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My wife and I are contemplating moving down to NC from MA. We have been researching for the last few weeks on this site and elsewhere in order to put together a 'short list'. We want to go down in February for a week to look around at a few of the towns
So, here is our quick story. I am 32, my wife is 30, and we have a 3 yr. old daughter. My wife is a Special Needs teacher, I am an executive/manager in a healthcare company, but the position is remote/virtual. Obviously, main reason for the move is weather, but we are also looking for a smaller town with the community feel that is so lacking up here in MA. Just friendlier people needed. My wife also has Crohn's Disease, so we do need to be close to good medical facilities (this is another reason for the move as Crohn's folks know how much cold weather/no sun makes it even worse). I also need access to an airport for business travel, but do not mind travelling 1 hour or a little more as I travel infrequently. Obviously, great schools are important for our daughter...this is the one thing (only thing) we got going for us in MA.
Looked at many different towns on-line and on this forum. Here is my short list, but I am interested in any other ideas. Definitely interested in areas from Raleigh/Chapel Hill eastward to coast. My only big concern is if I ever did lose my job, I would need to be close enough to an area where they have mid-size/larger companies with higher level positions. Do not want to be stuck hours away, especially with the traffic I have read about. We will probably rent a house to start to be sure we like the town/area before settling down.
Here are the towns (and please do not rip me if some of these do not meet the above...I tried):
Tarsboro: This town seems to be what we are ideally looking for in look and community, but stats show schools are not the best. That is too bad because people/community sound perfect.
Morrisville, Apex, Cary (not small town, but not a dealkiller), Sanford, Chapel Hill (not a small town, but seems like a good area and strong public schools), Lillington....near coast...Edenton, Elizabeth City...
Any advice, opinions, or other options I am very open to. Sorry for the long e-mail, but NC is so diverse across the state, I thought the detail would be helpful. Thanks so much for all your help.
My wife and I are contemplating moving down to NC from MA. We have been researching for the last few weeks on this site and elsewhere in order to put together a 'short list'. We want to go down in February for a week to look around at a few of the towns
So, here is our quick story. I am 32, my wife is 30, and we have a 3 yr. old daughter. My wife is a Special Needs teacher, I am an executive/manager in a healthcare company, but the position is remote/virtual. Obviously, main reason for the move is weather, but we are also looking for a smaller town with the community feel that is so lacking up here in MA. Just friendlier people needed. My wife also has Crohn's Disease, so we do need to be close to good medical facilities (this is another reason for the move as Crohn's folks know how much cold weather/no sun makes it even worse). I also need access to an airport for business travel, but do not mind travelling 1 hour or a little more as I travel infrequently. Obviously, great schools are important for our daughter...this is the one thing (only thing) we got going for us in MA.
Looked at many different towns on-line and on this forum. Here is my short list, but I am interested in any other ideas. Definitely interested in areas from Raleigh/Chapel Hill eastward to coast. My only big concern is if I ever did lose my job, I would need to be close enough to an area where they have mid-size/larger companies with higher level positions. Do not want to be stuck hours away, especially with the traffic I have read about. We will probably rent a house to start to be sure we like the town/area before settling down.
Here are the towns (and please do not rip me if some of these do not meet the above...I tried):
Tarsboro: This town seems to be what we are ideally looking for in look and community, but stats show schools are not the best. That is too bad because people/community sound perfect.
Morrisville, Apex, Cary (not small town, but not a dealkiller), Sanford, Chapel Hill (not a small town, but seems like a good area and strong public schools), Lillington....near coast...Edenton, Elizabeth City...
Any advice, opinions, or other options I am very open to. Sorry for the long e-mail, but NC is so diverse across the state, I thought the detail would be helpful. Thanks so much for all your help.
Since your current job comes with you, you are in great shape for making the move. I would suggest you base yourself within an hour of either Charlotte or Raleigh, in the event you need to seek new employment in the future.
Nearer to Charlotte I highly recommend Davidson and Mooreseville for everything you are looking for.
