Want to move to NC, but where? (Charlotte, Raleigh: apartments, to rent)

[angelaf]

I've lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin all my life (23 years) and can't imagine spending another long, dark, bitter winter here. I'm graduating from college in May and my fiancé and I would like to move with our two pit bulls to somewhere with a less hostile climate. NC is appealing for this, and for its lower cost of living and beautiful landscape.
What's important to us, in order of priority:
-plenty of sunshine
-shorter, milder winters (although some winter/snow is ok)
-relatively mild summers (I know some heat and humidity is a given; but less is better)

We don't want to live in a big city. My degree is in creative writing and my fiancé works in a greenhouse now but will probably look for some type of factory work. We don't have or want kids so the schools aren't important. So far, Morganton/Hickory, Mount Airy, Salisbury, Winterville, and Hendersonville are at the top of our list; can anyone tell me if they should be, and if any one of these places sounds like it would fit us more than another? We will probably rent at first, but would want to buy (hopefully a home with at least a couple of acres) within a year or so; will we have trouble finding a place to rent with two dogs? Also, since we have pit bulls, (both wonderful, loving, gentle dogs) in the past we've run into issues with breed bans; any idea if this should be a concern in NC?
Thanks!

[lovemaine]

angelaf,
We are originally from Wisconsin (Southeast part of the state). Last year we moved to NJ, and now we're moving on to NC. There are tons of apartments to check out at www.apartmentguide.com. We will be renting a townhouse in the Raleigh area for 6 months before we decide where we want to buy. A lot of apartments allow dogs, but some are breed restrictive. We also have 2 dogs (a pug and a beagle mix) so we didn't have any issues renting. If you call they'll tell you if they have any restrictions. I wish I could be more helpful regarding living in NC, but we are also unfamiliar with the state. I've heard so many good things about life there though that I'm really not too worried. We sure won't miss those Wisconsin winters!
Good luck with your move!

[mm34b]

Out of the towns you mentioned, the Asheville-Hendersonville has the coolest summer temps. Average highs in July are around 83 degrees and the average lows for January are around 32 degrees. Average seasonal snowfall for the area is 15".

The state is divided into 3 regions - Eastern, Piedmont and Western. If summer heat bothers you, stay away from the Eastern part of the state. Your best bet would be the mountains or foothills in the Western part of the state. The Piedmont region is also somewhat hot in the Summer but not as hot as the Eastern part of the state.

[Bethanytedder]

If hurricanes bother you, move at least as far inland as Raleigh and I still won't guarantee you that you won't get some hurricane damage off of one that far inland. Stay out of the East if you have breathing problems. The humidity in August is horrible.

[yarri4me]

i recently lost my 12 year old son and want a change i still have a four years old is alos thinking about moving to north carolina i know nothing or no one there i just want a change of enviroment.i was thinking more so charlotte or reliegh/durham area.

[trese]

I suggest you check out job opps in all of the cities you are interested in. Lots of lay-offs in NC and a lot of natives out of work. Unless you can afford to move here and be independant financially for 6 months-2 years--however long it takes to find a job?

[OIT2GOD]

Try Wilson, NC. It's about 25 miles east of Raleigh. It's a growing city with southern charm. www.wilsonnc.org
www.wilson-nc.com
www.wilson-co.com
www.wilsondaily.com
www.wilsonhomesforsale.com

[roygbiv4]

The area is rural, farming, lower-social-economic, and sparsely populated. There are little or no jobs in the area and they normally go to the locals in the communities.

If a person is non-white, I would have difficulty in recommending that he/she move to the Elizabeth City area. One needs to be wary of the NC State Policemen in the county that includes Elizabeth City and the accompanying judicial system that serves Elizabeth City.

On the positive side the area can be very pretty when one travels near the ocean, bays and rivers. If one is willing to travel into Virginia or other locations outside of eastern North Carolina for shopping, then that person may be satisfied.

[NCbyChoice]

Hendersonville is a very lovely town. It has a rather neat little downtown area for a city of it's size. I fear though that work options will be limited at best. I'm sure that will be the case with all of the towns you mention. Don't know exactly what you consider big, but really Charlotte is the only big city in NC. Even it feels somewhat small townish, at least to me it does...in a good way.

The Raleigh area is also filled with some great small towns/cities (Cary, Apex, Carbborro, Chapel Hill, ect.). There are tons of great options in NC, but none of that matters if you can't land a job. I would let your job offers direct you to where you should move. Just put in as many resumes as you can and go from there. Good luck!

[foxboy1618]

I don't think the difficulty of finding a job matters all that much anyways since the economic issues is more of a nation-wide issue than state-wide issue. I had been trying to look for a job in Wisconsin for 3 years and still can't find one. Every state you go, there are always job security issues.