Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have lived in North Carolina, frequently vacationed in South Carolina, & have been to Tennessee although I don't know as much about that state. For me it would have to be South Carolina. North Carolina is nice, but to me the entire state feels like a sprawling suburb with no real anchor city, just a bunch of mini cities with suburbs as far as the eye can see (Charlotte is the exception). South Carolina, specifically the Charleston region, is one of my favorite areas in the entire country, & would love to move there. Those are my personal opinions, going off of your list
Schooling: NC
Economy: NC
Growth Potential: Tennessee
Amenities: I am not sure what this is referring to, but I will say SC
Friendliness: SC
Raise a Family: SC
I am biased being from Tennessee. It is a well rounded state with decent sized metros in all parts of the state. However, the rural areas are really struggling, economically speaking. The state does not do a good job of distributing the wealth evenly, and it shows (compare Middle Tennessee to East and West Tennessee). North Carolina does a much better job of this, as many of their cities and towns have new roads and the adequate infrastructure to support the population (schools, hospitals, stores etc.) I know the least about South Carolina, but based on experience, the people were very friendly, and neither Tennessee or North Carolina have anything like Charleston.
Schooling: North Carolina
Economy: North Carolina
Growth Potential: Tennessee is held back by a conservative congress. It could be more progressive (lack of mass transit, poor K-12 test scores, high sales tax etc.) North Carolina is growing much faster.
Amenities: North Carolina is the largest, so it will offer more stuff.
Friendliness: Tennessee
Raise a Family: Tennessee
I am biased being from Tennessee. It is a well rounded state with decent sized metros in all parts of the state. However, the rural areas are really struggling, economically speaking. The state does not do a good job of distributing the wealth evenly, and it shows (compare Middle Tennessee to East and West Tennessee). North Carolina does a much better job of this, as many of their cities and towns have new roads and the adequate infrastructure to support the population (schools, hospitals, stores etc.) I know the least about South Carolina, but based on experience, the people were very friendly, and neither Tennessee or North Carolina have anything like Charleston.
Schooling: North Carolina
Economy: North Carolina
Growth Potential: Tennessee is held back by a conservative congress. It could be more progressive (lack of mass transit, poor K-12 test scores, high sales tax etc.) North Carolina is growing much faster.
Amenities: North Carolina is the largest, so it will offer more stuff.
Friendliness: Tennessee
Raise a Family: Tennessee
I always expected Tennessee to have a closer population with North Carolina, but that's not really the case. Maybe TN is a little more rural, as suburban sprawl is continuing to leak into some rural areas of NC with all the growth. Plus, people keep telling me Memphis isn't really growing at a fast pace. However, Nashville is certainly "New South" and I hear the metro is receiving loads of transplants. I'm sure Knoxville is growing or will likely grow fast in the near future, too.
I am biased being from Tennessee. It is a well rounded state with decent sized metros in all parts of the state. However, the rural areas are really struggling, economically speaking. The state does not do a good job of distributing the wealth evenly, and it shows (compare Middle Tennessee to East and West Tennessee). North Carolina does a much better job of this, as many of their cities and towns have new roads and the adequate infrastructure to support the population (schools, hospitals, stores etc.) I know the least about South Carolina, but based on experience, the people were very friendly, and neither Tennessee or North Carolina have anything like Charleston.
Schooling: North Carolina
Economy: North Carolina
Growth Potential: Tennessee is held back by a conservative congress. It could be more progressive (lack of mass transit, poor K-12 test scores, high sales tax etc.) North Carolina is growing much faster.
Amenities: North Carolina is the largest, so it will offer more stuff.
Friendliness: Tennessee
Raise a Family: Tennessee
North Carolina undoubtedly has better public universities than Tennessee, but they're not cheap. Graduates of TN high schools can now get free tuition at any state community college and almost-free tuition at state universities thanks to the state lottery. They can also use their lottery scholarships to attend private universities within the state such as Vanderbilt.
As far as taxes go, when all the various state and local taxes are added together, Tax Foundation ranks Tennessee 45th in the country for taxes, meaning only 5 states have lower tax burdens than TN. North Carolina is ranked 17th.
The economy in rural NC is no better than it is in rural TN, either. In TN, about half of the state's job growth is in the Nashville area. In NC, it's pretty much divided between Charlotte and RDU. All three of those areas are powerhouses these days in job growth. But outside of those three areas, there's not a whole lot of economic activity going on in either state, especially outside of the larger metro areas (Knoxville, Chattanooga, Greensboro-Winston Salem, Asheville).
I own property in both states. I love the Outer Banks of NC and prefer the NC side of the Appalachians but would choose to live and raise a family in TN.
North Carolina undoubtedly has better public universities than Tennessee, but they're not cheap. Graduates of TN high schools can now get free tuition at any state community college and almost-free tuition at state universities thanks to the state lottery. They can also use their lottery scholarships to attend private universities within the state such as Vanderbilt.
As far as taxes go, when all the various state and local taxes are added together, Tax Foundation ranks Tennessee 45th in the country for taxes, meaning only 5 states have lower tax burdens than TN. North Carolina is ranked 17th.
The economy in rural NC is no better than it is in rural TN, either. In TN, about half of the state's job growth is in the Nashville area. In NC, it's pretty much divided between Charlotte and RDU. All three of those areas are powerhouses these days in job growth. But outside of those three areas, there's not a whole lot of economic activity going on in either state, especially outside of the larger metro areas (Knoxville, Chattanooga, Greensboro-Winston Salem, Asheville).
I own property in both states. I love the Outer Banks of NC and prefer the NC side of the Appalachians but would choose to live and raise a family in TN.
Why wouldn't you prefer living in NC if you don't mind me asking?
For the most part, I definitely agree. The Greensboro/Winston-Salem area is flying under the radar compared to Charlotte and RDU. There are plenty of retirees settling all over North Carolina, but all the transplants seem to be hitting Charlotte/RDU. Most of rural NC isn't too different from rural TN. Nashville belongs in the same neighborhood as Charlotte and RDU, and I'm hoping Knoxville will catch up in the future. I don't know the story in Memphis, but apparently it's more "Old South" like New Orleans or Birmingham?
How about the Chattanooga area? I know it's not as big as the others but it seems to be growing? Also, thank you for all of the input great stats on both states and looks like TN is where we might really look for a place.
Why wouldn't you prefer living in NC if you don't mind me asking?
For the most part, I definitely agree. The Greensboro/Winston-Salem area is flying under the radar compared to Charlotte and RDU. There are plenty of retirees settling all over North Carolina, but all the transplants seem to be hitting Charlotte/RDU. Most of rural NC isn't too different from rural TN. Nashville belongs in the same neighborhood as Charlotte and RDU, and I'm hoping Knoxville will catch up in the future. I don't know the story in Memphis, but apparently it's more "Old South" like New Orleans or Birmingham?
Myrtle Beach and Charleston etc are nice. and I've been hearing good things about Greenville south Carolina. The thing is they're too small. Myrtle Beach, nice city, but only about 30,000 people.That means no pro sports no upscale shopping fewer big name concerts no possibility of the Super Bowl Wrestlemania or NBA playoffs in South Carolina and just a lack of big city amenities.
.if South Carolina and North Carolina were the same size, I would prefer South Carolina. But oh well North Carolina seems kinda sterile too me so i prefer Tennessee
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