You already have a good list for things around Raleigh. Chapel Hill is great, but expensive. Cary is nice, but not for everyone. It has a small old town center but then is just surrounded by miles and miles of sprawling new home construction - not enough "soul" to the place for me. I hear nice things about Sanford but have no experience there to speak of.
Do add Wake Forest to your list - I thihk you'll be pleasantly surprised with it. Best of luck!
I agree with LovesMountains. Good assessment. IMO, Apex is the "next Cary" on a smaller scale. You might want to look at Hillsborough as another Triangle area alternative.
I'm sure you'll hear soon from C-D's resident "Sanford booster", Al R. I can't speak to Sanford as knowledgebly as Al, but I think it deserves a a close inspection.
Edenton and E. City are both lovely communities with a lot going for them. Not so sure about the schools and future job prospects (if needed). Northeastern NC is sort of a world unto itself. You'll be a bit remote from a lot of the resources you've named. You'll actually be more in the Virginia Beach metro area. Speaking of hurricanes (below), this area definitely susceptible to weather issues.
I really don't like to be negative, but I'm afraid that Tarboro may not be the best place for you. I don't have any specifics, just a gut feeling. Having grown up in Raleigh, but being a "mountain gal" at heart, I have always had a little bit of a negative bias about eastern NC between Raleigh and the actual coast.
Good luck! North Carolina is a great state.
Last edited by roadpony; 01-20-2010 at 07:22 AM..
Reason: added weather info
Google Tarboro & hurricane Floyd and you will see what they city still is acceptable to.
I think you mean susceptible...but that was a "100-year flood", and it was actually Princeton, not most of Tarboro, that got the devastating flood. Yes, any town that is low-lying and near a river is theoretically susceptible to flooding in those times every few daceds when a hurricane hits that far inland. But, higher ground in Tarboro didn't suffer from Floyd's Flooding much more than higher ground anywhere else.
Thanks so much for all the advice and guidance. I really do appreciate it very much.
This, and other thoughts, have really narrowed my list quite a bit. What does anyone think of Hillsborough? I have seen that mentioned with a lot of positive comments in several of the forum posts (including the one above that turned me to look at it...thank you). Sounds like it is good for families, close enough to Chapel Hill without having to pay the premium, and great schools. That is definitely a possibility unless someone tells me to steer clear.
Thanks for the Wake Forest suggestion. Seems like a great town and worth a strong look. What I like about some of these towns is that they are on the north side of Raleigh which will make it easier for me to get to the airport for travel. Of course, I have heard Morrisville can have some noise issues with the airport, so not sure on that one.
Another great part is that it seems most of these communities will be far more diverse culturally and ethnically than where we are.
Any more advice/thoughts appreciated. And again, thanks so much for all the thoughts.
Try western north carolina hendersonville nice own but alot of people and alot of people are moving here i moved from new jersey there are too airports asheville airport which is 10 minutes awaya dn greenville airport 45 minutes and i think there is anoth one in tennese like an hour away try it its i nice place and it has the things you mentioned
You might look into the "Sandhills" are, near Southern Pines, Pinehurst. The hospital there is really well-regarded and expanding. There are any number of "small towns" in the area (though the all sort of act as one "metro" area and you'd find yourself moving among them all the time). It's not far from both FAY and RDU airports and both cities for shopping.
Sanford is a good choice on many fronts, with its central location to the Triangle, Triad and Fayetteville area a key advantage. And I continue to suggest it is a good consideration for those looking for a "small town feel" with mid-sized city resources.
That being said, based on your requirements for proximity to top medical care and options for employment "just in case".... I too think you might look into Hillsborough.
I honestly can't speak to the educational performance of the Hillsborough area (others can), but can say it has a great small town feel and is just a hop-skip-jump from Raleigh/Durham which may meet your medical and employment concerns very well.
The Pittsboro area also had been growing quite a bit, but has a more rural feel if that is attractive to you. A lot of folks wanting to be adjacent to Chapel Hill, but looking for "space" have considered this town/area which is just south of CH.
On the north-eastern side of Raleigh, you also might look into Wake Forest.
Good luck!
Al
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Lots of good choices with your flexibility
