrace Cafe. South Charlotte’s most popular brunch spot serves Southern food with a high-end twist. Details.
The Golf Club at Ballantyne. Smack a few drives at the range or play 18. The PGA course is one of the finest public courses in the state. Details.
Riccio’s Italian Restaurant. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but this strip-mall restaurant has pizza worth driving for. Details.
Ballantyne real estate
Single-family homes built from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s dominate in Ballantyne — though there are also a lot of townhomes to choose from.
Several large golf and country club communities call Ballantyne home, like Piper Glen Estates, Providence Country Club and Ballantyne Country Club. These homes tend to be more than 3,000 square feet with open floor plans.
Two shopping centers — StoneCrest and Blakeney — serve as the hubs of central Ballantyne area, offering numerous options for shopping and fine dining. Nearby highly rated Ardrey Kell High School is a draw for families.
Heading west from there, Providence Plantation boasts more than 1,400 homes ranging in price from near $300,000 to more than $1 million.
On the western edge, the newly built Waverly community is pioneering a new type of development. It offers single-family homes, townhomes and apartments all in walking distance of restaurants, shopping and offices. Across the street, Rea Farms is taking the same approach.
Featured image by Lori Bee via Flickr (Creative Commons).