Henderson, NC (Durham, Wake Forest, Oxford: crime rates, hotel, house)

[doxluvr]

Greetings - can someone share their feelings about living in Henderson, NC? Examples: Favorable Crime Rate? Good culture w/in reach? Climate? Outdoor activities - i.e., bodies of water for swimming, adequate green space for hiking trails? Much appreciated!

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by doxluvr

Greetings - can someone share their feelings about living in Henderson, NC? Examples: Favorable Crime Rate? Good culture w/in reach? Climate? Outdoor activities - i.e., bodies of water for swimming, adequate green space for hiking trails? Much appreciated!

LOL...avoid it? Really...Henderson is not anywhere most want to move to when there are SO many better options.

Crime is high compared to other areas, you are close to an hour away from anything that resembles culture, You are closer to Kerr Lake then Falls Lake though...but that is not much of a trade off for the other problems. Schools are sub-par.

Is there are reason you are looking at Henderson rather then other areas? My husband works up there and we live in Wake Forest for a reason (or 5).

[doxluvr]

cost of property is the reason I'm looking. Can you suggest anything else then in NC where property values are decent along w/the other characteristics I mentioned. Thanks for help.

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by doxluvr

cost of property is the reason I'm looking. Can you suggest anything else then in NC where property values are decent along w/the other characteristics I mentioned. Thanks for help.

NC is a large state....and most places that are cheap will have a reason for being that way.

What exactly are you looking for? Price range? Lot size? House size? Most importantly....where will your job be?

[mackinac81]

Well, my new co-worker stayed the night in Henderson on the way down and there was a shooting at his hotel, his car windows were smashed in and every high tech item was stolen. I'll go to Wake Forest for my shopping needs over Henderson.

My question is, why is Henderson so bad? You'd think with the triangle area fairly close that it would rub off on Henderson. The rest of the Piedmont region seems very nice. I don't get it.

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by mackinac81

Well, my new co-worker stayed the night in Henderson on the way down and there was a shooting at his hotel, his car windows were smashed in and every high tech item was stolen. I'll go to Wake Forest for my shopping needs over Henderson.

My question is, why is Henderson so bad? You'd think with the triangle area fairly close that it would rub off on Henderson. The rest of the Piedmont region seems very nice. I don't get it.

There are lots of reasons for it....Henderson really isn't in the Triangle area is the main one.

Part of the problem is that it has one of the highest poverty rates in the Peidmont...though not the tops in the state. That leads to a whole slew of other social concerns....high drug crimes (and the medical issues that can come with it), schools that have to spend more time on side issues then education. Businesses tend to want to locate closed to the amenities of the Triangle itself with a better educated work-force....which continues the cycle of poverty.

[NYer]

The N & O (our local paper) is running a series on some of the lesser- known towns of NC. The following article gives a good example of the strange situation we have... as you drive around outside the triangle, you will find nice towns with amazing architecture. Yes, the towns are clearly in decline or are poor. Meanwhile, back in the Triangle, residents work to build up smaller, sleepier towns.
You have to learn the history of the area- of the effects of the civil war, then the decline of tobacco and other industries, to understand why these towns are shadows of what they once were, and to see why it is harder to resurrect these towns than to build up something new elsewhere.

Here is the link:

Warrenton fights to regain lost glory - The Old North State - News & Observer

[gdstealth]

NO! RUN for the hills!!!!!! Really I live here and it is NOT your typical small Southern town. Henderson has crime rates that mirror Durham. Oxford is a MUCH better choice. Henderson is bad due to being a high unemployable ratio (unskilled and happy that way) and unemployment as industry was shown the door for many years by the city. Henderson is a welfare city. It also has the 2nd highest property taxes in the state.

[Zoya]

Originally Posted by gdstealth

NO! RUN for the hills!!!!!! Really I live here and it is NOT your typical small Southern town. Henderson has crime rates that mirror Durham. Oxford is a MUCH better choice. Henderson is bad due to being a high unemployable ratio (unskilled and happy that way) and unemployment as industry was shown the door for many years by the city. Henderson is a welfare city. It also has the 2nd highest property taxes in the state.

Henderson is actually much worse then Durham because it doesn't have any sort of diversity of industry or chance for much growth.

Really....don't run down all of Durham based on living in Henderson.

[Rick78]

Have a friend who has a Henderson address. However, he lives out in the country for a reason.