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Boone is a gem. Best summers of my life. Nothing like hiking on a mountain by yourself and knowing you won't see swarms of people.
It's a progressive town for sure but it's not west coast liberal or urban progressive.
The university also drives a certain community vibe
my biggest gripe about boone is the town is default 30k the uni is 30k i don't have a strong desire for every other person i see to be an 18-22 y/o but thats why you live farther out
but i desire rural living it has its own benefits and draw backs
rough ridge one of my favorite short hikes around boone. Obviously the peaks aren't as big as west coast but they are way more accessible and I would say have a quieter, more enticing, pleasure
Boone is a gem. Best summers of my life. Nothing like hiking on a mountain by yourself and knowing you won't see swarms of people.
It's a progressive town for sure but it's not west coast liberal or urban progressive.
The university also drives a certain community vibe
my biggest gripe about boone is the town is default 30k the uni is 30k i don't have a strong desire for every other person i see to be an 18-22 y/o but thats why you live farther out
but i desire rural living it has its own benefits and draw backs
rough ridge one of my favorite short hikes around boone. Obviously the peaks aren't as big as west coast but they are way more accessible and I would say have a quieter, more enticing, pleasure
Boone is pretty, no question about it. But let's put this discussion in context. OP is 29 years old who says he has saved enough to open a small restaurant or food truck. This discussion should really be about where he should/could move to increase the likelihood of being successful. If your business fails, it doesn't matter how pretty a place is. Boone is not the type of place I'd want to bet all my marbles on. The restaurant industry is highly competitive - most restaurants (and especially food trucks) need high turnover to be successful.
Boone is pretty, no question about it. But let's put this discussion in context. OP is 29 years old who says he has saved enough to open a small restaurant or food truck. This discussion should really be about where he should/could move to increase the likelihood of being successful. If your business fails, it doesn't matter how pretty a place is. Boone is not the type of place I'd want to bet all my marbles on. The restaurant industry is highly competitive - most restaurants (and especially food trucks) need high turnover to be successful.
opening a restaurant is a roll of the dice about anywhere
Boone is a gem. Best summers of my life. Nothing like hiking on a mountain by yourself and knowing you won't see swarms of people.
It's a progressive town for sure but it's not west coast liberal or urban progressive.
The university also drives a certain community vibe
my biggest gripe about boone is the town is default 30k the uni is 30k i don't have a strong desire for every other person i see to be an 18-22 y/o but thats why you live farther out
but i desire rural living it has its own benefits and draw backs
rough ridge one of my favorite short hikes around boone. Obviously the peaks aren't as big as west coast but they are way more accessible and I would say have a quieter, more enticing, pleasure
I hope I don't come across trashing Boone, that's not at all what I was trying to convey...
I love the town and area...the school offers a lot of different activities, hosts great concerts etc. The food cafes are great, the beer places too. Great winter sports, great hiking, biking etc. Lovely views, close to BR Parkway...loved walking Trout Lake, Bass Lake near Boone....
it's a fun place just much different than Bellingham, as far as I know...
DLM2000 - no, we did not spend any time in Mt Vernon. We did a ton of research to get to our ten to visit, so we really just spent our two days in the thick of each town or those very close by (i.e. Boone, we went out to Blowing Rock for part of a day; Bellingham, to Fairhaven).
Some points to address recent comments:
As mentioned, affordability is very important. Our plan is to open a small brick and mortar restaurant or food truck, running it just the two of us at least from the start. Most of our current savings will be going towards getting this off of the ground and it may be several months before we are able to put anything of significance in our pockets. We worked 5 years in business consulting before making the decision to follow this passion, so we have some savings, but nonetheless, we will need to keep living costs to a minimum (ideally 1000$ or less per month including utilities for housing). On the point of starting a restaurant, for those that know the towns well, any insight on frequency that new restaurants fail? Do they constantly seem to be turning over? Obviously the restaurant business is extremely risky, and we have accepted that. We believe we have a very unique concept and, on a small-scale in Atlanta, have seen it be very successful and well received.
We really don't mind a slower-paced community and that is what we are after. We'll be busy running the restaurant most of the time and find the most enjoyment in being in the outdoors, which both seems to have in abundance, given Bellingham has the greater variety being on the coast.
We actually had both Greenville and Boulder in contention as we reviewed places to visit. Boulder was out quckly, being way too expensive, and Greenville is a bit too hot for our liking. We have definitely heard great things about both though. While we have heard good things about Hendersonville as well, it is a bit of an older community than we are looking for, no offense . We are 29 and like the idea of the liveliness that a college town brings. I hear you on getting out on the lake/water, which Bellingham obviously is right on it and Boone looks to have some nice lakes nearby, especially Watauga Lake looks beautiful.
Have you researched commercial rentals in Bellingham, optimal neighborhoods for your restaurant, etc.? If you want to live on $1000/mo. or less, you're looking at a 1-br. apt., or 1 br. + office. I wouldn't recommend a food truck to kick off your business in that climate, because from late fall to early spring, you'd lose your customers, due to the weather.
Your customer base won't only be students, btw. Retirees are flocking to B'ham, so you should gear your products to appeal to them, as well.
I hope you have enough money saved, to see your business through the first couple of years, at least. You seem awfully young, to have enough money saved, to weather the first couple of years.
Have you researched commercial rentals in Bellingham, optimal neighborhoods for your restaurant, etc.? If you want to live on $1000/mo. or less, you're looking at a 1-br. apt., or 1 br. + office. I wouldn't recommend a food truck to kick off your business in that climate, because from late fall to early spring, you'd lose your customers, due to the weather.
Your customer base won't only be students, btw. Retirees are flocking to B'ham, so you should gear your products to appeal to them, as well.
I hope you have enough money saved, to see your business through the first couple of years, at least. You seem awfully young, to have enough money saved, to weather the first couple of years.
I didn't want to be the first to mention this, but since you started the conversation: OP is 29 and has been a business consultant since age 24, needs to live on $1,000 or less per month, and wants to open a small business. He may be wildly successful, but I agree it might be a good idea to get more business experience and save some more money. Maybe there's something we don't know.
OP have you compared cost of living in both cities? Is that a factor to your decision? A comparison tool I use says Bellingham is 23% higher cost of living than Boone.
Or maybe we just don’t want to live in fear, have accepted the risk and sacrifices necessary (i.e. living minimally), and want to see if we can make this dream a reality. Might as well try now while we are young, debt free, and kid free
Johnhw2 - yes, definitely a factor. It’s the primary reason keeping this from being a done deal for Bellingham, besides not knowing how we would fare in a climate with 6-8 months of gloom a year
I’ll say again... while I appreciate everyone getting involved on this thread and trying to help, at this stage it is a decision between Bellingham and Boone in which we are seeking individuals familiar with living in both that can provide insight on the pros and cons of each as a home with consideration for what I laid out that we are looking for (1 - beautiful surrounding scenery and outdoor access, especially mountains with water being a plus; 2 - temperate climate that is comfortable and enjoyable most of the year aka never aggressively cold or hot for long stretches; 3 - college town for the diversity and entertainment options it brings and the built in customer base; 4 - relatively affordable cost of living, considering we will be in hospitality; 5 - politically liberal / open minded culture)
OP is choosing between two places. Stick to the topic.
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. We are 29 and like the idea of the liveliness that a college town brings. I hear you on getting out on the lake/water, which Bellingham obviously is right on it and Boone looks to have some nice lakes nearby, especially Watauga Lake looks beautiful.
