Looking to move to NC or VA from NJ (Charlotte: property taxes, income)

[bobbyandamanda03]

Ok, my husband and I currently live in South NJ - we have been renting for five years and don't want to buy a house here because of high property taxes (actually, thats only one reason out of many).

Anyway, we decided we wanted to move to either VA
(around the Roanoke County area or the Charlotte/Prince Edward counties)
or NC (around the Rockingham/Orange/Forsyth Counties).

Can anyone compare these areas (or the states); like list the negatives of NC/VA vs. the positives.

What we are looking for:
Quiet neighborhood, low-crime (of course), good area but not too expensive to live in, scenic, friendly, near a variety of stores like Wal-Mart, or supermarkets, etc. (may add to this list when I think more about it...)

In the NJ post on City-Data, I saw the heading: Worst areas of NJ to live in.
Are there any "worst" areas that nobody would recommend moving to?

Also, what is NC state tax? And is property tax reasonable?

[mm34b]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/3143724-post6.html

[findinghope]

hi
we just moved from NJ last year and we just bought a house in orange county. compared to NJ the property taxes are not high. but we pay "higher" taxes here in orange county--on a .17 lot, we pay $2k /yr.
as far as crime goes, i feel like i hear more about crime here than in NJ, which is wierd.
but there is no crime free place i am afraid.
i dont know much about the other counties you mentioned, and i cant commenton VA...

[mm34b]

Forsyth County - 0.6960 per $100 of value.
Orange - 0.9500
Rockingham - 0.7050

If you choose to live within the corporate boundaries of a city or town, they'll be an additional property tax for those local services.

[bobbyandamanda03]

in NJ we just have a 7% sales tax
How does it work having a state sales tax and a local sales tax
(do you just add the two together?)

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by bobbyandamanda03

in NJ we just have a 7% sales tax
How does it work having a state sales tax and a local sales tax
(do you just add the two together?)

Generally yes, but it depends on the specific sale item if both (state & local) sales tax will be collected. Example: Basic ingredients to bake a cake will have one tax rate, while buying a ready-made cake at a bakery or other store will have another tax rate.

[heargal]

GREAT well-kept secret!! Affordable housing, reasonable property tax, friendly people. VERY diverse community . . .safe . . .don't know if you mean NC sales tax or income tax. Compared to ANY city, Forsyth county offers good schools, friendly people, affordable property, low crime. Close to mountains for hiking, camping

[Marcus1268]

Ok, If you like the cold winter months and snow....The Roanoke area is just for you... if you are looking for good homes and cheap taxes but close to the bigger cities but with the slower pace...Davidson County... It is very close to Winston Salem and High Point. The school system is great and low tax rate is why so many people from High Point, Greensboro and Winston are moving there.... We just moved ourselfs out of High Point for the schools, but are only 9 miles from the shopping....So good luck!

[roanoker 4]

Since the area is quite mountainous snow tends to fall in the higher elevations around Roanoke, not in the valley. It is not uncommon to have
a big snowfall in Blacksburg(about 10 degress cooler year-round)and in the higher elevations, but no snow in the city/county of Roanoke. If you ever go up to Snowshoe, WV be prepared for huge snowfalls over night. Its great for skiiers but driving those mountainous roads can be quite scary!!