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My husband and I are considering relocating to NC from NY. He's originally from Long Island and im originally from VT. I want to be close to mountians, water (even lakes) trees, a town with charm but still be accessible to the city. Does such a perfect balance exist? I personally think asheville is beautiful but it seems like it may be too secluded for my husband. I also worry it may be too far west, Tennessee is a little too country for us north easterner's, that's not the vibe were looking for. Raliegh would be ideal for us location wise. We know as newcomers wed have a lot of options being close to the city and although wed choose a suburb of raliegh wed be right in the middle of the mountians and beach but still so far away. Is there a small town outside of raliegh with that natural beauty I'm looking for? I also have 2 young children so saftey & family friendly are also priorities. Am I asking too much or does our dream town exist???
Any small towns anywhere near Raleigh will be swallowed up by the thunderous growth in this area (grew 40% in just 10 years, 2000-2010!). Do you have any specific criteria or know anything about the area? When moving to another state and not knowing what city you want, it's really best to plan a visit and see everything firsthand. What job industry would you be looking for work in? NC has the 7th ot 8th highest unemployment rate right now, FYI.
How big a "city" do you want? Charlotte is the most urban area between DC and Atlanta, and also very close to the mountains. Atlanta itself is closer to the mountains than Raleigh. You also might look at Knoxville, TN which is pretty much IN the mountains but also a city.
Is there a small town outside of Raleigh with that natural beauty I'm looking for?
Pinehurst may have the beauty you are looking for, but it is probably too far to commute to Raleigh on a daily basis. I also suggest Pittsboro for a quaint southern small town, and it is closer to Raleigh and Durham.
Raleigh isn't close to any mountains that I know of; maybe some nice Lakes though. If you want to remain in NC, then the Charlotte area is for you but may I suggest Greenville, SC as well. It has mountains (it's not in the mountains but a huge portion of its county is), it's between both Charlotte and Atlanta and has small towns surrounding it that aren't too expensive but are very nice. Give it a quick lookup to see how you like it.
If you think Asheville is too secluded/small I would not recommend pinehurst. It's a far distance from Raleigh and is really for retirees who only want to golf. Have you looked into Chapel Hill? Chapel Hill is hilly where Raleigh is flat and CH will have alot more of the views you are seeking. There are a few beautiful neighborhoods including the Preserve at Jordan Lake. Chatham county has a beautiful neighborhood with amazing views called Chapel Ridge. It may be too rural for you. You have two children so are schools a priority? Chapel Hill has top ranking schools. I would also look into Clayton. It has a rural feel but less than 30 minutes to Raleigh.
Hello, we'll be visiting NC next weekend to explore and decide if this is where we want to move our family. I'm looking for that small town feel to satisfy my VT roots while still being accessible to the city for my NY native hubby. Willing to commute up to 30min for work. I by no means want to live in the city! We have two small children so being close to parks, libraries, schools ext is a plus. Any ideas on what stops we should be making during our visit?!
Check out Hillsborough. It's a very cute town with a good school system and not far off the highway so you can commute to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill very reasonably. They have a farmer's market, festivals etc. Very much a small town feel while not being too far to the "big" cities.
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in search of charming little town
