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I currently live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. My husband is on the 2nd stage of an interview for a job that would allow us to live basically anywhere we want in North or South Carolina. I have a strong affinity to the outlying areas of Charlotte, NC (Kings Mtn, Gastonia, Shelby, etc.) because my ancestors settled in these areas in the 1700s and also Greenville, SC because several of those ancestors went to Greenville in the 1800s to work in the textile mills. I lived in Shelby briefly when I was very young, but otherwise have always lived in Florida – dreaming of the Carolinas . I have done a lot of research on my ancestors and am a genealogy nut – so, I have a “fantasy” vision of these areas that is certainly unrealistic 100 years later!
My question/request is about comparing these areas for our potential (hopeful) relocation. We are NOT looking for modern, gated communities with cookie cutter houses or planned communities (that’s what we’re leaving). My desire is to be outside of the city proper, in a quaint, small town environment (historical areas a plus). We would want to rent for a while, to make sure we find the best area for us… preferably a house (not an apartment). We are in our mid to late 30s. We have 2 pugs, and would love to be near a dog park and in an area that is dog friendly. School districts are not an issue as we do not have children living at home. My husband will be traveling a lot with this new job, so I’d want to feel "reasonably safe" while he is away. I’d like to feel like we could become part of a community… and actually know our neighbors.
I do contract accounting & administrative work (both corporate and small business) and may or may not be looking for full time employment within a few months of getting settled. It depends on cost of living and the continuation of my current contract work.
I’m curious to hear people’s opinions of these two general areas (I’m posting this on both area’s forums): Communities, cost of living, employment opportunities (for me), etc. I’m hoping to help narrow down some specific areas to visit prior to the relocation as we’ll likely have very limited time to visit & decide. That's why I'm posting before we even know for sure if we get the opportunity.
I currently live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. My husband is on the 2nd stage of an interview for a job that would allow us to live basically anywhere we want in North or South Carolina. I have a strong affinity to the outlying areas of Charlotte, NC (Kings Mtn, Gastonia, Shelby, etc.) because my ancestors settled in these areas in the 1700s and also Greenville, SC because several of those ancestors went to Greenville in the 1800s to work in the textile mills. I lived in Shelby briefly when I was very young, but otherwise have always lived in Florida – dreaming of the Carolinas . I have done a lot of research on my ancestors and am a genealogy nut – so, I have a “fantasy” vision of these areas that is certainly unrealistic 100 years later!
My question/request is about comparing these areas for our potential (hopeful) relocation. We are NOT looking for modern, gated communities with cookie cutter houses or planned communities (that’s what we’re leaving). My desire is to be outside of the city proper, in a quaint, small town environment (historical areas a plus). We would want to rent for a while, to make sure we find the best area for us… preferably a house (not an apartment). We are in our mid to late 30s. We have 2 pugs, and would love to be near a dog park and in an area that is dog friendly. School districts are not an issue as we do not have children living at home. My husband will be traveling a lot with this new job, so I’d want to feel "reasonably safe" while he is away. I’d like to feel like we could become part of a community… and actually know our neighbors.
I do contract accounting & administrative work (both corporate and small business) and may or may not be looking for full time employment within a few months of getting settled. It depends on cost of living and the continuation of my current contract work.
I’m curious to hear people’s opinions of these two general areas (I’m posting this on both area’s forums): Communities, cost of living, employment opportunities (for me), etc. I’m hoping to help narrow down some specific areas to visit prior to the relocation as we’ll likely have very limited time to visit & decide. That's why I'm posting before we even know for sure if we get the opportunity.
Thanks so much for any insight & opinions!
I have two suggestions for you
On the NC side near to Shelby I would recommend you check out Boiling Springs - sounds just like what you are looking for, plus it's got a nice little college right in the middle of town - Gardner Webb University.
On the SC side I highly recommend the great little town of Landrum, within easy reach of Greenville. Again, it sounds like just what you could be looking for. Best of luck!
I've lived in Boiling Springs for the past 8 years or so (also moved from Florida, Gainesville).
Here is my take -
Pros
The town is very safe, and you can buy a lot of house and property for not too much money. Peaceful and relaxing. Beautiful countryside, and very close to the mountains (you can usually see the mountains on most clear days). As already mentioned, Gardner Webb University is in the center of town, and provides a little bit of culture, and sports opportunities. The Broad River Greenway is only a couple of miles out of town, and is a great place to go hiking with dogs, etc. Taxes are pretty low compared to Charlotte. Great place for dogs, you can get plenty of acreage and find places for them to run around. People are very nice here, though they do have some quirks.
Cons
The economic situation and job market in Cleveland County has never been great, and is currently awful, last time I checked unemployment was around 15% and will probably exceed 20% before long, manufacturing jobs are vanishing quickly. Cleveland County (with the exception of inside the Shelby and Kings Mountain city limits) is dry, so no beer or wine with your dinner (though Shelby is only about 6 minutes away). It's a little bit remote - if your husband needs to travel, Boiling Springs is a little bit of a haul (at least an hour) to Charlotte, but is centrally located about an hour away from Charlotte, Hickory, Greenville, and Asheville. Folks around here are very traditional - tolerant, but not necessarily embracive, of new ideas and new people. I always joke that someone, someday, is going to drag Cleveland County, kicking and screaming, into the 20th century....
