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My wife and I are coming to Lake Lure in Sept for a week of vacation. While there I thought to do a little shopping around for areas to explore future job opportunities and areas to raise our family. I grew up in and have family in Greenville, SC and we'd like to be close to them, but in a smaller town in the mountains. My wife has worked her entire life as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the YMCA and other Christian organizations, and is looking to complete a degree at a four year public university in the near future. I am in the IT industry, specifically Internet, but am considering a move towards health care technology with hopefully a minimal amount of time spent going back to school. We also have a son who just turned one year old and we're looking to give him a better quality of life as he grows older.
Please bear in mind that we're not considering a move until likely next year at the earliest due to the economic situation affecting the country. Basically, right now we're considering where we want to spend the rest of our lives.
We're hoping to find an area with a population density of not more than 30,000 for our residence, fairly diverse with a YMCA or other organization which has year-round aquatics and child care options (or affordable child-care), good public schools and higher education nearby, and affordable rental housing (600-800 for 2-3 bedrooms) with options for purchasing a home later. We'd also like to have amenities such as cable (or satellite) TV and high-speed Internet. We don't mind driving ten or twenty miles to find a mall or major shopping. The corner grocery store and pharmacy are fine for most of our needs, but having options is always nice.
My wife wants snow but I could live without it. My wife would like a subdivision, but I'd be happy with a house in the hills. I don't mind commuting up to an hour, but my wife will need to work within a mile of home unless we can suddenly afford two vehicles. We both agree that nearby lakes, rivers, and parks are almost essential. Taxes won't be a great concern until we consider purchasing a home, and by that time we will hopefully know the area a lot better.
Of course my family would like it if we were to move to Greenville, and while that may be an option, it wouldn't be my first choice.
Does anyone have any recommendations to help us narrow down the search so that when we do come down, we can have a list of areas that are closely suited to what we're looking for? Primarily, we'd be looking at where we can start applying for work when the time comes (assuming that this economic downturn one day reverses itself), so the names of any tech companies and organizations that resemble the Y would be greatly appreciated.
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