For those looking for good retirement weather (Charlotte, Greensboro: roughest, closing)

[hapaleeretired]

I posted this on motorcycling website and went ahead and posted a copy here since this subject has been discussed before.

We did a WHOLE lot of research about the weather before moving here two years ago. We moved to the foothills region in Lenoir. We nailed it weather wise! I defy you to find a better year around weather pattern east of California. The area from Marion through Morganton and Lenoir into Wilkesboro is a rider's dream.
We have four seasons none of which are extreme. It is amazing but when it gets down into the forties (daytime temps) here it is considered COLD! When it gets up into the eighties the locals whine about the horrible heat and humidity. They have never suffered the humidity of St. Louis, MN or New England. We don't deal real well with the heat which ruled out SC, eastern TN or GA. We have ridden at least once a week every week we have been here. We get some weird looks when it is in the 40s. We are twenty five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and snow skiing yet we get very little snow. We have had none yet. Now, it the summer we may stay in the mountains because it is cooler. If we dealt with the heat better we'd have given a serious look at Greenville SC.
Something nobody ever touches on is the quality of the roads. With these mild winters we don't have the patches and chuckholes you have become used to BUT we have run into some rural highways that have half the lane resurfaced but not often.
Do not judge this area on what you see up on the Parkway. That is the roughest road around!
This area like Hickory and High Point is suffering from the closing of so many furniture factories. The economy is in a serious slump but things are looking up. Google is building in Lenoir and there is promise of prosperity. Besides, the boomers are retiring and looking for weather patterns like this one.
This area has less winter than Maggie Valley and the Murphy area. We also wanted to be a bit closer to civilization and here we are triangulated by the shopping and three airports of Charlotte, Asheville and Greensboro.
In the winter the golf courses are brown but still playable.

[sczar]

We are also retiring to NC in a couple of years, but have decided on Mooresville NC. Once we make the big move from So. Calif. we're planning on looking for a cabin in the mts. We were actually thinking about Waynesboro.

Enjoyed your post very much..

Thanks

[nomorecold]

After being down in NC for two years . . . have you had the chance to see Hickory? What are your feelings about it's surrounding areas? My husband and I are planning on moving to the area. . . any helpful hints?