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Agree that W/S is a better choice at your income level. I like it as a city, (I just am not into the South in general and am fleeing to the Midwest) BUT as small cities go it has everything one may need, I find it attractive, and it feel safe to me, and has some really pretty sections and is not very high COL, relatively speaking.
If I wanted to stay in NC it'd be my first pick of places to live, I like it better than Raleigh, it has more "character" in my opinion, less of a sprawl-y feel to it than Raleigh or Charlotte.
I'll look into Winston-Salem. My wife says that she's looked into greensboro on some site and found that it's crime rate falls at mid level leaving her unimpressed in comparison to where we're from in NJ which was rated very High in safety
I'll look into Winston-Salem. My wife says that she's looked into greensboro on some site and found that it's crime rate falls at mid level leaving her unimpressed in comparison to where we're from in NJ which was rated very High in safety
W-S's crime rate is a little higher than G'boro. I wouldn't let that deter you. If you don't do certain activities in certain places, you won't experience crime in either place.
OP, TRUST me, as a native NYer, and having lived in Ft Laud and Palm Beach, FLA, crime in NC is laughable by comparison.
It's not like you are prob thinking of in say Camden NJ or the South Bronx.
I have never even seen graffiti in NC or when I lived in ROANOKE VA.
Believe me even the "bad" sections of W/S look OK, not like what we're used to up North, with winos sleeping in doorways and bars on many windows and graffiti all over.
It's very different here, you have to see it to believe it.
Last edited by VexedAndSolitary; 01-25-2016 at 03:46 PM..
OP, TRUST me, as a native NYer, and having lived in Ft Laud and Palm Beach, FLA, crime in NC is laughable by comparison.
It's not like you are prob thinking of in say Camden NJ or the South Bronx.
I have never even seen graffiti in NC or when I lived in ROANOKE VA.
Believe me even the "bad" sections of W/S look OK, not like what we're used to up North, with winos sleeping in doorways and bars on many windows and graffiti all over.
It's very different here, you have to see it to believe it.
Thanks that changes things up then quite a bit lol. We're planning on taking a trip soon so and this will be good to know
When you arrive ask the hotel desk clerk "which areas of town should we avoid" then drive through them, you'll be like are you kidding me...these lawns are mowed, they even HAVE lawns, there are no crackheads wandering around/passed out/asking for change there are no houses w/bars nor businesses with bulletproof glass.
What they call "bad" sections down here are NOTHING, you'll see. They're not fancy, but they are in no wise scary to those of us who have seen true urban slums/ghettos.
Go on Realtor.com, do a search for houses under 30K (they'll be in the "bad" section" in W/S at that price) then do Google street views for the addresses. You'll see what I mean.
When I first moved to ROA VA in 2001 from Palm Beach and got driving to a new church of a Sun morn, I was told when I stopped to ask directions at a gas station, "oh, follow us, we're going that way, this is a very bad part of town".
There were children playing in neat yards, old folks walking about, not a scrap of garbage to be seen, houses were neat and cute, no bars, no graffiti, I was like, "THIS is bad"?
I lived in that city 12yrs and never saw a single bar on a single window and I went to every section. Never was scared. These folks would freak if they got dropped into SoBronx or Liberty City in Miami (where I have been aplenty).
Also to paint a picture of affordability. We rent a small one bedroom apartment for $1200 which is sadly decent here with an income of 62k this past year. I don't know how well my income will translate to living in NC with cost of living, but feel certain that you get more bang for your buck.
More bang than where?
It really doesn't sound like you've done a terrible amount of research on places that meet ALL of your needs, but are following the oft-repeated (and a little out of date) rumor that "Everything is SOOOO cheap in NC". I think overall we are something like the 17th-highest COL among the 50 states, meaning there are 33 that are cheaper?
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