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So, I know there's been quite a few threads regarding moves from New England to North Carolina.
We are no different I would imagine from most. A couple in our late 20s with seemingly good careers other than the fact that the pay doesn't provide the lifestyle we think is necessary to raise a family here in Massachusetts.
And that doesn't look like it will change any time soon.
She works in marketing for a large corporation and I work on the internet from home. I can do everything from home, but when I do go out to look for clients as a consultant it would be good to have a strong business economy around me to prospect from.
A few other reasons for looking for a move
Warmer weather - I went to school in Miami and loved every second of the weather (although I wasn't there in the summer)
Better quality of living - slower pace, less traffic, more bang for the buck
So we've planned a quick 4 day trip to Raleigh and Charlotte for the end of the month.
We are going to spend 2 days in the Raleigh area and 2 Days in Charlotte just to get an initial impression.
We've heard good things about both, but obviously we don't have a lot of time to look around so I'm hoping to narrow the search down to some specific areas with all of your help.
Here is what we are looking for (and thanks in advance for lending your experience) I will first list some tangibles and then some in-tangibles that may be a bit off base.
Some easy metrics
Close to the city/ metro area
20-30 minutes from a major metro area
20-40 minutes to work
5 -10 minutes from restaurants - Basically I want to live in a town where I don't have to leave the town every time I need something, whether that be food at a restaurant or shopping or whatever else. You should be able to get the basics with a few options in your own town.
Low Crime- Everyone wants this
Decent Schools - Everyone wants this
200-250k - how much we have to spend on a house
Some less tangible items we are searching for
- Neighborhoods - Let me explain... in New England we have mostly neighborhoods. Then there are what I would call developments. In developments its obvious that all of the houses were built at the same time, based on 1-3 general designs and are painted 1-3 colors. Its obvious they are all copies of each other and at worst you could walk into your neighbor's house thinking it's your own.
In a Neighborhood houses are built in all shapes and sizes, although you hope none of them are tacky and drive your value down you drive down the street
We are looking for neighborhoods.
Easy access to shopping and restaurants -
My GF has celiacs so she needs to eat gluten free and I have my own digestive issues. Unfortunately this creates a need to shop at the higher priced markets like Trader Joes and Whole Foods. So having these places within 20 minutes is important to us. Restaurants that are progressive and provide gluten free options is a big draw for us. (Usually found in most citys, large metro areas)
Not feeling like we're living in the Deep South -
I generally don't believe that NC has this problem, but I am sure in the rural ares, this might be more prevalent. Ideally we'd like to live in a progressive area. We wouldn't at all mind living in areas with other New England transplants
We are New Englanders ourselves and we don't mind living with other crazy M*******s.
Although southern hospitality sound nice, we're not the type to have the neighbors over every week for dinner, or go to church with them, in fact although we are both of christian upbringing, neither of us go to church other than Christmas, Thanksgiving ect.
We're not really sure how the natives will view us but I am worried about the bible thumping extremely conservative mindset, because we probably don't fit in with those folks.
Not sure how much of the population in NC fits that "stereotype" but we are interested in looking at NC because from what I've read, it's not the majority.
That should be enough to get started
Also if anyone knows realtors in the Raleigh or Charlotte area that specialize in transplants, Please pass their info along.
The thread title is misleading (I thought you were asking about how to follow the Red Sox in NC) and your post is very general and kind of rambling.
People can answer specific questions bettwe if you ask them individually and title the thread accordingly. Not to play NetCop, but you touched on many issues in your first post and each could be its own thread. Actually, there are threads already, if you read the forum, that would get you started on almost every one.
The kind of questions that get the most helpful responses are the ones that say "I've done some research and I think I will like area A, B, or C--here is my ideal; which would suit what I'm looking for the best?" You can find a lot of general-to-somewhat-specific info by reading the threads, both in the general NC and the sub-boards. Then come back for clarifications after further research.
To sum it up Finances and Quality of living are why we are considering it.
How many times have you been to NC? Yeah NC has less expensive homes but pretty much everything else is just as expensive. I think there are some other things on your list (and other things I've observed in family that has moved here from MA) that hint that you may end up right back on city-data a year from now complaining about NC.
Have you considered the large cities in Florida? Lots of business, inexpensive home options, warm weather and tons of relocated people.
To each their own but I personally believe Boston has a very high quality of living. I would love to live there, if given the opportunity. There is a difference between quality of living, and cost of living, and typically the two directly impact each other. The higher quality of living, the higher cost of living, because it is considered more desirable to live there.
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