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I moved here from Tucson, AZ almost 3 years ago. There are pros and cons. I loved AZ for the climate, the monsoon season, hiking at Sabino Canyon & swimming in the falls, the museums, the cultural events, the infusion of the Southwest culture, the geography, the sunrises & sunsets in the mountains that I could see daily that changed the mountains to a blazing red. AZ was the most incredibly beautiful place I've ever lived & I miss it dearly.
What I don't miss: the increasing crime, the traffic & lack of a good highway system, the housing costs, the lack of square footage on the homes, the rough schools where my child was bullied & educated on topics too mature for her age. The lack of small towns that are close enough to cities without being crowded, yet are not so far that they are too isolated.
What I enjoy about NC: I love the small town I live in (Lexington); I love my kids' schools (Davidson County), I feel safe (very low crime rate & especially low in the area I'm in), great home for the $, can go swimming in the lake near my house, historic Main St. downtowns in all the towns, laid-back & kind people, nice church family, I can get what I need or go to larger cities easily without a huge amount of traffic & it is an established highway system w/ lots of roads- once you know backways you get around really quickly, lots of nice places to visit in area & beach 4 hours away.
What I don't enjoy: city schools here, lack of mountains to look at, the scenery is all the same, just trees, summer is very humid (AZ in the shade felt cooler than the sun) here there is no point to being in the shade- it still feels awful; winter gets a bit cold for me & stays a little too long.
Overall, I'm pleased with our move, but we moved to be closer to relatives. If I could have picked up the AZ scenery & sunshine & brought it here- I would have. Good news is catci can survive here.
Thank you jcgso, for the direct response. I guess I am scared. We are looking to purchase a home in those areas. I know it's a beautiful area, but I'm afraid of "losing" my shirt with the economy the way it is (here in PA too). We are coming to NC on one income (I was not the bread-winner). We have looked at some homes recently that have been available for over two years. Foreclosers, bank owned properties, etc. Sounds like you would know more about that, because it sounds like you are a real estate agent. Thoughts?
Yes, I did see Oak Ridge was the priciest. Is the quality better on those homes? Or is it just the "area" to be? Are taxes higher? What about Kernersville? How is that?
Thanks again for the helpful website for the schools. I really appreciate it.
The land in Oak Ridge is more expensive and the homes tend to be larger, higher end, but not neccessarily better quality, though there are many quality custom built homes there.
I think Kernersville is a conveniently located area with many bargains to be found. There are homes in everyy price range there and amenities are very convenient.
If you decide to further investigate the are, I can help out with more specifics.
Hubby relocating to NC for work in Winston Salem. Looking for a nice low crime area close to his work. Looking to rent a condo/townhome or even rent to own a 2 bdrm home. Relocation will be around April 26th to May 7th!
Any help would be great. Coming from Northern Kentucky area.
jskirwin has a very good point. Figuring out why you are moving from someplace sometimes is even hard to do. I'm in that same boat now. My husband and I live in Colorado and I've been in NC for two weeks trying to figure out where to land and I have no job. Everything is on me if we are going to really move here because my husband can't quit his job in Colorado then neither of us would have work.
We want to come here because it's cheaper than CO, I have family here but still want to be "out on my own" for my own reasons, and we want enough space for our 4 dogs to run and play outside. BUT I won't be happy unless I'm doing something that makes me happy (work related/career).
I just feel like such a mess because I don't know which direction to go!! Good luck.
Wendy
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