North Carolina

[zoebartlett]

North Carolina intrigues me. It''s good timing that there''s so much written about it here lately. Every once in a while my FI asks me if I''ll ever consider moving to another part of the country. We''re both from the same state in New England. Although I lived out of state for 2 years when I was little and I went to college in MA, I''ve never lived anywhere else. My FI has never lived in another state and he has said that he can''t imagine living here all our lives. I''m perfectly happy here though-- quaint New England small towns, within a 1-2 hour drive to the ocean, mountains, lakes, Boston, Portland, ME, etc.

I''d be willing to consider moving (in the future, not right now) IF I could find the perfect place for us. I know nothing about North Carolina though, so I"m open to hearing about different areas (it''s such a big state!). Here''s what I''m looking for (not necessarily in any order):

1. Good school systems. I''m an elementary teacher in one of those small, quaint towns I mentioned above and I work in the perfect school for me -- it''s small, you know everyone (I know all the kids in grades 1-3 by name), there are only 2 teachers per grade, and it''s a very friendly and cooperative environment. There are other things I could say but those are the highlights.

I need to love a new job if I''m going to leave my current position in the future. Right now, I have no reason to leave.

2. I love small town atmospheres, but we''d prefer something close or sort of close to a city. We love culture, my FI loves architecture, and we love going to great restaurants, going to the movies, exploring, and just hanging out in the park for a picnic.

3. I''d still love to be close to the ocean (well, probably not further than 1-1.5 hours away). Maybe the mountains but I''m a water baby.

4. We own our own condo now and we''d love to move into an actual house someday. I think this is definitely doable. It''s not here but I think we could do it down in NC.


I''ve heard of Ashville, Charlotte, Winston-Salem (Is this one town or two separate towns? It always reminds me of Minneapolis/St. Paul - actually two different towns although for some reason they are always mentioned together.), Raleigh, and I''ve heard of the Outer Banks. I don''t know much about any of these towns.

Sorry for such a long post. Reading MMM''s recent post got me thinking though...

 

[Jenjen]

Hi zb: It does seem like NC is very popular these days! I grew up in Winston-Salem (it''s one town ) and then moved to Raleigh, where I lived for 9 years before moving away last year. NC has so many different things going for it--Mountains, beaches, city-life, small-town life, cheap cost-of living (compared to the Northeast and west coast) and so on.

So what do you want to know?

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 5/24/2007 8:03:14 PM
Author: Jenjen
Hi zb: It does seem like NC is very popular these days! I grew up in Winston-Salem (it''s one town ) and then moved to Raleigh, where I lived for 9 years before moving away last year. NC has so many different things going for it--Mountains, beaches, city-life, small-town life, cheap cost-of living (compared to the Northeast and west coast) and so on.

So what do you want to know?

Hi Jenjen,

Ummm, I''m not sure where to start. What are some of the areas like -- places like the ones I mentioned above -- Ashville, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Wake Forest I suppose. I don''t mean to be so vague but I''m not sure what these places have to offer. My FI would like to probably have a family at some point (we''re a little undecided), and we''d like a place that is a good family town with (or close to) lots of fun things to do.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think Asheville is a lovely place to live, but it is in the mountain part of the state. I think back in January I posted pictures of a weekend trip to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. I''ll see if I can find that link. We live in a small town in the western half of the state, and the housing prices are good, and some schools are good. The way to choose schools is to go on the NC Public Schools website and look for the school tests scores. You can choose an Honor School of Excellence and that kind of thing. We also have charter schools which are sometimes more innovative and usually smaller. I am not familiar with the eastern part of the state if you want to be 1 1/2 hours from the beach. We are 4 hours from Charleston and go to a beach near there.

Here''s a view from where we go to the beach, and I''ll find the link to the Grove Park Inn pictures. There are many nice places to visit in NC! Maybe I should work for the tourism dept!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This was in the winter, so it is much more beautiful in the other seasons.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks Diamondseeker! I do remember your pictures and I think they''re beautiful! I had to laugh when I read that it takes you 4 hours to get to the beach (in the same state). If I drove four hours east, I''d be in the ocean. Four hours north and I''d probably be pretty close to Canada. Four hours west or south, definitely not in my state anymore. It''s so much smaller than NC!

