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I had to look it up because not even my husband knew where Scaly Mountain is, and he's an NC native! But here's their county website, you can look up property tax rates and whatnot Macon County, North Carolina Plus, don't forget that NC state has property tax on your vehicles as well. Plus income tax at the state level too.
Statistically speaking, wages in North Carolina are lower than the country average. The further away you are from a major city centre, (as you would be in Scaly Mountain) the lower the wages will be. Low wages, lots of taxes, you'll be working for and with less than you are currently in FL. IMO, this balances out the cheaper real estate costs by a long shot.
That's if you can find a job.
Quote:
More people in the Carolinas were unemployed last month than ever before, outpacing the national jobless rate as the sour economy generated more layoffs.
In North Carolina, 359,000 residents were out of work in November, or about 7.9 percent of the work force. In South Carolina, that number was nearly 183,000, or about 8.4 percent of its work force. That compares with a nationwide jobless rate of 6.7 percent for last month.
Both states haven't seen rates and total jobless numbers that high since the recession of the 1980s and economists predict the rates will go higher.
North Carolina State University economist Michael Walden said seeing the state's jobless rate climb nearly a full percentage point in November was "virtually unprecedented" and made it likely that unemployment would hit double digits next year.
A peak jobless rate of about 10 percent will be "attention grabbing, but I think we unfortunately will have that in 2009," he said.
NC has been hard hit by this recession. And it was starting here long before the rest of the country even noticed. Furniture factories and textiles have been moving to China for a few years now, and nothing new is coming to town to give people jobs except fast food and low cost retail like Wal Mart. There's not much of an economy if everyone in town is working for minimum wage, or not working at all.
If you can hack it another year in Florida, I'd say stay put. Tampa will likely be out of the dumps before western North Carolina will be, unless someone buys up all those empty factories and puts people to work.
I'm from Bradenton,too! We are in the process of trying to find somewhere else to go, as well. Somewhere with a better economy. Tell me more about what's on your "wish list" and I'll see what I can do.
I don't mean to sound so negative, there are A LOT of things I love about NC.We've had some wonderful times here and have met some great people, but the economy here is pretty much at a stand still.
That's cool, it's a small world. I graduated from Southeast lived off new 301 and SR70 most of my teen years. It got so crowded and expensive down there we came up here.....
I'm just looking for a nice mountain view, good schools , reasonable taxes and lower costs for everyday living. These $400 and $500 electric bills and $200 water bills are killing us. I've also heard insurance is cheaper outside of Florida. My goal is to get back into another government job like I have now but it's not something I have to do.
I want to slow down my family a bit so they can see there is more to life then cell phones and $100 jeans ..... There is a big world out there and it would be nice to get out of this hustle and bustle box we live in now.
I dunno, it's hard to describe.... I just want a change, I think it will do all of us good.
I had to look it up because not even my husband knew where Scaly Mountain is, and he's an NC native! But here's their county website, you can look up property tax rates and whatnot Macon County, North Carolina Plus, don't forget that NC state has property tax on your vehicles as well. Plus income tax at the state level too.
Statistically speaking, wages in North Carolina are lower than the country average. The further away you are from a major city centre, (as you would be in Scaly Mountain) the lower the wages will be. Low wages, lots of taxes, you'll be working for and with less than you are currently in FL. IMO, this balances out the cheaper real estate costs by a long shot.
That's if you can find a job.
NC has been hard hit by this recession. And it was starting here long before the rest of the country even noticed. Furniture factories and textiles have been moving to China for a few years now, and nothing new is coming to town to give people jobs except fast food and low cost retail like Wal Mart. There's not much of an economy if everyone in town is working for minimum wage, or not working at all.
If you can hack it another year in Florida, I'd say stay put. Tampa will likely be out of the dumps before western North Carolina will be, unless someone buys up all those empty factories and puts people to work.
That is some very helpful information, Thank You!
