Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,813 posts, read 34,657,307 times
Reputation: 10256
Advertisements
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattie
To the OP, we are also from NW NJ, now in GA. I spend a lot of time in NC because my parents retired there. I agree with those who infer you would be more comfortable in NC than SC. SC is southern with a capital "S". There are transplants, but not as many as you will find in NC, or GA for that matter. Where we are now can hardly be considered to provide a traditional southern lifestyle.
NC seems more progressive than SC. My parents are Catholic, and joined a very active church.
We found our preferred lifestyle in the Atlanta metro. Great schools north of the city, large lots, but close enough to Atlanta to spend the day there if we want to.
I have to ask you this. When the anchors in Charlotte report anything political about SC, they usually start laughing out loud before they start reading the story. Does that happen on the Atlanta stations too?
Sgoldie:
As mentioned in my original post, we will be visiting SC (or wherever we decide on moving, if we decide to choose another state) prior to moving, obviously. I certainly would not move to another state without visiting and doing extensive research beforehand, hence my post.
I completely understand that the South is obviously very different from the North. However, I do want to at least mention that the part of NJ I currently live in is very conservative, politically and lifestyle-wise. There are many hunters here, as well as many fans of NASCAR. We certainly have our share of pizza and bagel shops, but there are quite a few BBQ joints here as well. Also, I have never even played tennis or gone skiing, and I'm not a huge sports fan, other than NFL. If these are the things that define the South, in your opinion, Sgoldie, then I'm sure the adjustment wouldn't be overly difficult. Besides, I am a very open-minded, friendly, and accepting person when it comes to most things, other than racism and hateful, ignorant behavior in general. I was raised to be very polite and respectful towards all people, even those different than me.
I was not aware of any discrimination or harsh treatment based on accents. Many of my family members and friends have visited various places in the South without such treatment, and in fact were met with smiles and warmth, but perhaps that was because they were visitors, not new residents- I'm not sure.
I'm not a practicing member of any faith, so church location or concentration of a particular religious group isn't a concern for me, but thank you anyway for your insight.
Thank you for your suggestions.
southbound:
Thank you so much for your helpful responses, I really appreciate it. I will be looking at the NC/SC comparison threads in the coming days, and doing my own research on it, as well. I'm sure that even if NC taxes are slightly higher than SC, they're still nowhere near NJ rates which we simply cannot afford any longer.
Again, thank you for your insight, and I will certainly look into NC more seriously now.
Mattie:
Thank you very much for your response, especially your opinion on NC v. SC in terms of Southern lifestyle.
Would you mind elaborating on how NC seems more progressive than SC? And what would you say the lifestyle in GA is like? How are the home prices and taxes in GA? Or the job market? Sorry for all the questions, but thank you in advance! I really appreciate your perspective, being from NWNJ yourself.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,813 posts, read 34,657,307 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by MJD27
Thank you all very much for your responses.
Sgoldie:
As mentioned in my original post, we will be visiting SC (or wherever we decide on moving, if we decide to choose another state) prior to moving, obviously. I certainly would not move to another state without visiting and doing extensive research beforehand, hence my post.
I completely understand that the South is obviously very different from the North. However, I do want to at least mention that the part of NJ I currently live in is very conservative, politically and lifestyle-wise. There are many hunters here, as well as many fans of NASCAR. We certainly have our share of pizza and bagel shops, but there are quite a few BBQ joints here as well. Also, I have never even played tennis or gone skiing, and I'm not a huge sports fan, other than NFL. If these are the things that define the South, in your opinion, Sgoldie, then I'm sure the adjustment wouldn't be overly difficult. Besides, I am a very open-minded, friendly, and accepting person when it comes to most things, other than racism and hateful, ignorant behavior in general. I was raised to be very polite and respectful towards all people, even those different than me.
I was not aware of any discrimination or harsh treatment based on accents. Many of my family members and friends have visited various places in the South without such treatment, and in fact were met with smiles and warmth, but perhaps that was because they were visitors, not new residents- I'm not sure.
I'm not a practicing member of any faith, so church location or concentration of a particular religious group isn't a concern for me, but thank you anyway for your insight.
Thank you for your suggestions.
southbound:
Thank you so much for your helpful responses, I really appreciate it. I will be looking at the NC/SC comparison threads in the coming days, and doing my own research on it, as well. I'm sure that even if NC taxes are slightly higher than SC, they're still nowhere near NJ rates which we simply cannot afford any longer.
Again, thank you for your insight, and I will certainly look into NC more seriously now.
Mattie:
Thank you very much for your response, especially your opinion on NC v. SC in terms of Southern lifestyle.
Would you mind elaborating on how NC seems more progressive than SC? And what would you say the lifestyle in GA is like? How are the home prices and taxes in GA? Or the job market? Sorry for all the questions, but thank you in advance! I really appreciate your perspective, being from NWNJ yourself.
Once again, thank you all!
I moved down from South Jersey, & I'm not an expert, but from what I've heard, if you decide on SC, I think you might want to look at Greenville. It's pretty much between Charlotte & Atlanta on the I 85 corridor. Although some of the Charlotte suburbs are in SC.
