Worst towns in NC? (Charlotte, Raleigh: live in, cost of living, moving)

[NC or bust]

Originally Posted by BubbaGourmet

Here's the problem. We have had a dramatic influx of transplants from other places. The population is growing at a pace that is far beyond the states ability to keep up with. It is currently estimated that within 10 years we will be the most populated state on the East coast if people continue to move here from other states. Our Southern culture is RAPIDLY disappearing and, along with it, such things as the laid back atmosphere, the Southern hospitality and the like. The coast (where I have lived for many years) has become pretty bad, the I-40 corridor is going to soon be one big metro area stretching from Winston-Salem to Rocky Mount, the area around Charlotte has grown to unmanageable proportions. If it sounds like I wish people would quit coming here...well...I do. All it does is raise the cost of living (now the fastest growing in the country) and lower the quality of life.
Please, don't consider me mean or hateful but I wish people would either (a) stay where they are or (b) find some other place to ruin.
Sorry...but it is true.

Those of us who are moving to this state that you believe is yours, are not doing so to "ruin" it for you, but are trying to improve our lives for one reason or another. I have lived in Ohio for the past 26 years, and have endured cold, long winters, lack of sunshine, and a lack of outdoor activities for my entire life. I am not going to feel guilty, or buy into the hype that I am ruining your quality of life because I am trying to improve mine.

[Canes2006Champs]

I would say Chadbourn, went with some friends to the beach in 2005 and coming back we went through Chadbourn, never have I seen so many going out of business signs in one town. Many of those it seemed were out of business for a long time. Stopped at the Hardees there, we were the only customers in there the whole time.

[latwalk]

Originally Posted by mm34b

Personally, I avoid the high-population density areas such as Wake and Mecklenburg Counties, but your question is totally subjective. One man's trash is another man's treasure. The same applies to areas of NC.

When you say "transplants", are you speaking of people who were not born in the carolinas, or people who were not born in the U.S.? I am a "northerner" and I'm not real familiar with the term. Please explain.

[MrsSteel]

Originally Posted by latwalk

When you say "transplants", are you speaking of people who were not born in the carolinas, or people who were not born in the U.S.? I am a "northerner" and I'm not real familiar with the term. Please explain.

I strongly suspect that he meant people who are not originally from North Carolina. Certain areas of North Carolina - especially the areas around Charlotte and the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, etc.) - have experienced a population surge as vast numbers of transplants from other states move there.

[cackilacky010]

hey yall. i was born in tarboro and moved to fayetteville as a small child (both places frequently mentioned as being among the worst) and i gotta admit that i love NC and would never wanna live anywhere else. People keep talkin' trash on Fay. but thats just completely unfair. I went through public schooling there all the way and I turned out perfectly fine. I now attend one of the nation's top public universities (UNC -- which is, by the way, 82% in-state students) and I consider my education pretty top notch. Some lady wrote in she wouldn't let her kids in the schools here -- thats just dumb. Obviously you wouldn't exactly want to go to some of the schools but look at the reputation and scores for the almost brand-new Jack Britt or Terry Sanford. Both are quality schools. Britt is clearly better due to our highly competitive football program (bc thats really what matters in NC). I love my hometown and I love my state. Every place has its fair share of problems and NC is no worse than anywhere else. And seriously, if you don't like our state, feel free to leave. I aint gonna stop you. It just seems mighty Yankee-ish to complain about how crappy things are without actually giving it a chance. If the people are mean/rude to you, its cuz your a Yankee. have fun freezin when you get back to wherever it is that so much better.

[goblue1231]

Just wondering if you ever moved from Det to North or South Carolina. My wife and I are thinking of moving there and have no idea where we want to live. We have narrowed it down to the Raleigh area or Greenville. Any advice?

[cottonswoods]

Hello ya'll!

Well we are a family... 2 teenagers, 2 under 5 yo and 2 adult sons, 23 and 27, husband and me. So this is going to be a big operation moving back home.

