Fifteen miles southeast of Charlotte, just beyond the I-485 perimeter, Stallings, North Carolina is a small hub between two larger suburbs. With only eight square miles of land, the town is undeniably compact, giving it a small-town feel at the edge of North Carolina's largest city. The quiet, subdued environment draws married couples and young families to the varied, largely inexpensive, options in single-family homes available in Stallings NC.
Home to less than 15,000 Greater Charlotte residents, Stallings is less than 2% the size of Charlotte by population, and half the size of the adjacent suburbs of Matthews and Indian Trail. Though the population density comes in a little higher than it does in Matthews and Indian Trail at nearly 1,750 people per square mile, it remains considerably lower than the population density of Charlotte, and families account for the vast majority of that density. Stallings has a higher number of family households than either Matthews or Charlotte, with nearly 2.8 persons per household, compared to Matthews' 2.6 persons and Charlotte's 2.55.
Stallings is home to more children under the age of 18 than Charlotte and Matthews as well, with nearly 28% of its population minors, while more than 10% of its population is made up of seniors over the age of 65. The median age in Stallings is 34 years old.
The number of residents occupying their own homes in Stallings comes in higher than in the neighboring suburbs of Matthews and Indian Trail, with 87% of the population of Stallings residing in owner-occupied housing. Median home values are about on par with Matthews at $209,000, but higher than in Indian Trail and Charlotte, both of which sport average home values of $170,000. Median household income is higher in Stallings than in both adjacent suburbs and the city - $77,000, compared to $71,000 in Matthews, $67,000 in Indian Trail, and $53,000 in Charlotte.
Stallings is also very well-educated, just like its suburban counterparts, with 94% of the population high school graduates and 43% holding a Bachelor's degree or higher, according to the United States Census Bureau.
An enclave between two more populous areas, Stallings doesn't have much culture of its own of which to speak, other than being a very small suburb of North Carolina's most populous city. Directly adjacent to Matthews, though, the town of Stallings does provide easy access to what that larger suburb has to offer, including McDowell Arts Center, an art hub that offers programs and classes for area residents and a gallery for displaying new art works, and historical sites that include the Train Depot, an old depot that Matthews' officials rescued from neglect and moved to the town center, and Matthews Heritage Museum.
A 30-minute drive from Downtown Charlotte, Stallings is also in a position to provide residents access to all that the big city has to offer, from the professional sports of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets to concert tours to more than two dozen museums and art galleries. The city of Charlotte hosts four film festivals throughout the year, is home to multiple theater companies, and has enough bars and clubs you could visit one every night for a year and still not make it to them all.
Away from the concrete jungle of the city, and nestled amongst western North Carolina's ample greenery, life in Stallings is quiet and largely uneventful. Though it has its pockets of slightly elevated crime, as a whole the town is one of the safest suburbs in all of North Carolina. The rate of violent crime comes in at only a third that of the state as whole, and a sixth that of Charlotte, while property crimes come in at less than half that of the state as a whole and a third that of Charlotte.
It may not be the most happening or exciting place to be, but it is safe, offers plenty of outdoor space, and is so close to the plentiful restaurants and shops of both Matthews and Indian Trail that it doesn't really need those amenities that it lacks. There are also plenty of events each year that take place right in town, including a community music festival, Christmas festivities, an egg hunt for Easter, Earth Day celebrations, and more.
Parents will be pleased to know the schools in Stallings are top-notch, which surely has aided in growing the town's population over the past decade. The Stallings school system is rated a 10 out of 10 on education review site GreatSchools, based on the test scores of its students, higher than both Matthews and Indian Trail, and considerably higher than Charlotte.
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It is just one of the smallest, safest, most desirable suburbs that brushes up against the I-485 corridor. It's high household income, attractive modern homes, and good school system make it an ideal place to make home for families and retirees, while first-time homebuyers will be attracted to the deals they can find in Stallings' real estate market. Despite the median value of homes in town, there are still plenty for sale for under $200,000, and some priced just above $100,000. So, perhaps, Stallings real claim to fame is being an idyllic suburban town with a low buy-in cost for those looking for a place to settle down close to Charlotte.
