Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point
 [Register]
Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point The Triad Area
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 01-12-2014, 09:26 AM
 
Location: NY
3 posts, read 8,480 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi everyone. I'm new here so I apologize if this has been asked recently, but I could use some advice and info on moving from NY to NC.

My fiance (23/M) and I (25/F) and our cats (Monti and Lily) are thinking of moving, because we have lived in this small town in NY our whole lives and we need a change. This is mostly on my fiance's part, who has wanted to do this move for at least 3 years now and has put up with my stubborn self wanting to stay. But I work at a movie theatre, and I'm at the point now where I'm working the max amount of hours (which really isn't a lot) and I have almost all of the major responsibilities, short of accounting stuff and contacting the booker to pick the movies. This is not a job that can support me for the rest of my life--at least not if I want to have a family, buy a house, afford my own health insurance, etc. And the area we live in has very little job opportunities. If you search for a management position nearby all that you get is McDonalds and a gas station. And while I get that those are perfectly legitimate jobs, I would like to find something a little better, something that can hopefully lead to a career (although I still don't know exactly what kind of career that would be). Unfortunately the only "real" jobs in our area (short of finding something up in Albany) are nurse and RN positions, which neither of us is qualified for.

Anyway. So why NC? My fiance wants to move somewhere that is very different from NY. This means he isn't interested in moving to MA, or PA, or NJ, and we can't possibly afford to move to NYC. He's got friends down in NC and he LOVES it down there. He claims that the people and the atmosphere are really nice. I've only been down there once and I was on an army base (or in a crappy hotel) the whole time, so I don't really have a feel for it yet. But it does seem like a nice state to live in, and I know a lot of people have been moving to NC/SC from our area. The cost of living down there seems lower and (at least in the Greensboro area) there seem to be a lot more job opportunities available.

So if we move down there in a few months: What should we expect? What would be the best method of moving all of our things? Would it be smarter to sell our big furniture up here and then just buy new down there? Or would it be cheaper just to get it shipped on a truck? (We have a very big couch, queen size bed, a few bookcases and dressers and a kitchen table and chairs.) We would want to do the move as cheaply as possible, obviously.

Would it make more sense to try and find jobs down there or an apartment first? Should we go down and stay with our friends so that we can physically look at the apartments before we decide on one?

That reminds me, how is public transportation down there? Is there any? Would I need a car? I have one right now but it is technically in my mom's name and she pays the insurance, so I would have to see if she would let me take it over and bring it down with me.

I've had the good fortune of inheriting some stocks and money recently from my grandparents' passing, so if we had to find an apartment and dip into that money to get on our feet before we get jobs, I would be okay with that. But, do you think it would take a long time for us to find something? Or is it (relatively) easy to get a job down there? When I search the ads online it seems like there's a lot available, at least near the cities.

Anything else I should know? Are summers terribly humid there? Are you very prone to hurricanes? Are there giant bugs I should prepare for? What are your favorite and least favorite things about living in North Carolina?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-12-2014, 10:07 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
13,361 posts, read 26,915,480 times
Reputation: 6957
[quote=extensive;32984552 What would be the best method of moving all of our things? Would it be smarter to sell our big furniture up here and then just buy new down there? Or would it be cheaper just to get it shipped on a truck? (We have a very big couch, queen size bed, a few bookcases and dressers and a kitchen table and chairs.) We would want to do the move as cheaply as possible, obviously.
.......
That reminds me, how is public transportation down there? Is there any? Would I need a car? I have one right now but it is technically in my mom's name and she pays the insurance, so I would have to see if she would let me take it over and bring it down with me.
.......
Anything else I should know? Are summers terribly humid there? Are you very prone to hurricanes? Are there giant bugs I should prepare for? What are your favorite and least favorite things about living in North Carolina? [/QUOTE]

Too much information! I can only answer a few things.

