'The Rural Life, Small-Town' thread (Raleigh: tornado, stats, to move)

[RuralCoastalGuy]

Originally Posted by ArizonaRanch

Oh my gosh! We've been looking to move to a rural area, where we'd want to buy a house & a lot of land. We were originally looking to out west, but I've also tossed around the idea of the Carolina's.

I came across this thread and thought I'd died & gone to heaven. It's nice to know there are others out there who want/have this lifestyle too!

We are in NJ currently (ugghhh - we want out!) I was born & raised, he's from the midwest.

Anyways, I'm going to be looking more into North Carolina (rural areas, weather, etc) and hopefully it'll fullfill everything we're looking for!

Take a look at the NC county map at the top of this forum. There are 100 counties here and the map will show you where they all are. You hear more about counties than cities here too.

And yes, this IS Heaven. Do let us know if you have any questions about NC as we are all in here either looking to move here or are already here and looking to help others transition more easily

[northcountrygirl]

One thing I have discovered since moving south. Country people are country people no matter what region you are in. Most of us northeners, unfortunately, are judged by people who move here from cities who excude rudness and selfishness. People who live in the country and rural areas in the north are really no different than people in rural areas down here and we have the same values and hopes and dreams. If you want to be friends with your neighbors and can handle smiles and waves and "hello's" and want true family values, then take it from a former northerner, you will love it in the south. I have a lot of fun refering to myself as the "Plant Token Yankee" where I work and it helps break the ice. I have found that if you don't take YOURSELF too seriously and are just honest and sincere, you'll do fine.

[RuralCoastalGuy]

Originally Posted by northcountrygirl

One thing I have discovered since moving south. Country people are country people no matter what region you are in. Most of us northeners, unfortunately, are judged by people who move here from cities who excude rudness and selfishness. People who live in the country and rural areas in the north are really no different than people in rural areas down here and we have the same values and hopes and dreams. If you want to be friends with your neighbors and can handle smiles and waves and "hello's" and want true family values, then take it from a former northerner, you will love it in the south. I have a lot of fun refering to myself as the "Plant Token Yankee" where I work and it helps break the ice. I have found that if you don't take YOURSELF too seriously and are just honest and sincere, you'll do fine.

northcountrygirl:

Picture me giving you a standing ovation. (clap clap clap, yayyyyyyyyy). Good values are the same everywhere as are good morals and ethics.

[northcountrygirl]

Thank you!!!! I don't know if that warranted a standing ovation, it was just an observation. I am a little embarrassed. But thank you anyway. I can tell you that there is something spiritual in the air here and for the very first time I can say that I like my life. I am proud and happy to be here. All of you guys thinking about moving to NC or anyplace else in the south, I garuntee you it will make you a better person.

[ArizonaRanch]

Hi again everyone! This is a really great thread!!

Thanks Mikey_NC for the suggestion of the county thread!

I'm hoping someone has recommendations on rural farming towns with really mild winters (little to no snow. If it does have to snow, it can be an inch or so & has to melt by the afternoon - i hate snow and don't want to shovel anymore-ugghh)

My BF and I want large acreage farmland (horses, cattle, etc) and we'd love to wake up to hear/smell/see other local farmlands....cows moooing, horses whinnying, roosters crowing, the tractors (preferably john deere) plowing.....it's all beautiful smells, sounds & sights to us!!

We don't mind a bit of a drive to work/stores/etc (45+mins)
We hate how now we look out the window & see the stores all lit up down the road! Where are the stars in the sky?? Well, we can't see them here 'cause of all the stores & lights!

I am the black-sheep of my family (parents, siblings) as they like the suburb towns with stores all over the place (to me they're "the city") - they just look at me like I have 2 heads when i call it the city!

[RuralCoastalGuy]

Originally Posted by ArizonaRanch

Hi again everyone! This is a really great thread!!

Thanks Mikey_NC for the suggestion of the county thread!

I'm hoping someone has recommendations on rural farming towns with really mild winters (little to no snow. If it does have to snow, it can be an inch or so & has to melt by the afternoon - i hate snow and don't want to shovel anymore-ugghh)

My BF and I want large acreage farmland (horses, cattle, etc) and we'd love to wake up to hear/smell/see other local farmlands....cows moooing, horses whinnying, roosters crowing, the tractors (preferably john deere) plowing.....it's all beautiful smells, sounds & sights to us!!

We don't mind a bit of a drive to work/stores/etc (45+mins)
We hate how now we look out the window & see the stores all lit up down the road! Where are the stars in the sky?? Well, we can't see them here 'cause of all the stores & lights!

I am the black-sheep of my family (parents, siblings) as they like the suburb towns with stores all over the place (to me they're "the city") - they just look at me like I have 2 heads when i call it the city!

Any rural area from the middle of NC towards the coast will have little or no snow at all. The most snow we have seen here in 11 years is a half inch and it melted before noon.

Look at the sticky map at the top of this forum and look for Sampson, Pender, Duplin, Bladen, Onslow, Brunswick, Johnston and Beaufort just to name a few "starters" for ya.

We live in Sampson and have only 4 acres but we hear the neighbors' cows mooing every morning and evening, can walk up the road to a horse farm and watch the trainer taking the horses through the paces, and have a clear, unobstructed view of the sunrise and sunset. There is nothin better than a blue Carolina sky! Yes, we have roosters crowing, barn hawks flying around looking for small critters, three pig farms and a lot of farms. No sidewalks here

Yup, if it ain't green and yellow it ain't a John Deere...got to have one!

WalMart and all the other "city/suburb" amenities are about a half hour away but there are several places where you can get country cookin, gas, provisions and meet your neighbors every day within a couple of miles.

We live longer here too

Lest I forget...the mountains are about 3.5 hours and the beaches are 1-1.5 hours away. Raleigh, the "big city" is about 1.5 hours away.

[Nims]

I'm just grinnin' ear to ear right now, thinking of all y'all being so happy in our Rural Life and Country Living thread.

Do you realize that there hasn't been any criticizing, flaming, complaining, or sarcasm in our thread? I think that's because we don't have anything to prove, and we just want to spread our country-life happiness around. The more the merrier!

Thanks, everyone!
Nims

[Nims]

I have a suggestion: could everyone please try to mention the county or counties as well as the region (western, eastern, etc) that you are referring to (if you know them) so that others can mentally picture 'where' you are? Especially since there are a number of us (like me!) who aren't living in NC yet, and are using the Forum to get as comfortable with our life-to-be as we can.

Thank you kindly!

[RuralCoastalGuy]

Originally Posted by Nims

I'm just grinnin' ear to ear right now, thinking of all y'all being so happy in our Rural Life and Country Living thread.

Do you realize that there hasn't been any criticizing, flaming, complaining, or sarcasm in our thread? I think that's because we don't have anything to prove, and we just want to spread our country-life happiness around. The more the merrier!

Thanks, everyone!
Nims

Fingers crossed young lady...y'all never know! As long as we welcome everyone, country style, we should remain untouched for a long time!!

[northcountrygirl]

Heck! This is the nicest bunch of people I've met on CD with the possible exception of my friends over on the game forum.