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I haven't really had time to read the forum so I was wondering if I could ask a few questions about the area.
We're currently living in Nashville, TN and thinking about relocating somewhere else. We've narrowed our choices down to Tampa, FL, Houston, TX, and Winston-Salem.
Can anyone tell me a little bit about the area ? Is the population pretty diverse ? Good/Decent jobs availible ? Cheap affordable housing ?
Thanks in advance, Any information would be huge. We're looking to relocate in a month or two.
Less than a day since you posted your question and you're already judging us harshly? That hardly seems fair. Some of us have lives outside of the internet. lol I'm kidding you.
I wish I could help you. I've lived in Greensboro for many years now (going on 16) and honestly don't know much about Winston-Salem. We currently have our house on the market and are looking around Clemmons, Lewisville and north Davidson County for our new home. Well, new to us anyway. We're not really interested in new construction as it usually comes with HOAs and rules. Blah.
Anyway, we really like the area around Winston-Salem. There are busy parts and really quiet parts.
I would expect housing to be cheaper than in Tampa and Houston. Possibly by a lot.
The Wikipedia link already posted might help with your diversity question.
I can't help with the job question. I'm a SAHM and I don't really pay attention to that. Sorry. I do know that FedEx is supposed to be here some time at PTI airport. Next year maybe? I'm really not sure.
The Triad (Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point) is a growing area. Maybe not at the same speed as Charlotte or Raleigh, but we like it that way. It seems to be an area of interest to many out-of-state companies for relocation. About every year there's news of some company checking out the area.
It's mostly families and college kids around here. (We have several colleges and universities.) Some say there's plenty of nightlife, others don't agree. I can't say one way or the other as clubs and bars aren't my thing and never have been. So y'all would have to come on over and judge for yourselves, I reckon. I do hear advertisements on the radio about local comedy clubs and night clubs and the like. Don't know if they're any good or not.
We have the usual stores and chain restaurants you would expect in the typical American city as well as some local restaurants. There's a thread about that already.
Hmm. There are parks and museums and such. The mountains and the beaches aren't too far off. About 2 hours to the mountains and 3-5 (the Outer Banks being the furthest out) to the beaches. Pilot Mountain is nice for a picnic and hiking without having to go as far. And there are lakes for boating.
There are several nice, small towns in the area that y'all could live in and not have a long commute to Winston-Salem. Clemmons, Lewisville, Kernersville, Pfafftown, etc.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Don't know if I was much help at all.
Less than a day since you posted your question and you're already judging us harshly? That hardly seems fair. Some of us have lives outside of the internet. lol I'm kidding you.
I appreciate your REAL reply to my questions.
I apologize if I seemed rude, We're just in a hurry to decide where we're going because we have a month to get everything in order.
I have to say though, that we're probably 90% committed to moving to Houston, TX.
Thankyou for your answers though Niki, It's glad to know that there are people out there willing to help someone out.
WHY do yo want to move to Houston? My wife and I just spent 3 years there and other than the people we knew, we don't really miss the place. It's really hard to compare the triad and Houston so I guess it just depends on what you're looking for. In Houston you basically have to live 20-30 miles from downtown or you are a) going to live in the ghetto or b) spend $1300 a month on rent. I really don't miss the city where you drive for an hour and half in one direction at 60mph(if you're lucky) and are still in the same city. There are somethings I miss, but they are few and far between. Good luck with your move and if you have any questions on H-town or here let me know, I lived all over that darn city.