The cheapest way to move is to rent a truck yourself. If you can't take it apart and the two of you move it, I'd suggest selling it. For example, I would ditch the couch, but keep the bed.

Public transportation is minimal, and you will need a car.

Summers are very humid, but everything is air-conditioned. The hurricanes do not normally reach Greensboro with anything except heavy rain. Tornadoes happen occasionally, but you can't predict them. There are bugs, naturally, but if you keep your place clean and use bug spray, you can control them.

Re jobs. I won't say it will be easy to find them. However, I suggest figuring a budget, and if you can live on less than $10/hour each, I would say you can make it. This is based on the average per capita income of $24,000 in Greensboro.

My favorite thing about North Carolina: blue skies! My least favorite thing: many people have contempt for rules, and throw trash on highways, trespass on other peoples land and act like Bubbas.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-12-2014, 02:25 PM
 
Location: NY
3 posts, read 8,480 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenage1
Too much information! I can only answer a few things.

The cheapest way to move is to rent a truck yourself. If you can't take it apart and the two of you move it, I'd suggest selling it. For example, I would ditch the couch, but keep the bed.

Public transportation is minimal, and you will need a car.

Summers are very humid, but everything is air-conditioned. The hurricanes do not normally reach Greensboro with anything except heavy rain. Tornadoes happen occasionally, but you can't predict them. There are bugs, naturally, but if you keep your place clean and use bug spray, you can control them.

Re jobs. I won't say it will be easy to find them. However, I suggest figuring a budget, and if you can live on less than $10/hour each, I would say you can make it. This is based on the average per capita income of $24,000 in Greensboro.

My favorite thing about North Carolina: blue skies! My least favorite thing: many people have contempt for rules, and throw trash on highways, trespass on other peoples land and act like Bubbas.
Thanks for the fast reply! I know I had a lot of questions, no worries about not getting to them all. This isn't the only place I'm asking for advice.

I definitely am going to try and talk my fiance into selling the couch. We love it and I know it took him a while to save up for it, but it's just so big (and it has a matching round "spinny" chair that is so big it wouldn't even fit in the minivan I used to drive). I figure the more stuff we can afford to sell, the cheaper it will be to move the rest.

Yeah I kind of figured we'd need a car. In the long run we'll probably need two, if we both want to have jobs in the city area but not live right there. But I'm sure one will hold us over for a while.

Glad to hear the weather is reasonable! It's pretty much the same here in NY honestly. Especially since the last few years we've been affected by hurricanes, too.

I know it won't be a cakewalk trying to find a job. But yes, I'm sure we could live on what you mentioned. Right now I make a bit less than that much anyway per hour, but I'm not full time. My fiance is and he makes a little over $11/hr, so that makes up for it (and before this, I was working two jobs and he was part time, so we could handle a low-ish income no matter if it's unbalanced a bit). The most I've made in a year was $17K while working two jobs, so if we can each hit near or even a little below that I think we'd be very comfortable.

I've heard that the Carolinas are very beautiful. Again, I don't have much of a memory of what it was like down there, but it seems very nice. I am a little worried about the people, because while I've heard that everyone is really nice, I've also heard that they can be very conservative and stubborn. We'll see.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2014, 09:47 AM
 
Location: Greensboro
42 posts, read 70,957 times
Reputation: 30
North Carolina is a great place to live, it has many things to offer and yes the cost of living is lower here than New York. There is quite a mix of people that live here and for the most part everyone is friendly. It is a slower pace of life than New York and much easier to meet people than anywhere I have lived. I live in Greensboro, not to large not to small, we get all 4 seasons so the weather would be considered moderate, traffic is moderate. Finding a place to live won't be hard. Not sure about jobs, so might be a good idea to get some good leads before you move. Most of all it is a beautiful state.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2014, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
1,266 posts, read 2,621,429 times
Reputation: 699
I grew up in Westchester County, NY (Chappaqua, specifically), though I haven't lived there in 30 years. We moved to NC in 2005 (from Oregon). I love it here. Wife likes it but sometimes misses family - most of her family is in Utah and Nevada.

