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I recently relocated to Greensboro for school from New York, like a lot of people, but I feel like in the seven months I have lived here, I've been disappointed in the how much poverty I've seen and how poorly the roads are designed around here. I have to take Lee and High Point road everyday and everyday I cringe at the strip malls and just the quality of businesses that I see. I also feel like my classmates are too loud and inappropriate with the open way they use racial slurs on each other.
I guess what I'd like to know is, is there an area near Greensboro (because I'm still going to school) that is a little more clean, kept up, etc? My girlfriend and I despise living where we do, just off of Church Street, and we are desperate to get out of the city and live somewhere smaller, quieter, and with a little less crime, as well. Every night - and that is not an exaggeration - we can hear sirens up and down our street. We just need a very different change of view.
Hi Scott, sorry to hear Greensboro isn't working for you. Check out Mebane if you don't mind the commute. It's a small town between the Triad and Triangle and considered one of the nicer small towns in between. You will also be closer to the Triangle for more things to do. My sister goes to UNCG and doesn't care for the area either. I am sure there are more areas in the Triad others can suggest to help you out. We have a lot to do out here in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill if you just need a change on the weekends every now and then. I moved to Wilmington for a year and decided it just wasn't for me and moved back to Durham. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for us.
Thanks for the advice, I will definitely check those out.
Going toward the Triangle might not be easy, since my girlfriend and I work near Winston-Salem (something I suppose I should have included first, lol). Something between Greensboro and WS would be perfect, but it's nice to know east towards the Triangle is always an option.
If you are on Church St. and you hear sirens, it's probably because you are near the hospital. Plus, High Point Rd./Lee St. isn't a great area. If you cringe driving down that way, take a different way. It isn't hard getting around Greensboro and there are tons of different ways of getting places. Let me know where you are coming from and I will give you an aesthetically pleasing way to get to UNCG (where I can only assume you are going to school). I can't stand when people chime in about how poorly the roads are designed here. Give me an example! Not getting defensive, just curious what you think it so terrible.
I moved from NJ to NC about six years ago. When I first came down I rented a cute 2 bedroom apartment in Steeplechase Apts. off the intersection of Hilltop Road and Adams Farm Parkway. At the time it was a great complex in a good area. Shopping was close and easy, and the area had a "cleaner" feel than downtown GSO or HP, plus it has a nice walking trail nearby. I haven't been there in a while, I do know they have built up Hilltop Road which may have increased traffic, but at the time it was nice and may be worth checking out.
I can't say I fell in love with this part of GSO (actually I'm a stone's throw over the line into HP), quite frankly I think the Triad has been a near miss for me, but I do find it easier to get around than downtown while I'm stuck here. Everything I need other than good nightlife is all within a quick drive or walk. I have the choice of three clean food stores, several banks, several pharmacies, plenty of restaurants and take-out all within a couple miles. And getting to Target, Kmart, Home Depot and that cluster of shops is a very short drive and not at all congested as it can feel coming from the opposite direction.
There are brand new apartments in by the shopping plaza off Penny Road. There are also a lot of new condos in the area, many for rent, and some cute houses.
If you feel like taking a drive, hop on Wendover west and come on over to this side of town for a look. Once you get past the Target and Kmart, and go under the outter loop overpass, you'll then feel and see a difference. If you take a left on Hilltop (Laserstorm is on the corner) you can chug down to the Adams Farm Parkway and check out Steeplechase. Stay on the Adams Farm Parkway until it ends at MacKay and take a left, that will take you to a little shopping center at the corner of MacKay and High Point Road - you'd be surprised at how different High Point Road becomes as you enter Jamestown. It doesn't stay nice, but it does have decent sections and there are some cute neighborhoods hidden off the side streets.
If you back track and go back up to Wendover and continue west, you'll come to the intersection of Wendover and Tarrant - there are some condos and a bunch of cluster homes in there on the right. Be careful coming out of there because Tarrant has a bit of a blind curve to it as you come up to the light, so it isn't the place to speed or not pay attention.
Keep heading along Wendover and at the intersection of Wendover and Windstream Way to your left is a cute subdivision that has some nice townhomes, sometimes you can find one of those for rent or sale, and the townhomes are right next to a park. On the other side of the intersection the road is called Premier Drive (Windstream to the left, Premier to the right) and there are doctors offices in there and I think a new office building is going up.
If you go to the next light you can turn right into the recently expanded shopping center. You'll find a movie theater, a bar and grill, food store, pizza and all sorts of things. From that plaza I think you can weave your way through the parking lot to the newer apartments or you can go to the next light which is Penny Road and head up that way. Penny road will wind around and end at 68. If you turn left on Penny instead of right, you'll go past a couple auto repair places and then can turn right on Samet - there is a not bad looking apartment complex on Samet. There is also a very busy Goodwill store, Carter Bros. BBQ, a gas station, tiny post office, and access to a small shopping plaza. Further down on Penny are new condos to the right then it turns to more older single family homes mixed in with newer subdivisions.
If you keep going on Wendover the next light will be the intersection of Wendover and 68 (Eastchester/Westchester). Head north and you'll find shopping, apartments, office buildings and the airport. Head south and you'll go past some shopping, some housing, and then find yourself in downtown High Point which will make downtown GSO look good.
Since you and your gf commute to W-S for work, I'd absolutely recommend checking out western GSO, and the 'burbs of HP, as well as Jamestown. It is a little quieter over here and less congested. You may also want to check out Kernersville as a half-way point between GSO and W-S.
Nothing can be more humorous than a northerner criticizing roads in the south. And apparently you don't get out much either, you should explore more. If the area you're in doesn't suit you perhaps moving to the west/ northwest side may suit your taste. You might want to check the Summerfield, Oak Ridge areas as well. As far as strip malls go, get used to them, there is no escaping them here.
I find this somewhat funny. I have visited almost every major city in the US. If you think Greensboro is bad, obviously you have not been many places. Greensboro is pristine in compairson to most large cities. What part of NY are you from?
Aren't Northeasterners great at complaining? Just kidding. I'm NOT a Southerner, but a Westerner with NY/NJ/CT relatives. I lived in Atlanta for a couple of years and used to get a kick out of the Northeasterners that complained. But you know what, they didn't like the NE either, or they wouldn't have left.
I had always heard Quality of LIfe in NC was high. But I've also heard that Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and Charlotte, in that order, have more to offer college-age people. I saw someone above recommending Raleigh Durham to you.
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Let me know where you are coming from and I will give you an aesthetically pleasing way to get to UNCG (where I can only assume you are going to school). I can't stand when people chime in about how poorly the roads are designed here. Give me an example! Not getting defensive, just curious what you think it so terrible.
