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My family is originally from the Bay Area (going several generations back). I still love going there once or twice a year to visit relatives and do some hiking and road tripping. North Carolina is a huge change but the quality of life here is wonderful. Low cost of living with a well-educated populace in the metro areas make for a nice place to live.
The bugs are an issue if you live near the woods or a swampy area. Yes, we've got lots of mosquitoes. When my husband and I sit on the porch, I've got a little bottle of OFF next to me. For the most part, bugs aren't an issue living day-to-day. If you buy new construction, contractors are required to treat the ground so you shouldn't have lil' critters crawling up and down the walls.
I think the big bugs (monster cockroaches, for instance) are found further south in Florida.
"Knock on wood" but we haven't had many of those pesky masquitoes. There is a pond in our neighbors yard, we do have pine trees on both sides of our property and we are 3 miles from Badin Lake. I'm not complaining one bit just curious!!! We do have every other kind of insects--plus--but few of the masquitoes.
I was born & raised in the Sacramento area, and then lived in So Cal for about 14 yrs. My husband is a So Cal native. We've been in Holly Springs 2 yrs. Yes, the bugs are something to get used to...I had a tick on each one of my kids last night and we are so new to this that we all still panic a little.
Yes, there are bugs...like ones you've never seen before! Yes, its hot and humid. But there is nothing like sitting out on the deck on a steamy southern night listening to the crickets & frogs and watching the fireflys, or watching lightening way off in the distance...I love that quintessential southern feeling. I like hot weather, and I think summers here are great. We love it here and will never go back to CA. The only part that has been tough for me is the cold...and it doesn't last long.
Everyone told us horror stories about it back here before we moved. Is it worth all that money to live there for weather or lack of bugs? In my opinion, no way. We cannot even compare the lifestyle my kids lived there to here. Here they are safe, and free to roam around our neighborhood safely. The neighbors watch out for each other. We have lots of friends...people genuinely want to know you here...not avoid eye contact like in LA.
I hate bugs way more than most people, so if I can adapt, anyone can...the only thing I miss about CA is Mexican food!
Where in Holly Springs do you live?
We are considering making the move there from Mass and are going to rent for a while in holly Springs till we get a feel for it.
I'm interested in how outsiders are excepted and what the neighborhoods are like.
Being from a suburb in Mass were use to some land and woods which I know will be tough to fine but for the cost of living and the weather it's a no brainer.
"Knock on wood" but we haven't had many of those pesky masquitoes. There is a pond in our neighbors yard, we do have pine trees on both sides of our property and we are 3 miles from Badin Lake. I'm not complaining one bit just curious!!! We do have every other kind of insects--plus--but few of the masquitoes.
I notice a lot less bugs here than I did where I lived in Indiana. I lived in a wooded area bordering a nearby lake up there, though, so I can't accurately say the bug problem is worse or better here. For what it's worth, I have a lot less bugs splattered on my car's front bumper and windshield than I ever did up there, if you can use that as a measuring stick. Bear in mind that we're in a pretty moderate drought, so that affects the insect population quite a bit, especially where mosquitos are concerned.
Depending on what part of California some of you are from, you may be used to droughts, so it'll be a natural transition... lol
We live in the SF Bay Area. I am a California native and he is from Boston. We are going to move to NC in Spring 2008 and are SO READY! I am pretty much fed up with living in California, paying high prices for everything and not able to get ahead. I lived in AZ for 4 years a while back and there were bugs to deal with there too. I am ready to slow down my life a little and enjoy some southern living!
LoveNC...We bought in Sunset Ridge and cannot say enough good things about it. Lots of outsiders here...more than locals I think! We too rented in Holly Springs when we arrived. We had a difficult time finding a short term (under 6 mo) lease, and we ended up renting a place in Trotters Bluff sight unseen, and got a 3 month lease...but it was a dump. It was a newer house but had been rented alot and smelled baadd! The landlord did shampoo the carpet & had a pest service, so we survived. We paid $1100 a month...I think shorter term leases are more expensive. That aside, the neighbors were very nice and even had a block party during our short stay that was fun. Holly Spring has been very welcoming to us!
We live in the SF Bay Area. I am a California native and he is from Boston. We are going to move to NC in Spring 2008 and are SO READY! I am pretty much fed up with living in California, paying high prices for everything and not able to get ahead. I lived in AZ for 4 years a while back and there were bugs to deal with there too. I am ready to slow down my life a little and enjoy some southern living!
I second the Holly Springs environemt that needhalc talks about. We relocated from southern CA 9 months ago. Both natives of CA (Dh Marin County and me San Diego county) to Sunset Ridge in Holly Springs and we love it here. I know the neighborhood behind us which is a KB neighborhood and the Anderson neighborhood right near that have a ton of short term home rentals in them. A few people on our street rented there while they were waiting for their homes to be finished.
AMEN! We're leaving on Sunday for Durham (currently live in LA near USC). I LOVED it when folks started to tell us how Durham is unsafe and has a "gang problem". From where we're coming it's like moving to Mayberry (sp?)
Can't wait to get there! Movers loaded our things yesterday and we'll be there on Tuesday!
We moved from the Sacramento area and love it here. I was raised in the midwest and the people in CA were never my cup of tea. The northern coast of CA is IMO much more beautiful than the coast here (or at least what I have seen of it) but the beaches here offer water warm enough to comfortably swim in. Bugs are not nearly as bad as we anticipated. We've had a couple of wood roaches get into the house, but they are pretty harmless although they might make you pee your pants the first time you see one. We treat our yard so mosquitoes aren't much of an issue. DH and I have each had a tick and our cat who got out of the house for nearly 4 weeks had 3 ticks. We back to a woodline and treat that with garlic spray which we feel really keeps the bugs down to a minimum. The summer rain is great as are the thunderstorms. Lightning bugs are fun to see at nighttime. I love that my children will have the same memories of seeing those things light up at night as I do growing up. Although there are things we miss about NorCal there are so many more positives for us in NC. There may be less to see in NC than in CA overall, but consider the size differences of the states, of course there is less in NC (not to mention the fun part of Tahoe and Vegas are in NV.) VA, SC, TN are all very close. There is sooo much history out here which is amazing. Amusement parks are only a drive away, beaches, DC offers so much to see, historical cities like New Bern and Charleston, Disney World is driving distance.
We love it out here and are happy we made the move. Sure there are things we miss about CA, but we can always go back to visit.
Amazing! I am from the midwest, Iowa to be precise. I met my husband and he was from the Fairfield area in CA. So, we moved there for 7 years and I have to say, I never adjusted. He worked in SF and we lived way out. The schools, well you know.
We moved here last week and I am so extremely happy. The people are so nice everywhere you go. I catch myself saying things like, are peope really this nice? They are! I am happy!
We moved into Cary and we are looking to buy a home in either Apex or Cary. We are just renting while we look.
So, I would definitely recommend this move. It is so worth it!
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
We moved from the San Diego area, but also lived in San Luis Obispo and West L.A. I find that there are tons more things to do here than I ever found in California. I think mostly that's because we have kids and tend to do lots of family things now. I never walked so much in California! There are walking trails galore here. Today we went biking and swimming. One of the reasons we chose this area to move to is that there are so many options for places to explore on 3 and 4 day weekends. We've been going to the mountains, beach, music festivals in the country, DC, Charleston, Georgia, outer banks, etc. I'm so glad we moved here. This is just such a wonderful place to raise a family. The bugs are starting to be a problem though. The mosquitos especially like my daughter. We are searching for some natural way to keep from getting bitten. Anyone have any suggestions?
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NC Rocks!!
