Considering move to Winston-Salem / Greensboro (Charlotte, Raleigh: transplants, real estate, lofts)

[gipper]

My wife and I have an opportunity to relocate from Orange County, CA to Winston-Salem, NC --- we are not "native" SOCAL's, originally from Detroit, MI. We love the SOCAL lifestyle, shopping, dining out, beach, etc, and have lived in the south before, liked it, but found it a bit "isolated" from the more mainstream aspects of metropolitan areas. We are looking for input from other transplants (locals welcome too!!!) on the shopping, dining out options, "things to do", places to live -- we have a 4 y/o daughter, my wife stays homes and we enjoy going out on Saturdays for fun. We did some research, and there does not seem to be a lot of quality shopping (staples such as Nordstrom or Trader Joes are either in Chapel Hill or Charlotte) -- we'd like to find an area with good schools, amenities (shopping, dining -- not chains), parks, etc. We'd be looking in the 600k range and working in Winston-Salem. I have read some threads on here regarding WS, and it seems like it is luke warm...not as strong of an endorsement as we saw with Raleigh or Charlotte.

We are open to living anywhere, and understand the "give and take" when living is large or small areas -- there is good and bad in everything. Thanks in advance...

[Paper]

I think that the Sherwood Forest Area is nice (we have been looking) or any area that has the Vienna Elementary, Jefferson Middle and Regan High combo

[gipper]

Is Sherwood Forest the town or the development? The schools you mention are covered all in one county? Thanks for the input!

[Paper]

Sherwood Forest is a development...but not like most developments. Not many McMansions, but yet older homes. I really think it is a nice area. Some may prefer newer homes, though.

The schools I listed (Vienna, Jefferson, Regan) are all west of downtown Winston-Salem. They all do well on GreatSchools.com

You may also want to look at Oak Ridge in Guilford County (tiny bit northwest of Greensboro). Newer homes in you price range/good schools. You would get a big bang for your buck For instance:
5914 Crutchfield Farm, Oak Ridge NC 27310 (Crutchfield Farms Ma Subdivision) MLS # 518422 - Allen Tate Real Estate

Again, it is what your personal tastes are.

Will you keep us posted?

[roadpony]

Winston-Salem will definitely be a change from Orange County, but there are a lot of good things to say for W-S. There is a lively arts scene in downtown W-S, and open-air music events on Friday and Saturday nights in the spring and summer. Wake Forest University, Salem College, and UNC School of the Arts add a lot to the local cultural offerings. To get a feel for what's going on in W-S, as well as a good restaurant list, check out Smitty's Notes.

Tanglewood Park and the Greenway Trail around Salem Lake are nice local park amenities. The Hanes Mall area and Thruway Shopping Center are best for local shopping, but Charlotte isn't far at all for a weekend day trip. Old Salem is a must-do for newcomers, and your four-year-old will love the new Children's Museum.

In your price range, you'll find a lot of house for the money. If you want a more "urban" environment, there are some very nice new lofts and brownstones in the downtown area.

[akwebb81]

I will give you my perspective, since we moved here about two years ago from Houston. We were looking to move to a much smaller community, as Houston was just a mess. But there are things that I miss about a city that size. You do give up a lot of access to more trendy/upscale national chains ie: Nordstroms, Saks, etc. After having been here for a 2 years, I sometimes find myself wondering if we shouldn't have taken positions in Raleigh or Charlotte, be we do love the area and now that we have a little one on the way, the more family centric community that we have here is looking more appealing.

I think it will really be a big shock to your system if you are used to living the SOCAL lifestyle and move to WS/GSO without doing plenty of homework. Raleigh/Chapel Hill would probably be a better fit for you since you are closer to the coast if you still want to have easier access to the beach. Charlotte would probably be second on the list, and offer plenty of your upscale shopping access and a very busy downtown "uptown", nightlife. Definitely utilize these boards to get as much info as you can, but if you can, don't move until you can spend a few days in each city/area to really get a feel since you're making a big move.

[headdr]

Hi there,
My wife and I relocated from Sacramento to the Winston-Salem area in Sept and we really like it. I took a new job out here and hence the move. Trader Joes???? Boy do we miss it (smile). There is one in Charlotte, but thats far from us...even to go to Traders....There is a Whole Foods Market, but again...its not Traders...

So far we have found a pretty good variety of restuarants here in the area. Shopping? hmmmm...The mall has Macy's and a other large dept stores. Overall, the quality of life is very nice and relaxing...We found a great house in a great area. Let me know if you have other questions.

[gipper]

Originally Posted by headdr

Hi there,
My wife and I relocated from Sacramento to the Winston-Salem area in Sept and we really like it. I took a new job out here and hence the move. Trader Joes???? Boy do we miss it (smile). There is one in Charlotte, but thats far from us...even to go to Traders....There is a Whole Foods Market, but again...its not Traders...

So far we have found a pretty good variety of restuarants here in the area. Shopping? hmmmm...The mall has Macy's and a other large dept stores. Overall, the quality of life is very nice and relaxing...We found a great house in a great area. Let me know if you have other questions.

Thanks for the input --- we know the TJ sacrifice will hurt, but the ones in Charlotte or Raleigh are not that far away for a day trip...actually, the shopping in either location makes for a nice day trip. We are thinking of moving closer to Raleigh, basing us nearer Greensboro --- what are the major differences between there or closer to WS?

[gipper]

Originally Posted by roadpony

Winston-Salem will definitely be a change from Orange County, but there are a lot of good things to say for W-S. There is a lively arts scene in downtown W-S, and open-air music events on Friday and Saturday nights in the spring and summer. Wake Forest University, Salem College, and UNC School of the Arts add a lot to the local cultural offerings. To get a feel for what's going on in W-S, as well as a good restaurant list, check out Smitty's Notes.

Tanglewood Park and the Greenway Trail around Salem Lake are nice local park amenities. The Hanes Mall area and Thruway Shopping Center are best for local shopping, but Charlotte isn't far at all for a weekend day trip. Old Salem is a must-do for newcomers, and your four-year-old will love the new Children's Museum.

In your price range, you'll find a lot of house for the money. If you want a more "urban" environment, there are some very nice new lofts and brownstones in the downtown area.

Thanks for the input --- we lived in MS before, so we are prepared for the "shock". We've done some research, and, much to our experiences in MS, you can get anything you need...you just need to look!! We are coming for a site visit this week -- any advice on areas to see that will provide a nice neighborhood feel, with access to everyday shopping, parks, and good schools? Where are the better pre-schools? We are staying in WS, but want to see the GSO and WS areas...we are leaning towards GSO, but don't know much -- we have seen comments about crime being an issue?

[roadpony]

Where are you going to be working? Why the need to be closer to Raleigh? Personally, I always advise against living and working in different communities... hard to put down roots and be a part of either... always in the car. As for crime rates, I don't think there's an appreciable difference between W-S and G'boro, particularly in the areas you'll be frequenting.

I don't have children, so I can't help on schools or pre-schools. If you vist the Children's Museum in W-S (highly recommended) you could always ask for suggestions from their staff.

Greensboro is a nice community, but if you are going to be working in W-S, there's no need to live in G'boro. I love W-S.