 

[moremoremore]

See ya there ZoeB...
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/north-carolina-peeps.62369/

My main concerns at this point are the HORRIBLE HEAT AND HUMIDITY I keep reading about and also potential over population and higher taxes in the future...there seems to be a mass exodus...but maybe that is a lot of hype...?....

I have been also looking at Asheville b/c it will be cooler...it actually seems more expensive than Charlotte from what I''ve seen....and it may be too small of a town feel for me and too far from Charlotte...I''m not sure yet...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Asheville is a small/medium size city, not a large city like Charlotte. It has some very nice areas, though. I like to go shopping a few times a year in Charlotte, and we might go to a play or something, but the traffic would be a headache to me on a daily basis. I think Winston-Salem and Greensboro might be worth looking at. Both have universities there and that usually means more varied cultural opportunities. Charlotte is a nice choice for those who really want a larger city.

Actually, that beach pictured is in SC and 4 hours away. Believe it or not, NC beaches take longer than that to get to! NC is a reeeaaallly wide state.

I really don''t think about horrible heat and humidity. Everything (virtually) is airconditioned here..all homes, all schools, all stores, all cars. We have wonderful mild winters that more than make up for the summer heat. Apparently that must be true, because most northerners who move down here seem to stay!

As far as taxes go, they are probably quite low most places outside the largest cities. Our property tax on a 2700 sq. ft. house is about $2300 a year.

 

[elsie]

Hey Zoe,

You may want to consider Wilmington, which is kind of at the southern tip of NC. DH and I used to live there, and we were within 10 mins drive from 1 beach (Wrightsville Beach) and ~30 minutes drive from 2 others (Kure and Carolina Beaches), plus a few more within a 1-2 hr radius. It''s a great small beach town, although it''s developed a lot more since I lived there.

Education, I''m not sure about, but there is a university (UNC-Wilmington) in town.

Wilmington is also a touristy-type area (although I wouldn''t say it was sooo bad that it''s overwhelmed all the time -- mostly just the beaches), so that means there''s golfing, fairly good shopping, good restaurants, an aquarium, a quaint downtown by the Cape Fear River, with lots of other stuff to do. It''s a really pretty place, too, that still kind of has the "southern charm" quality that not a lot of towns have anymore. Plus, you''d be within 2 hours of Myrtle Beach and ~1 hour from scenic places like Bald Head Island (you have to take a ferry to get there, but it''s a small inhabited island that doesn''t allow cars where you can bike, beach, canoe to your hearts'' content!).

I''d recommend checking it out -- we would probably still be there if it wasn''t for the lack of jobs in my area...

 

[fire&ice]

I grew up in Raleigh. Our second home is in Greensboro. I went to College in Winston-Salem. I love the Piedmont Triad area. I taught in W-S. I''ve said this before w/ people getting a bit inflamed - BUT - the school system in NC is very spotty and no where near as good as the northern schools. The disparity between city schools and suburban schools is GREAT. That said, both WS and G''boro are strong University towns w/ much emphasis on art. UNC-G has a VERY strong music school & a culinary school (read GREAT restaurants - much better than Richmond or Raleigh). Winston has *the* School of the Arts. Not to even mention the RICH history of Crafts. Cept the public school system, WS would be a place for you before you even mentioned it. But, it''s close to the mountains - not to the beach.

I''ve never spent much time at the beach (my parents moved to Emerald I. last year - very rural for me). Wilmington is a nice city. Maybe someone else could chime in - but I have heard Greenville, NC is up and coming. ECU is becoming a large university w/ a dental/medical school of late. It is way closer to the beach than any of the cities *you* mentioned. But, any place closer to the beach is going to be flater and loomy (sp) soil. I love the rolling hills and intense forest too much to go East.

As far as overcrowding, the road system is usually the culprit. They just haven''t planned well. Development is going everywhere - but I don''t see overcrowding....just over taxing the current road system. As far as taxes, NC does have a higher income tax & sales tax then surrounding states. Relatively speaking, real estate taxes are lower - mostly b/c housing is less expensive. Nobody has a crystal ball to determine that course.

Good luck. As far as schools to teach at, consider private school. If you move to the Triad, Davison county has the best school systems.

Added bonus, Triad has the BEST farmer''s market & G''boro Colesium is a main venue for big concerts/events.

 

[Skippy123]

I think it is beautiful!!!

