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My husband and I are sick of South Florida. We have lived here our whole lives (we are both 30) and want to venture out into something new. We have two girls in preschool. My husband is a realtor and I do website development part-time.
Things we do not like about South FL:
HEAT! It’s already 95 degrees here, please kill me.
Rude people. I have been surrounded by the meanest, uppity people you will ever meet. Even today, I was buying my daughter a balloon at Publix for her bday and an elderly lady scolded me to watch where I put that thing (I wasn’t even near her!). Seriously? My daughter was standing right there and asked why she was so mean. This kind of stuff happens all the time here.
This area is extremely superficial and focused entirely on status and money and appearance. Think boob jobs, botox faces, teenagers driving Mercedes, designer bags/clothes everywhere. I don’t want my daughters growing up thinking this is normal or something by which to value their inner selves.
People don’t care about literacy or education. They’d rather be the beach or at the tanning bed or salon. I want my girls to be well-educated.
No sense of community. Most people give the impression that they are out for themselves. There is no feeling of wholesomeness here.
TRAFFIC! The snowbirds are gone now, and it’s still terrible.
Is there any place out there, any place at all, that has:
Friendly, down-to-earth people
Great schools
Safe - this is a priority
Weather below 90s.
Close to fun stuff to do with the kids, including an indoor mall, kids play place, etc
TREES! I love lush trees.
Well-manicured areas, but every place I’ve looked, they’re usually in upper class areas…so I’m trying to find a happy medium.
Would prefer a place not directly in a big city, per se, but within close distance (15-20 minutes). I like my peace outside the craziness of reality.
Our price range is around $250k-300k.
I’ve started looking, but it’s hard for me since I’ve only lived in South FL. So far I’ve come up with:
Peachtree City, GA - great scenery and schools, but worried it might be too remote?
Alpharetta GA - which makes me somewhat nervous because from what I’ve read on these forums it sounds a tad like South FL, but I have to believe no place is worse than here lol. I love that this is in the center of most amenities tho.
Holly Springs/Cary NC - Great schools, safe, green, great weather. Cary has such a negative reputation, though, which worries me. It looks beautiful in google maps tho.
Can anyone more worldly than me please recommend any other places? Or comment on the ones I’ve chosen? Thank you : )
Last edited by whittaker; 05-13-2015 at 10:24 AM..
Reason: added more specific criteria for weather
My husband and I are sick of South Florida. We have lived here our whole lives (we are both 30) and want to venture out into something new. We have two girls, age 2 and 5. My husband is a realtor and I do website development part-time.
Things we do not like about South FL:
HEAT! It’s already 95 degrees here, please kill me.
Rude people. I have been surrounded by the meanest, uppity people you will ever meet. Even today, I was buying my daughter a balloon at Publix for her bday and an elderly lady scolded me to watch where I put that thing (I wasn’t even near her!). Seriously? My daughter was standing right there and asked why she was so mean. This kind of stuff happens all the time here.
This area is extremely superficial and focused entirely on status and money and appearance. Think boob jobs, botox faces, teenagers driving Mercedes, designer bags/clothes everywhere. I don’t want my daughters growing up thinking this is normal or something by which to value their inner selves.
People don’t care about literacy or education. They’d rather be the beach or at the tanning bed or salon. I want my girls to be well-educated.
No sense of community. Most people give the impression that they are out for themselves. There is no feeling of wholesomeness here.
TRAFFIC! The snowbirds are gone now, and it’s still terrible.
Is there any place out there, any place at all, that has:
Friendly, down-to-earth people
Great schools
Safe - this is a priority
Cooler weather in the 70s or so. Nothing like in Northeast…I don’t think I could handle snow.
Close to fun stuff to do with the kids, including an indoor mall, kids play place, etc
TREES! I love lush trees.
Well-manicured areas, but every place I’ve looked, they’re usually in upper class areas…so I’m trying to find a happy medium.
Would prefer a place not directly in a big city, per se, but within close distance (15-20 minutes). I like my peace outside the craziness of reality.
Our price range is around $250k-300k.
I’ve started looking, but it’s hard for me since I’ve only lived in South FL. So far I’ve come up with:
Peachtree City, GA - great scenery and schools, but worried it might be too remote?
Alpharetta GA - which makes me somewhat nervous because from what I’ve read on these forums it sounds a tad like South FL, but I have to believe no place is worse than here lol. I love that this is in the center of most amenities tho.
