Relocating from NY

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by goldenage1

Well, Wilmington is smaller than Savannah. I usually recommend Charleston over Wilmington, but Charleston is more expensive. With the recent violence in Charleston, IDK what the future holds.

The traffic in Virginia Beach is horrendous and it is mostly a big suburb. But, if you work from home, traffic won't matter. I would recommend looking at Norfolk Virginia, as long as you don't plan to buy. The historic area is gorgeous and the are lots of first-class entertainment options. The caution about buying is that most of Norfolk is in a flood zone. You really have to visit to see what feels right to you.

Good suggestions. If Savannah seemed too small for you, don't bother considering Wilmington.

I'll add one to your list: St Augustine, Florida.

[treeboy919]

Charleston SC is choking itself with traffic and uncontrolled development, it was a great little hidden gem but is quickly becoming unbearable. Savannah is decent but has a larger big city feel including the grittiness that comes with a bigger city. Wilmington is a nice blend of small town / big city, and they seem to have a better grip on how to build out and grow in a sensible manner. St Augustine is sorta becoming like Charleston....it's growing like a weed, but I do like it if you wanna go that far south.

[Stagemomma]

St. Aug isn't really a reasonable drive to Syracuse to visit family, which the OP had expressed interest in.

How about Richmond VA? Great city, lots going on, not too far to the beach or mountains. Great river running right through it, historical interest, and should have a decent singles scene.

[spsmith713]

When we moved here in 2003 from Syracuse area the 2 choices were Richmond or RDU. We came down to visit and make our choice, stopped at a hotel in Richmond not too far from the RJ Reynolds plant. Woke up at 3am and the smell was so bad we ended up just leaving. That eliminated Richmond, but if we didn't live in NC we would definitely live somewhere in VA.

[Jane0218]

I have relatives who live north of Charlotte proper, and they love it.
I write a LOT, please try to read it all if you can...I want to give back to CD because CD has helped me in so many ways.

One nephew went to college in Charlotte, and never moved back to NY. He lives near the southern part of Lake Norman. He wasn't too much of a partier, so can't help you re: night life, or things to do for entertainment, or hiking, biking.

His older brother followed him down a few years later. Now they're both married with kids, love where they live.

I never considered Charlotte because it's too far from the coast for me. I can get to the coast in about 2 hrs. I live about an easy 20 minute drive southeast of Raleigh (if I don't drive during rush hours).

I moved back to the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area last November, after getting tons of advice from people here at CD.

I was born & raised on eastern (=rural) Long Island, NY. I know how nice it is to live close to water, beaches, etc. Then I moved to AZ in 2003 and loved the low humidity, hated the cookie cutter communities, missed the water badly, missed the change of seasons.

Then I moved in 2005 to northeast of Raleigh, NC about 30 minutes from Wake Forest. It was great out there, too far from Raleigh area, though, still too rural (it's changed since then!). Then the recession hit. I moved to PA for 8 yrs, hated the cold weather, even though I grew up with some harsh winters.

Now I'm back in NC, again chose the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, but away from all the congestion. I like the proximity to the coast, plain and simple. I ruled out coastal NC because there aren't big cities, or large population towns near each other. It's a subjective opinion, I'm not trashing the coast. Many people love NC coastal living. For me, I would live there if it had higher populated areas.

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area isn't as highly populated as Charlotte, I think, but it's pretty congested in some areas.

There are many things to do in this area, as I'm sure there are in & near Charlotte, too. I just enjoy being so close to the coast (2 hr drive). I haven't checked yet, but I've been told that one or more of the lakes near me allow the public to swim! That's a big yay! factor for me. It's possible you might be able to swim in Lake Norman over near Charlotte, IDK.

Lots of hiking trails, so much greener here. It's less hilly here than Charlotte, I believe.

I think you can rent in a newly built apt. bldg. probably for around $600-$1000 or more, depending upon amenities and location in regards to Raleigh/Durham.

I like living away from the city area, but close to museums, fine dining, a city vibe, but don't get me wrong--Raleigh is no NYC. It's green almost everywhere, most likely a smaller city-like area than Charlotte. There's fine dining close to me, but not 5 star which is in Raleigh.

I write too much, always have, sorry about that! Long story short: consider Raleigh, you can live near the coast and near a medium-size city. PM me if you want to. CD members helped me to choose returning to NC over moving to Virginia Beach area, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee. The people here are awesome.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

Good suggestions. If Savannah seemed too small for you, don't bother considering Wilmington.

I'll add one to your list: St Augustine, Florida.

Wilmington is a bit smaller than Savannah, but not considerably...population 112,000 vs. 144,000. Savannah has a larger historic district and is more well-known, but I hate for people to overlook Wilmington when it is a viable city with lots of similarities to the other historic coastal cities. It hardly even gets a mention sometimes. Wilmington's beaches are much more desirable than those in Charleston or Savannah.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by spsmith713

When we moved here in 2003 from Syracuse area the 2 choices were Richmond or RDU. We came down to visit and make our choice, stopped at a hotel in Richmond not too far from the RJ Reynolds plant. Woke up at 3am and the smell was so bad we ended up just leaving. That eliminated Richmond, but if we didn't live in NC we would definitely live somewhere in VA.

There isn't and never has been an RJ Reynolds plant in Richmond...Philip Morris HQ is located there, but are you sure it was cigarette processing you were smelling? The manufacturing plant is in south Richmond pretty far away from downtown. Anyway, it sounds a little strange to eliminate the city due to an odor that would only be present in the area immediately around that factory.