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Sorry to hear all of the negatives for NC. I live in greensboro and love it, I have lived in several states and this is where I call home. Jobs are hard in any area so send out your resumes jobs can be found. The overall economy is getting better as it is in most other areas. This area is a wonderful area to raise your children. Many things for the family to do. Boring, well it isn't Chicago, it is a slower pace of living, there is nightlife, there are some good restaurants. Most anything you are looking for can be found here. You are 3 hrs from the beach, very close to the mountains and there are many lakes in and around to area. There are plenty of places to hike and camp. When you feel like you need a big city you can drive to Charlotte for the evening or weekend, close enough for both.
Hi in Chicagoland! I have been a life long resident of the great state of NC. I live in the central piedmont and I love the area. We are 3hrs from the beautiful beaches of the Crystal coast
to the east and 3hrs from the never ending mountains to the west. Research Triangle Park or the silicon valley of the east is located in the Raliegh Durham area. Not to mention we are home to more than a dozen prestigious colleges and universities as well as world renowned hospitals within a 5o mile radius. Carolina, Wake Forrest and Duke just to mention a few. Our cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. Here $100,000 buys a lot of real estate! avg. rent for a 2 bdrm apartment is 350 to 550 per mo. You can rent a 4 or 5 bdrm house in a nice neighborhood for less than $1000. It's a very beautiful area with a lot of different activities for a family or for singles. In 2013 NC was number one in the nation in population increase. If we are so bad how could that be? I'm sure we're not perfect but we are working really hard at it lol
Hi, your post makes me feel so much better about our decision! We are definitely looking for a slower pace of life where we can stop running and enjoy each other as a family more. I really hope that one of us finds something over the next several months. I see you have CNA on the end of your name. Can I ask a questions?
I am an HR Generalist but I have been working for a company that owns assisted living communities around the Chicagoland area. Is there opportunity out in your area in that industry?
Sorry to hear all of the negatives for NC. I live in greensboro and love it, I have lived in several states and this is where I call home. Jobs are hard in any area so send out your resumes jobs can be found. The overall economy is getting better as it is in most other areas. This area is a wonderful area to raise your children. Many things for the family to do. Boring, well it isn't Chicago, it is a slower pace of living, there is nightlife, there are some good restaurants. Most anything you are looking for can be found here. You are 3 hrs from the beach, very close to the mountains and there are many lakes in and around to area. There are plenty of places to hike and camp. When you feel like you need a big city you can drive to Charlotte for the evening or weekend, close enough for both.
Thank you for your positive encouragement. We are really looking forward to being able to do more of the things we enjoy as a family. Neither of us are really the nightlife kind of people anymore but I would love to move to an area where we can make a great group of friends. It feels like most of the people in the town I live in grew up there and have their own, already established, network which is hard to become part of.
Hi Margo,
Your choice of either city would not be a bad one. Both have agreeable weather in that there is a real change of seasons, and there is nice terrain with rolling green hills unlike the flatness of Chicago. Both are close to several state parks for camping and hiking, the NC Zoo, rivers for a canoe ride, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Winston-Salem is the starting point for the Yadkin Valley wine country. Both cities are a half day drive from the beach.
I have been to Chicago once. It's a wonderful city for it's dynamics, architecture, and shopping. But the flat lay of the land, predominant cold weather, high crime, and higher cost of living would probably discourage someone like me from wanting to move there. All these points for the two cities you are asking about are the opposite: gentle rolling topography, change of seasons, lower crime rates per capita, and a much lower cost of living. Both are great cities for families. People are friendly, will look you in the eye, and hold the door open for you instead of closing it in your face. Your comment about liking history will find your interest completely fulfilled by the array of historical sites and museums available and from the culture present of the Moravian settlers, or the trails of local legends such as Daniel Boone, to the history of tobacco and textiles.
I posted some questions on moving to NC in another part of the forum and I have to say that 90% of the responses were negative. People said it is hard to get jobs (one person said "because of all you people from up north moving here"), some said it's boring, cost of living is not that great etc.
Can anyone in this area please give some positive information? My husband and I, along with my two children have decided to leave the Chicagoland area. We are SICK of the weather, the high cost of living and the 1hr + commutes to work and the in general closed off feeling of the people here. Neither of us have any ties to the area.
We love the outdoors, camping, hiking etc. I would love to be able to drive to the beach for the weekend Visit the historic sites in the surrounding areas. We decided that North Carolina would be the best all around state.
He has begun to send out resumes and I will soon. We are hoping to find something by August before the kids start school again. Are we being unrealistic? I am quite a bit disheartened after the response from the other forum.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
I understand your trepidation. My wife and I are considering a move to Greensboro from Atlanta. We are both medical professionals and I have a job. And we are still nervous about moving to such a different and new situation.
