granite falls (Hickory, Boone: chapel, houses, employment)

[tnt2nc]

Hi everyone, I haven't been on this site in a while. My family just came back from a stay in Hickory. We were in town to look at houses in the area, colleges, and a possible job. The house we fell in love with was off of Grace Chapel in nearby Granite Falls. When the job interview went well, we decided to take time to look at South Caldwell High where my daughter would attend her senior year before going away to college. The Granite Falls area and school seemed quite charming. The people in the school dropped everything they were doing and spent about 1 1/2 hours with us answering many questions. After reading what many people have said about Granite Falls, I am getting a little concerned...I hope we are doing the right thing, especially for my daughter. We are from NJ. My daughter has such a great group of friends right now, she is very active with leadership in many school clubs and church functions. We were not able to meet anyone in the neighborhood during our visit, but I would hope they would have been alot nicer than what I have just read. If anyone can add some positive feedback on the issue of moving to Granite Falls, I would love to hear about it. Thanks!

[hapaleeretired]

I usually rave about the Grace Chapel area because while having a Hickory address it is in Caldwell County with lower taxes. It is a beautiful area. But take a look at this posting:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/weste...gh-school.html

[tnt2nc]

Thank you for the link to that posting. This sure gives me alot to think about! This move is such a BIG decision for us. It is very difficult to find an area to relocate to when we live so far away. We love the mountains, but we have a 32' camper which we take out quite frequently from April - October. We checked out the Ashville, Boone area first, but I didn't like all the runaway truck ramps and steep inclines. I would be too nervous driving my camper to enjoy it! So we found Hickory which was close to the mountains & had places of employment for my husband and son. My husband runs an autobody shop and my son is a mechanic for BMW. My husband had an interview which went really well. I think finding a house would be easier than finding a job. So...if not Granite Falls, where to??? Somewhere with a friendly high school nearby to Hickory.

I am still hoping for positive feedback on Granite Falls. Thanks!