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I am hoping some of you can give us some advice. My fiance and I currently live in NJ and work in NY city. Although we love the NJ beaches, we are tired of the rat race, and are looking to relocate to the south. In terms of what we are looking for: schools, economy, and neighborhood feel with a city near by are the most important to us. We want to be able to make a living while raising a family in an area where the neighbors all know each other and become friends. We only seek a city close by for work and culture. We have been reading about GA, NC, and SC. Specifically, Peachtree City and Marietta, Raleigh, Charleston, Greenville, etc. Can anyone who lives or has lived in these place provide some information? We just want a better quality of life thanNJ/NY has to offer.
I'm not crazy about the metro Atlanta area to include Peachtree City, etc... We lived there for about four years. While I didn't hate it, there is nothing "southern" about it. Atlanta traffic is horrendous, so if you are looking to commute, it will be a nightmare.
North Carolina...We lived in Clayton, just outside of Raleigh and loved it! It doesn't have a southern feel to it, but it's a nice area. I remember that people in the Raleigh area called Cary (another suburb of Raleigh) "Containment Area for Relocated Yankee"...there were a lot of transplants in Cary. It almost has a Northern Virginia feel to it.
I don't know much about South Carolina other than their schools have had some real problems. You would have to be really careful about the school system you were in.
I guess of the three place you listed...Georgia, North Carolina, or South Carolina, I would choose North Carolina. I liked being two hours from the mountains and three hours from the coast. The schools in our area were very good. And we lived in an awesome neighborhood with great neighbors! Check out Riverwood in Clayton (Johnston County) North Carolina.
You can find just about everything you're looking for in areas of the largest metro areas of each state: Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville. I think you'd need to be a bit more specific in terms of jobs, preferred geography, amenities, etc.
The Raleigh area has so many people from New York Metro that it does not feel lke the South in my opinion. It is more similar to DC Metro.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kheat77
Hello,
I am hoping some of you can give us some advice. My fiance and I currently live in NJ and work in NY city. Although we love the NJ beaches, we are tired of the rat race, and are looking to relocate to the south. In terms of what we are looking for: schools, economy, and neighborhood feel with a city near by are the most important to us. We want to be able to make a living while raising a family in an area where the neighbors all know each other and become friends. We only seek a city close by for work and culture. We have been reading about GA, NC, and SC. Specifically, Peachtree City and Marietta, Raleigh, Charleston, Greenville, etc. Can anyone who lives or has lived in these place provide some information? We just want a better quality of life thanNJ/NY has to offer.
You liked Riverwood? My family moved to Riverwood and our next door neighbors, and neighbors across the street ad behind us will not even say hello or "welcome to the neighborhood." I've been stunned at how non-friendly the neighbors are here at Riverwood. Maybe I just picked the wrong street.
Best advice: Don't move to the South and try to change it. Regional culture is constantly subverted and diluted by people from a different area moving in and trying to make their new home more like their old home. If you're not willing to accept the cultural differences in states like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, then stay put.
I wouldn't ENTIRELY agree with the previous posts. Contribute a little bit while appreciating the difference in culture. If that makes sense. Change CAN be good... in moderation.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand... look in to coastal areas such as Savannah and Brunswick, GA and Charleston and Beaufort, SC.
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