another relocation post ... have you had enough of them yet?? (Charlotte: mobile home, neighborhoods)

[eek]

thats none of your business. either way, one doesn't need to be a parent to know what it feels like to be a child.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by eek

thats none of your business. either way, one doesn't need to be a parent to know what it feels like to be a child.

We were all children once and no one forgets that, but as you are not yet a parent you lack a bit of perspective on what our OP and his wife are trying to accomplish for their FAMILY. He has already shared that his son doesn't currently have a lot of friends or extended family to leave behind - so there really is no issue there.

You just have a bias against NC whereas mine is FOR NC - it's a great place to be from and raise your kids

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by eek

i know how old the thread starter's son is. i assure you that i'm capable of reading.

lovesmountains sounds like he/she is thinking about themselves rather than everybody in the situation.

the thread starter sounds like he/she would like to move from one of the largest cities in our country to a very rural area. this can be a huge change for a child, especially when they have (assuming) a lot of friends...its already a huge change if one was to move from the north to the south...but we're talking about from west to east. there is a time zone change.

calling family and friends will be a lil different. its a 3 hour difference. the 11 year old is about to pretty much lose all the friends he had. it won't be easy to visit anybody either.

just a thought. consider the child's feelings too.

@ happymac: i'll have to think about alternatives. you definitely want to leave california, though? you wouldn't consider any other areas in the state?

Uhhhh - your post is very condescending. The OP stated that he and his family had given a lot of consideration to this move. They are not asking for your opinion on obstructions to being happy here. Obviously, they have already thought about those things. Your post is not helpful nor does it answer the OP's question.

I agree w/ the areas Loves has mentioned. There are some beautiful views in various areas around the towns that she mentioned.

I would like to add Granite Falls and Lenoir to that list. Some gorgeous views and not so far away from larger towns (and the mountains, for day trips).

ETA: Eek lives in New York, for heaven's sake. Not likely to have much to contribute as to what area you may want to move here in NC.

[happymac]

anifani821 ... thank you for your thoughts. I would love to keep the post on topic as well.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by happymac

anifani821 ... thank you for your thoughts. I would love to keep the post on topic as well.

I wish you could come here and explore some and see if what you are envisioning is really gonna meet your comfort zone.

This region is very different from Colorado. I am an NC native, but have lived in other areas (moved back here a few years ago) and CO just isn't very much like NC at all, IMHO. The mountains themselves are so different - but moreover - the culture is very different. I have spent a lot of time in Denver and in Grand Junction. Culturally, if you like Denver, you may like Chapel Hill . . .

Now it may be that there would be areas around Asheville you would like, but I am thinking you may prefer the foothills of the mountains more than actually living right in the mountains. The areas that Loves and I mentioned are in a different microclimate than we have here in Charlotte, and so it usually is a few degrees cooler there.

You may consider living outside of Hickory, or near Lake Hickory . . . there are mountain views at some spots of Catawba County. Taylorsville, in Alexander County, has a mountain range (Brushy Mountains).

Keep reading and checking out info on the region. If there is any way you could make a trip b/f actually moving, that would be the ideal situation.

[happymac]

Originally Posted by anifani821

I wish you could come here and explore some and see if what you are envisioning is really gonna meet your comfort zone.

This region is very different from Colorado. I am an NC native, but have lived in other areas (moved back here a few years ago) and CO just isn't very much like NC at all, IMHO. The mountains themselves are so different - but moreover - the culture is very different. I have spent a lot of time in Denver and in Grand Junction. Culturally, if you like Denver, you may like Chapel Hill . . .

Now it may be that there would be areas around Asheville you would like, but I am thinking you may prefer the foothills of the mountains more than actually living right in the mountains. The areas that Loves and I mentioned are in a different microclimate than we have here in Charlotte, and so it usually is a few degrees cooler there.


Keep reading and checking out info on the region. If there is any way you could make a trip b/f actually moving, that would be the ideal situation.

Thanks for your reply. I am actually planning to come up there in about a month, in fact this post is kind of in preparation for that trip. I want to get a feel for the different areas that I should check out when there. I definitely agree that seeing it first hand will help tremendously. I just felt that natives could REALLY help get me in the right direction.

