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Hard to title this thread to make it more descriptive, but here it goes. My wife and I and two very young kids are considering a move. We're currently living in Long Island, NY which is mega crowded, expensive amongst other things.
We're thinking about moving up to New England, but it is not really a cost savings for us and we're yearning for a bit less snow. I'm a physician Assistant and my wife an RN and it seems there are jobs in those fields. We plan on visiting Asheville in June and have some criteria for which we are focusing.
1). Looking for houses in the 400k-500k range. Probably in the middle of that range. Have a house in the 600k range on LI with 10k+in taxes per year and I'm through with the rat race.
2). Areas that have the best elementary as well as high schools. Schools are very important with 2 young kids.
3). Areas that are scenic and pretty. Hope to have house with reasonable views. Reasonably affluent neighborhood is preferred.
4) Dont need to be super-close to downtown. 20-30minutes or so is fine. Close is good too but not required. Would like suburban/rural setting.
5). As a northerner, the south is still pretty foreign to me. Any pointers for north easterners like myself looking to relocate and make a comfortable transition is appreciated.
From what info I gathered, Biltmore Forest seems to be the prime area. I'm not sure I could get the most for my money there. I've heard plenty of other areas mentioned like grove park, black mountain but I can't make heads or tails of it without some assistance. Would appreciate any suggestions of other areas I should look at when researching, before I plan my trip. thanks.
Hard to title this thread to make it more descriptive, but here it goes. My wife and I and two very young kids are considering a move. We're currently living in Long Island, NY which is mega crowded, expensive amongst other things.
We're thinking about moving up to New England, but it is not really a cost savings for us and we're yearning for a bit less snow. I'm a physician Assistant and my wife an RN and it seems there are jobs in those fields. We plan on visiting Asheville in June and have some criteria for which we are focusing.
1). Looking for houses in the 400k-500k range. Probably in the middle of that range. Have a house in the 600k range on LI with 10k+in taxes per year and I'm through with the rat race.
2). Areas that have the best elementary as well as high schools. Schools are very important with 2 young kids.
3). Areas that are scenic and pretty. Hope to have house with reasonable views. Reasonably affluent neighborhood is preferred.
4) Dont need to be super-close to downtown. 20-30minutes or so is fine. Close is good too but not required. Would like suburban/rural setting.
5). As a northerner, the south is still pretty foreign to me. Any pointers for north easterners like myself looking to relocate and make a comfortable transition is appreciated.
From what info I gathered, Biltmore Forest seems to be the prime area. I'm not sure I could get the most for my money there. I've heard plenty of other areas mentioned like grove park, black mountain but I can't make heads or tails of it without some assistance. Would appreciate any suggestions of other areas I should look at when researching, before I plan my trip. thanks.
Yes, a few questions: Do you have a job here? Have you ever been here? Have you ever explored the south? Are you judging your wants/needs by vacation/tourist advertising? Have you considered other areas?
This is NOT an area to come to unless you have a minimum of one year's income to support a family while you look for work. Expect the low cost of living to equate to low income if you can get a job. If you are self employed and telecommute, different story.
There are several "want to come to Asheville" type topics on this forum.
I am a retired Realtor here, and am giving you honest advice. Others will chime in. Take the time to explore in person rather than online. This is the south, you may have some north/south "adjustments" to make.
Since both of you are in the medical field you should have an easier time finding work. However, the medical industry here pays less than it does up north.
With the price range you are looking in for a home, you should have no problem finding some good candidates as this is a tough price range to sell in. Lots of homes, not many buyers at that price. You can most likely go down in price and still get a lot of home for your money. You will also find that taxes are much lower here. MUCH lower.
I am also a northerner. It really isn't hard to fit in here. Most of our friends are from somewhere else. Asheville is quite the melting pot.
For schools check out this site NC School Report Cards it's a report card for all NC schools. That should help you decided where to concentrate your search
Have fun on your trip in June! The best way to find out if this is the place for you is to visit many times.
