[FloridaH]

We just came back from NC, looking at Charlotte, Greensboro and Ralleigh....
How would you compare life for family with little kids? Where would be better?
It's a hard dissision to make!
Would like to hear all pluses and minuses.

[pslOldTimer]

Although we owned a mountain cabin in NC for 18 years, we never lived there full time or had small kids there, so I can't be much help on your specific questions.

My only comment is, it gets cold up there.

[SunnyDog]

Originally Posted by FloridaH

We just came back from NC, looking at Charlotte, Greensboro and Ralleigh....
How would you compare life for family with little kids? Where would be better?
It's a hard dissision to make!
Would like to hear all pluses and minuses.

I know of a guy who moved to somewhere around Greensboro for a job a few years back. He says summers can be hotter than here and winters are much colder, not much do do there other than hang out in sports bars. Then again, that's pretty much all he did down here. He has no kids. Ask your kids if they want to wear winter clothes and be stuck indoors huddled around the furnace grate for much of the year instead of playing out in the warm Florida sun.

[jensen beach gal]

Where in Florida are you? I would think long and hard before I made that move. unfortunately I didn't do much research before I moved & I miss florida sooooooo much. I am in Eastern Carolina-near Greenville. wow talk about culture shock! The schools here are horrible-but I've heard schools in the Raleigh area are much better. The are In Fla i left just got to be too expensive-i moved out of necessity not a desire to leave-trying to look at other areas in florida that may be more affordable-maybe the west coast-any suggestions would be awesome-thanks

[MB2]

Originally Posted by FloridaH

We just came back from NC, looking at Charlotte, Greensboro and Ralleigh....
How would you compare life for family with little kids? Where would be better?
It's a hard dissision to make!
Would like to hear all pluses and minuses.

My stepson grew up in Mooresville/ NC (moved to FL 2 years ago) and he's almost 19 now. He loved it there, and he had a good time growing up. He said the kids usually go into Charlotte, the big city, to do stuff. He said, when he was up there (last year), a lot had changed. When he lived up there, it was a very rural, somewhat sleepy town. Now traffic galore, and run over with people and constructions. I know the winters are *MILD* there, with a snow and ice dusting here and there. (*in camparison with PA, that is!!!)
But go up to Ashville and you are done....lol.( Sitting with your rear on the furnace.... )
My stepson attended Iredell schools, was always an "A" and "B" student, and liked what the NC schools had to offer. When he came to FL, he found that the highschool here was way behind in a lot of classes. So, needless to say, he did a lot of stuff double and graduated on the honor roll....lol.

[jasontarazi]

I have lived in Boca Raton for the last 12 years. Moving to Charlotte, NC in July - mainly because I work for a company headquartered there, but also for better and more affordable quality of life. Also starting a family and is a much more family-friendly area.

[backtofla]

it's very different in many ways, and then again, when looking at places like raleigh or charlotte, it is the same as fla in many ways. what i mean is, if someone wants to move from tampa b/c of crime and traffic, dont move to charlotte or raleigh. if you like things to do, lots of entertainment, stuff like that, then moving to almost any city other than charlotte or raleigh wouldnt be a wise decision.

i hear a lot of fla vs nc comparisons, and you can only make the decision yourself. dont let someone talk you into one way or another. i am biased at times, b/c i enjoy fla a lot more, so i am trying to be as unbiased as i can... my idea of fun is going to the beach/entertainment/things of that nature. ppl in western nc may think that it's fun to hike or look at the leaves changing. i'm not into those things, so nc want very fun for me. a lot of ppl also move to nc because it's "so pretty there." well, sure a lot of parts are, and a lot of parts are not. fl has beautiful scenery as well, it's just not mountanous. obviously.

[rickyd]

Hi,

I am from SC but my dad works in NC, so I go there alot. I would not recommend anyone moving to the carolinas at all. They are so boring and country and are primarily retirement states. If you like the country and peace, then the carolinas are for you, but if you are looking for fun, variety, diversity in cultures, and lively cities then the carolinas are a no go.

I mean the places are run down and just dead. Even the big cities have that run-down historic look and feel to them.

You just get the feeling of depression when you're here. Everytime I go to Florida and come back home to SC, I start to get very depressed and just to know that I'm back in this dump again.

This part in particular is about the northern half of SC and the southern half of NC......The biggest downfalls of all are the job markets and real estate.....Homes are cheap, yes, but are plain and run down. Jobs don't come and stay because of the quality of life here. Any type of entertainment that tries to come, people (Mainly young thugs) want to show off and shoot up the places, so the entertainment places are gone within a few months...

I'm ready to move out of here myself. 21 years is long enough. Just as I said earlier, if you like that type of living, then don't take my word for it. I'm just putting my own experiences in. I really don't have any positive things to say about either of the carolinas. Sorry.

[backtofla]

they have some good qualities, as i have lived in nc before returning to fla. but some of the things you said are right on...

[MelodyP]

We just moved to NC from Ft. Misery errr I mean Ft. Myers in November and we love it here! We feel this is a great place to raise our kids, the people are SUPER friendly, our rent is wayyyyy less than it was in SWFL, and my finacee is making the same money he was there. We are in Belmont which is about a half hour commute from Uptown (downtown) Charlotte. It isn't "Country" ***** but pretty laid back while still having all the city stuff nearby. We really do not for a second regret our move. Good luck with your decision!