Thank you
PDD for writing a very informative post about NC. My husband and I just relocated back to So. NJ last Summer after living 13 yrs. in Eastern, NC. A very beautiful College town.
What you are saying is very accurate. NC, like NJ is a very beautiful State. Both have it's pros and cons. When we first moved into our new home, our neighbors all came over to welcome us to the neighborhood. Our one neighbor said this to us twice, when we moved in & when we were moving out--"A Yankee is someone who comes down, spends money & goes back home". "A Damn Yankee is someone who comes down & stays".
We laughed, they didn't.
The first week we were there, I was looking for a particular Beauty Supply shop. I walked into one & asked the clerk for a specific item, she quickly said, "You're on the wrong side of town, we don't sell products for blonde hair"! I left as she and her friend laughed.
IMO Health care is superior to NJ. We never had a problem getting a prompt Dr.'s Appointment & if you had to go to a Specialist, the appt. is made before you even leave that Dr.'s office. There are signs in the offices we went to that said, "if you wait longer than 15 mins., please come up to the desk". In 13 yrs. we never waited longer.
Our Vet was Holistic and believed in taking care of the animals first and payment last. We did NOT live in a rural area & there was a lot of bartering. I cooked & our dog was taken care of. Our dog had to go to a Specialist that lived a few blocks from our home. He came over on a Sunday to check her. He told us she had to operated on the next day. (There was no charge). She passed away in his office. The Vet called my husband drove the 25 mi. to our home with our dog and helped my husband dig her grave in our backyard. There wasn't any charge.
For the exception of homes and taxes, everything else in comparable to NJ. NC is not inexpensive to live in. Food is just as expensive & there is tax on clothes. When you move in there is a $200 one time fee per vehicle for NC road tax. There are 218 restaurants (most of them FF) in a 5 mi. radius. There is a lot of crime & over 50% of people carry guns. My friend & I used to walk our dogs, I had my Taser, she had her gun.
Raleigh & the surrounding areas are now dubbed, "Little Yankee Stadium". Wages are low, because it is a right to work State & there is a lot of poverty. Many people move down there without jobs & realize they are very hard to come by & have to work for min. wage. You can get a decent apartment for $500/$600 mo.
People with children moved into our sub-division for the schools & then there was redistricting. People were in an uproar. Who could blame them.
The GOP Gov. came into office & signed a bill for Unemployment & Disability benefits. The max. that can be received is $350/wk.
I forget the percentage, but a large sector of Teachers took jobs in Texas 2 yrs. ago, because of having one of the lowest salaries in the Country. While campaigning, Gov. Pat McCrory said if elected all children would read by the 3rd grade. The education is struggling.
I am very happy to be back in "The Garden State". NJ will always be our home & a little piece of my heart will always be in Eastern, NC. We rented out our home down there to people from NY that wanted to move down to be closer to their kids. It was a win, win for all of us. I miss going to "Jersey Creamery" & sit in a rocking chair, eating ice cream & watching the children feeding cows.
But for me moving out, the cons outweighed the pros.
For people that are moving down I say, enjoy NC, take it for what it is & remember "Bless Your Heart & How Nice" have double meanings. What Northerner's think they mean & what Southerner's are actually saying.
kelsie
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