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Very few jobs in Winston-Salem. I've got to go to where the jobs are.
What specific industry are you looking in? I can't imagine that no jobs exist ANYWHERE but Raleigh or Charlotte in any field. Don't believe the articles that claim this--NC has many beautiful places (including W-S) that aren't on the "You, move here, NOW!" lists and are definitely suffering too-fast-growth pains because of it.
Also, what topology, as someone else asked? Mountains, beach? Those are the two big draws of NC which I presume you knew since you've chosen this state over others, but even if you won't look beyond Raleigh or Charlotte, that would be a way to lean one way or the other.
Do realize that schools in NC are county-based, meaning the entire county is one district. Lots of folks move here without researching that are an surprised to learn this, since they're accustomed to every little town having its own school district and thus more control over where you are assigned.
Well, be aware that most of the popular areas of Raleigh and Charlotte look like this; both areas (especially Raleigh) are majority suburban, especially when you consider all of the towns surrounding the cities which are the big transplant magnets (for Raleigh, that would be Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Wake Forest", etc--LOTS of them look just like what you have looked at. Are you sure Raleigh and Charlotte are the only places you are interested in?
City-Data has a neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide for every state, but you have to know the name of the neighborhood.
Left to its own devices North Carolina would revert to forest. It's certainly not hard at all to find trees here. Southern California, on the other hand, would revert to desert. New home developments have likely been clear cut to make it easy for the builders but there are gobs of older neighborhoods with mature landscaping throughout the state.
What specific industry are you looking in? I can't imagine that no jobs exist ANYWHERE but Raleigh or Charlotte in any field.
The IT job ratio in Raleigh or Charlotte compared to every other NC city is about 10:1. For jobs that I'm suited for, it's more like 50:1.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Francois
Do realize that schools in NC are county-based, meaning the entire county is one district. Lots of folks move here without researching that are an surprised to learn this, since they're accustomed to every little town having its own school district and thus more control over where you are assigned.
That's good information right there, pretty much the point of this thread.
I'm sure there are some IT jobs in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, too, but there certainly are a LOT of them in the Triangle. Will you be able to transfer with your company (a lot of people who work at Cisco do this) or will you need to find a new job? Concentrate on the job first and the rest will fall into place.
Schools are mostly county-based, but Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools are not. That is a city system and Orange County (where Chapel Hill and Carrboro are) has its own system. CHCCS is very, very good, but I'm sure you can find good schools in Wake County or Durham County, too. You can look at state stats for the schools here: NC School Report Cards .
Terrain-wise there's little difference between Raleigh and Charlotte. If you're not looking for a bigger city I'd concentrate your job search on Triangle. Sounds like your job prospects would be better and while Raleigh and Charlotte aren't that different in size or terrain or anything else, Charlotte does have more big buildings which it sounds like you're trying to avoid. Maybe take a look at the satellite view on Google to reassure yourself about tree cover in our area compared to Southern California.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason2112
I've come to the conclusion that moving to NC is the best option for me and my family right now, but I'm still stuck on deciding between Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte. Having a better idea now of what NC can offer, here's my priority list:
Housing - I'd prefer a modest house in an area of old-growth trees on larger (~1 acre) lots with space. Picture this: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9011...2!8i6656?hl=en If I'm moving all the way across the country, I'm not settling for anything less than a forest in my yard I don't mind living in the boondocks as long as my daily commute to work is <45mins. I see these neighborhood pockets here and there in both areas but prices seem to fluctuate. I'd like to stay under $350k.
Schools - I've got an 8yo so access to decent schools is important. They don't have to be top-tier schools, my wife can supplement whatever is lacking, but I'd prefer a good public school over a private school to help save $$$.
Jobs - Both areas seem to have many IT jobs available, though I'm planning to get out of IT in a few years. Until then, I need to stay close to jobs.
Outdoor activities - access to fishing, biking, etc.
Quality foods - access to farmers markets, quality meats and dairy products.
I'm in my early 40s, I don't care about "scenes" - downtown, bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. I will only venture toward the concrete jungle for work or other necessities, otherwise I prefer to stay away from it. My spare time is spent building guitars and doing yard work, but I like taking my girl to the zoo, museums, etc. I generally don't care about peoples' views on politics, religion, race, orientation, or social status. If my next door neighbor wants to paint his Hyundai black and put a white number 3 on the door, I'll buy him a 6-pack and tell him he did an awesome job I'm sure I can make both places work and it really comes down to where I can land a job and what houses are on the market when I'm ready to buy.
I see "visit for a week and look around" mentioned a lot and I'm planning to spend a week in NC in June to do that, but since I don't care about most of the "city" stuff and I'm more of a suburbanite (or rural-ite), what should I be looking for? I'm interested in the things I probably won't be able to see during the short amount of time I have. For example, is there a noticeable difference in local tax rates? How about building restrictions (i.e. building a free-standing workshop)? Is one area more prone to flooding? Are there restrictions on owning certain breeds of dogs? I don't need answers to these specific questions, but for those that have lived in (or really know) both places, what else might be important to me?
IT is fairly broad. If datacenters work for you, use Google & a good map.
The IT job ratio in Raleigh or Charlotte compared to every other NC city is about 10:1. For jobs that I'm suited for, it's more like 50:1.
Well, perhaps if you would tell us more specifics about the specific kind of job you're looking for, we can be of assistance. As you know, most jobs aren't posted on job boards. Plenty of us here work in IT ourselves (which means we know that "IT" is way too broad to be very useful without more specifications).
What are some of the jobs "in your specific area" that you've seen? We probably know something about those companies or others like them.
Well, perhaps if you would tell us more specifics about the specific kind of job you're looking for, we can be of assistance. As you know, most jobs aren't posted on job boards. Plenty of us here work in IT ourselves (which means we know that "IT" is way too broad to be very useful without more specifications).
What are some of the jobs "in your specific area" that you've seen? We probably know something about those companies or others like them.
Upper management. 21 yrs in IT, 15 as a manager/director in both private and public sector. I've done everything from server & network admin, SQL db admin, web dev, graphic design, business analysis, BI, project mgmt (I'm currently a PM on a $25m project and I hate it), though I'm not an expert in any one of those areas. After 20+ years, I'm getting burned out, but I don't have Career 2.0 in place yet, so I need to stay in IT for a few more years. Staff jobs (analyst, developer) can be found just about anywhere, it's the management jobs that are few and far between.
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I don't mind living in the boondocks as long as my daily commute to work is <45mins. I see these neighborhood pockets here and there in both areas but prices seem to fluctuate. I'd like to stay under $350k.