Scaly Mountain is very small which is one reason why not many know about it. That's why it was so appealing to me lol. If you blink, You'll miss it.
I was not aware of the State income taxes so I appreciate that.
I guess I can "X" N.C. off my list.
I'll focus on getting more info on Tennessee.
In regards to your thoughts that I should hold out for another year.....
I've lived in Florida all my life and this is not something that has just happened or was caused by the recession. This "Higher cost to live" has been ongoing since I was old enough to spend money on my own. This state is for wealthy people. Everything costs more from car insurance (due to all the old people) to butter. Homes are priced much higher as opposed to other states, even car prices are higher and unless your a doctor or Lawyer or make a 6 figure income it's nearly impossible to thrive here. Get by, yes but thrive no way.
I think this is due to the wealth that comes into this state from the retirees that move here and all the tourists that visit.
Don't get me wrong tourism is great for the economy but I think the higher prices are spreading far beyond the tourist areas.
I used to drive truck all over the east coast and I've seen the differences in prices for homes, land and everyday items between here and elsewhere and I have always said that Florida is very expensive.....
The building going on around here is just crazy.... It seems every week there is some new apartment complex or neighborhood going in and as quick as they build them, the people come and fill them.....
It's all demand or the notoriety. People want to move to Florida so these builders know if they build it they (People) will come and they will pay top dollar to live in Florida.....
I can't afford top dollar anymore.... My wife and I have always made good money and we've always struggled here. I mean geez, who can afford a new Ford Expedition anymore at $47,000 My wife still drives her 1997 with over 200,000 miles on it....why? because they ask too much for a new one.
I'm just tired of "getting by" I'm not getting any younger and I want to be able to retire in the future without the worry or fear of debt and in order to make that happen I need to make changes to lower our cost of living now so my wife and I have something later in life.
Thanks for all the replies to this post I appreciate the conversation and information.
Hi again...lol, I gradauteed from SEHS in 85 and grew up out 64, when SR64 was still country. I wish I had better news for you about NC, but having lived just west of Macon County and now East of Macon County, it's just not happening here.Unfortunately!! My husband was laid off in Sept and still hasn't found a job.
Try Johnson City, they were happening a few months ago. I know they have also had some issues, but think they are doing better than here. And I haven't really looked into this but I've heard places in the Ozarks are doing pretty well.
Hi again...lol, I gradauteed from SEHS in 85 and grew up out 64, when SR64 was still country. I wish I had better news for you about NC, but having lived just west of Macon County and now East of Macon County, it's just not happening here.Unfortunately!! My husband was laid off in Sept and still hasn't found a job.
Try Johnson City, they were happening a few months ago. I know they have also had some issues, but think they are doing better than here. And I haven't really looked into this but I've heard places in the Ozarks are doing pretty well.
Wow, I graduated in 89.....
Yeah, we were down there over Thanksgiving and 64 and 70 near 75 have exploded with business. I can't stand to even go down there anymore traffic is horrid.
I think I'm going to focus more on Tenn at this point as somebody mentioned N.C. has a state income tax on top of the federal....
I also got another email saying your taxed on your vehicle's value yearly as well. is that true?
I don't want more taxes.
Yeah I hear you. it's tough everywhere nowadays and I don't think it will get any better any time soon. I mentioned in an earlier post that if the county cuts our budget any further then some of us will start getting laid off too so I'm scared to death right now.....
Hopefully things will improve everywhere...SOON!!! And to put it bluntly,NC taxes you for everything, and I think they'd do it twice if they could, lol, including your car. Sales tax is cheaper in NC compared to TN, but TN doesn't have the state income tax. Just my personal opinion, but I prefer Knoxville to Chattanooga, but there are a lot of great places in between, not sure how they are doing economy wise, but check into Cleveland also.It's not too far from Chatt and the last time I was there ( which was about 18 months ago) they had a lot going on for that size town. And again, the tri city areas, which include Johnson City, abd Bristol Tn and Bristol,Va might still have a lot going on. Last Feb they couldn't get enough people for all the jobs they had. I know they have slowed down, but still worth checking, I'm sure.