Yes, a few questions: Do you have a job here? Have you ever been here? Have you ever explored the south? Are you judging your wants/needs by vacation/tourist advertising? Have you considered other areas?
This is NOT an area to come to unless you have a minimum of one year's income to support a family while you look for work. Expect the low cost of living to equate to low income if you can get a job. If you are self employed and telecommute, different story.
There are several "want to come to Asheville" type topics on this forum.
I am a retired Realtor here, and am giving you honest advice. Others will chime in. Take the time to explore in person rather than online. This is the south, you may have some north/south "adjustments" to make.
As I mentioned in the opening, I'm a physician assistant and my wife an RN. There are more than enough RN jobs there and I wouldn't move down unless I had jobs locked up. I'm a Physician Assistant and my research shows quite a few openings. PA's are in demand just about everywhere. Jobs I don't think would be a huge problem. Salaries aren't far off from what they are up here it seems.
I thought my questions were pretty straightforward as to not be answered with other questions. I was clear that Im visiting in June and wanted to narrow my search to areas we'd possibly be interested in based on said criteria.
I haven't explored much of the south. I have no desire for sweltering heat in the lowlands of the south, and like the culture that Asheville seems to offer that differs from much of the rest of the south. As I said, we're exploring in June firsthand. I like the mountains, climate and outdoor activities.
I might love it or hate it down there, but looking to narrow down the search slightly to areas of Asheville that might suit me IF we like it and are to relocate.
Since both of you are in the medical field you should have an easier time finding work. However, the medical industry here pays less than it does up north.
With the price range you are looking in for a home, you should have no problem finding some good candidates as this is a tough price range to sell in. Lots of homes, not many buyers at that price. You can most likely go down in price and still get a lot of home for your money. You will also find that taxes are much lower here. MUCH lower.
I am also a northerner. It really isn't hard to fit in here. Most of our friends are from somewhere else. Asheville is quite the melting pot.
For schools check out this site NC School Report Cards it's a report card for all NC schools. That should help you decided where to concentrate your search
Have fun on your trip in June! The best way to find out if this is the place for you is to visit many times.
.
Thank you for the straightforward advice. My wife and I adapt quite well. Living in the northeast is oppressively expensive and just not worth it to me. I can't save a penny and my wife and I have good salaries.
I'd like to even pay less for a home if I can. Would love sub-400's if I can find what I want. Excited to come visit. The jobs in our fields might be a tad lower, but it doesn't seem by much. Certainly cost of living a lot less and Asheville looks beautiful.
As I mentioned in the opening, I'm a physician assistant and my wife an RN. There are more than enough RN jobs there and I wouldn't move down unless I had jobs locked up. I'm a Physician Assistant and my research shows quite a few openings. PA's are in demand just about everywhere. Jobs I don't think would be a huge problem. Salaries aren't far off from what they are up here it seems.
I thought my questions were pretty straightforward as to not be answered with other questions. I was clear that Im visiting in June and wanted to narrow my search to areas we'd possibly be interested in based on said criteria.
I haven't explored much of the south. I have no desire for sweltering heat in the lowlands of the south, and like the culture that Asheville seems to offer that differs from much of the rest of the south. As I said, we're exploring in June firsthand. I like the mountains, climate and outdoor activities.
I might love it or hate it down there, but looking to narrow down the search slightly to areas of Asheville that might suit me IF we like it and are to relocate.
Definitely understood your post, no problem, just trying to get a better idea of the "why" Asheville; this is such a vast area to be explored. By your questions, I could tell you have never been here. We have so many folks who come with a "dream" due to profuse marketing as this is a big tourist area, and population density is not a problem. You could easily spend one day or more searching within a 30 mile radius which is what you would need to do to get a "feel" for locales. I am a native New Englander, and a former relocation specialist in 3 states for several years up until 2009. Sorry to have struck a nerve on your criteria, just trying to get a better picture of what you already know.
