Your opinions please on my relocation list

[wildwoodflower]

Originally Posted by BeckyBH

Sorry for the delay in posting up after we got home from "town shopping" as my mom called it. The following are my opinions based on a quick trip to these areas. No flaming please!! There are certainly positives and negatives to every town in any state and my opinions are based on a very brief visit and what I am looking for. What you need or like will certainly be different. Additionally, we had limited time--so basically if we liked the drive into and through a town, we circled back went to the welcome center and or downtown, spoke with some locals and did some exploring. I would like to mention that everyone anywhere we went was helpful and friendly regardless of my Florida tags or on game day my Gator shirt!! I would not have expected any different, it's all in how you treat people (and maybe my southern accent--we are not Floridians by way of Jersey). My initial impressions:

Boone: Too busy for us and a bit too commercial, although I can appreciate all of the convenient amenities. Traffic was as bad as described.

Deep Gap: Just outside of Boone and right at the parkway. Very beautiful, lots of rolling hills, mountains, tree farms. You would have to shop in Boone and battle traffic.

West Jefferson: Beautiful drive (we took the scenic route) into town from Boone. Precious downtown with great shops, galleries, vintage movie theater. This town has a lot of the items on our "want" list, but I was a little disappointed in the New River. I was hoping it would be a bit more scenic, fast moving/rocky. This town offers a lot of amenities and convenient shopping.

Jefferson:
Does not really have the downtown area of W.Jeff, has a Wal-Mart, some restaurants. Otherwise, it's just right up the street from W. Jeff.

Fleetwood: We took the suggested drive along the river back to Boone from West Jefferson. Although the river was pretty, much of what we saw were older trailers and the like. Nothing wrong with trailers (I lived in one when I was little), but it doesn't make financial sense to build a new house surrounded by trailers. There are probably nicer areas further out.

Todd: Just past Fleetwood, maybe 15 minutes back to W.Jeff and 15 to Boone for shopping/dining. Lots of pretty farms, the river snakes through the area. Unless there is another route, the roads might be unpleasant in bad weather.

Valley Crucis: Gorgeous and expensive!! Very beautiful land. Loved the Mast General Store. It appears Boone (15-20 min) would be closest for shopping/dining so you would have to deal with the traffic there. Roads could be a problem in bad weather depending on how far out you are.

Banner Elk: Not on our list because of cost, but we went anyway. Wow. Love the water up there, very rocky/fast moving. Great rock outcroppings every where, really pretty. Unless I missed something, not too much of a downtown. BTW, what in the heck is that horrible Darth Vader/fascist building plunked down on a scalped mountain top like the aliens left it? Not sure it was in Banner Elk, but that is where I saw it from. I can't believe that thing was ever approved to be built. It's just wrong.

Linville: Charming little town, nice golf courses, beautiful homes and inn in town. If they had a downtown or much shopping/dining, I did not find it. Maybe 20 minutes or so to Boone (good roads) for shopping/dining. Blowing Rock is also close by.

Blowing Rock: Gorgeous downtown, feels sort of resort like, but not commercial at all. This area is too expensive for us, but we really enjoyed dining and shopping.

Foscoe/ 7 Devils: We drove through on the way from Boone towards Asheville. Pretty area, deserves more exploring. Again, you must go to Boone for most things you need.

Spruce Pine: Just did not have the mountain town feeling I was looking for. Seemed kind of simple, plain, quiet.

Little Switzerland: Very interesting. Feels more like an outpost in a national park. Seems remote, but only 10-15 back to Spruce Pine for shopping. One hour to Asheville or Boone. Huge, huge views, very intriguing place. Land cost will likely be too high for us.

Burnsville: Loved it. Rolling hills, beautiful valleys, mountains off in the background from downtown. Beautiful river/trout water. Highest average elevation in NC, including Mount Mitchell, the Black mountains. Convenient to Asheville and Boone (sort of in the middle). Cute historic downtown, plenty of everyday amenities in town or within 20 minutes. I believe it fits most if not all of the items on our want list. The only town I felt a strong gut instinct on.

Mars Hill: Small town outside of Asheville, pretty but definitely focused on and around the college. Not mountainous enough for us.

Marshall: Some really pretty land, rock outcroppings, beautiful streams, river, cool old bridge. Older downtown area starting to revitalize. Marshall felt a little sad, lacking vibrancy or something. This is not meant as an insult to anyone who lives there.

Black Mountain: Too expensive for us and actually has some disconcerting pollution ratings. Very pretty town, we really enjoyed lunch and shopping.

Conclusions until further research: For me (my husband will disagree), the general Boone area feels too far away. From what I don't know, just far!! This feeling might go away with a few more visits. I am also concerned with travel from more remote areas in bad weather as well as battling traffic in Boone. That being said, areas near Boone that I would consider (dependent on cost): Deep Gap, Todd, Linville, Valley Crucis. West Jefferson feels even further away, so I am not sure.

Closer towards Asheville my choices are Little Switzerland and my top pick of Burnsville. I am sure I missed lots of great places and again, these are only my opinions--but hopefully it will be helpful to someone else.

great info! thanks for your post!

[mwh236]

You may not want to go this far west, but have you considered Murphy?

[stormchaser9878]

You have just described the Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee area. In fact if you lived in Pigeon Forge you would be within 5 miles of everything, except one. You'd be 15 miles from Lake Douglas. The area is a mecca for outdoor adventure. In fact you'll want to just work in the morning and play all day.

[BeckyBH]

mhw236---Actually, we currently have a second home in Morganton, GA about 15-20 minutes from Murphy. Love the flea market there and in Ranger. My husband wants higher elevation than what that area has to offer.

