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There's one very simple answer: Plan a visit and spend a few days checking out the Triad, looking at it from a "resident's" POV, not a "tourist's".
I am from NC (not the Triad, but have spent a lot of time there, including this past weekend) and I spent a week in Denver this summer. I love both places, but it is hard to make a blanket statement about how a move will affect you without knowing you. Denver is a really cool place with almost unlimited outdoor recreation, so if that aspect of Denver is important to you, you'll be disappointed, but undoubtedly you would find things about the Southeast you would like, too.
Greensboro and Winston-Salem are so close together, you'd end up doing things in both, no matter which one you lived in. W-S has a renowned medical center at Wake Forest U, plus a cool and growing Arts scene, helped by NC School of the Arts, but Greensboro is no slouch in the "culture" department, either. Plenty of family-friendly things, no worries there.
Come for a visit; then follow up with specific questions. You seem to have a nagging hesitation that is not going to be answered by strangers on the Internet (nor should it be), so spending time in your potential new home will assuage worries and let you see a lot of things for yourself.
Thank you! I think you're right too. My husband had a less than 24 hour visit there last time. We're hoping to get out there for at least a couple days to check out neighborhoods and the two cities.
The outdoorsy thing is fun, but it's not an end all, be all for me. Right now, we're more concerned with the kids and what they will take part in and where.
I'm most nervous about moving to a much smaller city than I've ever lived in, compounded by not knowing anyone and not knowing the avenues of the locals.
Just want to add that there are plenty of outdoor activities available in the Triad and within an hour or so drive. Rivers, lakes, hiking, camping, biking, horse riding, etc. World class whitewater rafting about 2 hours away. We even have skiing within an hour and a half, and although it pales to that found in Colorado, it's still lots of fun. Sure it will be very different from living in Colorado, but I think overall the quality of life is great here.
It will be a bit of a change just from the standpoint of demographics. However, I have had clients make that exact move and they have loved it. I have lived in Charlotte, Raleigh, and many larger demographics. I have chosen Greensboro to move and stay in about 7 years ago. We are large enough to have everything you need but we do not have the choking traffic and some of the other negatives you get with larger cities. As for shopping with the new section of Friendly Center there is more upscale shopping. Just down the road in Burlington is the newest Tanger outlet mall also. Plenty of new schools and family oriented activities. The Greensboro area has most of the Greenway, and trail systems in the state with more being added all the time. I love to exercise and ride my bike on the greenways. When I run I run on the trail system.
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