Considering relocating to NC (Charlotte, Raleigh: real estate, housing, rental)

[uncgdad1]

That's very interesting material considering I'm expecting a job offer from a major producer of coaxial cable in Hickory. Would you know of or recommend a nice place for rentals, something new, with full ameneties...? Any information yo could provide would be appreciated, I would be relocating from NJ. My children are in NC, one in Charlotte, and one in Greensboro.

thanks for any infor.

[supermom969904]

i too, am considering relocating to NC. specifically the triangle or more spec. the cary area. i am a navy vet and mom to 3 children. all under 10. since being in the military i have lived and visited all over. my husband and i recently moved from the Richmond, VA area (Midlothian) to Fort Lauderdale, FL for a "better" more laid back life. he is from a small country town in SC and I from DC. I am a big city girl and he the opposite. though for my children i now desire the wide open spaces for them, sometimes i wonder if for my sanity as well, since i am a stay at home mom! my 2 oldest are involved in the "standard" activities....scouting, cheerleading, football, basketball, and such. from ALL the places i have lived, so far the schools where we lived in VA were the best. NOTHING has even come close. i hear all this bad about NC schools and it makes me a bit uneasy. i thought the schools in Wake county were to be pretty good. i did some research on the money mag website and Cary is one of the best places to live in the whole country. at this point in my life schools for my children rate as like #1, i would say. i have been the NC several times (family, vacations,...). more than i can recall. I have been to Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Wilmington, Salisbury, All the eastern area, Raleigh-Durham, Cary, Asheville, Greensboro, and many more places; so i am quite familiar with the area. we left VA for poor job prospects, and it seems in most jobs here in FL if you can speak English you can have a good job (since most people don't speak english). we like our slice of life here in FL but the schools ARE NOT what i am used to in the north, some areas are much worse than i could imagine. you would think they would be since the taxes are so dang high. plus there isn't really any land for your money, sure we can have a pool, but i can't really send the kids outside to play. and all the glamour of Miami, they really only mean South Beach and a few other places, but for the most part Miami-Dade is a warzone, literally; people CANNOT drive(voted with the worst drivers in the nation). i have arthritis so i really hate the cold but it would be nice for every day it NOT be 80+ degrees (and humid)! i would like info and input or any information about Raleigh-Durham/ Cary, area.

[ILikeNC2]

Hello,

I am having a house built in Linwood farms by Ryland. The community seems really nice, however once I leav e the community heading towards downtown Mooresville, the area doesnt look so hot. Does anyone know if there is allot of crime here? Appreciate any feedback.

[ElizabethAnn]

My husband and I, 50 and 52 yrs. respectively, are considering a move from Mass. to North Carolina. Our youngest will graduate from college in 2 yrs. We have a friend in the Raleigh and she raves about the area. We hesitate being more than one hour from the coast....any suggestions? We honestly do not know where to begin. We currently live in a community that has a population of 16,000 and is within 40 minutes of Boston. Any feedback would be highly appreciated.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by ElizabethAnn

My husband and I, 50 and 52 yrs. respectively, are considering a move from Mass. to North Carolina. Our youngest will graduate from college in 2 yrs. We have a friend in the Raleigh and she raves about the area. We hesitate being more than one hour from the coast....any suggestions? We honestly do not know where to begin. We currently live in a community that has a population of 16,000 and is within 40 minutes of Boston. Any feedback would be highly appreciated.

I suggest you start your search with New Bern and Emerald Isle

[cooperwx]

I thought of New Bern, too. Another option might be Elizabeth City. North Carolina doesn't have any large cities near the coast, but Eliz. City might be close enough to Norfolk for you.

[jrogers345]

Originally Posted by mm34b

You should look in Henderson & Transylvania counties. Specifically, the towns of Hendersonville, Flat Rock, Laurel Park and Brevard. All within 20 minutes of Asheville but without the city lifestyle and associated higher costs. Great retirement areas. Much slower pace and less crime than Asheville. Good people.

First time we visited Brevard, we fell in love with the town. We bought property nearby and hope to move down in 2 years. We recommended it to my sister and her and brother-in-law moved down 3 yrs ago and love it there. They work in Asheville. Pay is a lot less than what they were use to in NJ.

We will be in the same position as Len. Will be retired from jobs here but want to find something down there, possibly part-time.

Visited Hendersonville and Asheville a couple times and can't wait to explore more.

[mrgoodwx]

I've read through all the posts since Massachusetts Len posted his query, so I'm trying not to duplicate things. I retired a month ago, and live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I like a lot of things about New Mexico, but am the kind of person who likes to explore other possibilities. My wife and I are planning to visit NC in a few months and look at the mountains (we just happen to like mountains around us) for a possible relocation. I have a sister who has a house in Lewisville (west of W-S), and another house on the NC coast. We've visited her at both places and really liked it...but then...my brain was in "vacation mode" so everything looked great, and my wife and I are more interested in mountainous areas.

Here is what we would need:
1. Community tolerant of different religions
2. Good places to bicycle without getting run over (we bicycle nearly every day)
3. Like Len...a safe place
4. Like Len...reasonable housing prices (to me, that means no more than $150 per square foot.
5. Like Len...the rat race is over for me. I am busy writing several books because I want to, but I don't need to work for anyone.

Our son is graduating from college soon, so no special school requirements.
Do the NC folks think these things are possible in the communities near Asheville, or around Asheville. Thanks for any comments!

[Nicol]

I just moved from Michigan to Youngsville, NC literally 3 days ago...I LOVE IT!!! I really like all the the dimensions of the roads, the people, I don't feel like I am in the same city when I visit surrounding cities here. I start my job at Duke Raleigh Hospital tomorrow and look forwarding to going to work because of the supervisor...

Geesh I wish I would have made the move a long time ago. People in Michigan thought that NC was a "hick town state" but is so many things going on it reminds me of a minny San Jose, CA but with a southern feel and more since of community.

[Bill Hitchcock]

Nope-NC doesn't have any large coastal cities. Well, I guess that's actually a matter of perspective. Wilmington has a population of around 75,000 people. I live in Carteret County (Known as the Crystal Coast) and the population for the entire county is under 70,000 people.
For the most part, Coastal NC is a different life and life style than what most are use to. All I can do is sound like a commercial for the area. I came to Morehead City 25 years ago from NYC for a weeks vacation and in essence-Never left.
As far as the mountains go-Asheville NC was just voted as the #1 place to live by Relocate Amercia!!
http://www.nccoastalnews.com/forum/showthread.php?t=438
I own a Real Estate Agency here in the Crystal Coast. The vast majority of our buyer clients come from New England. I understand your questions and concerns and will gladly help with any questions someone may have, regardless whether you are moving to my neck of the woods or not.
Bill