Commutable areas to Salisbury?

[Barkingowl]

I have a friend who commutes from Mooresville to Salisbury every day. I think its a lot longer of a commute than 45 minutes though.

[cjohnsonRE]

I have a new neighbor that I finally had the opportunity to talk with last weekend - she relocated from Boston. Her job is at the VA hospital in Salisbury and she commutes from Mint Hill each day to work. She mentioned that her commute time is 45 min. to an hour. Hope this helps...

[ultraviolet*]

Originally Posted by sydney888

I am in NJ too and up until about 3 years ago, everything aside from groceries and a few local Mom and Pop type stores was 1/2 hr away. Developers have gone crazy and we now have a 15 minute drive to the grocery store, Home Depot, Lowes, Kohl's, Walmart and a few major restaurants. Major malls are still 20 minutes to 1/2 hr away though. I could stand to be a little farther out, but not a ton. The convenience of the stores of course brought the traffic, noise etc.


LOL! Had a friend that lived in Morris Cty, NJ literally across the street from a major mall, a grocery store, Home Depot...everything you could imagine was within a five minute drive... she moved to a corn field in Illinois where even groceries were 20 minutes away. Needless to say... she was miserable. She lasted 3 years and they moved.


Rachael

LOL, yeah, see we grew up in the center of Monmouth county. Once they built the Freehold mall, pretty much anything you could ever want to do or shop for was a 5 minute drive! Before she moved she was living in one of the busiest parts of Ocean county. It was a bit of a culture shock for her to move down here. She doesn't have much choice but to stay, as they came down here because her husband's ex-wife brought his kids to live down here, and he naturally wants to be near them. So I'm trying to help her adjust as best I can!

On the other hand, from what you say about your background... I think you'd be right at home in that area!

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by sydney888

I am in NJ too and up until about 3 years ago, everything aside from groceries and a few local Mom and Pop type stores was 1/2 hr away. Developers have gone crazy and we now have a 15 minute drive to the grocery store, Home Depot, Lowes, Kohl's, Walmart and a few major restaurants. Major malls are still 20 minutes to 1/2 hr away though. I could stand to be a little farther out, but not a ton. The convenience of the stores of course brought the traffic, noise etc.

Just be aware that once development starts, it doesn't stop. Concord is a very good example of that. We lived there almost 20 years ago, when it was pretty much a nuthin' sort of town - exactly what we were looking for. Now, it's shackled to Charlotte. So, if you are looking for enough acreage to store your toys, and have a dog, but be close in to the amenities, you may find development creeping every closer Albemarle and the Locust area, even Mt. Pleasant, used to be the 'back of beyond' places, but the expansion and widening of roads is taking development out that way. We were in that area just a few weeks ago; hadn't been in that part of the state for several years; and noticed subdivisions springing up and large tracts of land for sale. It may take awhile, given current economic conditions, but people out in that area with acreage homes are worried about their rural way of life eventually getting swallowed up by Charlotte 'burbs.

I'd be a little wary these days of being too close to Salisbury. The city poobahs have gotten annexation fever and are causing a lot of people to get quite p*ssed at them. Even the Rowan County leaders are lining about against the city people to put a check rein on them
SalisburyPost.com - Area - Commissioners willing to help Rockwell fight annexation
The article is kind of indicative of what is going on in the developing parts of the state. People move outside the cities, thinking they'll be safe from larger government, only to be swallowed up as those cities try to extend their tax bases. Plenty of us are fine with local law enforcement, volunteer fire and emergency services, and fewer tax-fed amenities. We don't want to become part of a city and lose the freedom that comes with not being under that kind of gov't.

You mentioned Mocksville in one post; another person mentioned Advance. An answer to that would be rolled into talking about Davie County, which I think is a viable choice. Certainly, there are quite a few people who live there and commute to Salisbury (where my workplace is located). I work third shift and, going home in the morning on 601 from Rowan into Davie, the road is a constant stream of people heading in.