I really want a 'home' for our family ... a great community that we can become apart of and contribute to.

oh, by the way, we're actually from Los Angeles, not Colorado

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by happymac

Thanks for your reply. I am actually planning to come up there in about a month, in fact this post is kind of in preparation for that trip. I want to get a feel for the different areas that I should check out when there. I definitely agree that seeing it first hand will help tremendously. I just felt that natives could REALLY help get me in the right direction.

I really want a 'home' for our family ... a great community that we can become apart of and contribute to.

oh, by the way, we're actually from Los Angeles, not Colorado

You'll have lots to see and do -stay for a week at least if you can!

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by happymac

Thanks for your reply. I am actually planning to come up there in about a month, in fact this post is kind of in preparation for that trip. I want to get a feel for the different areas that I should check out when there. I definitely agree that seeing it first hand will help tremendously. I just felt that natives could REALLY help get me in the right direction.

I really want a 'home' for our family ... a great community that we can become apart of and contribute to.

oh, by the way, we're actually from Los Angeles, not Colorado

I got sidetracked w/ CO just b/c you had mentioned it, LOL. I have been on six week stints in LA - in Santa Monica - and altho I really liked it there, it was just too expensive for me to live in that area of the country - and that was back in the 90s. Hubby and I have friends who recently left - and they wanted out b/c they felt they could raise their family better elsewhere. I do understand your motivation and I believe you can find what you want here.

So many of the smaller towns in NC are anxious to welcome newcomers who want to participate in the community. Take Hickory, for example. They have a community theatre, choral society, all sorts of athletic teams, art galleries, writer's groups, Science Center, Symphony, Arts Council, etc. I think having a college or university nearby adds a lot to quality of life, too. Lenoir-Rhyne is located in Hickory and residents often take advantage of the the activities on campus - such as speakers as well as entertainment and book signings, travelogues, etc. There is a lot to be said for moving to a small town where your participation is really welcomed (and sought out).

[joanchris2000]

Originally Posted by happymac

It is important to find out about the private schools in the area as our kids will be going to one … our oldest is going into 6th grade this year … so we will probably be looking at an upper school for him (7th – 12th grade) and Kindergarten in a few years for the babies. Non denominational ideally. This would be one reason why we wouldn’t want to be too far out of town … we shouldn’t be more than 10 minutes from the school ideally (20 minutes on bad weather/traffic days).

Since the private school req. is what may be a big issue for you, finding what you want while still being close enough to a non-dem. private school, I just wanted to ask WHY the private school. In my experience people choose private schools because either the public schools are not good, or they want a religious education.
There are many very good school districts here (and many not so good), so it might be helpful to know if you would consider public school in a good district.

[happymac]

for our oldest child, we didnt consider public school as an option because we felt the educational system out here is so poor. He has attended a private school all the way through (going into 6th grade this year), and the quality has really been top notch. The low Student/Teacher ratio is also quite nice for them. I think if we were in a fantastic district we would definitely consider public (certainly would love to save the money!!), but seeing the difference first hand ... i am just being honest with myself that it is going to be hard to accept nothing less than excellence. I also think our oldest needs a more individual attention than a typical 11 year old (in the classroom) and therefore figured the smaller class size would be imperative for him. Our babies ... as they get closer to school age, we would certainly consider public. I think your point is well taken though ... we should really consider places that have excellent districts. Now the question has to be be asked ... are there any in American anymore??

Separately, I just realized that I think I need to clarify my original post regarding the size of community. I had previously mentioned that I wanted to be 'out in the country', which I realize now is not the correct terminology. Coming from a city of something like 13 million, where you never see open space unless you drive for some serious distance ... I am really looking for a community with a slower pace, more space, not crowded ... definitely rural for Los Angeles standards, but probably a not for North Carolina standards, probably the word "suburb" is better than "out in the country". I realize the state is significantly smaller!! Although my wife and I prefer very small communities, we do want enough cultural and things to do so that the kids have a great opportunity to experience things. Definitely not a bustling city. I think Anifani821's comment about a 'college' town is a good one. My wife grew up in a small town in LA called Claremont which has 8 (i think) small colleges. And that town by itself is really, really neat with a lot of culture and community feel, but it is surrounded by less desireable cities. The strange thing about Los Angeles, is that it never really ends ... you could drive 50-100 miles in any direction and it would still look the same ... all city. whereas I have a feeling in NC it is more spread out. Santa Monica is also a great town to compare to as well.

hope this helps, I really appreciate all of your thoughts!!!