Town of Salisbury, NC? -- any feedback? (Charlotte, Concord: crime, weddings)

[BlueLily7]

I grew up near Salisbury. It's ok, kind of boring but when you think about it, actually, there IS a lot there. Some good posts in this thread, my two little cents...

The mall is pretty bad. Not much too it. It probably won't improve. You can look it up online to see what stores are there. When I was a teen I hated it. There was nowhere too nice to shop for clothes, it only had a small Belk and JC Penney. A few more stores..it has changed some...and there are a lot of better malls not too far away. It's reasonable to drive to Hanes Mall in Winston Salem for some shopping, or anywhere in Charlotte.

The biggest perk to Salisbury is it's central location. A convenient drive to most anywhere, beaches, mountains, many other cities. Charlotte, Concord, Asheboro (zoo), Winston-Salem, Greensboro, really even Raleigh isn't TOO bad of a drive down I-85. You are at least within 3 hours or so of a lot of neat places. If I lived in Salisbury I would prefer to work in Charlotte, but Winston-Salem would be do-able. (I prefer Winston-Salem- but just think Charlotte's a better drive or at least I am more used to it, from Salisbury. The areas I go to, I generally go up through Davie County and hit I-40 to go to Winston-Salem, but not Greensboro, for Gbo I'd use 85 and also it depended on where I was headed.).

Salisbury's ok....I wouldn't turn it down I'd just be careful to find a job first and scout out where to live...

[JustCreepin']

I currently live in the Highland Creek subdivision in North Charlotte/University area and commute to Salisbury everyday. Door-to-door (my house to job) is 32 miles - it takes 5 minutes to get onto the highway (Exit 49), 20min to get to Exit 75 (Jake Alexander Rd), then another 10min local to get to work - 35-40 minutes each way. Since I am going against traffic, I can see the standstill traffic going into & leaving Charlotte each day.

Salisbury's a nice town, overall, but, for me, my family, and our needs, wasn't a very good fit. We have an ethnic backgroud - all the big cultural events take place in Charlotte (plus the multitude of ethic restaurants!). We have 2 little kids - my son has won the "lottery" and will be attending Montessori school for free (Charlotte-Mecklenburg has 3 Montessori schools). CharMeck has one the best (& well-funded through the Bill Gates Foundation) public library systems in the entire United States. There are lots & lots of things (free) to do in Charlotte, with our kids. "They Might Be Giants" gave a free kids concert at the Imaginon library - it takes me 15 minutes to get there from my house. As you can see, a lot of "my" needs are really for my kids!

I have driven through most of Salisbury and gone to a lot of the restaurants there - there are some great places (Hap's, Spanky's, Uncle Buck's, LA Murph's, Sweet Meadow Cafe) that I haven't been able to find in Charlotte - not because they aren't there, but because Charlotte is so BIG that they get overlooked or overshadowed by more commercial places.

What some of the people posting have said is true - you ARE able to drive and go places - but is that what you want to do? Personally, having lived in a small town in Tennessee (70,000) population prior to moving to NC, I am really glad I'm in a bigger place.

Ultimately, the best thing would be if you are able to come down and see for yourself - unfortunately (and I believe this of ANY town, including Charlotte), what you see on a weekend is never the "day-to-day" you will experience living there. Best of luck!

[SunnyKayak]

Originally Posted by JustCreepin'

I have driven through most of Salisbury and gone to a lot of the restaurants there - there are some great places (Hap's, Spanky's, Uncle Buck's, LA Murph's, Sweet Meadow Cafe) that I haven't been able to find in Charlotte - not because they aren't there, but because Charlotte is so BIG that they get overlooked or overshadowed by more commercial places.

I love Sweet Meadow Cafe and going out sitting under that Big Magnolia tree afterwards another cool restaurant to check out is the Italian restaurant in an old church called La Cava.

[JustCreepin']

La Cava is a nice place - I've been there once. Have you checked out Stelia Cafe? Something different - it is almost next door to Hap's, literally.

