Living in Lenoir-- (Boone, Wilkesboro, Blowing Rock: sales, real estate, house)

[fredda]

Hello. I am seriously considering moving to Lenoir. Will any of you kind folks who live there, please tell me how long you have been there, what area you live in and what you like/dislike/not too happy, about life in Lenoir. I'm a retired, female, so schools and employment opps are not important to me. I will really appreciate any info you may care to share.
Thanks, fredda

[ASUMan]

Only good thing about Lenoir is real estate prices.

[fredda]

Would you care to elaborate on your statement?
fredda

[ASUMan]

Originally Posted by fredda

Would you care to elaborate on your statement?
fredda

Sure, very high unemployment rate, dead rundown downtown area, empty shopping mall, little entertainment, few eateries, hospital leaves a lot to be desired.
If you're looking for a progressive, fun, steadily growing place to live Lenoir might not be the place.
As far as real estate goes. You can get a heck of a lot of house for the money.

[fredda]

I appreciate your reply. I must ask--do you actually live there, because a lot of info I am reading says pretty much the opposite. Or is that just the sales pitch- LOL.
Thanks, fredda

[ASUMan]

Originally Posted by fredda

I appreciate your reply. I must ask--do you actually live there, because a lot of info I am reading says pretty much the opposite. Or is that just the sales pitch- LOL.
Thanks, fredda

I live in Boone which is 30 miles north of Lenoir. Was born in Lenoir in '53 and moved to Boone in '76. My mom still lives in Lenoir and I go there every couple weeks.
Sorry to be negative on Lenoir but I've seen it go from being the furniture manufacturing capital of the world to almost a ghost town.
I know you're not looking for employment but my point is when your community loses hundreds or maybe even thousands of jobs the quality of life also leaves the community.
What you will find in Lenoir is mild winters. Fairly hot summers. Friendly people. Lots of churches. Ability to stretch retirement dollars pretty well.
How did you become interested in Lenoir? If you don't mind me asking.

[Father John]

ASUMan - we will be staying in Lenoir Aug 18 as a base point to visit surrounding areas, looking for a place to retire. We have friends who own in Lenoir and they love it - but they live in Michigan and just visit Lenoir.

My wife and I really think we would like Boone as we met at a school about the size of ASU 33+ years ago. We miss the small town atmosphere and love college towns. We both worked for ASU out here (Arizona State University) and have ready-made ASU shirts and caps. (LOL).

But is Boone a lot more expensive than Lenoir? Are there places in between that would be nice for living? We will be looking things over, but you are obviously very knowledgeable about the area.

[ASUMan]

Father John, Boone is a great place to live. Been here 31 years and love it.
Is Boone more expensive? Yes, but for the quality of living here it's worth the cost in my opinion.
Real estate is out of sight. Also, gasoline prices this past weekend were 20 cents higher than in Lenoir.
There are nice areas between Boone and Lenoir. The town of Blowing Rock is nice but it's more expensive than Boone. When you leave Blowing Rock going south toward Lenoir you lose elevation pretty quickly and the temperature rises with elevation lose so you'll probably prefer to stay closer to Boone.

[Father John]

Thanks ASUMan. Gas here is $2.57 a gallon. We are in a 2700 sf house (4 bedroom, 2 bath) that is worth about $400,000 -looks about the same or a little higher in Boone. Milk is roughly $2.50 a gallon on sale here, $3.75 normally. I have compared our prices to Lowes , Harris Teeter, and Food Lion (all in Boone) and don't see us saving anything on groceries. Gonna be tough for our limited income to move to Boone, I think, but we will look. I have looked at Mt. City, TN - just 20+ miles to the north of Boone, and home prices seem to be a lot lower - plus TN has no income tax. We'll see what that area looks like, too.

I appreciate your kind reply!

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by Father John

Thanks ASUMan. Gas here is $2.57 a gallon. We are in a 2700 sf house (4 bedroom, 2 bath) that is worth about $400,000 -looks about the same or a little higher in Boone. Milk is roughly $2.50 a gallon on sale here, $3.75 normally. I have compared our prices to Lowes , Harris Teeter, and Food Lion (all in Boone) and don't see us saving anything on groceries. Gonna be tough for our limited income to move to Boone, I think, but we will look. I have looked at Mt. City, TN - just 20+ miles to the north of Boone, and home prices seem to be a lot lower - plus TN has no income tax. We'll see what that area looks like, too.

I appreciate your kind reply!

Hi Father John, thought I'd add my two cents if that's okay

Everything ASUman has written is very true (not that he needed me to verify it!) so I wanted to say if Boone proves to be the area you really love, but real estate is too pricey I have a suggestion. Either take 421 east out of Boone, OR a prettier way - pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway at Blowing Rock and go east also. Either way will bring you towards Wilksboro. You'll need to go closer to Wilkboro than you may like (30 miles or so from Boone) but prices will get much more affordable and you'll still be in a pretty area. 421 is a great four-laned road so traveling back to Boone is very easy.

I don't know your price range, but here are some examples of homes near Wilksboro for you: Search-View Property


Wilkesboro, NC (28685) Property: GREAT STARTER OR INVESTMENT HOME! This is really n...

Purlear, NC (28665) Property: Beautiful log home on almost an acre with great vi...