I think I want to move to NC (Charlotte, Raleigh: real estate, chapel)

[IHateMontana]

Hi, I am brand new to this, so sorry if this sounds lame. I am a 28/F married, and mother of 2 beautiful little girls ages 7 and 8. We currently live in Montana (all my close family is here, and his parents just moved up from Denver) and I hate it. It's ugly, boring, and cold. The weather is totally unpredictable, and I hate the school systems. I want my kids to have more options for a future than Montana can offer. I grew up in Stow Ohio, and lived in Virinia for around 6 months. I love the East! There is so much more to do! I love the mountains, but love the ocean too! We are huge NASCAR fans, and would love to be closer to the majority of the tracks. I love the "southern accents" of those in the Carolinas, and other "southern states". Can anyone offer me any advice as to where to begin researching as far as a city? I don't want to be to close to "hurricane" scares, but wouldn't mind being a max. of 3 hours or so from the ocean. I don't want to live in a huge city, but little towns are not an option either. I work in a very busy emegency department now, and plan to continue down that path. I want a city busy enough to satisfy my "trauma junkie" addiction, but small enough that I'm not annoyed by traffic jams, and other crowed conditions. Ha! I don't want much huh! Any suggestions? Thanks so much!!!
Jodi

[CharlotteAgent]

Charlotte sounds like the fit for you.....

[dsobotta]

We have a niece who works in the hospitals in Charlotte and lives in Mooresville. Charlotte does give you lots of excitement, but the traffic can be really bad on I77. The area up around Cornelius and Mooresville is NASCAR heaven and you can still find some fairly reasonably priced places on lake Norman.

Are you actually in the mountains in Montana or in the flatlands?

You might also want to look at the Winston-Salem/Greensboro area. I usually find it has a little less traffic and there are some big medical centers in Winston-Salem. There you are little closer to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

You can be in the mountains looking down on the Piedmont area in less than an hour if you're in the Winston-Salem area. It's also a little easier driving from there to parts of the NC coast than Charlotte.

Hope that helps

[Lindengirl]

I don't know much about NC myself, having moved here only 4 months ago, but from your description, you should look into the Raleigh/Chapel Hill area. Best of luck!

[aardvarks]

Concord a NE suburb of Charlotte is a city of about 50,000, home of one of the top hospitals in the state and has some great schools, Concord is also the home of Lowes Motor Speedway. Good Luck!

[kmway]

Haha, I totally laughed at your name "IHateMontana"....too funny! I had a lot of family in Montana as a youth and spent summers there and I hated it too! People think it is so gorgeous, and there are beautiful areas, but a lot of it is ugly like you said, flat and icky. Plus nothing to do. So I relate!

I think you'd like the suburbs of Charlotte, too. Most Nascar action there, good schools in the burbs, but you are close to a large city for activities, shopping, culture, etc. Come on down!!!!

[Wonderland]

I think you can tell it's a nice place to live because of all the diverse opinions as to WHERE! There are so many suggestions!

My 2-cents is: South Charlotte! I love it! It's really pretty with lots of trees and fountains in every shopping center (?). There are a lot of options in S. Charlotte, and growth out into SC (like Fort Mill, Rock Hill, etc.) and also Union County (ex. Marvin, Weddington, Matthews, etc.). But, I have friends that live in Midland (in the NE area) and love it.

I, personally, would try to stay away from I-77 north of the city due to congestion, but lots of people live up in Lake Norman area (Cornelius, Davidson) and they are happy, too. I don't think you can go wrong anywhere if you are fairly adaptable.

I am also a realtor (should we have a club? Lots of realtors on here!) Of course, my suggestion is to come out, let someone take you on a tour of the city, go see some neighborhoods.

You will love it!

[cooperwx]

I thought of Charlotte, too, but it's pushing your 3-hours-to-the-beach mandate. It's still WAY closer to the beach than you are now . I'll recommend South Charlotte, Matthews or Mint Hill to get you on the beach side of town. If you like NASCAR, there's no better place to be than the Charlotte metro!

[lynnsprufera]

Sounds like you should check out Charlotte or Raleigh. I am a realtor in the Triangle area and it could be a nice fit for you and your family. If you want a relo-kit. PM me with your address. It contains area guides, school guides, real estate magazines, maps and other relocation tips. You should also ask a Charlotte agent for the same information. It's free and could help guide you along. Good luck! You will never miss the long winters.

[friendnc]

Originally Posted by aardvarks

Concord a NE suburb of Charlotte is a city of about 50,000, home of one of the top hospitals in the state and has some great schools, Concord is also the home of Lowes Motor Speedway. Good Luck!

Ditto. Concord is the hub of NASCAR and is a nice suburb of Charlotte. It has one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation (Northeast Medical Center). Good cost of living. Great school system. Very close to everything Charlotte has to offer. Good luck!!!