 

[Mara]

haha it's so funny to see this thread (and mmm's too in the same week) because greg and i are currently in NC right now visiting the place to see if we might be able to move here at some point in the future. we've spent 2 days in the raleigh area and now we are in chapel hill.

we have visited a bunch of different areas and neighborhoods, it's been a lot of fun and everyone is seriously very friendly and nice. that southern charm i guess?! the weather here right now is just beautiful, like 85 in day and maybe 70ish at night...just great. but apparently it gets HOT HOT HOT in the summer...which no one hesitates to tell us when we ask! they have said july and august are the worst months i guess. we appreciate the frankness actually. a lot of people have migrated here from other states, apparently people from new jersey are coming down here big time, one of the communities we visited, out of 20 families that have moved in so far, 7 are from NJ. and some californians and some texans, seems like people are coming from all over.

we have also gotten a bunch of interesting tidbits of information from people who we talk to, those who have lived here for 10-20 years but came from elsewhere, those who were born and raised here, etc. things like how far the area has come and where people think it is going. discussions about taxes, appreciation, living out here etc. so far it's really intriguing here, i personally have liked it more than i expected to and greg likes it a lot as well. it's interesting to imagine living out here, especially as a northern californian. some areas out here are kind of 'good ole boy southern' still and some seem to be really liberal or as some have put it 'crystal powered granola' hahaha. it's really interesting to see how everyone coexists so well which is so positive. considering that most people consider california the granola powered type, i might feel right at home in those areas. but regardless of whatever camp people might fall in, everyone has been really friendly and welcoming to us, it's really nice actually.

right now we are in chapel hill, one of the suburbs of the area and there is a bluegrass band playing outside our hotel window, apparently on friday's the hotel we are staying in (a historic UNC hotel, beautiful boutique place) they have these 'fridays on the lawn' where they have a band play, they serve wine and beer and tapas...very cool. we just went and walked around downtown chapel hill which is a total college town, and played checkers while drinking iced lattes in a cafe...haha. personally this is very 'california' to me so i am having a great time. raleigh had some fabulous food and we visited some beautiful very established home areas as well as some newer developments and figured out areas where we'd like to live if we moved.

anyway....i wanted to chime in and say two things re: school districts and traffic from what we have seen out here. it's all relative to what you are used to basically. our school districts in san jose are horrible...and you have to move to very expensive areas to get good schools but then you live in a shack, literally, for almost a million dollars to send your kids to public school. out here the schools seem to be quite good actually, compared to what we have, and some seem better than others from locals we have talked to. these schools definitely seem like they are a few steps up (if not more) than what we are used to. same thing re: traffic. people out here say things like 'oh it's 15-20 minutes, so it's kind of a drive'....which makes us laugh because the traffic in the bayarea where we are can be insane. you can work 5 miles away and your commute can be 30-40 minutes. so driving 15-20 or even 30 minutes to work is not bad for us at all. and so far we have been able to get around to all types of different areas within about 30 minutes driving at all types of the day (even rush hour yesterday which was soooooo not heavy...it was amazing). so for us...again it's relative as to how 'far' or how 'traffic-y' things are.

bottom line for us is that it has been very educational to come out here and check things out in person. when i was doing research online i was getting TOTALLY overwhelmed by all the information and different areas of possibility and opportunity. there is nothing like actually coming out and visiting things in person. now everything makes so much more sense to us, even just where things are on the map and streets and all that. it just took us a few turns around a few areas to really feel more familiar with everything. so i'd say anyone considering it, take a trip over if you can and see for yourself. it has been a lot of fun for us and again as i said, i have liked it a lot more than i expected to!! not that i didn't expect to like it, i love visiting new areas just for fun, but i just love living in california where i was born and raised and all my family is there...however i could actually maybe see us living somewhere over here at some point. my biggest thing is my family and leaving them behind...that would be SO hard for me. but i can easily see how quality of life with a family (aka kids) could be better out here for us.

and interestingly enough, some areas seem to really be skyrocketing in terms of price, so i can easily see the next year or two things continuing to climb re pricing. we drove through one slightly established neighborhood last nite, 5-6 years old homes and one of them had sold 5 years ago (new) for something like 370 and now they are selling it for about 480. so that is not bad appreciation in 5 years at all. so it has not been as 'affordable' out here as we thought it'd be either, some areas are seriously expensive!! just like anywhere i guess, you have all the different ranges. we walked through a 9700 sq ft home yesterday that was like a maze!