To look at that area, you have a couple of options: take Jake Alexander heading northwest from I-85. If your husband has a job near the interstate, heading out that direction means traveling the Jake Alexander corridor, which is busy most of the time. It’s the usual 4 lane thoroughfare broken up with a bunch of stop lights and people trying to access the myriad of businesses on either side. Plus, there’s a set of tracks where drivers are periodically held up with very long trains. To head into Davie county, you cross those tracks, go up a ways and hang a left on 70 (where Jake Alexander intersects I think it’s called Statesville Avenue). 70 is 4-lanes now (thank goodness the construction is said to be complete). The corridor along 70 between Salisbury and Statesville seems to be targeted for industrial development; you see a lot of ‘land for sale’ signs with zoning restrictions. You can take the side roads into the country, but have maps handy. We have topographical maps of the state. This area is known for having a warren of roads that intersect, change names, and are just generally laid out in a fashion to get you lost on purpose

Davie County is reached by making a right on 801 (pretty sure there’s a stop light at that intersection). You’re still in Rowan County until you cross the South Yadkin into Cooleemee: an old, decrepit mill town – a good example of the decline of the textile industry in NC. Past Cooleemee, at the intersection of 601/801 (called “Greasy Corners” by the locals and major roads that bisect the county) you can hang a left and go into Mocksville. Right will take you back to Salisbury. Continue straight on 801 and you will eventually reach 64 (hang a right there and you head towards Lexington. left will take you back down to Mocksville). 801 on the other side of 64 takes you to Advance, Hillsdale, and eventually intersects with I-40. The entire length of 801 between 70 and Advance, with the exception of Cooleemee, is considered rural. That area and the side roads that branch off is where you should be able to find some reasonably priced parcels. Be aware that Duke Power owns 1800 acres near the 801/64 intersection (hang a right on Riverview, about 1 mile before you reach 64. Duke owns all the land on the right side of Riverview. Right now it’s hunting land) It’s totally up in the air as to whether they will build a nuclear power plant on that spot. It was their intention back in the 70s, right now – who knows. You can keep abreast of that via this website Citizens Against Perkins Nuclear Reactor People living in the area aren’t concerned so much about the prospect of a nuclear plant; more about the impact that industry will have on a rural way of life.

Advance (and Bermuda Run/Hillsdale) has become the more upscale part of the county. You’ll find a mix of older houses, even a few trailers, but developers are buying up large tracts and building houses that go for 300k and higher. That quadrant is really the most expensive part. The rest of the county, with the exception of some pockets of development, is really a mix. You’ll find farms, modest houses as well as some ratty trailers. There’s not much in the way of zoning outside of Mocksville/Advance and leaves a lot of room for choices. At this point, Mocksville/Advance has not shown any indications of wanting to annex areas, though Bermuda Run (runs along 801 and down 158, after you pass Advance) is trying to extend its snooty influence. BR is definitely the high end bracket and a gated community.

Personally, being bona fide rural folks with acreage and animals, we prefer Davie County. Development is spreading out from Winston-Salem, but it doesn't appear we'll suffer the same insanity as what is going on in the Charlotte area. In this part of the county, there's a higher native/transplant population, too. We're transplants of long-standing ourselves, but were adamant about not ghetto-ising ourselves into areas of nothing but transplants. Made for an easier adjustment to life down here.

As always, you just have to come down here and take a look around. I'd get some good maps (topographical maps or local maps. you can find them at most of the gas stations), highlight the areas people talked about, and spend a good bit of time driving around. Mark the areas where there are subdivisions and much commercial building, then draw a circumference. That will tell you where you will eventually see development over run the country side.

Good luck on your search

[sydney888]

Silverwing,

Thanks so much for all the info. The next time we come down, we will check out Davie County.

You say you have "acreage and animals", if you don't mind me asking, what kind of animals? My husband and I have been kicking around the idea of a starting a hobby farm, maybe goats or alpaca and my daughter is at the age where all she talks about is getting a horse. Our families think we are nuts. LOL! The closest thing to a farmer in either of our families is my husband's uncle who plants a large vegetable garden every year! Who knows if we will ever actually do it, but we want to buy property where we at least have the option.

