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I am looking to move from Northern California with my husband and son. I am trying to decide whether to live closer to mountains or ocean. We are planning a trip in either the Spring or Fall to see the state. Can anyone recommend a great little town? How hard is it to relocate and find jobs in a smaller town?
What do you consider "little"? I live in Sanford, which is small-medium sized. The advantage of Sanford is that it is a nice town on its own (not a suburb), but only about 30-45 mins. to anywhere larger (when you crave malls and chain restaurants) including Cary, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville. You can get to the beach in <3 hrs as well as to the mountains. If you want to find it on the NC map, look South on US 1 from Raleigh/Cary. Sanford has a small but thriving arts community, well-known potters, regional theatre, and people from various parts of the country along with NC natives. For a small city there are quite a few major companies represented, including Coty, Caterpillar, Wyeth Labs, Static Control, Pantry, to name a few. Google Lee County NC for more info. on the local economy. If you come here and show that you want to be a part of the community (as opposed to trying to recreate where you came from), you will make great friendships.
If you are looking for some place smaller, Pittsboro (15 miles north of Sanford), or look South on US 1/15-501 to towns like Carthage, Cameron, Whispering Pines, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, or West on 421 to Lillington.
Hope this helps.
I live in the city of Statesville, NC. It is a great area, convenient to the mountains, a 1/2 day's drive to the ocean, 45 minutes north of Charlotte. My husband and I have lived here 5 years and are moving to Tennessee.
We've lived many places and I have to say this is one of the best. If you have any specific questions about the area, please ask.
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The job market is fair here. There are two hospitals located here, another 2 within 25-30 miles. Numerous people here commute to Charlotte. Banking is very big in Charlotte. The job market really depends on what you would be looking for.
Later,
Cindy
Last edited by Mike from back east; 11-05-2006 at 10:30 AM..
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How are the winters in all those areas all of you have talked about(ie mooresville,Monroe,Speed)??? Thanks
Speed has a mild winter, does not snow very often, if/when it DOES snow, only a few inches historically. Coldest months are Feb/Mar and starts to get nicer around mid-April. Christmas weather is normally long sleeve shirt and a jacket, 50's or 60's, fairly mild. Summer is, well, hot. This IS the South. Humidity is not nearly as bad as towards the coast, although there are usually several days when it does get up there. All in all, nice weather in Speed
Jolene: Don't know how much time you will have when you visit us here but if you can try to visit Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Dunn. Charlotte and Greensboro will be closer to the mountains while Raleigh and Dunn will be closer to the beaches. All four cities have a number of small, rural towns around them with Raleigh having the least. We live in the country about 20 minutes from the Dunn shopping district and are about an hour and 15 minutes from the beaches. This is a beautiful state and you need lots of time to see it all but try your best to research so you will make the most of whatever time you have here. Asheboro and Boone are beautiful but more tourists flock there during different seasons. Fayetteville is a military City with Fort Bragg sprawled all around it. If you belong to AAA send for a tourbook of NC and get a state map. Once you decide which cities you would like to see post messages in the metro NC areas and you will get more specific information. Good luck!!
We moved from San Jose, CA to Cary, NC about two and a half years ago, and after renting in Cary for a year, then found our current house in Sanford, where we have been for the last 18 months or so.
Having lived all over the country in small, medium, and large cities, then spending almost a decade in the SF Bay Area, the move to the Raleigh area was actually not that much of a "culture shock" as some may think it would be.
Given the technology centers, universities, and industry in the region, the Raleigh area is quite diverse in culture.
Great places to live abound depending on your own tastes and expectations.
We've found Sanford to be great, although certainly not perfect. But would recommend it to those considering a mid-sized city(about 25k pop) with a small-town feel, close to the big towns.
We moved from San Jose, CA to Cary, NC about two and a half years ago, and after renting in Cary for a year, then found our current house in Sanford, where we have been for the last 18 months or so.
Having lived all over the country in small, medium, and large cities, then spending almost a decade in the SF Bay Area, the move to the Raleigh area was actually not that much of a "culture shock" as some may think it would be.
Given the technology centers, universities, and industry in the region, the Raleigh area is quite diverse in culture.
Great places to live abound depending on your own tastes and expectations.
We've found Sanford to be great, although certainly not perfect. But would recommend it to those considering a mid-sized city(about 25k pop) with a small-town feel, close to the big towns.
We're from the Monterey area ourselves and love it here in Mooresville
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Speed weather
: Don't know how much time you will have when you visit us here but if you can try to visit Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Dunn. Charlotte and Greensboro will be closer to the mountains while Raleigh and Dunn will be closer to the beaches. All four cities have a number of small, rural towns around them with Raleigh having the least. We live in the country about 20 minutes from the Dunn shopping district and are about an hour and 15 minutes from the beaches. This is a beautiful state and you need lots of time to see it all but try your best to research so you will make the most of whatever time you have here. Asheboro and Boone are beautiful but more tourists flock there during different seasons. Fayetteville is a military City with Fort Bragg sprawled all around it. If you belong to AAA send for a tourbook of NC and get a state map. Once you decide which cities you would like to see post messages in the metro NC areas and you will get more specific information. Good luck!!
We moved from San Jose, CA -> Sanford = Love it!
