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We really love the mountains but since I will be the primary bread winner I need options of employment in a hospital. I work in Radiology ( ultrasound tech). We have been doing contract work and traveling the world the last 10 years and we are ready to land. We think NC is the state for us. It has so much to offer. We really love the mountains so what towns would you suggest that have mountain views and hospital employment? We also have a 21 month old daughter so we are interested in schools and safe towns....Any information will be greatly appreciated!
All the towns with hospitals in the list above are good places to live, raise a fam, imo.
Marion might be the least 'mountain-like' town, imo.
'Which town is best', or the one for you, is impossible for any of us to select, for your situ.
Job(s) potential nailed down first, then see if you like the area(s).
Boone, North Wilkesboro, Ashe County -- these all have hospitals. If you are wanting to check it out, then Winston Salem might have travel work available as it is a big city center and only about an hr or so to boone and the blue ridge -- so it'd give you a taste of the area.
Asheville also is a relatively big city with multiple options. Charlotte is a big city fairly close to the mountains -- and similar to Winston-Salem, might be a base from which to get a travel position then be able to spend weekends headed up to the mountains to find your spot.
Greenville, SC is only 75 minutes south of downtown Asheville and less than an hour south of Hendersonville. Greenville Hospital System (GHS) is the largest health care center in the state of SC (yes, larger than MUSC in Charleston). The main hospital (Greenville Memorial) has nearly 750 beds - in total, GHS has nearly 1300 beds at all of its affiliated campuses. For comparison, Mission Hospital (in Asheville) has a total of 730 beds on its two campuses (Memorial and St. Joseph).
As tylerSC mentioned above, I personally know of two physicians who commute from Asheville to Greenville daily.
Another poster mentioned Wake/Baptist in Winston - the drive time to Boone (from Winston) is at least 90 minutes - my wife is from Greensboro and I've made the drive many times.
The drive time from Charlotte to Boone is nearly 2 hours - and the drive from Charlotte to Asheville is even longer.
Some are surprised but the largest metro with the easiest access to the Asheville/Hendersonville/Southern Apps area is Greenville/Upstate, SC (not Charlotte and, of course, not Winston).
The largest hospitals in the Western NC area: Mission, Pardee, Park Ridge Health (all in the Asheville/Hendersonville area) and Wautaga Medical Center (Boone). Due to the appeal of this area, the competition for medical jobs/opportunities is somewhat pronounced - also, expect the pay to be only average given the relatively high cost-of-living.
Unfortunately, Charlotte/Greenville (SC)/Winston will not have the "mountain views" you seek - I suggest contacting the Western NC hospitals above for openings.
Last edited by drfranklin; 08-18-2012 at 06:57 PM..
Ultrasound tech positions can be hard to come by; people are well paid and appreciated and tend to stay. If you have an area of expertise you might have better luck.
How are random strangers suppose to tell you where to live? WNC makes up dozens of counties with everything from rural to city. You need to spend an extended visit then narrow down some cities/counties and google hospitals/practices in that area. If one wants to move, they should at least do a bit of work on their own...
How are random strangers suppose to tell you where to live? WNC makes up dozens of counties with everything from rural to city. You need to spend an extended visit then narrow down some cities/counties and google hospitals/practices in that area. If one wants to move, they should at least do a bit of work on their own...
Tried to rep you again SS but my rep bank for you is full. So many folks come on here and get valuable free advice, and just wave as they drive by these threads, hoping we can solve all their dilemmas and miraculously come up with their "perfect spot". While there is a veritable wealth of information on the internet, [Google is so friendly!] --- they just won't take the time to do their own research. As another poster mentioned recently, C-D could be a "fee for membership" forum; then let's see how many pay to join to ask pie in the sky questions of those of us who reply honestly and promptly while our only motivation is to help someone relocate.
We don't have a crystal ball; we do our best. However, 90% of the time, these folks wave as they drive by, ride off into the sunset and we never hear from them again.
[The moderators at one time posted reminders for these "tell me everything about your town" posters to refrain from such broad based posts.]
I typically don't respond to these types of posts, simply b/c there are so many counties/towns/communities . . . and who the heck knows how to advise as to which would have the vibe the OP wants - plus the possibility of jobs.
I guess my advice has to be . . . folks need to come visit and see where they feel they would fit in.
The vibe is so very very different from one area to another . . . A person could fall in love with Asheville and feel really bummed in Sylva . . . could be very upbeat about Franklin and turned off to Boone . . . and one person could decide Avery County was his future while another feel totally out of synch there.
I guess my first piece of advice would be: see what hospitals are hiring. Any jobs in imaging - from ultrasound to MRI are scarce in W. NC right now. But things change! People retire and move. So that is where I would start. You can always take a job and move and then if it isn't the ideal situation, scout out the area and see what pleases you more. I would NOT come here assuming that you will find a job once you get settled in, as the field is not that open in imaging.
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So many folks come on here and get valuable free advice, and just wave as they drive by these threads, hoping we can solve all their dilemmas and miraculously come up with their "perfect spot". While there is a veritable wealth of information on the internet, [Google is so friendly!] --- they just won't take the time to do their own research. As another poster mentioned recently, C-D could be a "fee for membership" forum; then let's see how many pay to join to ask pie in the sky questions of those of us who reply honestly and promptly while our only motivation is to help someone relocate.