gotta run to get ready for dinner, but i just wanted to chime in on this thread, because i was a little intimidated originally reading people online saying how bad traffic out here is and all that and then to get out here and realize that it's like 30 minutes, to us that is less than what we typically do. so it's totally all relative to what you deal with now on a daily basis re: schools or cost of living or traffic or similar and what you might expect. but so far, we have been really impressed with these areas of north carolina so far!

i almost don't want to go back home hehee....it's fun out here.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Mara, what a very nice and informative post! I was honestly worried what someone from CA would think about NC. I do think it would be hard for you to leave CA since you are from there and your family is there. And that will be even more important if you have kids. But I thought your point about views on traffic being relative was very true! And schools, too! There are good areas for schools in most NC cities. You just have to make sure the real estate agent knows you only want the best ones.

Thank you for your kind words about your visit to NC!

 

[fire&ice]

Mara - it''s called "Southern Hospitality"

We pride ourselves on it.

..and everything is relative to one''s own experience. When we first moved here, we lived in the country. Now it is the middle of suburban sprawl. Farm trucks used to be the big traffic hold up. Now, it is grid lock in my mind.

Traffic does get really bad in certain intersections at certain times. To me, in my world, taking 4 lights to get through an intersection is gridlock on steriods.

...again relative to schools. depends on what your schools are like. In general, the NE has some of the best public school systems in our nation.

One thing that seems to have changed is the tepidness towards non southerners. Keep in mind that my husband''s grandmother remembered people who went fought & died in the war against "Northern Agression" - not to mention some of the unsavory people who came to the South to take advantage of the situation following the war. Generations have passed and people have little first hand association anymore.

Regarding the heat, again, it''s the humidity/heat index that gets you. Late July/early August is the worst. But, you adjust & deal with it. One thing - Southerner''s LOVE to talk about the weather. We are preoccupied with it. On a bad note, we can get WICKED storms where the thunder will rock your house.

Franklin Street is FUN FUN FUN. Actually, it can be quite adult as well as college kids. Top of the Hill is a fun restaurant to sit outside eat and have a micro-brew. Carolina Inn is where we would go for lunch. Thing about CH is that regardless of whether you live there - you are close even if you live in Raleigh. Personally, I wouldn''t live anywhere in CH but the neighborhood surrounding UNC - especially near the Law School. That said, there are many surrounding "boro''s" that have become bedroom communities of CH. Pittsboro, Carrboro, Hillsborough, etc. All quite quaint with center downtowns.

Appreciation of housing is universal to the entire nation. Like any real estate, it''s related to location, location, location & to the lastest closing or opening of business. It''s a growing area, but home appreciated is relative to any area.


And, do remember about the Airport. They fly VERY big planes from there.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I don''t think the heat is any worse than Ohio summers (but I guess it may last longer). Honestly I hardly notice it b/c like DS said on MMM''s thread every place has a/c. I much rather take a little heat than snow storms

RE: traffic. I agree traffic is bad in any city. I am RARELY stopped in traffic though I don''t usually drive during rush hour but obviously there are other cars around. If you are currently in a large city I doubt you would think it was worse.

 

[zoebartlett]

I''ve liked reading everyone''s posts -- thanks for the input. Mara, I figured you might chime in. I know you and Greg are considering moving to NC. I''m glad you''re liking your visit so far. As for the traffic, even though we''re in a fairly rural area of NH I suppose, we''re used to traffic on some of the major highways around. Thanks everyone for replying about schools in NC. That would be my toughest thing, aside from leaving our families (my parents live about 25 minutes away and my FI''s live an hour away), would be leaving my school. I''m not sure if we will move some time, but I''m glad to hear such great things about NC. As I said, it''s a place that has always intrigued me.

What are the Outer Banks like? Is it similar to the Cape (Cape Cod), Martha''s Vineyard, or Nantucket?

 

[pinkflamingo]

We are visiting Asheville in a few weeks, we are staying outside in Tryon, at the Pine Crest Inn, a B&B that has some wonderful reviews from Wine Spectator. I really would love to move out there, it seems like everyone in Florida *where we live now* is moving to the Carolinas. Should be interesting.

