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then I heard about black ice, black widow and brown recluse spiders, high rent in town, traffic????, etc.
Anyway, I am definitely relocating in January to take a job at a University and Boone so far is near the top of my list of places I would like to end up. I am married with a 4 year old and plan to add to the family after we move. I am living in Miami right now and I am sick of this place (lived here on and off for 31 years now) I hate traffic, rude people, the sweltering heat and threat of violence everywhere.
I am looking for a safe, slower pace city to live. A place where my daughter could find a good school (I think she is gifted, but that could be a biased opinion) One of my problems is that I am moving in December/January, so middle of winter for a family that has never lived in the snow. I need to buy a second car and wonder what things you consider when looking at a car for the mountains/snow?
What area should I look at for a rental? I am thinking of renting until I figure out the landscape better and pay down some of the school loans I have. I guess I should be close to school so I dont have to scare everyone off the road as I try to get to work in the snow. With that in mind, it does not seem that many realtors handle rentals and I would need some help from someone local, reading it in the Mountain Times classifieds really doesnt tell me what I need to know (length of drive, difficulty of drive, relation to shops)
I found Mountain Pathways Montessori school on the web as was checking it out as a potential place for my daughter to go. Anyone have any experience with that place?
I am guessing that Boone is a tolerant place because of the large student population but I have to confirm if that guess is accurate. We are a bi-racial family (I am black, wife is white) is that an issue there or in the surrounding areas?
Any and all suggestions and ideas are welcome, my wife fell in love with the place as we were looking on the internet and made me apply to the school. I must say I am anxious to see the place because I think it is just what we are looking for. I will be there near the end of september for a day or so to get a first hand look and hopefully land the job
Winter time will be a good time for you to move . Hit a patch a ice on one of the hair pin curves start slilding to the edge of the mountain and then you will come to conclusion if Boone is right for you or not.
The only traffic I can think of is the tourist traffic near downtown the rest seems simple a few lights that take all day to change but other that I never have had issue with traffic
All the critters that live here either you come up here and complain or learn how to adapt to them being apart of your lifestyle
If you are coming from Miami, you will probably meet a lot of your old neighbors in the summer. A lot of folks from there have summer homes here. I work at a little shop on 105 and met the sweetest lady from there just last week. She was nervously going back this week to check on her house before this next hurricane. Looks like ya'll will be dodging this one, least I hope. My daughter graduated from App and my son is a senior there. I think you will love it. All roads lead to the University. Had a funeral to go to Saturday, and traffic was a mess because of the football game. Go Appys, Go for #4. By our standards traffic can be bad at times but when I mention that to others from big cities, they just laugh and laugh and tell me when have no idea what bad traffic is really like. I guess it is all relative. As far as cars are concerned, get an all wheel drive like a subaru. At the funeral I was at Saturday, there were three green ones like the one I drive. Mine has the most dirt on it so I could pick it out of the crowd. As far as critters, I have never personally seen a brown recluse but we had a little snake fall out of the rafters once. You have to bring bird feeders or food for your pets in the house at night to keep raccoons or possum out. I'm sure that there is no more critters here than any place else. You could check Craigs List for house rentals. That's where we posted our little apt. that we rented. I saw houses there for rent as well. If you are working at the school, if you live near by, you could take the city bus and not drive when the weather is bad. If the buses don't go, the school is closed as well. That wasn't always the case, but professors will email their students if they can't get to class. As far as being biracial, I don't think students care at all. My daughter dates a black guy, and they came for a visit, no one seemed to be interested. I know when my friend's daughter went to school up here they went to a church of a black minister and his wife was white. A lot of students went there and they were really loved. I am sure there would be older folks that might raise an eyebrow, but I don't think that would be an issue at all, at least I would hope not. I hope this helps a little, and if there is anybody you want to talk to from your area that has moved here, I'm sure we could get them to get in touch with you and they could give you their take on the area.
Thanks Catbirds for the info. The critters comment was a little tongue in cheek because all else being equal I would rather deal with critters than alot of the people in Miami. We did dodge Ike, thank goodness, i really hope it doesnt up in Louisiana though.
A Rental seems like it is going to be tough, seems quite a few have no pets and we promised our daughter that when we moved we were going to adopt a dog. I have been checking craigslist and will continue to do so to get a feel for prices and locations.
Sounds like bi-racial would be a non-issue and that's good. I wasnt worried about the students so much as the locals/natives.
Have you been there long enough to have your kids in elementary school there? how did you like the experience they had?
I have been here about 12 years and my kids were older so didn't go to school here. I do know that the Blowing Rock district was suppose to be great. I would think all the schools here would be because when these kids graduate from App. many want to live in the area and the schools can pick the top graduates. I met a young guy with a masters in ed. and he was driving a city bus while trying to find a position. Being a local, sometimes I can ask around to see if I know of anybody that has a house for rent that would allow pets. We were pet friendly and because of that, my little apt. was rented within 24 hrs. It may take some patience but something will come up. I don't know about the Todd area, but it is more in the country, and seems like everybody has their own critters. We happen to have 2 dogs and 3 cats. How long to you expect to rent? Maybe rent with option to buy would be a solution? Anyway, I'll check around my area. Can you give me an idea of what you are expecting to pay? Come on down and take a look. Good Luck and I will let you know if I here anything.
my tenative plan is to rent for a year just to get a feel for the area and where I would want to live. After that I will probably be looking for some sort of lease/option as I pay off these student loans. What I am willing to pay is dependent on the sacrifices I have to make. My perfect place would be a 3/3 with a basement area I could use as an office/playroom that would allow pets and be close to ASU. For that I would be willing to pay ~1400. As we moved further away from school, lost the basement etc..I would want to pay less.
