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I posted what we are looking for on this thread (Where in the US is this place? so won't repeat it all here, but will give you a clear sense of what we want. We know we can't have it all, but at this stage in our search, we're still feeling a bit greedy. We had Asheville in our radar, but have been hearing not so great things about it lately (plus the job market there seems to be bad even when the economy isn't). It's still on the radar though, at least 'till we visited it live. Another place in our radar (outside NC) is Austin.
In any case, can you please tell us if there are places in NC that would suit us? Where?
I thought Cary until I read your last two paragraphs of your other post. The last two paragraphs are more Carrboro-ish, but you won't find the high number of families like you will in Cary (Carrboro is very small). I think Carrboro as more as a place for younger single people. I think of Chapel Hill being liberal but not so family friendly and much more expensive. I may be all wrong.
I wish you were my neighbors.
Oh, and please don't come here without a job and expect to get one unless you are a nurse or in the medical field. (That's my standard line now.)
You lost us at the first paragraph, it rains (read: hurricanes are possible) here all spring and summer and those 1 or 2 days of 'scorching' are a few weeks at a time but more like a miserable steam bath.
The "problem" here is that this "perfect" place is highly desirable by many people, so the cost of living and housing is also high. Santa Cruz, CA sounds fun, but you can't afford to live there. You'll have to compromise.
My suggestion is Reno, NV. Sounds strange, I know, but it's the one area I would go back to. It probably fits all your criteria except weather. They do have a winter, and snow a few times a year. The summers aren't so bad, it's a dry heat. The advantages are being in a college town (THE University of Nevada), always something going on (festivals, events - Hot August Nights, biker ralleys, hot air balloon races, etc), Lake Tahoe is 30 minutes away for skiiing, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, boating, anything you can think of. There's more and more tech going in, as Silicon valley is expensive and NV has favorable taxes for companies. San Fran is ~4 hours away, Napa valley is ~3 hours away. You have people of all types. The gambling is odd at first, as there are slot machines in 7-11 and Denny's, but you don't even notice them after a while. There is nothing downtown, and no reason to drive through there, so you don't have to see the casinos if you don't want to. But there are comedy clubs, a good one outside of the strip at the Hilton. Plus, going downtown to see the casinos, and have a few drinks when people come to visit is fun. There's all sorts of restaurant options. Much better than here in NC. Now I miss the place. If you like outdoor activities, there's no place better (and I've lived in WA, CO, and SoCal).
Just remember, there are no "happy hours" in the state of NC. Wish someone would've told me about that and about the taxes here (should've researched the taxes myself--i know), it would've had some influence in my decision to relocate here last year. All in all, it's a decent place for what you're looking for (the Triangle)--but a little too family-oriented for singles or even couples with no kids. Good luck!
Just remember, there are no "happy hours" in the state of NC. Wish someone would've told me about that about the taxes here (should've researched the taxes myself--i know), it would've had some influence in my decision to relocate here last year. All in all, it's a decent place for what you're looking for (the Triangle)--but a little too family-oriented for singles or even couples with no kids. Good luck!
There aren't "happy hours", instead bars offer all-day drink specials. I'd rather have the all day option than try to cram everything into an hour or two, at a time that I can't even get there in the first place. But that's just me!
As far as taxes go, I came from a state with no income tax, but my salary was lower and I paid more for everything else, including sales tax (and while I didn't own property there, tax was much higher than here). The tax thing is going to be very relative to where someone is coming from. In the end, they're going to get their money from you one way or another.
I don't think the Triangle is too family-oriented. I'm young, kidless, and have a blast with my single friends. It's just a matter of finding the circles you want to run with. I personally have a good time and moved here from a city known as "singles paradise".
To the OP, I think you can find a good portion of what you're looking for in the Triangle.
Last edited by miamiblue; 03-09-2009 at 06:50 AM..
please, tell me, where in the US is this place? And, please, if it's overcrowded, over-rated or over-priced, it doesn't count.
I do hope you realize that almost everything you are looking for is what EVERYONE is looking for. And therefore, where such a place exists, it WILL be overcrowded and overpriced (supply and demand). Do you think there is anyone out there looking for places with bad schools, bad weather, far from the grocery store and overpriced?
I am just tryuing to gauge how actually serious you are in thinking you will "just stumble on" somewhere with absolutely everything in its favor, but that hasn't already been discovered by thousands of others who have thus driven up the prices, traffic, etc.
This area does have many of the amenities that you (and everyone else on earht) are looking for, but due to this, we also suffer the problems associated with being somewhere everyone is moving to by the swarm. The weather is here for the taking wherever you live, but the good schools, nice lots, and easy access to what you need are the first things snapped up by the next round of newcomers...yes more is built, but the prices go up, the schools become overcrowded and start shuffling kids around (a *MAJOR* issue in Wake County right now) and that 5-minute drive to a friendly grocery store becomes a 15-minute drive to a store with a crowded parking lot and long lines at every checkout. Oh, and the prices go up, as the invisible hand of the market tends to do.
Are you truly thinking that what you are looking for is in any way unique and that wherever such places exist, there aren't thousands of others getting there first?
Yeah, those "specials" are a damn joke. $2.50 for a domestic draught is not a special. $.50, now that's a special. The bars around here are terrible. Just my opinion.
Are you truly thinking that what you are looking for is in any way unique and that wherever such places exist, there aren't thousands of others getting there first?
A girl can dream (and ask)
No, I don't don't think it's unique that people have the same wishlist. However, I do think that how that wishlist actually places out for different people really does vary.
For example, Austin comes up time and again as a place very close to what I described. We went there. And, yes, there was ONE neighborhood that fit the bill ... one tiny neighborhood in all of Austin (no offense to anyone nor to Austin, as we loved it there - this is just my personal view). Coming from New York City, my view is VERY different than someone coming from Missouri. Not better, not worse, just VERY different. So that a person from there and myself could have the same exact things on our wishlists, but when they get to Austin, they are amazed at how urban and hip it is and when I get to Austin, I'm dissapointed at how small and suburban it is.
That's where my frustration lies ... most people thought Circle C in Austin, TX was the bomb or that Louisville, KY is happening
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I thought Cary until I read your last two paragraphs of your other post. The last two paragraphs are more Carrboro-ish, but you won't find the high number of families like you will in Cary (Carrboro is very small).
Could you tell me more about how Carrboro fits the bill in terms my last two paragraphs? Sounds promising, as that seems to be the hardest part of my wishlist to find.
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I think of Chapel Hill being liberal but not so family friendly and much more expensive. I may be all wrong.
In what ways would you say Chapel Hill is not so family-friendly?
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Oh, and please don't come here without a job and expect to get one unless you are a nurse or in the medical field. (That's my standard line now.)
We work from home - DH works for a virtual company. I have my own business (mental health).
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