I won't put the following in either category, but there is a very strong Southern Baptist influence here (probably >90% of the population). I appreciate the strong faith-base of most of the population, and overall it is more of a plus than a negative, but at times it is very pervasive and downright annoying if you have other beliefs. Many people here will look down on you if you mention that you enjoy a beer now and then, though most of them probably do themselves in private.
Reminds me of the old saying - if you invite one Baptist to your cookout, he'll drink all your beer. If you invite two, he won't drink any.
Will your husband be traveling by air....that might determine how close you might want to be to the airport....if picking up and dropping off is helpful.
Will your husband be traveling by air....that might determine how close you might want to be to the airport....if picking up and dropping off is helpful.
Yes, there will be some air travel for sure - a mix of driving and air. So, ease of access to the airport will be a plus.
On the NC side near to Shelby I would recommend you check out Boiling Springs - sounds just like what you are looking for, plus it's got a nice little college right in the middle of town - Gardner Webb University.
On the SC side I highly recommend the great little town of Landrum, within easy reach of Greenville. Again, it sounds like just what you could be looking for. Best of luck!
Thank you so much!! I will definitely check into both of those areas. What are your thoughts on Kings Mountain and the areas in and around Gastonia?
I've lived in Boiling Springs for the past 8 years or so (also moved from Florida, Gainesville).
Here is my take -
Pros
The town is very safe, and you can buy a lot of house and property for not too much money. Peaceful and relaxing. Beautiful countryside, and very close to the mountains (you can usually see the mountains on most clear days). As already mentioned, Gardner Webb University is in the center of town, and provides a little bit of culture, and sports opportunities. The Broad River Greenway is only a couple of miles out of town, and is a great place to go hiking with dogs, etc. Taxes are pretty low compared to Charlotte. Great place for dogs, you can get plenty of acreage and find places for them to run around. People are very nice here, though they do have some quirks.
Cons
The economic situation and job market in Cleveland County has never been great, and is currently awful, last time I checked unemployment was around 15% and will probably exceed 20% before long, manufacturing jobs are vanishing quickly. Cleveland County (with the exception of inside the Shelby and Kings Mountain city limits) is dry, so no beer or wine with your dinner (though Shelby is only about 6 minutes away). It's a little bit remote - if your husband needs to travel, Boiling Springs is a little bit of a haul (at least an hour) to Charlotte, but is centrally located about an hour away from Charlotte, Hickory, Greenville, and Asheville. Folks around here are very traditional - tolerant, but not necessarily embracive, of new ideas and new people. I always joke that someone, someday, is going to drag Cleveland County, kicking and screaming, into the 20th century....
I won't put the following in either category, but there is a very strong Southern Baptist influence here (probably >90% of the population). I appreciate the strong faith-base of most of the population, and overall it is more of a plus than a negative, but at times it is very pervasive and downright annoying if you have other beliefs. Many people here will look down on you if you mention that you enjoy a beer now and then, though most of them probably do themselves in private.
Reminds me of the old saying - if you invite one Baptist to your cookout, he'll drink all your beer. If you invite two, he won't drink any.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your information. I think, although we'll still want to take a look, that Boiling Springs might be a bit too far from the airport. What are your thoughts on Kings Mountain/Gastonia? Those areas are both in Gaston County, correct?
Thank you so much!! I will definitely check into both of those areas. What are your thoughts on Kings Mountain and the areas in and around Gastonia?
Nothing against Gastonia, but I think it is too large for what you say you are looking for. Instead, to get closer to the airport and Charlotte, look just a bit south of Gastonia at the nice little town of Clover
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your information. I think, although we'll still want to take a look, that Boiling Springs might be a bit too far from the airport. What are your thoughts on Kings Mountain/Gastonia? Those areas are both in Gaston County, correct?
Kings Mountain is mostly in Cleveland County, but there is a small piece of it that is in Gaston County. It has a population of around 10,000, I believe.
There are some very nice rural areas around Kings Mountain that would probably be only about 30 minutes to the CLT airport. The actual town of Kings Mountain is OK, but nothing to write home about. It's about twice the size of Boiling Springs, and about half the size of Shelby. The big plus for Kings Mountain is its proximity to Gastonia (15 minutes), and Charlotte (30-40 minutes). If location wasn't an issue, I'd pick Boiling Springs hands down over Kings Mountain.
As previously mentioned, Gastonia is a fairly large town (maybe 60,000 people). It has some nice areas (particularly the eastern side) but also has some really rough areas. Gastonia has the nearest "big box" retail to Cleveland County, and has a real mall (not great, but OK), things like Best Buy, Kohls, Panera Bread, Petsmart, Books-a-Million, etc. (that you won't find in Shelby, KM, or Boiling Springs) most of the chain restaurants, and a few pretty good non-chain restaurants. Shelby has most everything you probably need on a daily basis, but you will probably find yourself heading to Gastonia or Charlotte on a semi-regular basis for shopping if you live in Cleveland County.
Hopefully you won't ever need it for your dogs, but Gastonia has closest only after-hours emergency vet clinic that I am aware of to Cleveland County.
If I were looking for a quaint town in Gaston County that is convenient to Charlotte, I'd be looking in Belmont, or possibly Mount Holly, these are only about 15-20 minutes to the airport, but are definitely part of the Charlotte metro area.
Talking of Clover, I think most of their income comes from the police speed trap.
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. I have done a lot of research on my ancestors and am a genealogy nut – so, I have a “fantasy” vision of these areas that is certainly unrealistic 100 years later!
Florida, NC, or SC?