I Miami, I put a few phone calls in but have not heard back yet but saw what may be the perfect, hopefully, house for ya'll on Craigs List today. It is a 3 br 2 bath with full basement near Boone near the hospital in Bamboo area. Pets negotiable w/fee. Says it is 950.00 plus deposit. # on listing is about. The post and it still considered Boone. Moderator cut: no private phone numbers please
Last edited by nancy thereader; 09-23-2008 at 05:04 PM..
I went ahead and sent a message asking for pics, but I figure it is a little early as that ad says the place is available soon. I wont need anything until January. I am putting the cart a little ahead of the horse as I dont have an offer yet, but hoping to have one in a couple weeks.
Still hoping for someone with info on Mountain Pathways Montessori school and if they think it is worth it over the public schools in the area. Coming from Miami I am a little jaded over the public school system but I have been reading some positive things about the schools in the county so who knows.
Front wheel drive cars do better in snow and ice. My dad always bought snow tires at the beginning of Winter. Chains for the tires will be necessary if you get six inches or more of snow. I suggest finding a place to rent as close as possible to the college, then you can get a pair of boots on and walk to work.
There is a little thing called bug spray for the spiders. Just keep your place clean and they will go away. I have found an electrical thing to plug in the outlet that drives bugs crazy. I have a habit of checking under the comode seat before going. Use lemon furniture spray, etc. The thing that has helped the most is to spray along the door on the outside. This keeps spray away from your family, but the bugs will not cross this spray. Also spray around the plumbing fixtures. My husband sprays down our patio to keep it free of insects for the animals.
You are going to think you died and went to heaven.
Most public schools in that area would be more like the private schools in some other North Carolina areas. Education is a top priority in a town that grew up around a teacher's college. It is called a university now, but that was it's beginning.
This is a tourist area so one of the benefits is a variety of entertainment and good eateries. If you learn to drive in the snow, you may want to buy a house in Blowing Rock. I like Blowing Rock better than Boone as a place to live.
As a Boone native, I can tell you that winters here have not been bad at all the past couple years (barely any snow) However this winter has been predicted by many people to be pretty harsh. A 4 wheel drive, like Catbirds said, would be a good investment. I've never had a problem with 'critters' other than a few deer in the garden at night.
If you're looking for a place close to the school, be prepared to pay a fairly high rent, and put up with partying students. Many professors choose to live in Ashe or Avery counties for the cheaper housing. It's about a half hour drive. If you are set on Watauga county consider looking into the Bamboo area. Its about a 10 minutes from the town of Boone, just a little outside of city limits. It's a little bit more rural and rentals out that way will likely be more open to your daughter having a dog than a place within city limits would be. Most families have pets out this way - everything from horses to dogs.
As for Montessori. My sister had a friend who went there and absolutely hated it. They have an interactive learning, rather than a take-notes way of teaching that she didn't respond well to. It may work well for your daughter though. I would stay away from the Blowing Rock school district. My father teaches at the high school here and can tell you that is where most of the 'problem' kids come from. (Plus the town is chock-full of tourists winter or summer) Parkway is one of the larger elementary schools, and one of the best in the county. The Bamboo area falls within this district.
Boone is tolerant and welcoming. One or two older residents might raise an eyebrow at an inter-racial marriage, but probably won't say anything. Younger residents like myself will have absolutely no problem with it.
When you come in September it would probably be to your benefit to visit a couple schools to get an idea of what would fit your daughter best and get the 'lay of the land' Real estate agents will be able to give you tips on this as well. I'm not too familiar with many agents in town, but I know the guy who runs Martin Real Estate - he has children in elementary school and could probably help you out.
Btw, which department are you applying for a position with?
Best of luck on landing the job! Let me know if you have any questions!
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Love Boone
You have to bring bird feeders or food for your pets in the house at night to keep raccoons or possum out. I'm sure that there is no more critters here than any place else. You could check Craigs List for house rentals. That's where we posted our little apt. that we rented. I saw houses there for rent as well. If you are working at the school, if you live near by, you could take the city bus and not drive when the weather is bad. If the buses don't go, the school is closed as well. That wasn't always the case, but professors will email their students if they can't get to class. As far as being biracial, I don't think students care at all. My daughter dates a black guy, and they came for a visit, no one seemed to be interested. I know when my friend's daughter went to school up here they went to a church of a black minister and his wife was white. A lot of students went there and they were really loved. I am sure there would be older folks that might raise an eyebrow, but I don't think that would be an issue at all, at least I would hope not. I hope this helps a little, and if there is anybody you want to talk to from your area that has moved here, I'm sure we could get them to get in touch with you and they could give you their take on the area.
