Anyone from Shelby...what's it like? (Charlotte, Forest City: for sale, health insurance, crime rate)

[carmac]

I currently live in So. Calif. and want to get away from the congestion, crime, and traffic. I visited Shelby for a brief couple of hours a few years back...it seemed like a nice little town...is it as charming as it seemed? We have a terrible problem with illegals here...what is that situation like there? What are home prices like there? Weather? Thanks for any help anyone can give.

[J F B]

I am from England.
However , i happened across this great little town in N Carolina some 13 years ago. Has everything.Good shops and a great small town USA atmosphere. the peolpe are more than friendly. A lovely lake close by. If you meet Marie Sullivan or Suzie Kearns, then tell them i won't forget their kindness.
John F Butters.
john@patbutter s.fsnet.co.uk:

[montanamom]

I can give you a good perspective on Shelby, N.C., having moved there in 1997 and moved out just a year ago. My mother is from there, and I still have family there. This used to be just the greatest little southern town, but in just 1 decade I witnessed the devastation that the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs out of this country can cause. Textile mills were the source of pride and decent paying jobs in Shelby for several generations. As the mills were closed one after the other in the middle and late '90's, the middle class has had to leave in search of work, the only ones able to stay are retired people (who already earned their livings and paid off their houses working in the mills when they were operating) and those on welfare, because these are the two types of people who do not need a paycheck from a job to survive. Even the wealthy in the town are trying to get out because when there are no good paying clients, and when no one has a job or health insurance, even the lawyers and doctors have to get out. It is so sad and depressing. Weeds grow in the parkiing lots of the mills that are now abandoned, having moved to China and Mexico. Unfortunately, illegal immigration from the Charlotte area, where it is rampant, has also spread to this little town, and these people are NOT just the ones here to better their lives and that of their families (the onslaught of Mexican illegals was the last straw for me, I may be politically incorrect, but I don't care). Gangs, drugs, and vioilent crime abound. Sadly, I didn't make a dime out of my home after the realtor's fee, because homes are not appreciating at all in this area, and there is a glut of homes for sale there. All of this has contributed to a crime rate that is horrific compared to the average (check the crime stats). The housing costs are really cheap - but there is a reason for that. I am not trying to discourage you -I still have dear friends there and family and would love to see things turn around for better in that area - but I am pessimistic about it. It is so depressing to me, becuase, like I said, this used to be a great little town and county (Cleveland Co.). If you are planning to move to that area, stick to the Boiling Springs section of town - the schools (Crest High School etc.) are better also. E-mail me if you would like more specifics.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by montanamom

I can give you a good perspective on Shelby, N.C., having moved there in 1997 and moved out just a year ago. My mother is from there, and I still have family there. This used to be just the greatest little southern town, but in just 1 decade I witnessed the devastation that the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs out of this country can cause. Textile mills were the source of pride and decent paying jobs in Shelby for several generations. As the mills were closed one after the other in the middle and late '90's, the middle class has had to leave in search of work, the only ones able to stay are retired people (who already earned their livings and paid off their houses working in the mills when they were operating) and those on welfare, because these are the two types of people who do not need a paycheck from a job to survive. Even the wealthy in the town are trying to get out because when there are no good paying clients, and when no one has a job or health insurance, even the lawyers and doctors have to get out. It is so sad and depressing. Weeds grow in the parkiing lots of the mills that are now abandoned, having moved to China and Mexico. Unfortunately, illegal immigration from the Charlotte area, where it is rampant, has also spread to this little town, and these people are NOT just the ones here to better their lives and that of their families (the onslaught of Mexican illegals was the last straw for me, I may be politically incorrect, but I don't care). Gangs, drugs, and vioilent crime abound. Sadly, I didn't make a dime out of my home after the realtor's fee, because homes are not appreciating at all in this area, and there is a glut of homes for sale there. All of this has contributed to a crime rate that is horrific compared to the average (check the crime stats). The housing costs are really cheap - but there is a reason for that. I am not trying to discourage you -I still have dear friends there and family and would love to see things turn around for better in that area - but I am pessimistic about it. It is so depressing to me, becuase, like I said, this used to be a great little town and county (Cleveland Co.). If you are planning to move to that area, stick to the Boiling Springs section of town - the schools (Crest High School etc.) are better also. E-mail me if you would like more specifics.

I was waiting for someone who has actully lived there to comment before I did, so thank you. I don't like to discourage anyone either, but I never advise anyone to live where I wouldn't personally live - and I would not live in Shelby. What you have written is unfortunately very true and accurate, sad to say.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by carmac

I currently live in So. Calif. and want to get away from the congestion, crime, and traffic. I visited Shelby for a brief couple of hours a few years back...it seemed like a nice little town...is it as charming as it seemed? We have a terrible problem with illegals here...what is that situation like there? What are home prices like there? Weather? Thanks for any help anyone can give.

Carmac, there are still many great little towns all over the state that might interest you. On of my favorites is Taylorsville. It is similar to what Shelby is in terms of being a small town with a hillyness to the land. Why not check it out online

[bsmiles35]

go little farther west to forest city,great place to live we been here a few months,have a great realtor too, you should p.m. (yorkshirelass) she will be a great help to you..good luck

[carmac]

Thanks to all of you that replied...I really do appreciate it, and it all makes a lot of sense why things have sadly gone down hill.

[backtofla]

i've been through shelby a few times, and i wasnt too impressed. to me, atleast what i saw of it, was kind of unclean, and i have heard their crime is pretty high too.

[montanamom]

For awhile, I was considering possibly relocating to the Forest City/Rutherford County area from Shelby, but after spending some time checking it out, I saw clearly that the same kind of blight was, unfortunately, beginning to spread up that way also and just decided to leave the whole area for good. There is far less "riff-raff" and crime out here in this part of the country, I do however miss some aspects of the South dearly - you can't get good sweet tea, chicken fried steak, or pimento cheese sandwiches out here, and there is no Sundrop!

[cindyj]

Montanamom - what? No pimento cheese? I would never had guessed. When I am fortunate enough to visit Montana (I assume that is where you are) I will bring my own pimento cheese then.