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Another non-native NewYorker heading south this summer (will there be anyone left in the state?) Coming from the western part of the state where it is cold and grey 5 months out of the year. Originally from New England, so used to the cold, but not the constant grey. Have been researching NC for 5 years and have settled on the Triad area....not too big, not too small....and from what I'm reading, a friendley area. Planning a visit next week to check out a few of the bigger hospitals (RN) and touring a college for my daughter. Looking for a Townhome rental for the first year, preferably just outside of either city. Any suggestions are welcome.
Looking forward to making new friends and memories in NC!
I think G'boro is a great place to raise a family. There are good schools, both public and private, and lots of parks, including the Guilford Courthouse Battleground, now a federal park. Plenty of activities for all ages. If you need more "city" you are an hour from Raleigh and ~2hrs from Charlotte. There is a diverse population of locals and folks who have come from other parts of the country. Everyone gets along for the most part. We are fortunate to have a UNC campus here, and, if your high school grad decides to take advantage of the in-state tuition, we are not too far from the other UNC schools. The Piedmont area has a temperate climate and, except for the occasional ice storm, is rarely extreme, though changeable. All friends and family who visit us remark on our beautiful trees.
There are a lot of non-native New Yorkers here...I'm from Syracuse....been down here a long time...and still cannot believe the sunny January days...The major hospitals would be Moses-Cone and Wesley Long.
I would look at North Elm (great commute to Moses-Cone) North Lawndale/Lake Brandt Rd Area. (very safe..near parks). These would also be easy commutes to UNC-G if that's the school your daughter is looking at.
There are some town homes in the Cardinal area also.
Of course this is friendly area!...There is a main road called Friendly Avenue...named for the Society of Friends (quakers) that have been in the area for a long time.
By the way, "outside" the city here gets rural very fast. There are "bedroom" communities like Oak Ridge and Summerfield.
One more thing, it's expensive, but High Point University is a beautiful up and coming campus. (There's a big hospital in High Point also)
I love the pace of the triad area. I grew up there and now live in the Dallas area. The triad has a nice laid back pace. Also, I love the proximity to the mountains and the coast.
I recently was considered for a job in Orlando, FL, and spent a lot of time thinking about the pros and cons of a possible move. Eventually, I removed my name from consideration. The only major "pro" I could come up with for Orlando was that we would have had an inground swimming pool (wouldn't have considered home without one). Since we decided to stay, we're considering installing a pool in our backyard - we wont' be able to enjoy it for nearly as much of the year as we would in Florida, but I loved having one in our first house in Greenville NC.
We moved to the Triad (near Wallburg) in July 2011, after spending 4 years in Greenville NC and 2 years northeast of Raleigh. Before moving to NC in 2005, I had lived in New York state; California; Nevada; Utah; Oregon. Some of the things I love about the Triad:
- being close enough to the mountains and the coast to be able enjoy either over a weekend trip
- climate. Other than San Diego, this has been my favorite climate. I enjoy the change of seasons. I like a couple of snowfalls during the winter. We got used to the humidity after a couple of summers.
- cost of living. A major reason we chose to move to NC in 2005 was that my wife doesn't have to work in order to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.
- minor league baseball. I mentioned this in an earlier post. I prefer minor league to major league ball. We've been mostly to Dash games, but the Grasshoppers also have a great stadium - they're both great for a family-friendly activity.
- wine tasting. We've only been to a few, but will be trying more. I've no connoisseur, but I enjoy the scenery of the NC wineries.
- downtown Winston-Salem. I grew up in the NYC suburbs, so going downtown for activities is somewhat ingrained in me. I think W-S has a nice downtown for a city its size, and projects continue to be developed in the area.
- Cook Out burger plate
The fact that Winston Salem and Greensboro Are heavily investing in completely changing the look and atmosphere of their respective downtown's.
People are Friendly, Depending where you are.
Transplants are generally nicer...for some reason..
Center city park..is just an awesome place to be no matter what time of day.
Public transportation.
Did i mention Brisk traffic? Cars can get backed up, but traffic still moves briskly.
Greensboro, seems to be very Diverse.
