we are moving to nc, please help thanks (Charlotte, Hickory: transplants, crime)

[msliboo]

we have been looking into the hickory area.

important to us quietness, and no traffic.

however my wife works at olive garden and she will transfer to one there.

how is it in the hickory area regarding traffic, people, crime, gangs...

we want to move into the country but not further than 25 min. from an olive garden.

does someone out there have any ideas.

thanks,
marc

[donsabi]

Hickory, Catawba county, is an good place to live. IMO, one problem is the locals are resistive to outsiders. I suggest you consider Bethehem which is just on the other side of Lake Hickory or Taylorsville that is about 20 miles north of Hickory, but I highly recommend it. I found the people in those two area to be very friendly.
Another thing is the property tax in Hickory is twice the rate of living just outside it.
Don

[Carolina_native]

The Olive Garden in Hickory is located directly off of Hwy 70. And is very close to Interstate I-40. Exit 126 I believe. That area of Hickory is the main corridor of dining and shopping. The mall is just a mile west of there actually. The shopping center that the Olive Garden is in is being renovated (shopping center, not the Olive Garden). They are almost finished building a new Ross, Michaels, Rack Room, and other stores there, so it will be a really nice area when it is finished at the end of the year.

Traffic can get heavy on Hwy 70 during peak times in the afternoon, but it is not bad at all compared to many other NC cities. There arent traffic jams just lots of stop lights.

The crime doesnt seem bad, never struck me as unsafe.

[NJRose]

I moved to Bethlehem a little over a year ago, and love it. I love that I am pretty much in the woods, and still 15 minutes away from everything. What I DON'T recommend, however, is being in the service industry in NC. I don't know where you are moving from, but I was in the restaurant business for 13 years (from NJ to FL) and NC has absolutely the worst tippers I've ever seen. I went back to waiting tables briefly after moving here, and even observing others when I go out to eat, I found that 10% is considered normal. I've seen more $2 tips on $30 checks than I care to admit (no-I'm not a bad server--I've seen this a lot with other servers). Things may be different in larger cities, though, Charlotte maybe.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by NJRose

I moved to Bethlehem a little over a year ago, and love it. I love that I am pretty much in the woods, and still 15 minutes away from everything. What I DON'T recommend, however, is being in the service industry in NC. I don't know where you are moving from, but I was in the restaurant business for 13 years (from NJ to FL) and NC has absolutely the worst tippers I've ever seen. I went back to waiting tables briefly after moving here, and even observing others when I go out to eat, I found that 10% is considered normal. I've seen more $2 tips on $30 checks than I care to admit (no-I'm not a bad server--I've seen this a lot with other servers). Things may be different in larger cities, though, Charlotte maybe.

In a city the size of Hickory, where the median income is around 30,000 a year, the fact that people are not big tippers is not a surprise to me. Yes, it is much better in the bigger cities.

[msliboo]

thank you all for the information you have provided, everything helps.

anotherthing i was wondering, do you know where there is a miler/coors distributor in that area, i currently work for the beer company, i would want to continue doing this.

so i gather Bethehem seems to be a nice place to live, are there any other quiet smaller cities around?

thanks to all for the info, we do appreciate it alot

[hapaleeretired]

Visit the Grace Chapel area of Caldwell County. While it has a Hickory address it has less taxes. It has a lot of transplants (which, trust me, a good thing). Granite Falls is a nice little town where a new super Wally World is soon to open.

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by NJRose

......... but I was in the restaurant business for 13 years (from NJ to FL) and NC has absolutely the worst tippers I've ever seen. I went back to waiting tables briefly after moving here, and even observing others when I go out to eat, I found that 10% is considered normal. I've seen more $2 tips on $30 checks than I care to admit (no-I'm not a bad server--I've seen this a lot with other servers). Things may be different in larger cities, though, Charlotte maybe.

Some people are tightwads, some are generous. I routinely leave 20%, but I've also left more and occasionally less. Depends on the attitude and quality of service, just like anywhere else.

[SunnyKayak]

Originally Posted by msliboo

thank you all for the information you have provided, everything helps.

anotherthing i was wondering, do you know where there is a miler/coors distributor in that area, i currently work for the beer company, i would want to continue doing this.

so i gather Bethehem seems to be a nice place to live, are there any other quiet smaller cities around?

thanks to all for the info, we do appreciate it alot

you might want to check the company website or ask your employer for location of distributor.

[msliboo]

i really appreciate all the information, and you have definetly helped us in finding an appropriate area, our next step is going for a visit, and i will update and let you all know what we are going to do.

can someone tell me of any other areas, where there is practically no traffic at all, i know that might be hard to find but there has to be some cities with real light traffic.

thanks,
marc