Charlotte & Atlanta are about the same size, as cities, but the Atlanta metro is far larger. The Atlanta metro & the NC metros along I 85 are loaded with us Yankees.
Asheville is in the mountains & is sort of tied to the Greeneville/Spartanburg metro in SC.
I personally love the south and live there with a ggrandmother from the deep south. I am also familiar with the op's parts of NJ and was trying to point out differences brought to my attention by northerners who felt uncomfortable there and ended up moving back. Given the fact that the op has never been outside of her particular state I felt it best to bring up some general things that may stand out to her too.
As Mattie said, SC is still the "old south", whereas NC and GA have seen enough transplants that they're going to be less of a culture shock to you. You really need to spend a lot of time in a potential area before just jumping into a move- you may come to regret it otherwise.
My .2 you would get much indepth information by submitting this questions in the SC forum. Locals would provide better inputs. Relocation is not easy and thus you need all the inputs that you can get
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,813 posts, read 34,657,307 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollingon
My .2 you would get much indepth information by submitting this questions in the SC forum. Locals would provide better inputs. Relocation is not easy and thus you need all the inputs that you can get
Fastest fingers was in a rush to tap out on the keyboard..... But I agree with a lot of folks...if taxes are a pain go NC..On the border of NC and SC is a place called Fort Mill...in a world by itself but was really picking up before the slide set in....Benefits of SC living while being close to NC. Charlotte more mix, comfortably conservative (SC I would say is rigidly conservative). You will miss the NY/NJ city options. Closest Metropolis would be Atlanta. But generally better weather for most part life is less hectic.
I have lived in NY, NJ and PA. I have traveled throughout the eastern seaboard, and if I was looking for a place to relocate now, I would definitely consider the western North Carolina area.
I have visited the Black Mountain/Asheville area, and I was very impressed.
I found this area to be rural enough to keep my heart happy, but not a cultural backwater that would make my brain hurt. If you appreciate God's artistic hand, you must travel along the Blueridge Parkway/Skyline Drive (but it is often closed in the winter, so not right now).
One of the many things that I learned while visiting this area is that it is loaded with what the locals call "Halfbacks". That's someone who got tired of the Northeast urban sprawl and the endless winters, and went to Florida. After a year or two in Florida, they came halfway back (to the NYC area), and settled in North Carolina. NC definitely has winter, but much less severe that the NYC metro area. The summers are hot, but not as bad as the Florida scorchers.
I really think that you should take a look at some of these spots before you plan your trip.
Since I don't live there, I can't give you any advice about employment opportunities. What is best for me may not be best for you, but my preference would definitely be for NC over SC.
Wow, thank you all so very much for your responses and for sharing your knowledge and insights with me. This forum is truly a wonderful place to get a real idea of what life is like where you want to relocate, and I'm very grateful for its existence!
southbound:
I will certainly look further into the I-85 areas you mentioned that are loaded with my fellow Yankees. One thing I did notice in my research, however, is that whenever I looked up Atlanta metro areas or Charlotte metro area (GA, NC, SC, and FL were original starting points in research), crime rates were mentioned as being a problem. It was actually something that was mentioned frequently enough to sort of steer me in another direction. Do you find this to be the case? I know that sometimes statistics can generalize and be off the mark, since they might be referencing Atlanta itself, not the surrounding areas. Thank you so much, southbound!
BobKovacs:
Thank you very much for your insight. I may be better off sticking to GA or NC, then, but can you tell me what makes SC more "old South", at least by your definition?
And I wholeheartedly agree with you and will certainly be visiting whichever area we decide on numerous times before making the big move. I'm going into this process with the intention of doing mounds of research and uncovering as much information as I can, which is why I'm starting about one or two years beforehand.
Once again, thank you so much for your response.
Rollingon:
Thank you so much for your response and for sharing your knowledge. Some people have already mentioned Fort Mill to me, so that is a place I will look into. Charlotte may be an area that I would like, as well- I will do more research. I wasn't aware that SC is more rigidly conservative than NC- thank you for mentioning that.
Although I have gone to concerts and visited museums in NYC, I must admit, I am not an avid citygoer and so the "big city" options and feel doesn't particularly matter to me. It's nice to visit but it's not a necessity for me. I prefer peace and quiet and seeing and having some land, personally. I like the "less hectic" part that you mentioned, as well. Do you think I should post this question in the NC forum or GA forum, as well?
Thanks again, everyone, for your input!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
, and I'm not a huge sports fan, other than NFL. If these are the things that define the South, in your opinion, Sgoldie, then I'm sure the adjustment wouldn't be overly difficult. Besides, I am a very open-minded, friendly, and accepting person when it comes to most things, other than racism and hateful, ignorant behavior in general. I was raised to be very polite and respectful towards all people, even those different than me.
. 
, but thank you in advance! I really appreciate your perspective, being from NWNJ yourself.
But I agree with a lot of folks...if taxes are a pain go NC..On the border of NC and SC is a place called Fort Mill...in a world by itself but was really picking up before the slide set in....Benefits of SC living while being close to NC. Charlotte more mix, comfortably conservative (SC I would say is rigidly conservative). You will miss the NY/NJ city options. Closest Metropolis would be Atlanta. But generally better weather for most part life is less hectic.
