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Old 11-14-2019, 06:49 AM
 
9,842 posts, read 7,582,672 times
Reputation: 2464

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Hi!

So my Wife and I are starting to plan a move within the next two years hopefully.

We have family in Charlottesville who are deciding to stay there or move to Greenville or Spartanburg SC. Family in Baltimore considering a move to Charlotte. Have family in Conway.

The MIL wants to move somewhere warm. My Wife side of the family considered a move recently for work to the Triangle so they might reconsider that down the road again.

A big reason for the move is proximity to family. Trying to find an area where cost of living is not too high. Wife and I both like to try to go back to college; doing research higher education facilities in these State's have different admission criteria that we feel makes it less of a struggle to get accepted into a program. Also want to find a place that has a lot more warm days. Have the opportunity bro explore be outside. Wife and I love camping and going to the beach so hoping to share that passion with our daughter.

So considering these three States.

From our research so far SC and VA have some expenses attached with it. SC has their income tax and hurricane insurance attached to houses I hear. Though SC pays the highest in my career field out of these three States.

NC is a mix of in Charlotte can almost match my pay rate up North with my current job. There's a lot more job opportunities in my field in Charlotte. Hear Charlotte is expensive. Also looking at the Triad and Triangle.

Now Virginia has job opportunities. Feel COL is little on the high side, can be congested, and higher education cost almost the same as our home State of CT.

How would you rank these three State's:

Looking to find an area with decent school system for our daughter

Don't want to break the bank and have trouble finding rents $1,500 or less

Three or four seasons but a mild Winter

Lots of activities: Outlets, amusement parks, museums, zoo, etc within an hour from a City in respective State

Politics tread on the mind your own business and everyone has rights

Hopefully an area with a mix of culture and individual's from different backgrounds

Good food scene

Any thoughts about how these three States would stack up???
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Old 11-14-2019, 08:54 AM
 
Location: TN/NC
34,822 posts, read 30,876,901 times
Reputation: 47106
You can't paint big states with a broad brush.

I like the Greenville, SC metro the best out of all these. It is big enough to have the amenities I want without a ton of traffic congestion, an excellent downtown, and is close to the WNC mountains, lakes, and Charlotte and Atlanta are relatively close for weekend trips for "big city" things.

Raleigh is probably the most livable day to day with a great job market. I like Raleigh itself a lot. The Triangle tends to attract an upwardly mobile, professional demographic. COL can be a bit high. Charlotte is cheaper, but IMO not as nice overall with more crime.

Virginia's populated areas are pretty expensive. The smaller towns and rural areas are a lot cheaper. Keep in mind that UVA is a public Ivy. UNC isn't far behind. Duke is excellent. South Carolina can't compete in higher education.
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Old 11-14-2019, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Brooklyn, NY
9,866 posts, read 14,195,958 times
Reputation: 10907
Here is my 2 cents about these 3 states:

Looking to find an area with decent school system for our daughter: Virginia probably ranks higher out of these. But as seriousconversation mentioned, you can't paint an entire state as one community. Suburban DC will have the best opportunities for good schools, but with higher cost of living.

Don't want to break the bank and have trouble finding rents $1,500 or less: This one will be the Greenville/Spartanburg area in SC, Charlotte in some areas, Greensboro/Winston Salem for sure, Raleigh-Durham a little tougher, Roanoke, VA definitely, Richmond definitely, but metro DC probably tough.

Three or four seasons but a mild Winter: South Carolina is your best bet here--or Raleigh-Durham areas.

Lots of activities: Outlets, amusement parks, museums, zoo, etc within an hour from a City in respective State: Closer to the coastal areas of Virginia fits this bill, as does the Charlotte area and Greenville, SC and Charleston areas.

Politics tread on the mind your own business and everyone has rights: Virginia is more blue, NC & SC more red...so pick your poison I suppose haha.

Hopefully an area with a mix of culture and individual's from different backgrounds: Metro DC #1 by far, followed by Charlotte, then Raleigh-Durham, Norfolk/Va Beach, Richmond and Charleston.

Good food scene: Charleston, SC is near the top, followed by metro DC and then Charlotte.
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Old 11-14-2019, 11:40 AM
 
Location: Dallas, TX and wherever planes fly
1,907 posts, read 3,208,197 times
Reputation: 2128
Maybe take a week and drive through the various areas and spend a day or two in each. Really there are no bad choices with the options you have given. I highy recommend you and your spouse sitting down and creating a pros and cons sheet with criteria that are important to you both. Cost of living, education options, amenities, traffic, all the various things like that and see what city comes out on top.
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Old 11-14-2019, 04:15 PM
 
9,576 posts, read 7,232,523 times
Reputation: 13996
D, you still planning the big move, God Bless ya! I think, when and if, it happens, we should have a big congratulatory party.
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Old 11-20-2019, 02:30 PM
 
6,772 posts, read 4,420,268 times
Reputation: 6061
How would you rank these three State's:

Looking to find an area with decent school system for our daughter

Don't want to break the bank and have trouble finding rents $1,500 or less

Three or four seasons but a mild Winter - SC, NC, VA in that order.

Lots of activities: Outlets, amusement parks, museums, zoo, etc within an hour from a City in respective State - DC's VA suburbs (but VERY high cost of living), Charlotte, and the Norfolk/Richmond corridor.

Politics tread on the mind your own business and everyone has rights - As long as one doesn't try to cram agendas down other's (especially natives) throats and are TRULY live-and-let live and not play the identity group game, one will do fine in any of the 3. I live in NC and am extremely familiar with all 3 states.

Hopefully an area with a mix of culture and individuals from different backgrounds - This is a pretty general and subject request. But generally, you should have no trouble in any of the 3.

Good food scene - Charleston (one of the best in the nation), Charlotte and Asheville are surprisingly good, and Tidewater area (VA) is good.

Any thoughts about how these three States would stack up??? I love all 3 states dearly. The state for you will depend on which one has the best balance of things you're looking for. Good luck wherever you land! Too, the Charlotte area is not expensive. Its Buying Power (average annual income vs. cost of living) is better than the national average.
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Old 11-21-2019, 04:22 PM
 
Location: Phoenix,AZ
994 posts, read 951,430 times
Reputation: 929
VA gets a fair share of ice and snow compared to NC and SC particularly, unless at higher elevations in WNC. Asheville gets about 15 inches of snow on average. Last year they got more. SC got about 8 in the upstate last winter. SC is usually 5-7 degrees warmer on average during the winter months than NC.

Job market is comparable in each major city in each state.
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