Who else is moving to North Carolina? (New York, Hudson: heat pump, wage)

[jblake78728]

I lived in Central Texas for 8 years & though it is hundreds of miles away from NC it was still the south. I also have a brother who until a few months ago lived in Charlotte (since the mid 90's). Being born & raised in PA/NY I love having 4 seasons & love snow/winter sports ........ any move below Virginia & you can pretty much forget about all of that. Most of the people in the south are at the very least cordial .... though pockets still exist where they believe they are still fighting the Civil War. The sprawl of cities like Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston & Austin is enough to make you sick ...... don't get me wrong, we have sprawl in the north too but it is usually in unique suburban cities with quaint downtown areas ...... in the south it is endless cul de sac's with cookie cutter homes & strip malls on top of strip malls. The traffic problem in the south is horrendous as none of those cities were prepared for the population boom they experienced & the public transportation in almost every city below DC is severely lacking.

[Bubbette]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

they are stupid hillbillies. Nascar, and cheap beer and springer!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... hey...lol..i got warned for saying hillbillies the other day.. they said it was offensive..

if the shoe fits...lol

Im in the mountains... and while its pretty.. moast of america is pretty.. i hate the weirdos.. nothing here but Biltmore Estates and rednecks.. oh and tree huggin, granola eaters... who dont shave

[healthnut1]

have some good friends in North and South Carolina. Wouldn't mind living in Charleston.

[smalltownusa]

Originally Posted by homeward bound

Saw the same thing happen to and around Charlottesville, VA, where I lived from 1984 to 1994. But there you also had a lot of tradition, stately architecture, the lovely University of Virginia campus, the snobbery of it being "Mr. Jefferson's town" and a citadel of "Southern Genteel" as a big part of the lure. It WAS a very nice place to live--if you could deal with the lingering racial & class tensions and the snobbery--but it's "niceness" did it in. It's not too far from Washington, D.C., Virginia's beaches or NC's Outer Banks, skiing, mountains, etc. But it's crowded as could be now--a real hassle just to drive across town. Just about every green patch is filled with shopping plazas, McMansions, etc. Crazy expensive. The outlying areas are getting just as jammed up, too. Reminds me of Florida now: "This is paradise yet I'm not happy, I'm hassled--get the hell out of my way!" When I go back, I hear all sorts of people hunting for the next Charlottesville, or a C'ville substitute. I think those of us intent on returning to NY state are ahead of the curve, then. I can foresee a time (the planet's resilience permitting!) of people consciously seeking a return to the more liveable version of American culture or civilization, and the places that both express and helped create this civilization (the colonial- and Victorian-era towns of the northeast). It's like the shift in even the suburban sprawl houses of the fake- and non-communities: they've gone from '50s space ships to '70s sunken pillboxes (split-levels) to mimicking older architectural styles (Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, etc). At some point, once the sprawl areas are filled up, people might start asking, "You know, why not go to where the Real Thing is--the *truly* liveable places?" Loneliness is corrosive, and illusions and fakes can't satisfy. But it sure takes time for people to see that cacooning in an air-conditioned, phony-colonial home between shopping malls and under the sad umbrella of endless satellite TV just saps you--and doesn't even teach your kids how to share, take turns, moderate appetites, live in a real community. (Getting preachy here, so I'll quit!)

Bowling Alone says it all, which is the title of a book that came out a few years ago documenting America's declining social network and societal ties, which have dwindled considerably over the last 3 decades. This same period encompasses our criss-cross country search for something better and the sad realization it's all just a facade....added to the now ever exploding usage of facebook, twitter, texting and cell phones and you're witnessing a breakdown of human one on one interaction to a degree never, ever seen or anticipated by sociologists....

Loneliness, depression, non-described rage is engrossing more and more people fueled by an ardant interent that tosses every indiosyncriscy of mankind at our feet in an instant and we are left feeling less smart, less wealthy, less pretty, less worldly than the guy sitting in the cubicle next you who, by the way, is thinkng the same thing about his life.....For entertainment, we've become a society doused by celebrity diatribes of nothing while real human issues languish on the sidelines, ignored....

Is it any wonder anti depressants are our top selling prescription drugs?

And to support this, here we are on a forum, spilling out our wants and needs and wishes and fears with absolute total strangers.......

Don't you wish you had a next door neighbor you could lean over a fence and chat with instead?

I know I do....

And that's what our forefather and mothers had. Community connections that went as deep as the well they drew their water from. We've gone from people who looked out for one another to people who look away from one another.....a sad transformation IMO....

And I am now so off topic, I feel like Major Tom.....

[Jeromeville]

More affluence = a more hectic pace of life. Not less. More.

It's that simple.

People think that when they achieve suburban affluence, they'll achieve peace and quiet... but that is only found by the very very rich. The vast majority of affluent suburban strivers will never be able to really relax. And when you throw them all together, they just irritate each other.