I have visited once and I found everyone I met there to be very nice and accommodating. The city was much larger than I thought it would be. I can definitely tell that the pace of life is slower. Schools from our research are good.
I wish you luck and God bless with your decision. You should visit and go with your heart. Typically, women's intuition is a gift from God and is rarely wrong.
I lived in Chicago for years and now live in the Triad. I'm happy to answer any questions you have, either on the board or via private message.
Short answer: You'll find a whole lot of what you're looking for in North Carolina. And if you were in the suburbs (I notice you write "Chicagoland" and not "Chicago,") you'll be able to replicate lots of the good parts of your experience without a lot of the things that you won't miss(cold weather, horrible traffic, higher housing costs, etc.).
NC isn't Shangri La, but no place is. I do prefer it to other Southeastern states, but that's largely a matter of preference.
Oh, and the "we don't take kindly to yankees" thing is something largely reserved for armchair warriors. I'd wager that many of the people making this proclamations don't even live in North Carolina. If you move to very rural corners of the state, you may encounter that in person, but there are LOTS of other reasons not to move to those corners of the state. In any metro area of any size, there are plenty of transplants and lots of locals who only bristle when people start saying things like, "I don't know why people drive so slow around here! Back in BOSTON, we never had this problem!" Otherwise you'll probably never get a single comment that isn't intended as good-natured ribbing.
I posted some questions on moving to NC in another part of the forum and I have to say that 90% of the responses were negative. People said it is hard to get jobs (one person said "because of all you people from up north moving here"), some said it's boring, cost of living is not that great etc.
Can anyone in this area please give some positive information? My husband and I, along with my two children have decided to leave the Chicagoland area. We are SICK of the weather, the high cost of living and the 1hr + commutes to work and the in general closed off feeling of the people here. Neither of us have any ties to the area.
We love the outdoors, camping, hiking etc. I would love to be able to drive to the beach for the weekend Visit the historic sites in the surrounding areas. We decided that North Carolina would be the best all around state.
He has begun to send out resumes and I will soon. We are hoping to find something by August before the kids start school again. Are we being unrealistic? I am quite a bit disheartened after the response from the other forum.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Positive is that almost all of North Carolina is beautiful and we want to keep it that way. There are lots of places to move to still. Jobs are scarce so don't leave home without one. You have picked your area that is much closer to the mountains than the coast. Just wanted you to realize that.
If you look on these threads you may realize the reason for so many negatives. We have this wonderful state with a laid-back lifestyle and here comes the influx. Union County has had its population more than double. I would say our taxes have about doubled too, even with county commissioners that are trying to keep the taxes low. Now the transplants are starting with lawsuits which are making things worse. Nothing seems to be enough for them. Fuss, fuss, fuss! I am so tired of it. Every school in our county is probably better than the place they moved from but everybody wants to be going to the best school here. If you are not selfish like that we will welcome you with open arms. They don't seem to realize they are not paying for themselves but show little appreciation for the fact they have been forced on us and we are supporting them. If what we are now is good enough for you, welcome neighbor.
Hi in Chicagoland! I have been a life long resident of the great state of NC. I live in the central piedmont and I love the area. We are 3hrs from the beautiful beaches of the Crystal coast
to the east and 3hrs from the never ending mountains to the west. Research Triangle Park or the silicon valley of the east is located in the Raliegh Durham area. Not to mention we are home to more than a dozen prestigious colleges and universities as well as world renowned hospitals within a 5o mile radius. Carolina, Wake Forrest and Duke just to mention a few. Our cost of living is one of the lowest in the country. Here $100,000 buys a lot of real estate! avg. rent for a 2 bdrm apartment is 350 to 550 per mo. You can rent a 4 or 5 bdrm house in a nice neighborhood for less than $1000. It's a very beautiful area with a lot of different activities for a family or for singles. In 2013 NC was number one in the nation in population increase. If we are so bad how could that be? I'm sure we're not perfect but we are working really hard at it lol
Tarheelcna- Where can you find these rental rices in a safe neighborhood? Seriously I'm curious. I'm a native myself and I've never found any rent this low...well not for 15-20 years.
OP- I work in the healthcare industry. There are alot of opportunities here in this field. Look into Genesis Healthcare, Liberty Healthcare, Sava and Consulate Healthcare. That is 4 I can think of. Good Luck with your move.
Tarheelcna- Where can you find these rental rices in a safe neighborhood? Seriously I'm curious. I'm a native myself and I've never found any rent this low...well not for 15-20 years.
OP- I work in the healthcare industry. There are alot of opportunities here in this field. Look into Genesis Healthcare, Liberty Healthcare, Sava and Consulate Healthcare. That is 4 I can think of. Good Luck with your move.
I wondered about that too. I don't want to discourage the OP, however, I bought my house last year and paid much more than 100K for a 2 br 1 ba home.
I still think the OP needs to visit, look around with a good agent, talk to people and see what she thinks.
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