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I think a couple of the biggest downfalls regarding Charlotte are: 1) higher cost of living and 2) horrid, horrid traffic! Horrid! lol. The interstate system is still not big enough to handle the amount of traffic, which has been steadily increasing, and I don't think a day goes by where there is not at least one accident stopping traffic somewhere (usually a road everyone needs to take to get to work)
I lived in Greensboro for 1 year and went to school there for 5, and lived in Winston-Salem for 8 years. They are both about equal as far as housing expenses go. Greensboro probably has more to offer as far as nightlife, since there are (I believe) 5 four-year schools and 1 2-year school. The downtown has been undergoing radical renovations, especially culturally, since we first moved there in the late 90s. Winston is also experiencing a boom and has plenty of shopping (I think Winston is easier and quicker to get around in than Greensboro because of the way the roads are laid out). Winston is roughly a 30-40 minute commute to UNCG, depending on where you live.
Start with the highway approach into Greensboro, especially coming
north from Charlotte. Next, drive to the airport from downtown Greensboro.
Check out the parks and recreation system, schools etc.
Check out all the colleges and universities.
Visit the baseball stadium downtown and check out the attendance records.
Check out the local government. I had a bad experience with the water
dept lately. I called to voice my concern. I talked to the mayor's office
and city manager's office. The city manager called me back and the
gentleman over the water dept called twice. They were professional
and apologetic.
And don't forget, 2 hours to the mountains and 4 to the coast.
And of course, the larger coliseum than Charlotte that gets the ACC
tournament and many NCAA games.
I could go on, but I will stop.
I dont mind at all you can tell me whatever you think would be helpful. I am really considering greensboro.
If you are renting, there are a ton and I mean a TON of new apartments going up around UNCG- brand spanking new places with all the amenities. If you are looking to buy, the areas around UNCG are going to cost you unless you choose Glenwood, which is not expensive but going up. I lived there for 10 years and loved it.
UNCG, A&T, Greensboro College, Bennett College, Guilford College, Guilford Tech... all good schools. If you can get close, you won't have to drive to class!
Greek Festival, Jewish Festival, Tate Street Festival all happen in the fall. Coliseum occasionally gets good shows (That Van Halen show was too dang expensive tho). Downtown is crazy with people in the evening if you need something to do. Chain Stores and mom & Pop shops all over. Better have a car tho- not great for biking but getting better.
Winston-Salem has several colleges and universities as well...Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State, Salem College, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Forsyth Community College. W-S has a more urban feel with a larger and taller downtown, and a lot of residential construction and loft conversions happening in the downtown area. There is an arts district downtown and a new baseball stadium under construction. Winston-Salem was just recently picked as one of America's Most Livable mid-sized cities.
The biggest advantage to both Winston-Salem and Greensboro is each having the other only 20 minutes away and the shared airport in between.
Greensboro would be perfect for you- 1.5 hours from Raleigh,1.5 hrs to charlotte, colleges, nightlife, restaurants... not too big, not too small. It really does have everything you need, and cheaper to boot. Jobs will depend on what you do- we have tons of service industry jobs, new Honda Jet, Dell (in Winston) and soon, Fed Ex hub! So you will hopefully have lots of options.
Let me know if you have any questions. I love it here!
I am living in Pembroke Pines Florida and considering moving to NC. I just visited Gastonia few days ago. Could someone recommend to me the best 2 places of these cities. Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Winston Salem. I have 3 kids (8,5 & 2) so goods schools will be important to me. I am in the banking sector and my hubby is in the IT sector.
I just moved from Winston Salem to New York City after living there for 10 yrs and would not recommend it. It was also just picked as one of the number one cities to retire in if that tells you much. It is a nice city but not much to do, nightlife is terrible, job market is really bad. Winston has had bad luck when it comes to good jobs with many layoffs recently from the bigger employees and Dell which is new to the city is already having issues. Also the eastern portion of the city has high crime rates and is extremely unsafe, I feel much safer in NYC then east Winston. I would recommend Greensboro or Raleigh as they have better job markets. Hope that helps.
what parts of greensboro or raleigh are nice, as far as job employment opportunities and good neighborhoods, I am not much of a party person I just want to live comfortable in my home in a clean neighborhood
In Greensboro it depends on what kind of house you like. In the city, the best school districts tend to have older homes. Not as much new construction, but there's some available. Outside the city, you head north and northwest to Oak Ridge or Summerfield to find the newer stuff, but it isn't as cheap as it used to be.
You can contact tom elder @ www.elderproperties.com for a list of the homes he currently has available for rent. Just tell him Michael @ Re/Max sent you.
Contact me directly if you have specific questions, if you like.
We are thinking of buying land in Randleman,Nc.Then build a ranch home .Somewhere the neighbor can't look in your window while you are watching TV.Our taxes are crazy,the traffic is beyond tolerable,and we need to just slow down .How is the construction business,or should I wait 6 more years and just retire there?
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