Thinking about relocating to NC or SC...adivce needed! (Greenville: living, restaurants)

[sieren]

Hello everybody!
Me and my fiancee are originally from Wisconsin (fox valley area), and are planning on relocating sometime the next couple years. I've been doing a TON of research on different states, and from what I've read both North Carolina and South Carolina sound like our best bets.
Here's the list of "wants" that I've narrowed it down to, after some research:

*Warm weather (hot summers, mild (30's or higher) winters
*Near water/beaches--ocean or lakes, that have pretty scenery, and not too crowded
*Either a small/medium sized town or maybe rural area, but progressive, friendly, and open-minded
*Within (at most) 30-35 min of a larger city with good shopping, restaurants, fun stuff to do
*Farmers markets, health food stores nearby
*Lots of parks/green areas
*A dog park/beach would be nice!
*Affordable cost-of-living
(not sure if all these things co-exist in any one area, but all suggestions are welcome, even if they don't have my whole list of "wants")

So far, I've looked into Greenville, SC and some parts of coastal NC and it all sounds so nice! I'd like to get some opinions from you guys on where you think we'd like it best. Once we've got it narrowed down, we'll be visiting!!
Thanks in advance!!

[Rapunzll]

I had originally started my search for a place to move about five years ago. I planned to stay along the coast, because I'm a Michigander and just couldn't imagine not being by the water. I am really happy though with my move to Greenville. I traded water views for mountain views and it is just fine. I think Greenville fits the bill except for the water. People will probably tell you there are lots of lakes here, but if you lived anywhere near Lake Michigan, you will find a noticeable lack of water in comparison.

Come visit. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

[mjohnson185]

It sounds like you just described Clayton, NC. It's 15 minutes from Raleigh, NC and you are 3 hours from the beach and 3 1/5 hours from the mountains. Lots of jobs in and around Raleigh.