Holly Springs/Cary NC - Great schools, safe, green, great weather. Cary has such a negative reputation, though, which worries me. It looks beautiful in google maps tho.
Can anyone more worldly than me please recommend any other places? Or comment on the ones I’ve chosen? Thank you : )
Tell me more about this alleged "negative" reputation.
I live here and I've never heard of such a thing. It's one of the most popular relocation cities in the state.
__________________
When in doubt, check it out: FAQ
You'll need to post on the appropriate Georgia board to get information on Alpharetta and P'tree City.
Is your husband planning on working as a realtor after you relocate? Have you thought through how that will work? Starting over in that profession in a new location is pretty difficult, and he probably wouldn't earn a commission for months after starting.
Cooler weather in the 70's...when? You mean a place that never gets above or below the 70's?
To be perfectly honest, I think your expectations are completely unrealistic.
My husband and I are sick of South Florida. We have lived here our whole lives (we are both 30) and want to venture out into something new. We have two girls, age 2 and 5. My husband is a realtor and I do website development part-time.
Things we do not like about South FL:
HEAT! It’s already 95 degrees here, please kill me.
Rude people. I have been surrounded by the meanest, uppity people you will ever meet. Even today, I was buying my daughter a balloon at Publix for her bday and an elderly lady scolded me to watch where I put that thing (I wasn’t even near her!). Seriously? My daughter was standing right there and asked why she was so mean. This kind of stuff happens all the time here.
This area is extremely superficial and focused entirely on status and money and appearance. Think boob jobs, botox faces, teenagers driving Mercedes, designer bags/clothes everywhere. I don’t want my daughters growing up thinking this is normal or something by which to value their inner selves.
People don’t care about literacy or education. They’d rather be the beach or at the tanning bed or salon. I want my girls to be well-educated.
No sense of community. Most people give the impression that they are out for themselves. There is no feeling of wholesomeness here.
TRAFFIC! The snowbirds are gone now, and it’s still terrible.
Is there any place out there, any place at all, that has:
Friendly, down-to-earth people
Great schools
Safe - this is a priority
Cooler weather in the 70s or so. Nothing like in Northeast…I don’t think I could handle snow.
Close to fun stuff to do with the kids, including an indoor mall, kids play place, etc
TREES! I love lush trees.
Well-manicured areas, but every place I’ve looked, they’re usually in upper class areas…so I’m trying to find a happy medium.
Would prefer a place not directly in a big city, per se, but within close distance (15-20 minutes). I like my peace outside the craziness of reality.
Our price range is around $250k-300k.
I’ve started looking, but it’s hard for me since I’ve only lived in South FL. So far I’ve come up with:
Peachtree City, GA - great scenery and schools, but worried it might be too remote?
Alpharetta GA - which makes me somewhat nervous because from what I’ve read on these forums it sounds a tad like South FL, but I have to believe no place is worse than here lol. I love that this is in the center of most amenities tho.
Holly Springs/Cary NC - Great schools, safe, green, great weather. Cary has such a negative reputation, though, which worries me. It looks beautiful in google maps tho.
Can anyone more worldly than me please recommend any other places? Or comment on the ones I’ve chosen? Thank you : )
Have you thought about the mountains of NC ? Western NC. Anywhere in GA will be hot and sticky in the summer, as will be most of the eastern part of NC. The weather here is quite moderate, no hot sticky summers. And not a lot of snow in the winter. I've lived in SW FL and hear you loud and clear. If you can handle mid 80's and a few humid days in the summer, you'll be a happy camper. Salaries may be lower here, but so is the cost of living and the prices of homes. In your price range, you should be able to find a very nice home and good schools for the children. The whole idea though will depend on your income, what it is now, and what it could be here, depending on the type of employment and jobs you need. The area is very family oriented, down to earth, not lots of grumpy people, all sorts of outdoor activities and things to do. There are some very good cost of living calculators online if you simply Google 'cost of living calculator'. Sperling, and Bank Rate Monitor are very good; and there are others. If you're going to relocate, now is the time, before the children get attached to the area and they won't give you a hard time about moving when they are this young.
@carolinadawg2 Every time I read a forum about Cary or watch a youtube video about it, there is ALWAYS someone who demeans it. I guess because the relocating northeasterners wind up there, for one reason or another. Or because it is so well-manicured.