Cost of living is lower here than NY, but everything is relevant. You will not have any large upscale shopping or big malls, you will find a lot or organic and large agricultural presence which is very nice. Asheville is not a big city by any standards, and you will get similar traffic as on LI here in the tourist season which is April thru end of October. Plenty to do on the nature side of the equation. Hiking, whitewater rafting in the mountains, skiing in the winter at higher elevations, camping is huge here; lots of two lane S curve roads, slow drivers. Just driving the Blue Ridge Parkway will be exhilerating; lots of arts and crafts, pottery, the exquisite artistic talent here is mind boggling. In the winter, you could be very bored though.
Regardless of your profession(s), and regardless of the several opinions you will receive here, some jobs here are still hard to come by in the medical field, and it is imperative that folks should not make a relocation without having secured employment. Mission St. Joseph Hospital has one of the best reputations in the area and is a small hospital by NY standards. Local people applying for positions here will usually get the jobs first, that is a given and there is plenty of nepotism to go around.
Many real estate companies here have merged, downsized, or disappeared entirely. The cream rises to the top; so get on a good Realtor's website where you can do a private search on MLS for your criteria ... that would be the best way for you to narrow down the areas (take a radius) of various locations that interest you. Enjoy your trip in June, plan on at least an 8 to 10 day excursion, and for what it's worth, don't limit yourself to Buncombe County. You want views? Black Mountain or Waynesville may be just your cup of tea. I'd live there in a heartbeat in your price range. There is another poster on here by the name of MotorDavid who may be able to give you an insider's view of Waynesville. 25 mi. from Asheville out Rt. 40.
Definitely understood your post, no problem, just trying to get a better idea of the "why" Asheville; this is such a vast area to be explored. By your questions, I could tell you have never been here. We have so many folks who come with a "dream" due to profuse marketing as this is a big tourist area, and population density is not a problem. You could easily spend one day or more searching within a 30 mile radius which is what you would need to do to get a "feel" for locales. I am a native New Englander, and a former relocation specialist in 3 states for several years up until 2009. Sorry to have struck a nerve on your criteria, just trying to get a better picture of what you already know.
Cost of living is lower here than NY, but everything is relevant. You will not have any large upscale shopping or big malls, you will find a lot or organic and large agricultural presence which is very nice. Asheville is not a big city by any standards, and you will get similar traffic as on LI here in the tourist season which is April thru end of October. Plenty to do on the nature side of the equation. Hiking, whitewater rafting in the mountains, skiing in the winter at higher elevations, camping is huge here; lots of two lane S curve roads, slow drivers. Just driving the Blue Ridge Parkway will be exhilerating; lots of arts and crafts, pottery, the exquisite artistic talent here is mind boggling. In the winter, you could be very bored though.
Regardless of your profession(s), and regardless of the several opinions you will receive here, some jobs here are still hard to come by in the medical field, and it is imperative that folks should not make a relocation without having secured employment. Mission St. Joseph Hospital has one of the best reputations in the area and is a small hospital by NY standards. Local people applying for positions here will usually get the jobs first, that is a given and there is plenty of nepotism to go around.
Many real estate companies here have merged, downsized, or disappeared entirely. The cream rises to the top; so get on a good Realtor's website where you can do a private search on MLS for your criteria ... that would be the best way for you to narrow down the areas (take a radius) of various locations that interest you. Enjoy your trip in June, plan on at least an 8 to 10 day excursion, and for what it's worth, don't limit yourself to Buncombe County. You want views? Black Mountain or Waynesville may be just your cup of tea. I'd live there in a heartbeat in your price range. There is another poster on here by the name of MotorDavid who may be able to give you an insider's view of Waynesville. 25 mi. from Asheville out Rt. 40.
Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it very much. I will add Black Mountain and Waynesville to the list of places to check out. I will be spending about a week in Asheville in June. I look forward to it. Not pursuing this on any dreams. Never even read any marketing about Asheville. I didn't even know it was a tourist attraction. I have been basically searching the east for places that had lots of outdoor beauty, better cost of living and access to things that interest my wife and I. Asheville looks beautiful, and it seems like it fits our bill. Our jobs are extremely portable. We can move to most places with them. Not everywhere of course.
My wife and I are easygoing, and not easily bored. Nice house, place to raise kids, nice people, beautiful outdoors and an interesting town with places to eat and have a drink. We are looking to get ahead a bit more financially and will certainly be able to do so in a place like Asheville. Long Island is near impossible to put anything away. Cost of a house in Asheville is almost half of what I paid and property taxes 1/5th. I could move down the the Raleigh-Durham area in a heartbeat, get a great house and job, but I have no interest in those flatlands with the weather and suburban sprawl. Asheville piqued our interest as we have a bit of an adventurous side and are willing to take a leap.
Assuming your house sells for what you think it is worth you will have no trouble finding one down here--anything above $300K just sits and sits so a customer with money for that range should be able to be very choosy. However since you have never been here and are totally unfamiliar with the area I strongly suggest you rent down here before you buy. That will give you time to adjust to the cultural differences and to find a neighborhood to your liking.
As suggested above the Arden/Skyland/Fairview area sounds like your kind of place but don't overlook N. Asheville's Beaver Lake and Grove Park communities. The south Asheville areas are pretty much all new housing with the big box stores and urban sprawl settling in whereas N. Asheville is an older well established neighborhood in the city of Asheville. Look at Claxton Elementary School Claxton Elementary for example in that neighborhood.
The climate here is almost identical to the N. Virginia area I moved from but with less snow and cooler summer temps. and a shorter winter. Last year Spring arrived April 1 but this year it was closer to March 15--trees and shrubs are blooming like crazy and leaves on most are about the size of a squirrels ear.
One caution--if you move here you'd better like outdoor activities as there are few indoor things to do other than church and school activities. That can make January and February pretty long unless you like to drive out to the ski resorts on a regular basis
I second Grove Park area, similar to the Forest but more of a city feel, be sure to drive up N Charlotte Street, take some side streets, on up to the Grove Park Inn, and then behind it too, it's all Grove Park, lots of pretty houses, easy to get a many-bedroom two-story beauty for less than in your price range, what you save will help you adjust to lower pay grade, professionals all live in the area and jog thru it, the Prez and Michelle stayed up there and golfed right in the middle of the area, tree-lined streets, some spots have views, golf, tennis, very convenient to town. But it's true, Biltmore Forest is an exceptionally beautiful and natural place to live, I got relatives over there and just visiting is like being on vacation, peaceful, deer walk thru the yard, it feels so far from the madding crowd, with Biltmore Village a feather in its cap.
Actually almost anywhere you live in or near Asheville is gonna be pretty and lots of views. And I also second the opinion that you will have NO PROBLEM finding a job in the medical field. Asheville enjoys one of the best health care communities in the state, aside from Chapel Hill (another VERY lovely spot altho warmer but trees help that) and Durham. We got a Trauma Two Medical Center that merges two hospitals, constantly adding buildings, rescue helicopter like on TV, with all sorts of freestanding health clinics nearby, every specialty is represented here many times over, altho burn victims are usually flown to Winston-Salem, and living in the Forest is helpful for getting to work.
I might add that Asheville is indeed perfect for someone who doesn't care for the heat of the rest of the South, but likes an undercurrent of Southern charm (which not everyone has, ESPECIALLY on this forum...) altho last summer temps we had were uncommonly warm, but it was that way EVERYWHERE on the weather map for the East. Years ago, coastal plains and piedmont rolling hills folk went either to the beaches or the mountains to cool off. And you're used to snow, so ours will be the same, just not quite as high or as often. Right now Asheville is juuust starting to bloom, pear trees first, with forsynthia, daffodils, and rosebuds, all trees are pushing leaf buds, grass is getting greener, I THINK somebody trimmed our roadside for us yesterday. Most everybody friendly, lots of imports, everykindapeople from young rhastafarians, to very sophisticated and talented juris and CEOs, to lots of musicians/artists, to plain mountain folk with no teeth.