[SarahSal]

Some great forum advice for anyone considering a move to Salisbury - which, BTW sounds like a lovely town!
I just sent my cousin in CLT a link to this thread as she's thinking about moving there! She doesn't have easy internet access so I said I'd ask a few more questions relative to her situation.

Probably your very best advice was to *first* find a job! My cousin was a legal secretary for many years so is highly qualified in that field. She's also a yoga teacher currently teaching classes in Charlotte. But she's willing to do most anything that pays *reasonably* well ($8.50 an hour? maybe). Is there a possibility of finding decent job opportunities in Salisbury or within commuting distance (I saw Greensboro and some other cities aren't bad commutes).

She's also looking for a smaller city or town that has a sense of community and culture, which from these postings, Salisbury seems to have. Competitive home/condo prices are other factors she's interested in, too. She'd love to find a neighborhood near downtown where she could walk her dog and meet her neighbors.

Since she's recently moved here from out West (originally from the Northeast), one big concern is townspeople's acceptance of newcomers. I know that with all smaller towns this is sometimes a concern. What might be obstacles she'd have to overcome?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[KBrown28031]

I do not recommend Salisbury. Salisbury is very run down and there are alot of shady areas to avoid. Housing is a little cheaper there because it's a undesirable place to call home.

[GaMe2005]

Obstacles to overcome moving to Salisbury...that's a tough question... I would say the obstacle depends more on the person.

If she likes being in a big city with big events then this would be an obstacle. Considering the size of the town, we have a good selection of dining options, but it will not compare at all to bigger cities. The solution to obstacles like these is to find a place or event in Charlotte, Winston, or Greensboro and go there for the evening to get your fix. You are not going to find big malls with all the stores. So if she is accustomed to living in metropolitan areas and likes being close to this type of shopping this would be an obstacle. We do have a downtown that is making huge strides and now has a number of unique shops, eateries, and condos. Stop in Critters on South Main Street and ask Bob and John about their move. They sold their store in LA and relocated both their business and life to Salisbury.

The advice of finding a job first is a good idea but that goes for anywhere she plans to move.

[SarahSal]

Thanks so much for the info! She'll appreciate it for sure.

Not being in a big city is definitely NOT an obstacle (double negative?) and she really wants that small-town feel.
BTW - Salisbury has a wonderful website with tons of good information. I saw there's going to be a Blues/Jazz concert on the 7th.. Wish I wasn't so far away - would love to attend!

[LLN]

Grew up in "the bury" and hated it when I was young. Have a much different perspective now.

It is not big city and if you want big city, then stop reading. In fact, if you want real big city, don't even consider Charlotte.

I would not want to live in Salisbury again, if I was poor...just to lay it out there for you. But if I had a well paying job, in which I dealt with up and coming or well established folks, you would be more than happy.

Having stated that, I think it is a great place, if you can afford on of the MANY NICE AREAS that I am stunned have been overlooked by the naysayers on this forum.

It has all you need, I was back there for several months, a couple of years ago, and figured I would be running to Charlotte every so often. Did not happen.

It is very very centrally located to Charlotte, WS, and Greensboro. I used to tell people, between Greensboro and Charlotte, Washington and Atlanta, NY and Miami.

The hospital is good, and if you need more, there are lots of even better ones near you.

I believe Salisbury is a little closed to new folks. Everyone is friendly, but the beauty of Salisbury is getting to know "what is really happening." Without a big club scene this is most often in private homes and gatherings.

It is a great place to raise kids.

The high school serves a very broad spectrum, but if your kids are in the upper 1/4 you will be dumbfounded by what is available to them. Don't rely on the test/ABC scores alone. Visit there. A good reason for this is a pretty high loyalty factor to old BHS/Salisbury High School from the MANY very wealthy people that live or have lived in Salisbury.

Again, I am not sure how it would be to start from scratch, but to an insider it is a real jewel.

lln

[GaMe2005]

Kinda curious. What is the URL of the website you found?