 

[Allisonfaye]

I have lived in both North and South Carolina. I grew up in Ohio and lived in LA for 8 years. I loved the Carolinas. I think they are two of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I honestly didn''t mind the heat and humidity much but my hair wasn''t always looking so great.

The one thing I didn''t like about living in those places was the cultural differences. I don''t want to offend anyone living there but for me, it bothered me. For example, here in Chicago, you never hear anyone talk about Southerners and Northerners but in the South, you constantly are classified as to which part of the country you are from and all the generalizations associated with where you are from are made. People in the South get irritated when Northerners (Yankees) come down there and tell them how to do things. And Northerners do this.

Secondly, you are in the Bible Belt. This may or may not bother you. It bothered me. I won''t go into the reasons why, but it IS a big part of the culture in the South and a part that is difficult to not be affected by. I never lived in the Raleigh-Durham area and maybe as Mara said, there are more liberal pockets there.

And the people are different. In New York, they pretty much tell you what they think of you to your face. In the South, they say it behind your back. They don''t mean to be mean. They are just raised to make everyone feel comfortable and to be very polite to your face (which is a nice thing), but if they want to say something negative about you, they will do it behind your back. Not necessarily bad, just a cultural difference I noticed. Here in the Midwest, it is somewhere in between New York and the South.

I think the cultural of the place that you are moving is as important as the schools, housing, etc. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 6/4/2007 3:54:59 PM
Author: Allisonfaye
I have lived in both North and South Carolina. I grew up in Ohio and lived in LA for 8 years. I loved the Carolinas. I think they are two of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I honestly didn''t mind the heat and humidity much but my hair wasn''t always looking so great.


The one thing I didn''t like about living in those places was the cultural differences. I don''t want to offend anyone living there but for me, it bothered me. For example, here in Chicago, you never hear anyone talk about Southerners and Northerners but in the South, you constantly are classified as to which part of the country you are from and all the generalizations associated with where you are from are made. People in the South get irritated when Northerners (Yankees) come down there and tell them how to do things. And Northerners do this.


Secondly, you are in the Bible Belt. This may or may not bother you. It bothered me. I won''t go into the reasons why, but it IS a big part of the culture in the South and a part that is difficult to not be affected by. I never lived in the Raleigh-Durham area and maybe as Mara said, there are more liberal pockets there.


And the people are different. In New York, they pretty much tell you what they think of you to your face. In the South, they say it behind your back. They don''t mean to be mean. They are just raised to make everyone feel comfortable and to be very polite to your face (which is a nice thing), but if they want to say something negative about you, they will do it behind your back. Not necessarily bad, just a cultural difference I noticed. Here in the Midwest, it is somewhere in between New York and the South.


I think the cultural of the place that you are moving is as important as the schools, housing, etc. Good luck with whatever you decide.

That is true being from the Midwest we never talk about yankees vs. rednecks (just comment on the hillbillies

). I guess those types of comments don''t really bother me. Also we are in the bible belt but besides seeing lots of churches it is not a problem for me (and I am not even Christian). Maybe because Charlotte has so many transplants. I don''t really feel us vs. them. Most of our friends are not native southerners.

 

[partgypsy]

There are alot of transplants here. I live in Durham, and went to a neighbor''s birthday party on Sunday. Though I don''t know them very well I felt very comfortable with them and their friends. Then I found out almost all the people there were not from North Carolina, but originally from the midwest by way of California (I''m originally from Chicago), though there was a good o'' boy who brought venison sausage for the grill

. It really struck home how many people are moving to this area.

 

[moremoremore]

Add me to the transplant list!!!! WE''RE MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our place is going on the market today!!!!

We are moving to (most likely) area 5, 6, or 4.... I LOVE IT.

I''ll die in the heat but I''ll just have to suck it up I guess....that or stay inside for 3 months

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 6/13/2007 1:36:37 PM
Author: moremoremore
Add me to the transplant list!!!! WE''RE MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our place is going on the market today!!!!


We are moving to (most likely) area 5, 6, or 4.... I LOVE IT.


I''ll die in the heat but I''ll just have to suck it up I guess....that or stay inside for 3 months

So you are moving to Charlotte???

I am so excited for you and DS and I would LOVE to meet you and show you around the jewelry stores at least

We love area 5 and probably will stay here forever. They have great restaurants, shopping, everything you could need. Good luck finding a new home and selling your current. When are you coming for a visit?