Housing is definitely affordable here, when factoring in the proximity. My wife and I just purchased a home 5 miles from Downtown Winston and paid less than most stick builds 30 miles from DT houston. I would say it is a diverse area, but not as much as Houston. The job prospecting here is a little slow, Houston you should not have any difficulty with a job, but that also depends on what you do. The only other thing about the state is something you might be used to, Texas does not have a state income tax, whereas, NC does have a state income tax. BUT that being said, if you plan on purchasing a home, it will be a complete wash since you will pay about $5000 in property tax in Houston, vs $1500 in WS(and less if you live outside city limits). Also, if you are used to the rolling terrain in Nashville, you will definetly miss it in Houston. The only elevation you get there is from the overpasses and buildings (no joke). **This is the wife speaking now*** I wanted to tell you how great Winston is as a town. It's a great town with a small town feel, although the town itself has 200,000 people. They basically have everything a large town has in terms of food and shopping. The town is pretty with many hills and trees and there are lots of parks to go to. Also, the proximity to Greensboro is less than you would take to drive to work in houston, and charlotte and raliegh on a bad day in houston. Also, there are more options here in terms of weekend trips. In houston you do have austin, san antonio, and galveston (very disappointing beach), but here you have the mountains in ashville, boone, and blowing rock, and the beaches on the coast which are about 3 1/2 hours away. Plus, they have really nice state parks and they don't charge admission (like texas). I think this town is great and I consider myself a city girl, I didn't want anything too small and that was my original concern about the location, but it has been the perfect place. The only thing is that the night life isn't quite as hopping, but you can find that in greensboro. They do have a downtown arts district here which is cute and houses many of the bars and nightclubs. Hope this helps, didn't know if you needed the female perspective or not.
I agree with akwebb81. I lived in Conroe, outside of Houston, for about 7 months. I personally didn't like the area at all. But if that's where y'all end up, I sincerely wish you the best.
We haven't decided 100% yet where we're going. From what I've read, N.C. in alot of the areas still have problems with racism ( I know everywhere does, but you seem to encounter it more in small towns vs. big cities ) I'm in a bi-racial marriage and don't want to deal with alot of b.s. about it.
I've been to N.C. several times, I have family in Lexington and Yadkinville. My problems are that several people have told me that unless I want to spend $1,200 a month on rent ( something I can't do ) that I should stay away from N.C.
We've been to Houston several times as well, From what I understand the property taxes all depend where you live and what the zoning is like in your neighborhood, Obviously Houston or atleast Harris County from what I can see has no zoning. I've known people in the area that have had $1,200 a month property tax and people that have had $5,000 property tax and they lived in the same neighborhood.
We're originally from Florida so the flat lands of Texas don't really bother us. We're used to having no seasons and unbearable heat, Although I really do love the weather and scenery in Nashville. I personally love the South East, I'm not a gun toting redneck with confederate flags plastered everywhere either and would hope that I'd never move to an area like that. Not being a snob or elitest in no way but It's just not my type of lifestyle.
We love Houston and We're kind of fond of N.C. can anyone tell me what kind of rent I could get in the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point areas ? Is employment really that bad ?
It all depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for rentals, then yes, you could spend $1200 a month on an apartment, but that's really overkill. If you just need a 1 or 2 bedroom apt, those can be had for $500-$900, it all depends on where you want to live and any special requests you have. Do you want to live right downtown or in a apartment complex? Dogs, kids, etc...? All will depend on where you want to live. I can't speak to the racism aspect as I am truly not affected by it, however, from what I've seen I definitely would not call this a racist area. I thought that it would be very previlent here(you know, good 'ol boys and such), but I have not noticed it more here than anywhere else I've lived and the fact that it is a very "artsy" city probably helps a lot. I would love to say everyone is as open and accepting as me or you, but I do think you will probably find it everywhere if you look for it.
What areas of Houston are you looking at moving to just to be curious? We moved about 8 months ago, but I will say STAY AWAY from the NW side of town. Anything out 290 will be crazy with traffic unless you work local and even then I wouldn't want to subject myself to the madness. 1960 was the cutoff line of "acceptable" housing - but I've heard that was changing and moving even further north(try not to live south of 1960). The Woodlands were very nice to live in, but definitely building up again and you are still a good 30 miles from downtown. Sugar Land was nice, but overpriced and crowded-we couldn't wait to move from there. And anything out I-10 west is very dicey since they are still bulldozing the freeway and it will probably be another 5 years before they open anything back up so traffic is a bear. Basically anything outside the beltway is realitively safe, but just watch out. Also, southwest is VERY VERY scary in certain areas. The townwest area has become the new MS-13 training ground and you couldn't pay me to drive through areas with an armored car.
Sorry for dragging on about Houston, but we really couldn't wait to get out of that city. Good Luck!
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Some of us have lives outside of the internet. lol 
I'm kidding you. 