Moved to the west coast in 1992 and trying to come back home for many years. I'm from Durham County originally and husband from Wake County. We know we don't want to be in the city of Duham... other than that we are open to being just about anywhere and need suggestions!

We are in Spokane, WA and badly want to come back to NC. If you an suggest threads of interest for locations, col, rental management people that would be great.

[Leaving Arizona]

Wow, 23 pages...

As someone who is planning on moving to NC in the not too distant future, I have found this to be a very instructive thread.

I'm surprised at the vitriol of some of the posters. Wow.

That said, my husband and I have traveled the entire state: Raleigh to Greensboro to Asheville, out to Brevard, down to Rock Hill, SC below the state line, up to Fayetteville, out to Wilmington and back to Raleigh (and somewhere in there we were in Charlotte). A couple of visits ago we went up to Wilkesboro and Lansing, back down to Lexington, and other areas surrounding Greensboro.

There are some posts I agree with, and others I do not.

How do I describe Charlotte? We just had bad vibes. I'm sure there are nice areas outside of the city proper, but holy cow, I did not like that place.

Most of the posts here regarding Fayetteville have only reinforced what we observed while there. All due respect to those living there, but... yuck.

The Raleigh area is too much like Phoenix for our tastes (jammed to the hilt and the traffic--gadzooks, I-40 bites through there!), and Cary is what is stated, as we have NY cousins who live there. They even joke about the Containment Area for Relocated Yankees. It's a beautiful area, but again, not where we'd want to live personally.

Wilkesboro was... interesting. That's all I'm going to say. It was never on the possibilities list, but it's close to where my semi-adopted brother lives (he lives in Lansing, a teeny little place on the map). The mountains are gorgeous, but remote... aaaand let's just say it was very obvious that my husband and I were objects of discussion at the bar and at the tables around us as we three bowled and played pool.

Asheville must have been drop-dead gorgeous in its heyday (and parts still are), but I wouldn't live there now, even with the revitalization. I understand real estate is insane there, too. I remember reading that the city of Asheville has been in the red from the Depression until recent years, and only in the black in the last five (seventy-something years?!). I will say that the the best B&B in the state is there, with one exception. It was a beautiful area, and I adored the drive across the mountains to get there. But meh.

We did not like Wilmington, not at all, although we met incredibly nice people there.

Which reminds me, I don't know where some of you all have been, but I have found the NC folks some of the most polite and helpful people I've ever met, no matter where in the state we've been. I'm scratching my head on that one.

One thing I disagree with is the thumbs-down on Greensboro. That has been the only place we've been that actually says "move here" to my husband and to me. If you're expecting the nightlife of NY or the busyness of Chicago, or the amenities of a major metropolitan area, then no, you're not going to like it there. You're not going to like a lot of North Carolina if this is your attitude. Get used to the idea.

I don't know what the fuss is all about, really; Greensboro seems fine to me. I don't want stores and check cashing places, nightclubs or crap foo-foo places on every freaking corner and whatnot. We consider it perfect, as long as we avoid certain parts of town. We're going to move to that area in the next couple of years, and are considering Jamestown and across the Davidson County line as well.

My two cents: I would never want to make Greensboro into what Phoenix is--or anywhere else we'd move to. Anyone who has that attitude, as has already been stated, no matter where you're from, needs to go back to where they came from. That's what has happened to Phoenix: people from everywhere else has changed it to what they knew, and destroyed the Valley I grew up in (this, plus like my eldest brother said once, Phoenix is L.A.'s b*st*rd child, and with the overdevelopment, it's true). Revitalization is fine; but overdevelopment is not.

I have intense dislike for these people who complain, and sympathize with the NC natives that have become pretty ticked. I feel your pain.

[rawlee1]

What about Jacksonville? That town is nuthin but strip bars (ugly strippers) and pawn shops!

[Tarheelhombre]

Worst small town: Rockingham. Far from any major cities with a shrinking economy and population. Boredom defined.

Worst mid size town: Rocky Mount. Never have a seen such blight on a massive scale. Yeah, I have never been to Detroit.

Worst major city: Fayetteville. You know all about this one.