North Carolina or Bust! (Detroit, Flint: student loans, relocation, health insurance)

[magellan]

Back to the original poster's message:

Yes, by all means, move to North Carolina. They are all waiting for you with open arms. They love Northerners, especially Michiganians. Especially in the suburban areas of Raleigh, where no one is actually still fighting the Civil War. Like Cary, NC: great place, little traffic, no strip malls, 0 McMansions, classrooms just sitting half-empty waiting for your child to enroll. And that acronym for Cary? (Corral Area For Relocated Yankees), they don't really mean that. It's all in fun. They want you to come and bring all your family and friends to take all the good jobs. I-40 is virtually vacant day and night.

And Charlotte? Even better. Oh, just don't drive the freeways at night because apparently a state flush with cash can't afford to pay for freeway lights through the city. And highway bypasses? Yes, 485 will be complete before your Social Security kicks in. Mass transit, YES, Charlotte has it. And the Charlotte Area Transit Authority is a fine-tuned machine not going hundreds of $Millions over budget and with charges of corruption (it's all lies of course). And the suburban areas of Charlotte are bursting with jobs, because they are opening new malls and "lifestyle centers" every year (pay no attention to the thousands of people laid off from Continental Tire). Nothing to see here. And if you thought West Michigan was too conservative, wait until you stumble into the home of Billy Graham, Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker, and NASCAR. You ain't seen nothing yet!

And all the textile mills that dot the rural landscape outside of the two "urban areas", they are just ripe for work.

But whatever you do, do not question the $280 Million in tax giveways given to Dell for a new plant in Winston-Salem (you know, the cigarette name, from which the State gets its fame), or the $260 Million given to Google to open a large air-conditioned warehouse in NC with less than a handful of employees. You are not allowed to question any of that.

If you follow those simple rules, I think you'll do fine.

*all opinions expressed, implied or otherwise inferred by this post do not reflect the opinions of City-Date and/or its agents as aforementioned herewithin.

[Great Lake Boy]

Textile mills lol. Are you serious? OMG ok lol 425 US textiles shut down since 1997. Sorry your jobs are going over seas as well. Sorry to think your immune to out sourcing. What clothes are made in the USA?

Are you serious?

National Council of Textile Organizations

Make some quality clothes and maybe Americans will buy some again.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Great Lake Boy

Textile mills lol. Are you serious? OMG ok lol 425 US textiles shut down since 1997. Sorry your jobs are going over seas as well. Sorry to think your immune to out sourcing. What clothes are made in the USA?

Are you serious?

National Council of Textile Organizations

Make some quality clothes and maybe Americans will buy some again.

No GLB, it was all in jest. I have spoken with friends who have moved there recently and they can only describe it in three words "Hell on Earth". Overcrowded classrooms, CRIME (bad crime), sprawl to beat the band, you name it, North Carolina has it.

[Cato the Elder]

I think Magellan was being facetious.

While we're here, make sure to keep your teenage daughters away from coaches in NC...

ABC News: Coach, 40, Weds 16-Year-Old Student

[Great Lake Boy]

Originally Posted by magellan

No GLB, it was all in jest.

Sure sounded serious! I had a few tonight though!

[Great Lake Boy]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

I think Magellan was being facetious.

While we're here, make sure to keep your teenage daughters away from coaches in NC...

ABC News: Coach, 40, Weds 16-Year-Old Student

He should get on down to Tennessee!

[wanderer74]

Originally Posted by JenM

Oy vey!

Ok... I will be nice, promise! What ever happened to hard work? You CAN survive on $8-10 an hour, probably not in a huge house with all the ammenities, but you can survive! And yeah it's gonna stink that you have to work a 90 hour work week to do so, but so what??? It's called survival. And in hard times that's what you do.
I mean I hear all of these people all of the time complaining about not having insurance or not having benefits or not having vacation time... um that's what the real world is like. There are many people like me, who've never had health ins. and I'm almost 30. I've survived thus far. Do I get regular check ups? Yes. Do I pay out of pocket? Yes, it's called a payment plan. Remember stories from our grand-parents who lived through the depression? The worked hard and wasted nothing! They saved everything and remained alive. And they saw "the light at the end of the tunnel!"

What happened? I mean come on, have we really become a society that has no backbone? I know this sounds harsh, but I just feel like we have forgotten about how good we actually have it! We have running water, suitible food, good health care, better working conditions than many other countries.

