Why Are So Many People Moving To North Carolina? (Charlotte: condo, house)

[DesertDave]

I don't know why they're moving to NC, but I wish they wouldn't. Need to build a wall on I95 at the stateline(maybe let a few in from southside VA though). I grew up in eastern NC and lived in Gville since '87. Have seen a nice small town start to lose what made it a nice place. Same thing at Nags Head. You get to a point of development where you start to degrade the character/quality of a place. And no, we don't care how you do things up there, lol.

[Carolina_native]

The influx to NC is incredible. With all this growth with little planning, sometimes the negatives outweigh the positives. A complete dilution of Southern culture, in places like Cary, Mooresville, Huntersville, all the areas constantly talked about on the forum.

I dont care how many times I hear people talk about how bad the traffic is up north. Someone posted on here that the most traffic is confined only to the rush hour time frame. THAT IS NOT TRUE! Anyone who drives up and down the interstate to and from work everyday can tell you there is no place or even backroad that is safe from bumper to bumper traffic. On a weekend, or even lunch time? Might as well walk to a nearby restaraunt. There roads here are not built for all this traffic, and an improvement here is usually just adding a turn lane.

I guess it is cheaper here, but its not the cheapest place to live. Thats one of the problems. People are drawn only to certain areas, and it really overloads schools and roads.

In the end. people feel NC is a safe ship to jump to because their friends have done it and everyone else seems to be doing it.

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by Carolina_native

The influx to NC is incredible. With all this growth with little planning, sometimes the negatives outweigh the positives. A complete dilution of Southern culture, in places like Cary, Mooresville, Huntersville, all the areas constantly talked about on the forum.

I dont care how many times I hear people talk about how bad the traffic is up north. Someone posted on here that the most traffic is confined only to the rush hour time frame. THAT IS NOT TRUE! Anyone who drives up and down the interstate to and from work everyday can tell you there is no place or even backroad that is safe from bumper to bumper traffic. On a weekend, or even lunch time? Might as well walk to a nearby restaraunt. There roads here are not built for all this traffic, and an improvement here is usually just adding a turn lane.

I guess it is cheaper here, but its not the cheapest place to live. Thats one of the problems. People are drawn only to certain areas, and it really overloads schools and roads.

In the end. people feel NC is a safe ship to jump to because their friends have done it and everyone else seems to be doing it.

Agree - and when they get here, it's "That's not how we did it back home" or "You don't have ______ like we did back home" OYE VEY! Relax and enjoy the area. THIS is home now. We are very nice and we mostly like you, but if you whine, go away!

[John Law]

Originally Posted by DesertDave

I don't know why they're moving to NC, but I wish they wouldn't. Need to build a wall on I95 at the stateline(maybe let a few in from southside VA though). I grew up in eastern NC and lived in Gville since '87. Have seen a nice small town start to lose what made it a nice place. Same thing at Nags Head. You get to a point of development where you start to degrade the character/quality of a place. And no, we don't care how you do things up there, lol.

I am glad to see someone mention the development on the Outer Banks. In the late 1800's, my ancestors helped settle what is now leftover of the core residential area of Nags Head. I have a lot of family history there and my family still owns a few pieces of private property down on the southern part of the Virginia Dare Hwy. Also, I spent just about every summer there from the time I was 4 years old until the time I was 21.

It is a shame at how that area has gone from a quaint coastal township to a booming nucleus of commerce. What also contributes to my disdain is the degradation of the native Southern architecture of the area: The wraparound porches, the cedar shakes and exposed pilings, and the hurricane shutters. The original Nags Head homes were gorgeous and unique. I have seen some new attempts at mocking this design. Unfortunately, just like here in Cary, Apex, Morrisville and similar communities, you get a second rate knock off that is enough to please an "out of towner" who knows no better. The rich and qualitative culture of the area has waned into something transparent.

I don't particularly blame transplants so much as I blame the real estate and development conglomerates that hold the market share on these properties. However, many of these large firms don't even market this land to NC natives because of the high price tags. They are basically selling our beaches, our home, to wealthy transplants that migrate to this area looking for some sort of "relaxing" lifestyle. That is leaving some of us natives a bit disgruntled and understandably so.