Even here in the Syracuse area, you can feel immediately how more hectic things get when you go shopping in Fayetteville (more affluent area) compared to say, a Wegmans in Camillus or Onondaga Boulevard where the local shoppers are on the not-quite-so-affluent side. There is much less of a "get out of my way" buzz. I seriously can't stand going shopping in those more affluent parts of town now. Too many cars, too much driving, too many people going full tilt boogie (and for what?)

And that's the vibe in the "prosperous" parts of the American south and west these days. That's all you'll really find - unless you are super rich or stably self-employed.

When people look at New York to move to, or move back to, they have been conditioned to expect a certain standard of living - the 3000+ square foot home in spanking new developments, the shiny new malls, etc. But they won't find that in Upstate NY, for the most part... unless they flock to the built-up more affluent suburban enclaves like I have described. However, wherever you go on City-Data, it seems that's what most people are still looking to find.

[bluefont]

we moved from north east over two years ago.
searched for a home for over 6 months we found a
area that we liked and had a home built .
we came upon a place called Flowers Plantation 20 Miles
east of Raligh excelent place to raise a family the price
was right low taxes and wounderfull schools for children
River Dell School ,and Riverwood school and a new school at Archers Lodge all within a few miles from our subdivision
at FLOWERS PLANATION .North Farm is a excelent community there is a community pool and tennis court
the population is from young married to retired lt,has
a small town atmosphere.

[Im in love with NC]

The reason North Carolina does not suit you all is that you are yankees born and bred. southern folks with southern values and southern ways are too complex for the Northern crass, Godless, pompus, aristocratic cry babies who are afraid of a little sweat on their brow and rubbing elbows with who they think are less desirable of the population. Sorry if I stepped on toes, but raise your children in the burbs. We will keep our southern values that encompass loving our neighbors and God!

[Jeromeville]

Wow, you sure sound like a love-filled individual to me. (not)

[eek]

Originally Posted by Im in love with NC

The reason North Carolina does not suit you all is that you are yankees born and bred. southern folks with southern values and southern ways are too complex for the Northern crass, Godless, pompus, aristocratic cry babies who are afraid of a little sweat on their brow and rubbing elbows with who they think are less desirable of the population. Sorry if I stepped on toes, but raise your children in the burbs. We will keep our southern values that encompass loving our neighbors and God!

1. i promise you that NYC, Boston, Philly, Jersey City, etc. are far more complex than anything you could find in NC.
2. so much for all of the churches that we have in the north. guess nobody goes to the many, many churches here. guess the orthodox jewish population here doesn't exist. guess there aren't any archbishops, priests, preachers, rabbi's, etc. here. guess we don't have any devout muslims.
3. i guess being elbow to elbow with hasim who's originally from east africa who is next to a lady from vietnam who is speaking with a man from pakistan means nothing to you. i guess walking block after block means nothing to you either...especially to a culture conditioned to walk from house to car and sitting on their butts all day everyday.

maybe thats why the south isn't really known for being...fit??

4. i guess being more cultured and having access to more opportunities contributes to how we come across. oh well.

[trailblazer472]

i read most of the posts here starting with the ones back to 2006. the assesments of NC are pretty much accurate. i imagine there are some nice areas in NC that are livable. but overall, what i gave up in NY to move here, well, it's just not worth it.

i am a western NY transplant to NC, been here 9 years...in a short review..."i hate it here".

there is absolutely nothing i like about being here. here are some of the reasons why.

1...NC is NY Lite, governor just signed A $900 million tax increase, she wanted $1.6 Billion.
2...Food, want something good to eat, make it yourself.
sure, there are a few upscale restaurants in charlotte & raleigh, but in this god-forsaken burg in which i live, they are non-existant.
3...restaurant choices..we have no bruegger's bagels, no friendly's, no TGI fridays & no Wegman's. you need the marines to find any ice cream worth eating. i do not understand the attraction to BBQ as it's served here.
bread, forget it, best loaf on non traditional white bread is a "take-&-bake loaf you find in grocery stores.
want a burger, go to Chili's or Longhorn. they're the only ones worth eating but they cost over $7.00
4...the weather overall sucks. the winters are mild but the summers are unbearable, 97 deg. yesterday.
rain, it can & does rain for 5 days straight.
5...the people i have come in contact are the biggest bunch of bigots i have ever come across...they smile, say hello & act friendly, but are a buch of gossips & if you don't go to the right church they look at you like you have two heads.
6...schools. NC ranks 2 or 3 from the top in high school drop out rate & are also ranked near the top in obesity.
7..slobs. i have never seen so much trash tossed from moving cars & trucks in my life. the amount of garbage littered along the highways is unbelievable.

these are just a few of my observations.

unfortunately, due to circumstances, i'm trapped here...if i could afford it, i'd move back to western NY tomorrow.