Are you serious? Who can support a family of five on $8-10 an hour, or even on two adults each making those wages? How could people with kids work 90 hours a week? We bought our house and had our children at a time when things were doing much better. But I cannot pay back my student loans on $8-10 an hour. I owe $2000 right now because I had some health problems, which led to the doctors saying I need surgery. Without insurance I'm not able to get that surgery. I can't even pay my regular bills on this income; how could I pay off an $8000 surgery? Hardworking people shouldn't have to be in the situation of denying themselves needed healthcare because they can't afford it. Doing so isn't anything to brag about. For supposedly being the best, richest nation on earth, why are we the ONLY industrialized nation that doesn't provide healthcare to its citizens? Without sick pay, people go in to work and get everyone else sick, which further reduces productivity. Without paid time off, people can't afford to lose their wages to participate in jury duty. It doesn't make any sense. Sick pay and health insurance should *not* be considered luxuries.

I understand your point that maybe modern people are too spoiled, taking for granted things that our ancestors would've considered luxuries. But expecting educated, hard-working adults to suddenly adapt to making a poverty-level wage and going without health insurance is a bit ridiculous.

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by Great Lake Boy

He should get on down to Tennessee!

But, sheesh, you could swear they bear enough of a resemblance to be related!

Can you imagine marrying someone that was born when you were 24 - yikes, talk about going MD on a girl...

[and the]

Friend of mine moved to Raleigh with his family. He's moving back up north. He was in a 5000 square foot house on a golf course but still didn't feel they had acceptable public schools. They have cross-district bussing and they didn't like that. I don't think I would either. School board members from areas nowhere near where your kids live make decisions on what will happen in your kids' schools. I don't like that either.

One good thing about areas like MI is that in order for a business to survive, they have to compete to some extent and offer a quality product. That's not necessarily the case in a booming area. There is so much demand there that people can sell a crappy product and people will buy it. Take restaurants for example. I've been to several "boom" areas and found it difficult to find a good family restaurant compared to what we have in the Detroit area. In short, the food sucked, except for the very high end places. There were no Vince's, Roma Cafe's Marios, Carl's, etc. They were all chains and the Italian food was like Ramen noodles and Katchup. The grits and hushpuppies were pretty much the same as what you can get at many truck stops in MI......

But it's all relative. I can cook well enough to take care of myself, but there's nowhere to run when that northwind starts to blow!! I'm mostly leaving for a climate change.

[TeacherMan]

Originally Posted by NCarolinaNewB

My family and I are contemplating a move to the Raleigh, NC area this summer. We have two sons - 13 and 10 - and I am wondering if anyone else from MI is headed that way. My husband is an electrician and can't find a job here and I just graduated in education and can't see myself subbing for a year (or more) before finding work, especially without insurance benefits - hmm, story sound familiar? I've read so many postings of people who can't find work here in MI (no matter what their field)

We will be sad to leave our friends and family - this is the only home that my kids and I have ever known. My husband traveled with the military before we were married. My kids are nervous, but anxious about the move. Any tips or suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks bunches!!

Back to the OP...

My former room-mate and good friend moved to Charlotte last summer. His move had (at the time) nothing to do with the current economic status of MI. His brother did a lengthy amount of research into areas that are growing and embracing education. His research led him to NC, specifically the "Research Triangle." Because my friend, his brother, and sister in law are all teachers. They took a week trip to Charlotte, had multiple interviews and offers, and ALL came back with jobs (in the same district nonetheless!). (By the way, she had been subbing for 2 years straight.) I have spoken to him several times in the last year and he is TREMENDOUSLY HAPPY! No budget cuts, no threats from the state to take away funding per student, guaranteed pay increases, etc. His only disappointment is his inability to sell his house here in MI.
That being said... a HUGE advantage is that his parents and sister ALL relocated with the teachers to NC at the same time. He did not have to leave immediate family behind.
I can not speak for the industrial trade job situation in NC, but I can tell you from the standpoint of 3 teachers, they are all happier than they were here. My wife and I considered the area for relocation. However, my family is decided to stay in MI, thus we have decided to relocate to Chicago (after receiving multiple other offers in multiple states) in order to stay close to family, but be in a place of better opportunity (albeit higher cost of living).
Hope this helps!!!
-TM