small safe towns with walkable downtown in the triad? (Charlotte: transplants, low crime)
Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High PointThe Triad Area
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I will be doing a drive through the area in a few days for possible relocation to the area. Driving from NJ and only can stop at a few places as time allows to get the "feel" if the area could be a possibility for me. I am looking for small towns with charm and possibly a walkable downtown area, low crime, and good school systems. I am from a very small town in Central Western NJ with virtually no crime, walkable downtown, blue ribbon schools but its too expensive for me to buy a home. Is there anything similar in the triad area that I could stop and walk through?
Driving down to SC at the end of this week and planning a "wonky" drive down to drive through certain areas to see if I get a good feel and should look at that place further for relocation. Just wondering if I should even stop in the Triad areas or not. Or which areas W-S or Greensboro I should angle the drive through. Or should angle my drive down a different way toward other areas of interest. Thanks!
There are lots of neighborhoods in W-S and G'boro that meet your criteria, and certainly both have a walkable downtown. They're not "small towns", however.
Kernersville meets most of criteria, although its not particularly charming, and the schools are slightly above average (not sure what constitutes a "blue ribbon school).
Chapel Hill sounds like it closely resembles what you're describing, but its not cheap either. Same for Davidson (near Charlotte). Maybe Hendersonville (near Asheville).
I am questioning the drive through as I only have a certain amount of time to drive down and would rather spend my time in an area that would be a better fit (i.e. Chapel Hill as you mentioned..which would angle my drive somewhat) I'm worried about "wasting time" if that makes sense just because it is such a far drive and I don't want to push it too much, ya know? I am not a city person at all and very worried about crime being outside of a city. I'm sure anything is cheaper than where I live in NJ (I'm from the 3rd richest county in the US-or so they say). Thank you, BC1960 (as your tips in the other thread were fab; so we may still do that as you provided the most comprehensive way to get a feel of the Triad- just wanted to see if anyone else had any more tips to angle the drive better)
I am questioning the drive through as I only have a certain amount of time to drive down and would rather spend my time in an area that would be a better fit (i.e. Chapel Hill as you mentioned..which would angle my drive somewhat) I'm worried about "wasting time" if that makes sense just because it is such a far drive and I don't want to push it too much, ya know? I am not a city person at all and very worried about crime being outside of a city. I'm sure anything is cheaper than where I live in NJ (I'm from the 3rd richest county in the US-or so they say). Thank you, BC1960 (as your tips in the other thread were fab; so we may still do that as you provided the most comprehensive way to get a feel of the Triad- just wanted to see if anyone else had any more tips to angle the drive better)
Well, I think it's fair to say that most people posting in the Triad forum don't think you'd be wasting your time in the area or we'd have chosen somewhere else to live.
The hard part about giving you recommendations is that everything's relative. The Triangle area, which seems to be catching your eye, has a lot of what you're looking for, but there are downsides. It's crowded in spots and can run a good bit more expensive. If you're set on that area, I might recommend giving Apex or Wake Forest a look before zeroing in on Carrboro/Chapel Hill. Visiting that area right now is nice, as the summers are quieter, but it is decidedly a college town, with all the goods and bads that come along with it. And you'll find lots of fellow transplants from the NE in the Triangle area, which I suppose is a double-edged sword.
Despite the fact that they are bigger cities on paper, I think there's a chance that parts of Winston and Greensboro would actually fit your needs quite nicely, and the traffic, cost, and even crime would be no worse than what you'd find in Carrboro/CH. I'm sure someone else could speak to the smaller towns around Greensboro, but around Winston, Clemmons and Lewisville are great options (though they don't have the walkable downtowns you crave), and Kernersville could fit too (nice little downtown area and smack-dab between Winston-Salem and Greensboro, but it's a little more trafficky).
But of course, it's ultimately your choice, and a personal one at that. I wish you well.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Although it's part of the Triangle, Hillsborough is the town around here that has the most charm. it's the westernmost part of the Triangle, so closer to the Triad than other parts. The town is about 6K people. It has a very walkable downtown with a grocery store, restaurants, library, banks, farmer's market, etc. It is probably most like the plethora of New Jersey towns you are familiar with. The schools are probably average on a national scale (above average for NC), so not likely on par with your NJ school district. Mebane, which is part of the Triad has a small downtown, but schools are considered meh.
Schools, overall, in North Carolina are not rated as highly as schools overall in New Jersey. The citizens of the state are not nearly as wealthy overall, and as you probably know, school success is closely tied with income. Schools also aren't as well-funded here (hence the much lower taxes). That's not to say there aren't highly ranked schools in the state. There are, but they are fewer and farther between than in New Jersey. Chapel Hill/Carrboro is probably your best bet, if schools are driving your decision. And the district is small (3 high schools, 4 middle schools, 11 elementary schools), so more like New Jersey school districts.
In the Triangle, Wake County, which is a huge district has many well-rated schools. As mentioned, Apex and Wake Forest have cute downtowns and decently rated schools. I'm not familiar enough with the Forsyth and Guilford schools to comment on them, but there are good ones to be found there, too. Whether they exist where a charming downtown also exists, I do not know. Good luck!
Kernersville is probably the only "small" town in the immediate Triad area with anything close to a walkable downtown. The rest of the towns are more like bedroom communities or suburbs with no real downtown. Outside of Kernersville, there is Burlington but I would classify that as a small city not a small town and I don't know enough about downtown Burlington to say whether its safe or not. I do know they are starting a downtown revitalization effort trying to attract shops and restaurants downtown. On the outer fringes of the Triad there are towns like Mt Airy and Elkin which have nice walkable downtowns which are safe.
Kernersville is probably the only "small" town in the immediate Triad area with anything close to a walkable downtown. The rest of the towns are more like bedroom communities or suburbs with no real downtown. Outside of Kernersville, there is Burlington but I would classify that as a small city not a small town and I don't know enough about downtown Burlington to say whether its safe or not. I do know they are starting a downtown revitalization effort trying to attract shops and restaurants downtown.
Actually there are lots of small towns in the Triad area with a walkable downtown...Mt. Airy, Lexington, and Mocksville for example. Where they fail relative to the OP is on the charming and great schools part.
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