At any rate, it's always nice to run into a "fellow Nole" so if ya have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Hi again...lol, I gradauteed from SEHS in 85 and grew up out 64, when SR64 was still country. I wish I had better news for you about NC, but having lived just west of Macon County and now East of Macon County, it's just not happening here.Unfortunately!! My husband was laid off in Sept and still hasn't found a job.
Try Johnson City, they were happening a few months ago. I know they have also had some issues, but think they are doing better than here. And I haven't really looked into this but I've heard places in the Ozarks are doing pretty well.
I was just going to suggest Johnson City, TN. They don't have state income tax. Although, sales tax is 9.5%. So, the solution to that is shop in VA since you're so close to the border. You could try Bristol TN and shop in Bristol VA (5% sales tax, 2.5% on food). This is what I've been told.
RE - property taxes on vehicles. I hate 'em, too, but mind that they decrease each year with the value of the vehicle. This thread came at the time I do my year-end personal accounting. I've tracked our vehicle taxes for the last several years.
We have a 2005 Toyota Scion xB, a 2000 Chevy Silverado, and a 12x6 hauling trailer. The middle figure is the value with the number on the right side denoting the tax bill. Keep in mind: that expense is tax deductible. The value of vehicles decrease steadily each year. In fact, it gets to be a little ridiculous. Soon our trailer will probably be taxable in cents rather than dollars (maybe at some point it hasn't enough value to taxed. I'd have to look that up). If you don't have a fancy vehicle, or drive yours till they die, like we do, the tax burden isn't as onerous.
If you want to be anal (like me ) and look at it from a numeric POV, it might take hours. No income tax in TN, vs higher sales tax. Well, I guess you'd have to have a round figure on what your average purchases are per year, then compare that to how much you'd be saving in income tax. Then look at things like the cost of housing and insurance. Those are higher in some states than others.
IMO, I think I'd look at quality of life, first. You can't put a $$ amount on that.
As far as NC, people have already pointed out that the mountain areas offer a slim chance at providing an income. But, if you live anywhere near the I-77 corridor, which will give you several choices, you'll just be a skip from the mountains for weekend stuff. That's what many of us who transplanted here over the last few decades have done. I live in the Winston-Salem area (haven't paid much attention to the job scene except to be worried about my Wachovia-employed spouse's future ), and would love to live in the mountains. If we'd been smart 20 years ago, we would have bought some land and at least had a weekend home. Forget that now But, at least we can hop on our motorcycles and be up in the foothills in little over an hour.
Good luck on your search. I remember just a few years ago on this board, people were bragging about selling their homes for obscene amounts in places like California, Florida and the NE and making a killing here on a new one. Seems that things have really done a 180. That's very sad to read. The only thing we all can to do is tighten our belts and ride it out.
I moved to the Western Part of North Carolina a few years ago and I have never wanted for a job!!! Jobs are here if you look and are willing to re-train your self and wife.
Also the cost of living is much less ... much less... I live on 20 acres with a 3 bed 3 bath 1500 square foot home and a 20x40 shop and pay only $1,300 per year in taxes.
Last edited by mm34b; 01-04-2009 at 09:46 AM..
Reason: Edited to comply with Terms of Service.
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We are in the process of trying to find somewhere else to go, as well. Somewhere with a better economy. Tell me more about what's on your "wish list" and I'll see what I can do.
) and look at it from a numeric POV, it might take hours. No income tax in TN, vs higher sales tax. Well, I guess you'd have to have a round figure on what your average purchases are per year, then compare that to how much you'd be saving in income tax. Then look at things like the cost of housing and insurance. Those are higher in some states than others.
), and would love to live in the mountains. If we'd been smart 20 years ago, we would have bought some land and at least had a weekend home. Forget that now 
But, at least we can hop on our motorcycles and be up in the foothills in little over an hour.