[NYer]

Originally Posted by John Law

I am glad to see someone mention the development on the Outer Banks... ...I don't particularly blame transplants so much as I blame the real estate and development conglomerates that hold the market share on these properties. However, many of these large firms don't even market this land to NC natives because of the high price tags. They are basically selling our beaches, our home, to wealthy transplants that migrate to this area looking for some sort of "relaxing" lifestyle. That is leaving some of us natives a bit disgruntled and understandably so.

Amen.
I guess you know that the developers go up north to hotels & run seminars there to market the places for those who cannot afford the Hamptons or the Jersey shore.

[pixiewytch]

Thank you for pointing out the developers and real estate market.

I may be in the minority here but I am not looking to move to NC to buy a huge house in an ugly suburban development where the land was raped over. Nor am I selling assets (I don't really have any) here in Fl to turn over a huge profit and building a half million dollar home there. All I want is a small piece of undeveloped raw land, not in a subdivision, not in a deed restricted community, not in suburban cookie cutter hell...then my family plans to build a modest dwelling on that land with as little impact to the ecosystem as possible. If I could do the same thing here in Fl (my homeland) I would but it is rare to find even an acre of such land here for under 100K. In other words, it is just out of our price range.

I just wanted to say that not all of us moving to NC want to destroy your land and make it a mirror image of something else. I know how you feel because it has already happened throughout Fl.

[Adream]

Originally Posted by mm_mary73

Agree - and when they get here, it's "That's not how we did it back home" or "You don't have ______ like we did back home" OYE VEY! Relax and enjoy the area. THIS is home now. We are very nice and we mostly like you, but if you whine, go away!

Sadly, this must have been going on for a long time in the Southern states. I remember visiting a gift shop in Williamsburg, VA ten years ago, and browsing through a display rack of paper guest towels. Some were pretty, some were humorous. I was taken aback when I read one of them which said in big, bold, black print, "I don't care HOW you did it up North!" I had no idea what that was all about, but after reading the posts on this forum for awhile, I do now!

Hate to say it, but we have been seeing that for ourselves here at the Jersey Shore lately. Leaves some of us speechless. (We don't say it but it does come to mind, "Well if that's how they do it in New York/Philadelphia/Washington D.C. then why are you at the shore?" Yes, some things could definitely be improved, but hey, this is the shore - it is different by definition. Isn't that why you're here?)
(Have to say that most people are glad to relax and leave their usual stress behind).

[Ms.Charlotte]

Originally Posted by Adream

Hate to say it, but we have been seeing that for ourselves here at the Jersey Shore lately. Leaves some of us speechless. (We don't say it but it does come to mind, "Well if that's how they do it in New York/Philadelphia/Washington D.C. then why are you at the shore?" Yes, some things could definitely be improved, but hey, this is the shore - it is different by definition. Isn't that why you're here?)
(Have to say that most people are glad to relax and leave their usual stress behind).

LOL, we've had our share of dumb comments as well! Don't you love this one, Adream? "What do you do in the winter?"
I always answered, "We thank God everyone's gone!!"

[mshay]

Originally Posted by mhogan10010

A have some friends from College who were from Mansfield. I spent a month there one weekend.
Strangly, none of them went back there after graduation.
If you like Nascar, you will probably like NC.

i wont be coming back either, i love racing cant wait to get to mooresville, n.c.

[Adream]

Originally Posted by NCMom

LOL, we've had our share of dumb comments as well! Don't you love this one, Adream? "What do you do in the winter?"
I always answered, "We thank God everyone's gone!!"

Haha - it's nice to see them arrive in the summer, and nice to see them go. We locals enjoy having 'our' shore back. Some get hostile about it, but I never saw the need for that.

NCMOM, not only is it funny to hear people ask what we do in the winter, but the expression on the faces is just priceless. Similar to this...
When I tell them that we do what they do, and what we used to do when we lived in PA they don't seem so incredulous anymore. Let's see, we spend time with our family, drive the kids all over creation, work, see friends, go to dinner and movie, go to a game in Philly... oh yeah! We get to go the the beach whenever we want!!