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Hello! My boyfriend and I are thinking about relocating to NC within the next 2 years. We are both in our 20s I will be going into the elementary education field and he is a mechanic. We have been looking between Raleigh and the coast as we want to be about an hour or so from the beaches. We are looking to spend around 150k or less and are willing to commute 45 mins or so for work. We are planning on have kids within the next 4-5 years so schools are really important to us as well as having a good piece of land 5 acres+ And would rather not live in a big city. We are planning on taking a trip down this summer to look at some towns and aren't quite sure where to start.
Thanks in advance!
Kayla
I have also heard NC isn't to best state to teach in, but I'm not sure if that's true or not.
The starting salary is around $35,000. If you locate an hour inland from the coast, you will be in some fairly poor school systems with low-achieving students. Places like Duplin County, Sampson County and Bladen County have an agriculture-based economy with many Hispanics who work in poultry farms.
If that sounds too difficult for you, look into Pitt County where the presence of ECU in Greenville brings in more educated people. Or look into Richlands in Onslow County, or Wayne County, both of which have military people and a lot of teacher turn-over.
You may be very limited if you want 5 acres with a livable house for under $150K. Good agricultural land is not cheap. You could start searching the LandandFarm website. For example, there is a place in Beulaville in Duplin County at $99,900 with a newer house (maybe a manufactured house). From there you could commute to jobs in Onslow or Pender County.
Last edited by goldenage1; 05-02-2016 at 08:27 AM..
I live in Raleigh and know several educators. Trust me....it's NOT as bad as people make it out to be but yes, statistically it does lag behind a lot of other states. Raleigh is a great option so here are some of my reasons:
1: Your boyfriend will have NOOOOOOOOOOO problem finding a job. There are soooo many dealerships, garages, repair shops etc.
2: It's consistently ranked by publications like Forbes, Money, etc. in top 10 for best place to live in America.
3. It's a capital city with a small town feel.
4. Southern Hospitality and culture
5. GREAT place to settle down and raise a family. Visit a park and you'll see what I mean
6. There are some Excellent school districts! Young families with kids constantly rave about this
7. Gorgeous parks, lakes, and greenways
8. You get all 4 seasons in Raleigh with a mild winter (1-3 snowfalls) and a pretty humid summer typical of the south
9. Vibrant bar/restaurant scene, NC state fair, college sports, amphitheaters for concerts
10. Several popular neighborhoods: downtown: Glenwood South (nightlife), Wilmington Street (festivals, parades, bars)
North Hills (ritzy revitalized midtown)
11. Home to RDU for easy travel to the rest of the country
12. Our BBQ!!!!!
13. A little over 4 hour drive to DC
14. One of the highest percentages of college grads in the country
15. Sports (Duke, UNC, NC State, Carolina Hurricanes)
16. Angus Barn....trust me.... if you visit and don't mind splurging
One thing that could be a dealbreaker for you, however, is that it's about a 2 hour drive to the beach (Wrightsville). You should check out Apex, Knightdale, and Wake Forest for finding something in your price range of $150K and still being within a 45 min drive from work. A lot of people are making their way into the triangle for good reason... Northerners who are tired of freezing their butts off in the winter, college grads pursuing jobs in a sizzling engineering/IT/pharma field, entrepreneurs looking to attract a diverse customer base etc. Although we're currently in an embarrassing spotlight for HB2, understand that most people here are very friendly and don't share the views of the Gov.
Tail sock- thank you for such wonderful info!! I have looked into Raleigh but because of not thing able to get much land and being a little further than we'd like from the beach we haven't looked much but definitely do not want to write it off!
Thank you so much
Tailsock- yes! But thank you so much for the recommendations! I think we are going to look somewhere between Raleigh and Greenville.
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