[unclebubby]

Hi Sydney 888,

Please consider Cooleemee, NC. A well meaning author above called it "decrepit" and I can not fault them, as I used to think the same thing. However this is a person I assume has never lived here. My wife and I live in Cooleemee, and have for 5 years. It is a beautiful quaint town. Yes the mill left many years ago and took with it a lot of financial stability. But the heart and soul of this very healthy community still remains. Many folks in Davie County speak ill of Cooleemee, but that is because in its prime there was a lot of competition between Cooleemee, Mocksville, & Advance (when there used to be 5 high schools in the county, now there is only one). Now everyone is "Davie County" but the latent feelings expressed by the now grandparents and great-grandparnets have been passed down to the children who have little to no exposure to modern Cooleemee.

Currently you can get a beautiful home for a steal. Let me give you an example. As I type there is a lovely 3 story, 8 bedroom, 2.5 bath, historical home on the main strip in Cooleemee. It has wood floors and a formal dinning room. This historic house was built for the weathier members of the mill and its unique story lives on in our community. It is two houses down from the mayor. It is on about an acre tract of land. There are two outbuildings (not outhouses, ha-ha) in the back and it has as a fenced in yard. And all this for $169,000! What is the problem with it, nothing. Simply put the taxes in Davie County are low, as well as in Cooleemee. People give Cooleemee a bad rap so folks tend not to consider buying here. I am okay with this, as our houses are a little known treasure. By being in the city limits you get city water (tastes great!), city sewer (the mill built a sewage treatment plant capable of processing approx. 6,000,000 gallons a day!), weekly trash & recycling pick-up, as well as leaf pick-up in the fall (maybe 5 times), natural gas lines, and electricity. As far as land goes there is plenty here, and it is very affordable. You will not find 5 acres together within the city limits, but you certainly can just outside the limits and certainly within Davie County.

We boast two historical museums, a well-maintained park for children (located in front of the police department), a fire station in town (two blocks from this house), and one of the best elementary schools in the county!

People are nice, the community is safe (I have never had a problem with crime and feel very safe with my wife home alone). Furthermore, we just had a meeting with the town board last night (04/15/08) to begin the initiation of a kids iniative for many resources for our children now and in future generations. The board unanimously voted to support this initative 4/0 with the mayor's approval as well, and they even agreed to cover 100% of the costs to mail flyers to everyone in the town asking for every citizen's support as a volunteer. Even if you do not have kids, you know that a town which actively cares about its children is typically safer, happier, healthier, and in the long term more financially valuable.

On top of all this, Cooleemee is only:
* 20 Minutes from I-85 in Salisbury (not speeding)
* 15 minutes to the edge of Salisbury
* 7 minutes from downtown Mocksville,
* 20 minutes from Statesville,
* 35 minutes from Winston-Salem,
* 45 minutes - 1 hour from Piedmont International Airport (Greensboro, NC)
* 45 minutes from Concord Mills Mall (largest in NC, about 15 miles north of Charlotte),
* 45 minutes from Mooresville, Huntersville, & Lake Norman
* 1 hour from Charlotte,
* 1.25 hours from the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport,
* 1.5 hours to Waxhaw (I guess, I have never been there)
* 2 hours from Raleigh (state capital)
* 2 hours to Asheville (in the mountains)
* 4 hours from the coast (Wilmington, NC)
* 5 hours to Atlanta, GA
* 6 hours to Washington, D.C.

I know you will hear about a lot of places to live, but in all seriousness it is worth your time to at least consider Cooleemee! My parents just bought a house in Mecklenburg County (on the edge) and paid $185,000 for a 2,000 square foot house, no amenities except it is in a nice new development. They are literally 8-10 feet from their neighbors house on either side.

Cooleemee is rural, I like that, but I also have lived in big cities, and like having easy access to them. We do in Cooleemee, promise! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you make an informed decision (e.g. realtors, stats, questions, etc...). Sincerely, unclebubby. If you come down to the area and would like to meet up for a tour, I would be pleased to help facilitate that for you.

[the 7 oh 4]

Best bet is Concord, NC. It is 1/2 ways between Salisbury and Charlotte. 20-25 minutes to Salisbury and 20-25 minutes to Charlotte (non rush hour). You are close enough to Charlotte to enjoy everything Charlotte has to offer.

GOOD LUCK!