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If your job is in north W-S, I do not recommend looking at Lexington. US 52, the major route from Lexington through W-S can be very congested at rush hour and has frequent accidents that impede traffic significantly.
You can find desirable country settings north of W-S in areas such as Tobaccoville, King, Pilot Mountain that would be a much shorter and easier drive. As you have noted, Walkertown could offer some good possibilities as well.
"The reason for my initial inquiry here is to find out about places to avoid."
WS is a nice place. my wife grew up there. here are some Avoid Reasons:
1. Spring time pollen. yellow/green baby-powder-like dust on everything outside.
2. Spring storms. tornadoes are not uncommon. the area had a big one last April.
3. Summer humidity. you should visit WS in mid-summer, if you can stand it.
4. Summer bugs. this usually surprises most West Coast folks. lots and lots of insects.
5. Fall is usually pretty nice. except this Fall. 2 1/2 hurricanes. (Willa was downgraded).
6. Winter is ok. not a lot of snow, except WS got several inches, including a Spring surprise this year.
all of this is applicable to all of Central NC (Piedmont).
During my online real estate searches, it seems that it is more common for homes to NOT have fenced yards. We have two dogs, friendly and all, but also don't want them to be wanderers. Is the W-S culture not so dog friendly or is being a dog owner just done differently somehow (people keep them leashed more, hidden pet fences, etc).
High humidity is also a negative factor. I have been watching the humidity for a while now, notice it does seem lower overall but not sure if that is generally true. Based on those that live in near W-S, what is your impression of the humidity related to comfort level throughout the year?
Winston Salem is a dog-friendly town, but people do not appreciate dogs that are simply allowed to run loose. It is against the law to tether a dog in the yard and leave it. Underground fences are very popular.
The humidity is very high for most months out of the year. You should spend a few weeks in August here, when you feel as if you need a shower after you have walked outside for a few minutes.
As for your comments about snow/ice, it occurs infrequently here. Therefore, we tend to stay home the two days out of the year when we must deal with it.
As stated, Winston-Salem can be very wet. We have had about 12 days this year with over an inch of rain in a day. We look to be approaching 70 inches of rain for the year! And while it may be warmer than northern Washington, it is not overall a very warm climate, considering all four distinct seasons. In fact, it is often colder here than in Seattle in the winter. Last winter, we had several nights in the single digits with some areas around zero, and a stretch of days where it did not get above freezing. That being said, it's a wonderful, growing area.
Boise, Dallas and Winston-Salem are on our list. I know that NC is not a dry state, but that is not the only criteria. More sun with fewer wet days is more important than pure dryness. Using Sperling's city compare, all come up far more favorable than our current location. W-S shows up as about 40% more sunny days and about 30% fewer precipitation days. One thing I don't like about Texas is excessive property tax rates.
Dare I mention...? NC is mostly conservative and has not the progressiveness of the Seattle area. This is a staunch Bible Belt region you might want to consider. If you don't care, then come on over to the east coast. I have lived in WS and found it stuffy and very conservative. Self righteous abound in churches like Calvary Baptist...hypocritical, ultra conservative...
Dare I mention...? NC is mostly conservative and has not the progressiveness of the Seattle area. This is a staunch Bible Belt region you might want to consider. If you don't care, then come on over to the east coast. I have lived in WS and found it stuffy and very conservative. Self righteous abound in churches like Calvary Baptist...hypocritical, ultra conservative...
just a tidbit of what I experienced in that area.
The uber-liberalism of this area is one of the reasons I want to leave it. We are Christian folk, but not Baptist type (been there, done that).
Yes, while there the conservatism of the rural and small time areas may be a shock to many newcomers, and a source of embarrassment of many natives, the state's population is about evenly split between progressive and conservative. Cities and college towns are quite progressive in North Carolina, with thriving arts and LGBT populations. If you live in a city or urban county, you will find lots of tolerant, modern-thinking people. The state's politics lags because of the obscene gerrymandering Republicans did after the 2010 election, but hopefully the 2020 election will give the state an opportunity to rectify that great mistake.
NC as a whole is pretty mixed politically. You can look up election results for Forsyth County (Winston-Salem) at https://www.ncsbe.gov/Election-Results . Rural areas are more conservative as they are in most of the country. Urban areas are more progressive. Winston-Salem has a strong arts community.
The heat and humidity will be a huge change from Washington. You really need to come visit in the summer.
i think you could make a good go of winston salem.
Liberal in the south is nothing like liberal in seattle but there is a university in the city and around the city core votes democratic. Lots of Christian folk around my experience is a big tradition of mainline protestantism but booming evangelical churchs which is sprung out of baptists
It is HOT and HUMID lots of the year so just understand that
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