Rural town/great schools (Winston-Salem, Asheville: houses, job market, buying)

[kellyb]

First of all, I'd like to say I'm very glad to have stumbled onto this site. Everyone who answers on this is very helpful. I know it's crazy, but we've never been to the Carolinas before, but are considering moving there from Illinois. My problem is that I don't want to come visit until I have pretty much narrowed my search to a few select areas. Because we are starting out blind, I thought I'd pose my questions here in hopes that someone could offer some assistance.

We would like to be in an area that I guess would be considered "farm country". We'd like to get 5 or more acres with a nice house. We like to socialize with our neighbors, have bonfires, etc. We also need to have a pole barn for a workshop. However, schools top my list of importance. I am a teacher and have two boys in school. I want to be 10 minutes or so from a grocery store, Target, Home Depot, etc. We don't want to be so far out that we are secluded from everything. I'd like where we live to have nice scenery. We are in the country now, but it is flat.

I don't want to be on the coast for obvious reasons. I'd love to be able to see the mountains, but that is not a necessity. I'm also looking for lower taxes to make it worth our while.

I am in dream land, but I'm looking for "The Perfect Place to Live". I know there is no such thing, but it's worth a try.

We don't need to be close to a large city for work. I will be teaching and we have our own business that my husband runs.

If there is anyone who could give me some ideas of where to begin my search, I would greatly appreciate it.

[alice_61]

Being in farm land yet only 10 minutes from Target seems like a hard combo. Usually Target is in a fairly dense suburban area.

[mm34b]

I'm sure there are other areas too, but one that comes to mind is the Arden-Fletcher-Skyland, NC area. Located 15 miles south of Asheville and 9 miles north of Hendersonville on I-26.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by kellyb

First of all, I'd like to say I'm very glad to have stumbled onto this site. Everyone who answers on this is very helpful. I know it's crazy, but we've never been to the Carolinas before, but are considering moving there from Illinois. My problem is that I don't want to come visit until I have pretty much narrowed my search to a few select areas. Because we are starting out blind, I thought I'd pose my questions here in hopes that someone could offer some assistance.

We would like to be in an area that I guess would be considered "farm country". We'd like to get 5 or more acres with a nice house. We like to socialize with our neighbors, have bonfires, etc. We also need to have a pole barn for a workshop. However, schools top my list of importance. I am a teacher and have two boys in school. I want to be 10 minutes or so from a grocery store, Target, Home Depot, etc. We don't want to be so far out that we are secluded from everything. I'd like where we live to have nice scenery. We are in the country now, but it is flat.

I don't want to be on the coast for obvious reasons. I'd love to be able to see the mountains, but that is not a necessity. I'm also looking for lower taxes to make it worth our while.

I am in dream land, but I'm looking for "The Perfect Place to Live". I know there is no such thing, but it's worth a try.

We don't need to be close to a large city for work. I will be teaching and we have our own business that my husband runs.

If there is anyone who could give me some ideas of where to begin my search, I would greatly appreciate it.

Union County (Waxhaw in particular sounds like what you are looking for), or Taylorsville. Good luck!

[erineieio]

Try looking in Forsyth County. That would technically be the piedmont and start of the foothills of the mountains. The land isn't flat by any means! Might be able to see the mountains depending on where you lived. There's always Winston-Salem to meet all of your "city" needs (i.e. Target, etc.) but yet you could have some land & privacy too.

[galfromnj]

As someone who has also moved here without ever having stepped foot in the Carolinas.......until we moved here, I have a few suggestions!! We moved from NJ a year ago. We first looked in Hendersonville over 3 yrs ago and thought that it was beautiful, but a little too secluded. Last August, after doing research, we came and looked in Hickory, Conover, Taylorsville, Newton and Lincolnton. All of the towns I mentioned are great, but I have a 9 year old son and school was extremely important. We settled in Newton and we couldn't be happier. It is in the foothills, in the country with an old downtown square. It has a few restaurants, the pharmacy is where you pull up a stool sit at the counter oder a sandwich and shoot the breeze!! It is about 12,000 people. 15 minutes away is your Target, Walmart, Mall (with everything!) Hickory is over 85,000 people. Far enough away to not bother us out here in the country, but close enough for all we need for fun, food and entertainment. Check out Balls Creek Elementary-Jeff Isenhour is the principal and check out Tuttle Elementary-DeAnna Finger in the principal. Balls Creek offers k-6 and an accelerated Reading and Math program. Tuttlle opened this year with the program starting next year. Our taxes here are 900.00 on 1 acre. Not too bad, we were paying 6200.00 on 1/4 in NJ!!!
Welll, if you need anymore help.....drop me a line!!!
Good Luck in your search!

[lifesigns64]

I agree with the above poster about Taylorsville, I live here and Alexander County High School is one of the best schools in the area. Taylorsville has a Super Walmart, Peebles, and a small hospital and quaint downtown. The city limits of Taylorsville pop is 1700.

We are in the Brushy Mountains and 25 minutes to the Blue Ridge.

Other nice towns are Bethlehem, Wilkesboro, Hiddenite, Ellendale and Wittenberg. Small rurual towns, all having there own shopping, yet close to bigger cities for more amenities.

[nymom3]

Originally Posted by galfromnj

As someone who has also moved here without ever having stepped foot in the Carolinas.......until we moved here, I have a few suggestions!! We moved from NJ a year ago. We first looked in Hendersonville over 3 yrs ago and thought that it was beautiful, but a little too secluded. Last August, after doing research, we came and looked in Hickory, Conover, Taylorsville, Newton and Lincolnton. All of the towns I mentioned are great, but I have a 9 year old son and school was extremely important. We settled in Newton and we couldn't be happier. It is in the foothills, in the country with an old downtown square. It has a few restaurants, the pharmacy is where you pull up a stool sit at the counter oder a sandwich and shoot the breeze!! It is about 12,000 people. 15 minutes away is your Target, Walmart, Mall (with everything!) Hickory is over 85,000 people. Far enough away to not bother us out here in the country, but close enough for all we need for fun, food and entertainment. Check out Balls Creek Elementary-Jeff Isenhour is the principal and check out Tuttle Elementary-DeAnna Finger in the principal. Balls Creek offers k-6 and an accelerated Reading and Math program. Tuttlle opened this year with the program starting next year. Our taxes here are 900.00 on 1 acre. Not too bad, we were paying 6200.00 on 1/4 in NJ!!!
Welll, if you need anymore help.....drop me a line!!!
Good Luck in your search!

Hello! I am a mom of 3 (NY teacher) and my husband and I are looking into relocating to NC- we like the "sounds: of Newland, Mars-Hill, Whitsett, Gibsonville and brevard...did you have any info on these towns? Also- any info on the High Schools in those areas? Thanks! Glad to hear your enjoying yourself!

[kellyb]

Thank you very much for all of your suggestions. I will definitely start looking into them. I can't wait to come visit.

[westernnc]

My family is from Mars Hill. If you are looking for a rural county, Madison county (where Mars Hill is located) is definitly one. There is a small, Baptist college in the town itself. Most of the houses within the city limit's don't come with much land... however there are houses throughout the county which do have more land. There a lot of new developments of houses on the tops of mountains (although I would not suggest buying one of these, they are expensive, and are hanging of off the edges of mountains which most people consider too steep to get up, especially in the winter time when there is ice). There is not a considerable job market within the county, although Asheville is close by, approximately 45 minutes away by highway. The schools are good considering the location. They are relatively small. There are several elementary schools, but there is only one middle school and one high school (about 800 students) for the entire county. If you want more specific email on the high school... just let me know... I recently attended there.