Stormchaser9878--- I previously checked Pigeon Forge (I like that TN has no state income tax), but internet research shows a higher than national average crime rate. The elevation is also much lower than what we are looking for, so summers are much hotter. I also understand it's a busy area because of tourism which is not really what we are looking for. Thanks for your suggestion in any case. Maybe some areas further outside of Pigeon Forge with higher elevation?

[itsajourney]

BeckyBH--Thanks for an excellent update on the towns you visited. I will be going back up in Dec or Jan. This time I plan to spend 2-4 weeks checking towns out. Hope to find a few towns where I can utilize extended stay hotel rates and really get to know some of the areas. Since winter is my "bad" season up north, I always go then to make sure I can deal with what I will be going into--which cannot possibly be as bad as Illinois or Pennsylvania.

[LiveLoveLaugh]

Just thought I'd share how I found my "DREAM HOME' in 2005 I was drawn to farmhouses. I looked on Realtor..com for 2 1/2 years EVERYWHERE in WNC and every time I clicked to see more info about a house ....yup...lol...it was a farmhouse! When I flew up to look at a house that particularly interested me and it wasn't for me, my fantastic Realtor showed me another 1. I FLIPPED!!!! THIS WAS IT!!! This was the house of my dreams! I NEVER had a moments hesitation whether or not I was doing the right thing. I KNEW I belonged here! I am VERY, VERY happy here. I think if you listen to your heart it will steer you in the right direction!!! Good luck! Annie

[doakley]

Originally Posted by BeckyBH

City data and this forum have been a great help in narrowing down such a beautiful area of the country. Now I need opinions from locals. I am headed up to the mountains mid October to explore the top contenders for our future new hometown. This is a long post, but I am trying to be really specific. Thanks for your help!

These are our preferences:
*Mountainous area with large river and or lake
*No constant 90+ degree summer temps, no snow chains needed in winter
*Fishing/canoeing/kayaking/hiking within 20 minutes
*Skiing, off-road trails (ATVs/rockcrawling) within an hour or so
*Everyday shopping (groceries/pharmacy/hardware) and a few restaruants within 20 minutes
*Better selection of restaurants/shopping within 30-40 minutes
*Larger city with malls and an airport within 1 hour to 1.5 hours
*Good hospital within 30 minutes, great hospital within 1 hour
*Mountain festivals, flea markets, farmer's markets, local galleries, antique shops within 30 minutes
*Within 30 minutes of a popular and or growth area, we will either buy or start a small business at some point
*An area not full of yankees unless they are fully converted (this request from my husband)
*Schools and jobs are not a deciding factor

We are both native Southerners originally from rural areas, so we're not too worried about fitting in. We are friendly, respectful of the local folks, culture, morals and land wherever we go.

My current choices:
West Jefferson---do y'all recommend anywhere else in Ashe Co.?
Jefferson
Todd?
Burnsville
Bakersville?
Spruce Pine/Little Switzerland
Marshall
Black Mountain (on the fence--costs are high and bad air quality, but so cute!)


Eliminated (either too spendy, too much rain, pollution or crime--however add your two cents if I should reconsider!)
Boone
Flat Rock
Blowing Rock
Banner Elk
Cnaton
Waynesvile
Brevard
Saluda
Arden
Maggie Valley
Mars Hill
Bryson City
Warrensville
Weaverville

We moved to Blowing Rock from Miami, FL and LOVE IT! There are places in Blowing Rock (outskirts) where you can still get a decent home for not as much money as if you go to the town per se or some other resort. We thought we could not afford to purchase in Blowing Rock but were mistaken. Also, BR is good for a business especially in the summer . . . lots of visitors and part time residents. You might want to do some more research in this area. I personally don't care as much for Ashe County (Jefferson).

[YukonSEA]

You want to check out Biltmore Lake (formerly Enka Lake). Developed by the same people who did Biltmore Park, it is on a gorgeous lake with canoeing and fishing but no motor boats. BEAUTIFUL homes, neighborhood feel, close to malls & I-40/I-26. Minutes from downtown Asheville, but definitely NOT in the city.

If you are coming to check it out, stay at Asheville Cottages (www.ashevillecottages.com ), only a mile or two from the Biltmore Lake area. It feels like a home away from home, and you'll get an idea of what it would be like to live there.

Good luck with your search!

[itsajourney]

Originally Posted by LiveLoveLaugh

Just thought I'd share how I found my "DREAM HOME' in 2005 I was drawn to farmhouses. I looked on Realtor..com for 2 1/2 years EVERYWHERE in WNC and every time I clicked to see more info about a house ....yup...lol...it was a farmhouse! When I flew up to look at a house that particularly interested me and it wasn't for me, my fantastic Realtor showed me another 1. I FLIPPED!!!! THIS WAS IT!!! This was the house of my dreams! I NEVER had a moments hesitation whether or not I was doing the right thing. I KNEW I belonged here! I am VERY, VERY happy here. I think if you listen to your heart it will steer you in the right direction!!! Good luck! Annie

This is so true...when you learn to listen to your heart, the signs are everywhere guiding you in the right direction. I love your story. Hopefully, we will soon be neighbors...

[Alan Kellam]

Hi -- We moved to Asheville this year. There are lots of different kinds of areas in and around the city...you can live 15 or 20 minutes from downtown and feel like you're in the country -- or live around the corner from shopping, etc. There is an incredible amount to do here -- great music, theater, food, and the university's center for retired people.Moderator cut: tos violation