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Hello, my husband and I are looking to relocate our 2 young boys to North Carolina. I've looked at both areas and have found pros and cons of both and am leaning a little towards the lake Norman area but my brother in law said to check out Asheville as well. My question is mostly around the job market as my husband is a jack of all trades kind if guy with experience in autobody, construction, and cooking/kitchen managing. Would it be possible for him to get a decent job? I have experience in education and have been substitute teaching on and off since starting our family. We want to rent and I also wanted to know how the rent is in both places particularly renting a townhome or single family home. Doing some research I'm nervous that my husband might not find a decent job that pays enough to rent a place in a nice area. Any feedback is appreciated and would love to hear what you do and don't like about both areas. My sister is in the town of blue ridge Georgia so that is why we are looking to move south to be close to her.
It sounds like you could benefit from looking through this forum, you can search the city-data with specific key words. Also doing a job search on indeed.com or glassdoor.com might give you more info than we can here on the job market. Which is usually, we can't predict if you will find a job that will pay rent. They're generally hard to come by. You should find a job before coming, or save up 6 mos to a year's worth of living expenses while looking for decent positions & networking. (the exception here is probably the healthcare industry. There seems to be a nice steady flow of good paying jobs in that field in Asheville.) Rents are high here compared to some places. I had to look up Lake Norman, so I definitely can't compare the 2!! Maybe someone else here will be able to. But if you look up apartments & rental homes here, and there, you'll get an idea.
I currently live in Mooresville (Lake Norman) and will be moving to Asheville in the summer. Lake Norman area is highly congested but has a lot of amenities. The town of Mooresville has a more laid back atmosphere. Traffic is completely crazy! They are building and putting up new homes and the traffic is going to get worse IMHO. I find people are pleasant but busy - you would find a lot of activities for your family and kids to do. Asheville, as a whole, seems to have a more laid back feel to it. It does seem like you should have a job lined up to be there but quality of life is better there. There are a couple of new charter schools that are opening in Asheville this August..
Again please consider this is only my opinion. I would be glad to help you with more specific questions if you have any..
^ keukalk is spot on, IMO. The I-77 corridor is growing too fast, making casual errands and "getting around" a big headache at times. That said, it is a nice area, and if you can situate yourself so you don't have to deal with the traffic then it can be a quite attractive place to live. But that's hard to do. Most people just have to endure the traffic problems, and at some point I suppose you become accustomed to it.
And yes, Asheville has a completely different feel to it. While the Lake Norman area is hustle, bustle, and very much a bedroom to Charlotte, Asheville is laid back, artsy, touristy, and very eclectic. Just depends on which vibe you prefer, although of course the jobs issue is your first consideration. It seems likely your husband could find something, as both areas have lots of restaurants and of course, cars. Lake Norman would likely offer more construction opportunities, though.
Hello, my husband and I are looking to relocate our 2 young boys to North Carolina. I've looked at both areas and have found pros and cons of both and am leaning a little towards the lake Norman area but my brother in law said to check out Asheville as well. My question is mostly around the job market as my husband is a jack of all trades kind if guy with experience in autobody, construction, and cooking/kitchen managing. Would it be possible for him to get a decent job? I have experience in education and have been substitute teaching on and off since starting our family. We want to rent and I also wanted to know how the rent is in both places particularly renting a townhome or single family home. Doing some research I'm nervous that my husband might not find a decent job that pays enough to rent a place in a nice area. Any feedback is appreciated and would love to hear what you do and don't like about both areas. My sister is in the town of blue ridge Georgia so that is why we are looking to move south to be close to her.
There are two important questions to consider first:
1. What is your motivation to relocate to NC other than to be closer to your sister? Your zip code indicates Holyoke MA which I am familiar with. Do you want a more relaxed lifestyle? Lower cost of living? Better weather?
2. Have you visited either Asheville or Mooresville/Lake Norman?
You husband may not have a problem finding employment, and once settled, you can look for opportunities. It is always recommended for anyone relocating to have enough funds set aside for one year's living expenses, even if you get a job to be sure it works out.
There is a lot more to the Asheville area than "Asheville" which is merely a downtown small city, yet the largest city in western NC. "Asheville" has 11 zip codes. If you want to be closer to your sister, you may want to consider locations south of Asheville. Always search for housing by County in this area. Asheville is in Buncombe County, nice towns like Hendersonville, (Henderson County); Waynesville (Haywood County); etc. also have a lot to offer and easier travel to northern GA. Rents will be lower in these areas vs. Asheville or near Charlotte. There are also some nice areas north of Atlanta: Alpharetta, Marietta and so forth with more population and job opportunities (possibly). Cost of living the closer you get to Lake Norman will be higher cost of living and higher population. In the mountains you can be within a 20 mile radius of jobs and still be in a nice rural area with plenty of amenities.
Here is a website where you can search any newspaper in the county by state, then city that may be helpful. Newspapers US and Worldwide - refdesk.com Narrow down your options and then take a visit.
Edit: don't wish to go off topic here, but you may also want to consider areas around Chattanooga TN (great area), and just over the NC border, in Greenville SC area which is in the foothills of the mountains, nice progressive and active smaller city. Greenville SC has many automobile related industries and is growing responsibly.
Wishing you the best.
Last edited by QuilterChick; 01-15-2014 at 07:22 AM..
Reason: Added comments.
well, imo you might want to consider Sylva and Franklin areas. There are both minutes from the state line of Georgia. A lot of people work in Asheville and communte to Sylva or FranKlin. I know that there is at least one college in Sylva and it is a nice clean area (from what I've seen ). Don't just stop at Asheville or Lake Norman, other areas have a lot to offer. Also, Lake Norman may be a bit more of a drive to Georgia than you might want to do.
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