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My husband and I are looking to move to NC, but are hoping you can give us some insight on possible locations that would be a good fit for us.
A little about us:
We are a married couple in our early 30's with 3 boys under 7. We currently live about an hour from Los Angeles California. I am a stay at home mom and would like it to stay that way=) We are more on the conservative side, my boys attend a Christian private school currently, but mainly because our school districts are crap=) My husband is a truck driver (transporter) so we are pretty flexible with location.
What we are looking for:
Family oriented, we are looking for a small town feel, but with a good amount of young families. Slower pace of living, affordable living. We would like to purchase a home under 180k and at least 1800 sq.... is that possible in NC? We do enjoy all the seasons, as we have them here. Not to found of humidity. Mountains or near beach is okay, but our main factor again is affordable living, great school districts, and safe.
What we are looking for:
Family oriented, we are looking for a small town feel, but with a good amount of young families. Slower pace of living, affordable living. We would like to purchase a home under 180k and at least 1800 sq.... is that possible in NC? We do enjoy all the seasons, as we have them here. Not to found of humidity. Mountains or near beach is okay, but our main factor again is affordable living, great school districts, and safe.
Yes, it is possible to find housing for less than $100/SF . For example, in my area, Sneads Ferry and Holly Ridge have new build houses in that range. Our schools are acceptable and safe. However if you want a "great" school district the prices will be higher. For example, people are flocking to Cary and the rest of Wake County because of the reputation for excellent schools. That has driven up the prices of housing.
Your other criteria do not help to narrow down the search much. For example, 98% of North Carolina is safe and family-friendly. You would have to define a "great" school district a little better. Please be aware that teachers have been unhappy because of not receiving pay raises for 5 years, and many good teachers have left the state.
I would concentrate on finding the best job for your husband. The trucking corridors follow the major interstates like I-95, I-40 and I-77, so it would be best to locate near one of them.
Raleigh metro sounds good. Good schools, definitely safe, family oriented and wholesome, near major travel arteries (I-40, 85, 95), relatively low COL...for a small town feel near Raleigh metro, I would say Knightdale, Apex, Fuquay Varina, or Holly Springs. Maybe even southern Durham. If you want to be a bit farther away from the suburbanness of RDU, Sanford or Burlington is cool as well. Of course those are all towns only near Raleigh...there are plenty of other options! And I love this area, so I'm bias.
Location: River's Edge Inn, Todd NC, and Lorgues France
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Originally Posted by LordHelmit
Raleigh metro sounds good. Good schools, definitely safe, family oriented and wholesome, near major travel arteries (I-40, 85, 95), relatively low COL...for a small town feel near Raleigh metro, I would say Knightdale, Apex, Fuquay Varina, or Holly Springs. Maybe even southern Durham. If you want to be a bit farther away from the suburbanness of RDU, Sanford or Burlington is cool as well. Of course those are all towns only near Raleigh...there are plenty of other options! And I love this area, so I'm bias.
Thank you so much I appreciate the help. So to be more specific and answer some of your questions I am looking for in school district is, non- crowded classrooms. preferrably around 25 kids per classroom. Good staff , Good education learning tools, Good community, Good test scores, Good extra Curricular activities encourages parent envolvement.
As far as location we would like a big backyard preferrably a woodsy backyard. Big trees. A town that is slow paced, but also has festivities/ sports for the kids. Nothing to boring or in the sticks My Boys love hockey and they play that as well as snowboarding. However, we do enjoy the lake. Again living in California we are able to take advantage of both of those things. Not sure if thats possible in NC. BUT that's okay! We like more family owned shops and restaurants verses the BIG chain stuff. I dont mind a half hour drive to get to the mall=) Im not necessarily looking for a cookie cutter home. We would like character in our town, and home. I also wouldnt mind being near a lake or water of any kind...or at least about an hour away that has docks and a beach area. I hope this helps a little more.
OP means "original poster". We should warn you that North Carolina summers are humid. You can't avoid the humidity.
The small towns around Charlotte would give you some of what you want. For example, Salisbury is close to High Rock Lake. It is also close to the I-85 corridor for trucking jobs. Concord has some well-rated schools.
BTW, North carolina will not get cold enough weather for your kids to do much hockey or snowboarding unless you go the higher elevations, like Boone.
My husband and I are looking to move to NC, but are hoping you can give us some insight on possible locations that would be a good fit for us.
A little about us:
We are a married couple in our early 30's with 3 boys under 7. We currently live about an hour from Los Angeles California. I am a stay at home mom and would like it to stay that way=) We are more on the conservative side, my boys attend a Christian private school currently, but mainly because our school districts are crap=) My husband is a truck driver (transporter) so we are pretty flexible with location.
What we are looking for:
Family oriented, we are looking for a small town feel, but with a good amount of young families. Slower pace of living, affordable living. We would like to purchase a home under 180k and at least 1800 sq.... is that possible in NC? We do enjoy all the seasons, as we have them here. Not to found of humidity. Mountains or near beach is okay, but our main factor again is affordable living, great school districts, and safe.
Thank you! I'd appreciate any input=))
One hour from Los Angeles can put you in several different places. Ventura County, Orange County, Inland Empire. Knowing where that is could help in describing the differences. In all cases, NC will be vastly different culturally and geographically.
NC summers will be quite humid, far more than you're accustomed to. Not sure what you mean by "small town feel", but any visions of Andy Griffith small town life are pretty far off the mark in modern times. They can have crime and drug problems just like anywhere else. The rural schools can be awful - both in terms of funding and quality of students. Of lower cost of living is closely linked to (not surprisingly) wages and abundance of high paying jobs.
The most important thing would be jobs of course, make sure you have one before arriving.
What we are looking for:
Family oriented, we are looking for a small town feel, but with a good amount of young families. Slower pace of living, affordable living. We would like to purchase a home under 180k and at least 1800 sq.... is that possible in NC? We do enjoy all the seasons, as we have them here. Not to found of humidity. Mountains or near beach is okay, but our main factor again is affordable living, great school districts, and safe.
Mostly, why have you chosen NC specifically? The particular "North Carolina" things you're looking for, based on firsthand knowledge or serious research (rather than anecdote or what you read in a magazine article) will help people answer your question. Do you have jobs lined up and if so, where? Of course that will make a big difference.
Lots of states have (more) affordable living, and good schools, etc--there should be more specific reasons you choose any state than those. How much time have you spent in NC, and where?
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More of what I am looking for......
My Boys love hockey and they play that as well as snowboarding. However, we do enjoy the lake. Again living in California we are able to take advantage of both of those things. Not sure if thats possible in NC. BUT that's okay! We like more family owned shops and restaurants verses the BIG chain stuff. I dont mind a half hour drive to get to the mall=) Im not necessarily looking for a cookie cutter home. We would like character in our town, and home. I also wouldnt mind being near a lake or water of any kind...or at least about an hour away that has docks and a beach area. I hope this helps a little more. 