Greensboro has a ton of exotic car dealers for a city it's size.
Winston is hilly, and i like that, makes me feel like i'm in a city in the mountains.
Highways everywhere and well connected roads...no chance for a traffic jam, unless construction or accidents, 5:00 rush hour is delightfully brisk aswell.
Infrastructure(see above)
Distance between W-S and GSO seems nonexistent.
To me W-S skyline is still more attractive than Raleighs.
Greensboro has some nice pretty glass buildings downtown.
Greensboro and Winston feel Completely different, each have their own character. Greensboro is more entertainment, Winston is more into the arts and research, But both have that "City" feel about them.
Downtown wise. (center city wise)
Greensboro direction seems to be focused on Downtown Residential
While W-S direction seems to be research and development
Both are growing rather nicely.
Growth for each has picked up the pace.
High point is nice to drive through in the evenings.
The fact that Winston Salem and Greensboro Are heavily investing in completely changing the look and atmosphere of their respective downtown's.
People are Friendly, Depending where you are.
Transplants are generally nicer...for some reason..
Center city park..is just an awesome place to be no matter what time of day.
Public transportation.
Did i mention Brisk traffic? Cars can get backed up, but traffic still moves briskly.
Greensboro, seems to be very Diverse.
Greensboro has a ton of exotic car dealers for a city it's size.
Winston is hilly, and i like that, makes me feel like i'm in a city in the mountains.
Highways everywhere and well connected roads...no chance for a traffic jam, unless construction or accidents, 5:00 rush hour is delightfully brisk aswell.
Infrastructure(see above)
Distance between W-S and GSO seems nonexistent.
To me W-S skyline is still more attractive than Raleighs.
Greensboro has some nice pretty glass buildings downtown.
Greensboro and Winston feel Completely different, each have their own character. Greensboro is more entertainment, Winston is more into the arts and research, But both have that "City" feel about them.
Downtown wise. (center city wise)
Greensboro direction seems to be focused on Downtown Residential
While W-S direction seems to be research and development
Both are growing rather nicely.
Growth for each has picked up the pace.
High point is nice to drive through in the evenings.
High point has nice furniture galleries.
I totally agree that Greensboro is more entertaining. The Triad in general is known for its textile and arts & entertainment. With the Triad, you have the NC zoo, Wet n Wild Emerald Pointe Waterpark, performing arts center, film festivals, international civil rights museums, acc museum, prominent events at the Greensboro Coliseum, prestigous Tournaments. Greensboro nickname is tournament city, usa and ws nick name is the city of art and innovation. Charlottte is known for its banks. RDU is known for its research parks, schools (UNC, Duke, NC State), technology and health care system.
COOK OUT!!! Get a double OutWest Burger, with fries, and follow up with a banana shake. OMG!! On Battleground Ave, a Krispey Kreme serves them hot and fresh is just a short walk after that. Oh, yes.
Grew up in Greensboro, but been gone for about 4 years and now live in the Phoenix, AZ, area. I came back to Greensboro not long ago and can definitely tell you what I love (and miss).
Trees & Seasons. So many kinds of trees. The trees are what make the seasons, along with the flowers in the spring. The trees and the seasons are two of the biggest things I love and miss. We have some trees at higher elevations, like Ponderosa Pines and Aspin, but no where near the variety of the Triad.
People. There's no doubt that Southern hospitality exist in the Triad. In other parts of the country, people are nice, but it's usually only because they have to be due to their job or when they want something. For instance, in the Phoenix area, there's a shallow sense of interest from strangers when you interact, whereas in the Triad, you get the feeling the other person isn't in such a hurry and could easily delve into conversation (most the time anyway).
Food. Who doesn't love a good'ole Cookout shake and burger? Biscuitville is another one. Fried seafood, something I took for granted when I lived in the Triad, is one of the hardest things to find anywhere (that is, good fried seafood). There's some kind of garbage in the Phoenix area called Pete's fish and chips. Everything looks like the same fried ball of mystery meat. I love and miss all those mom and pop fried seafood joints. Lastly, have to include NC style barbeque; another thing I took for granted. Texas style bbq can be found almost anywhere, but not NC style.
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