And lots of activity outdoors like hiking, climbing, horseback riding, "llama trekking," an hour+ to ski facilities in Wolf Laurel, and boating...another idea on living is around Beaver Lake, which is Merrimon Ave extended, altho neighborhood is sort of small. And we got a concert symphony, outdoor Shakespeare, couple nice indoor theater player groups w/one in Flat Rock is State Theater, yearly downtown festival (kinda crowded), Saturday night Shindig on the Green, summer outdoor movies downtown and "drum" night," minor league baseball stadium, university and tech college, couple malls and numerous specialty stores, some good local art including fabulous quilts, or throws made from local's own looms and alpaca and sheep, fine photography, really interesting art that I often buy. Check out the MountainXpress newspaper online, gives you lots of info on everything going on, even tho we are a small mountain town with a couple three freeways, we got just enough to stay here and not need to go anywhere else. Oh, and if you take I-26 south into SC, you can get to the beach, straight shot, in just over four hours to historic Charleston, well worth the visit, particularly this time of year, and of course their beaches in summer.
I've lived in very large cities were you need a map to go anywhere, and I've lived in very small towns where you know everybody, I've lived North, South, East, and West, and Asheville is right in between for size and style, just right. And yes, unlike NYC and Long Island, you can walk from one end of downtown to the other in around 15 mins, but we have SO many very nice satellite neighborhoods just a brief car ride away, kind of self-sustaining ones too, reminds me... some gated type communities are very attractive with big new character homes and views, one place east of town, not too far away, has been mentioned in here when someone was looking for a good place to live a couple years ago, just cannot recall it.
Ohhhh, don't get me started. Smile. I write too much because I just ate a bowl of grits (another thread). GG
Sounds like you are coming to the same conclusion we came to five years ago, that it was time to trade some things for a better quality of life.
To echo a common theme (or beat a dead horse), don't take the job thing for granted. Even in health care, which is the best of all possible fields here, have the job in hand when you make the move. Availability and salaries here can be another level of culture shock.
That said, in the price range of houses you are looking at, you will probably have a tax bill of $2500-$3000 in Buncombe County per year. If you are within the Asheville city limits, it will be higher but nowhere near what you are used to seeing. Also, if you can have the financing in hand, there are certainly some deals available on houses that would have sought another 20-30% four years ago. And they may well go down further. It all depends on how badly the seller needs to move the property, and often that seller is a bank.
We live in the Arden area. Actually, we are two miles and some change from Hendersonville Road and that mess. That said, I wouldn't trade my view and immediate location with anybody. This area is like that. You can go from what seems to be the center of a fiasco to “out in the sticks” in less than five minutes, and if you keep going, can get to the center of another fiasco if you really want.
Another thing you will find entertaining, if you don't fall into the trap, is having to go “way to the other side of town.” Cofga will certainly relate to this, as well. “Way to the other side of town” may take all of 20 or 25 minutes. Everything is relative to what you are used to.
For a city of this size, you will find enough to do in terms of music, visiting entertainers, etc. We probably have more decent restaurants per capita than many other places. No, it isn't New York City. But the good news is it isn't New York City, either. And, as Gigimac said, bring your outdoor shoes because you'll put them to good use.
Just make sure you can make enough of a living to enjoy yourself and achieve what you want. That is the Achilles heel of the area.
Good luck.
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There is another poster on here by the name of MotorDavid who may be able to give you an insider's view of Waynesville. 25 mi. from Asheville out Rt. 40.
