Need Advice on Moving (Greensboro, Winston-Salem: health insurance, house, college)
Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High PointThe 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.
We are looking to move from New Jersey to Winston-Salem. I'm looking forward to getting away from the cold, the fast pace and the rudeness. How do you overcome the fear of the unknown? How do you pick a town to live in? Do you just get a feeling when you visit? Do you over concern yourself with taxes, health insurance and cost of living or just take the plunge. It's very exciting to think of moving but so scary at the same time.
Looking forward to hearing your opinions.
I've taken the plunge multiple times. So maybe I'm just used to it.
I grew up in NY state and went to college in San Diego in the 1980s. I never visited the campus nor had I ever been to San Diego until arriving on the plane a week before classes started. I knew nobody there; the closest connection I had was adult friends of my parents - I only saw them one time.
My job moved to Nevada and then Utah in the 1990s. I could have stayed in SD, where I loved it, but I also loved my job, so I moved with the company. I knew nobody in the area other than a couple of fellow employees. I expected to put my social/romantic life on hold - I was living in a predominantly Mormon area and not Mormon. However, this was where I met my wife.
Together, my wife and I left Utah and moved to Oregon in early 2000. We had very few connections there, other than my parents who had moved there not long before and a friend of my wife's who had moved there as well. I didn't have a job when we moved, though I found one fairly quickly.
In 2005, now with a child as well, we decided the Pacific Northwest wasn't for us. I quit my job, put the house on the market, and scheduled a moving van to take our stuff to North Carolina. I didn't have a job lined up yet, but that fell into place right after I gave notice at work. I accepted the job in NC after a second trip to the area (Greenville).
Our next major move might not be for over a decade, when I look at retirement. But I'm already researching locations, and including foreign countries as a very possible option.
Getting a good feeling about a place is important. Most (including me) recommend spending as much time in as many areas as possible, especially if you're hesitant. I haven't been hesitant to make major moves myself, but it's not for everyone. I do an extreme amount of research before making a major move. I learn a lot about the climate, activities, health care, housing prices and other cost of living details, shopping, etc.
We are looking to move from New Jersey to Winston-Salem. I'm looking forward to getting away from the cold, the fast pace and the rudeness. How do you overcome the fear of the unknown? How do you pick a town to live in? Do you just get a feeling when you visit? Do you over concern yourself with taxes, health insurance and cost of living or just take the plunge. It's very exciting to think of moving but so scary at the same time.
Looking forward to hearing your opinions.
You do research, you visit in person, but most of all, you get a job first!
Even with a lot of research and visiting the area, you can still make the wrong choice for one reason or another. I've read a lot of postings on this site and have to agree that at times the grass looks greener in another state. I live in central NY state and have driven through NC, stopping at Winston Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, Boone and instantly fell in love with all of those spots. I am hoping to move to WS or Greensboro and am still looking for information. One of the things that I paid attention to from reading the other postings is that while we hate snow and cold and long for warmer climate, when we get there, the warmer climate turns into very hot. A whole new thing to get used to. Maybe a visit in the hottest season would help your decision?
Just a thought.
Even with a lot of research and visiting the area, you can still make the wrong choice for one reason or another. I've read a lot of postings on this site and have to agree that at times the grass looks greener in another state. I live in central NY state and have driven through NC, stopping at Winston Salem, Greensboro, Wilmington, Boone and instantly fell in love with all of those spots. I am hoping to move to WS or Greensboro and am still looking for information. One of the things that I paid attention to from reading the other postings is that while we hate snow and cold and long for warmer climate, when we get there, the warmer climate turns into very hot. A whole new thing to get used to. Maybe a visit in the hottest season would help your decision?
Just a thought.
Definitely come for a few days in late July/early August and see how you like the Southern summer!
There will still be a significant "Culture shock" just in different ways things are done in the South vs. the North; be sure you are willing to deal with that, rather than saying "Why don't you do it the way we do?" or "I can't believe you don't have a ___ here!". You will immediately get told "Well, you can go back to NY/NJ if you like it so much better there!"
I am looking for a whole new way of life. I lived in the Princeton area and I even got annoyed with someone who moved from New York. She said we had no place good to eat.
We were thinking of coming down the 2nd week of August. Should we come sooner than that?
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.