Yep, we have considered him starting over, which is why we are building our nest egg now.
When I say cooler weather, I meant cool as compared to here in South Florida. Which is constantly in the 90s. To me, a South FL native, 70s is cool. I suppose I should have worded to "average year-round temp below 90s" :P
Have you thought about the mountains of NC ? Western NC. Anywhere in GA will be hot and sticky in the summer, as will be most of the eastern part of NC. The weather here is quite moderate, no hot sticky summers. And not a lot of snow in the winter. I've lived in SW FL and hear you loud and clear. If you can handle mid 80's and a few humid days in the summer, you'll be a happy camper. Salaries may be lower here, but so is the cost of living and the prices of homes. In your price range, you should be able to find a very nice home and good schools for the children. The whole idea though will depend on your income, what it is now, and what it could be here, depending on the type of employment and jobs you need. The area is very family oriented, down to earth, not lots of grumpy people, all sorts of outdoor activities and things to do. There are some very good cost of living calculators online if you simply Google 'cost of living calculator'. Sperling, and Bank Rate Monitor are very good; and there are others. If you're going to relocate, now is the time, before the children get attached to the area and they won't give you a hard time about moving when they are this young.
Thank you for your reply I haven't looked at Western NC yet! Is there a city/town or two in particular you would recommend for families?
I can definitely handle mid-80s and a few humid days in the summer. I just can't stand above-90s for 6 months out of the year. Ugh.
Thank you for your recs on cost of living calculators - will definitely check those out!
Oh believe me, my goal is to get the kids out of here as soon as humanly possible, lol. Our time frame is hopefully within the next year or two.
I split time between Raleigh and Miami and can assure the OP that she will be okay with the heat in the Triangle vs South Florida.
I think that the stated budget can get them a good home but it won't be new. But, IMO, the better locations and the nicer pieces of property are associated with the older stock of homes built before 2000. Holly Springs is all but a brand new town FWIW. Cary has some history and a variety of housing stock, prices and options.
Thank you for your reply I haven't looked at Western NC yet! Is there a city/town or two in particular you would recommend for families?
I can definitely handle mid-80s and a few humid days in the summer. I just can't stand above-90s for 6 months out of the year. Ugh.
Thank you for your recs on cost of living calculators - will definitely check those out!
Oh believe me, my goal is to get the kids out of here as soon as humanly possible, lol. Our time frame is hopefully within the next year or two.
Take some time and go on over to the city-data here to peruse the various threads on the Western NC forum to gather a wealth of information about the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and all there is to offer here. The weather here is about as nice as it gets, except maybe for San Diego CA. The areas you stated in GA and anywhere in the flatlands of NC can be more hot and humid than you are looking for. If you can get away for a summer vacation, c'mon up and look around. The most popular nice towns are: Hendersonville, Waynesville, *Weaverville, Arden, Fletcher, *Black Mountain. The two I've *'d will be a bit more expensive than the others. All are within your price range, depending on your wants/needs.
Take some time and go on over to the city-data here to peruse the various threads on the Western NC forum to gather a wealth of information about the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and all there is to offer here. The weather here is about as nice as it gets, except maybe for San Diego CA. The areas you stated in GA and anywhere in the flatlands of NC can be more hot and humid than you are looking for. If you can get away for a summer vacation, c'mon up and look around. The most popular nice towns are: Hendersonville, Waynesville, *Weaverville, Arden, Fletcher, *Black Mountain. The two I've *'d will be a bit more expensive than the others. All are within your price range, depending on your wants/needs.
Thank you so much, QuilterChick! Your recs are very much appreciated. I will start some new research
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If you can handle mid 80's and a few humid days in the summer, you'll be a happy camper. Salaries may be lower here, but so is the cost of living and the prices of homes. In your price range, you should be able to find a very nice home and good schools for the children. The whole idea though will depend on your income, what it is now, and what it could be here, depending on the type of employment and jobs you need. The area is very family oriented, down to earth, not lots of grumpy people, all sorts of outdoor activities and things to do. There are some very good cost of living calculators online if you simply Google 'cost of living calculator'. Sperling, and Bank Rate Monitor are very good; and there are others. If you're going to relocate, now is the time, before the children get attached to the area and they won't give you a hard time about moving when they are this young.
