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I get curmudgeonly about these kinds of questions.
What is "New England" to you? If you mean urban areas like Boston/Cambridge, Providence, etc. -- well, plenty of folks from those areas tend to move to places like Chapel Hill, downtown Raleigh, and Durham. If "New England" means upscale suburbs like Weston, Wayland, Wellesley -- you might find them in Cary, North Raleigh off Leesville Rd., Governor's Club in Chapel Hill, etc.
If "New England" means economic exiles struggling in Wilton, NH; Foxboro, MA; Chelmsford, MA; and so forth, who are more conservative and less urban and want a chance to afford a suburban lifestyle they can't get in exurban/rural New England -- then I think you will see your "drive till you qualify" places like Angier, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, Mebane as places to settle.
Really, you're going to find New Englanders everywhere. I lived in Cambridge for 10 years, and while I agree there are lots of Red Sox bumper stickers in Clayton, I'd no sooner move there than I would move to Maynard or Franklin or Londonderry. What you want may be different than what I want -- there is no way an internet forum is going to give you some comprehensive, universal answer.
I get curmudgeonly about these kinds of questions.
What is "New England" to you? If you mean urban areas like Boston/Cambridge, Providence, etc. -- well, plenty of folks from those areas tend to move to places like Chapel Hill, downtown Raleigh, and Durham. If "New England" means upscale suburbs like Weston, Wayland, Wellesley -- you might find them in Cary, North Raleigh off Leesville Rd., Governor's Club in Chapel Hill, etc.
If "New England" means economic exiles struggling in Wilton, NH; Foxboro, MA; Chelmsford, MA; and so forth, who are more conservative and less urban and want a chance to afford a suburban lifestyle they can't get in exurban/rural New England -- then I think you will see your "drive till you qualify" places like Angier, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, Mebane as places to settle.
Really, you're going to find New Englanders everywhere. I lived in Cambridge for 10 years, and while I agree there are lots of Red Sox bumper stickers in Clayton, I'd no sooner move there than I would move to Maynard or Franklin or Londonderry. What you want may be different than what I want -- there is no way an internet forum is going to give you some comprehensive, universal answer.
I have to agree and disagree. I agree Bostonites will usually prefer to pick closer to downtown Raleigh-Durham, but it stops there. Drive till you qualify is not usually a factor for the rest of them. Selling in New England and buying here usually allows the buyer the opportunity to purchase anywhere here. Property values here, including Chapel Hill and Raleigh-Durham, are substantially lower than many of the burbs in New England. For them it is more a case of drive till you see something you like. That's exactly what we did. We drove around, and around and around until we found an area which reminded us of New England, but without the New England winters. The area we landed reminds us of the exact road we lived on in New England. It wasn't a matter of qualifying. It was a matter of enjoying.
When people ask for a place like New England, the first thing that pops into my head is the style of houses and the landscape. I also don't think of Boston when I think of New England. Boston has always seemed separated from New England to me. Now Salem and the Berkshires are New England. I guess it's all in what you are familiar and comfortable with, but choosing the suburbs here when moving from New England does not mean you had to drive till you qualified.
I think "little New England" would best be found in Rhode Island...it is definitely the smallest of them all (though they are all fairly small states).
I'm from Nashville, Tennessee and have traveled extensively throughout the United States and absolutely LOVE the New England states. The problem is, I can't afford to live there.
For what it's worth NC isn't that much cheaper than New England, everything taken into consideration (food, transportation, taxes, insurance, etc.). I'm from just outside Boston and have lived in NH so I have some experience. Moved here because we had some family here, but will be moving back within the next 5 years +/-.
But it depends on what part of "new england" you're looking for. If you're looking for the culture, diversity, and hustle and bustle of a Boston, you're not going to find it here. If you're looking for the quiant type of life with a semi-large city nearby (like a Manchester NH or Portland ME) you'll be fine. I moved to Holly Springs and the first thing I said is that it reminds me of Maine.
The winters here are milder, summer can be hit or miss as far as the weather goes, but overall not bad.
You just need to know what it is you want out of your future home and don't try to make it something it's not. The cost of living isn't what it's cracked up to be because truth be told if you have a job you can make it ANYWHERE as long as you adjust your living accordingly.
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