Best PlacesUniversity City North, Charlotte, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University City North, Charlotte, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
University City North, Charlotte ranks 2,949th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University City North, Charlotte
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
University City North, Charlotte's strengths and weaknesses
Where University City North, Charlotte ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where University City North, Charlotte ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University City North, Charlotte
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University City North, Charlotte home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $62,878, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses University City North, Charlotte's effective rate of 0.69%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University City North, Charlotte
University City North, Charlotte runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University City North, Charlotte.
Who works in University City North, Charlotte, and how
Work in University City North, Charlotte centers on hospitality & food and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 46%
- Work from home 47%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in University City North, Charlotte
University City North, Charlotte has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 95% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of University City North, Charlotte and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University City North, Charlotte, month by month
University City North, Charlotte sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 74° | 62° | 51° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 75° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of University City North, Charlotte
The nearest airport, Concord-Padgett Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 14 miles away.
The best schools in and around University City North, Charlotte
Schools across University City North, Charlotte average a B−, better than 78% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Mallard Creek ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
- University Meadows ElementaryC · 32% proficient
- Stoney Creek ElementaryC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ridge Road MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
- James Martin MiddleC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Levine Middle College High SchA+ · 98% proficient
- Cato Middle College High SchoolA+ · 90% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University City North, Charlotte school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University City North, Charlotte measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare University City North, Charlotte against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University City North, Charlotte
Is University City North, Charlotte a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University City North, Charlotte ranks 2,949th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on population health, state finances, and tree cover, and lowest on an overheated housing market and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University City North, Charlotte expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $341,360. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $62,878 median income, cost of living beats 47% of neighborhoods.
Is University City North, Charlotte safe?
University City North, Charlotte is safer than 34% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $735 per resident a year.
Compare University City North, Charlotte with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University City North, Charlotte. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University City North, Charlotte represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
University City North, Charlotte detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University City North, Charlotte: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University City North, Charlotte: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University City North, Charlotte: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University City North, Charlotte: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University City North, Charlotte detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.