I love the climate here. My favorite place I've lived remains San Diego, but NC is a fairly close second. I love the San Diego climate, even though it is rather boring (as in nearly perfect much of the year). At least here, we get distinct seasons, but they aren't too harsh. I like seeing a little snow - the amount we get in the Piedmont is just right; definitely better than the 3 ft or so we used to average per year in NY. Here, we'll often see beautiful blue skies as previously mentioned, even in the winter - I love a 50 degree day with sunny skies. After living 5.5 years in Oregon, I couldn't go back to so many gray days.

I strongly recommend securing employment before moving here, though. It's still tough out there (for job seekers) in many fields.

In NC, we first lived in Greenville - that was a bit too small, but we would have stayed had my employer not gone bankrupt. Then we lived a couple years northeast of Raleigh. Moved to Winston-Salem area in 2011 when I found a permanent job here. I like the Triad for a mix of good cost of living, decent schools, nice climate, little traffic.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2014, 11:16 AM
 
122 posts, read 199,872 times
Reputation: 124
Consider using your inheritance for college tuition or a technical school (e.g. Cosmetology). You're correct that it would be difficult to start a family and buy a house at your current wage levels. A degree or skill would significantly increase your long-term earning potential. Greensboro has several colleges and universities with reasonable tuition rates. Some of my friends at these schools say they are relatively accommodating to students who need to work.

You could probably live without a car if you were wiling to live and work downtown. However, it would be challenging, and most of the savings from not having a car would be offset by higher rent.

You may be able to deduct your moving expenses from your taxes. Below is a link to the form. If you qualify, take the amount from line 5 on the form below and enter on line 26 of your 1040.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3903.pdf

Goldenage1 is correct about the bubbas being a huge problem. They're ubiquitous in the Carolinas.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2014, 05:52 PM
 
Location: NY
3 posts, read 8,480 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mayorofsynsky
Consider using your inheritance for college tuition or a technical school (e.g. Cosmetology). You're correct that it would be difficult to start a family and buy a house at your current wage levels. A degree or skill would significantly increase your long-term earning potential. Greensboro has several colleges and universities with reasonable tuition rates. Some of my friends at these schools say they are relatively accommodating to students who need to work.

You could probably live without a car if you were wiling to live and work downtown. However, it would be challenging, and most of the savings from not having a car would be offset by higher rent.

You may be able to deduct your moving expenses from your taxes. Below is a link to the form. If you qualify, take the amount from line 5 on the form below and enter on line 26 of your 1040.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3903.pdf

Goldenage1 is correct about the bubbas being a huge problem. They're ubiquitous in the Carolinas.
I may have forgotten to mention this, but I've already got a Bachelor's degree. My fiance is a high school graduate, though, and has yet to have a chance to go to college (no help from his family and no transportation mostly, but also if he does it would be hard for him to keep full time hours and we need him to be working as much as he can right now). If we move and I end up getting a well-paying job, though, I would definitely want to try and at least get him through community college or something to get his Associate's. He really wants to go to school but feels like the opportunity has passed. :/

The cost offset is what worries me. I think I'd rather have my own transportation and be able to live outside of the city. We're from a more rural area and while my fiance is big into cities and being surrounded by a lot of people, I am not. :P

I had no idea moving expenses were tax-deductible. Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-13-2014, 07:41 PM
 
122 posts, read 199,872 times
Reputation: 124
If you have a degree, this should be a good move. You're not being paid a fare wage for a college grad in your current town, and it doesn't sound like there is much chance to remedy the situation.

You should be able to find something in Greensboro. Several financial institutions have large regional offices. Healthcare industry is relatively big; therefore, there are management jobs that don't require an MD or RN. A couple fashion companies have offices in the area. Finding a job won't be easy, but there are worst places to look.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:



Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > North Carolina > Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:59 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top