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Hello,
I am from NJ and interested in moving to NC within the next 2 years. I am vacationing in SC in 2 weeks but the boyfriend and I are driving through areas of NC to get a feel of which area we would like to relocate.
We will be driving through Triad area. Probably have about 2-4 hours allotted (perhaps to grab lunch and drive around) That being said-- any suggestions or tips of things to see to help me decide if the Triad is a good area for us or to get the best feel of the Triad? or just any suggestions of areas that would be good for us! Or just tips on if the Triad is a good fit/ worth stopping through.
About me (if you need it):
RN with 3 years floor nursing experience. boyfriend is going to trade school to become a welder. from small town NJ (farm country) with virtually no crime and not too much commotion. Boyfriend and I are very outdoorsy (camping, backpacking, biking, hiking). I Currently make approx. 40$ an hour (I know I wont make nearly that much;but, as long as the cost-living ratio is less Ill be ok) and pay about 1200$ a month in rent (utilities not included, 1 bd/1bth). Just so you have an idea where I'm coming from. Liberal in political view but I am not one to talk about my opinions publically and I currently live in a very conservative area (thanks Christie!) and am able to get by. Looking to rent at first but eventually settle down buy a house and have kids. Looking more for suburbs of the city (as the city scene is not us at all) . I have raynauds; so, We are looking for somewhere warmer with a longer "warm" season so we can do more outdoorsy things longer. thanks ya'll.
We will be driving through WINSTON.
Probably have about 2-4 hours allotted (perhaps to grab lunch and drive around).
Washington Park area up to the 4th Street area and then the West End (Map Link)
Poke around. Stop anywhere. Chat.
If you have a dog then do the dogrun at Wash Park for sure.
I think Greensboro and Winston-Salem would absolutely be good places for you. They are very similar in a lot of ways...more alike than different, if that makes sense. Both cities (as are all NC cities) are basically giant suburbs surrounding very small (but very nice) downtown commercial districts.
Not sure which direction you're coming in from, but I'd suggest driving through downtown in each city to get a feel for that, especially Elm Street in G'boro and 4th Street in W-S. In G'boro, drive out Battleground Road to get a feel for the kind of "sprawly" development both cities have. Take a right on Cone Blvd, cross Lawndale Drive and turn right on Dellwood Drive. Along Dellwood are several nice neighborhoods where you should be able to find rentals in your price range. Turn Right on Cornwallis, cross back over Battleground and turn left on Benjamin Parkway. Along the way, you'll pass other decent neighborhoods in your price range. Once you're on Benjamin Parkway, turn left on Green Valley Road. This is Friendly shopping center, a large, open air center that functions as a mall. Continue down Green Valley and take a right on Friendly Avenue. Continue out Friendly and you'll pass some very nice neighborhoods that will probably out of your price range initially, but hopefully one day. Take a left on College Road (Guilford College, a 200 year old Quaker college will be on your right). College Road will take you to I-40. Take I-40 west, then take the split for Business 40 to Winston-Salem.
In W-S, take the Main Street exit and turn right. Go up to 4th Street and turn left. Lots of restaurants along 4th street if you're hungry. Stay on 4th and you'll leave downtown and transition into the West End Neighborhood. Its a nice, older neighborhood with lots of character homes. 4th Street will dead end into 1st Street, take a right. Go down the hill and you will see the Wake Forest University-NC Baptist Hospital to your left. Its huge. Continue up the hill and take a right onto Stratford Road (note: if you take a left on Stratford you can see W-S's version of Battleground Avenue, with Hanes Mall further out. In the interest of time, I'd skip it, but know its there). Along the part of Stratford you'll be on are some of the biggest, nicest houses in NC. Take a left on Robinhood Road. This is another commercial strip, and once you cross Silas Creek Parkway, there are nice neighborhoods off of it. Take a left on Peacehaven Road and you'll pass through more nice neighborhoods. It will eventually take you back to B-40.
Those aren't comprehensive tours, but should give you a feel for each city. Without any stops, it should take about 2 hours to do. If you have more time you can drive through some of the neighborhoods to get a better feel for them, or G'boro, you could go further out battleground Avenue to the Battle of Guildford Courthouse Park and Greensboro Country park. Great place to walk and bike. Or, in W-S, you could explore Old Salem, which is sort of like a smaller Williamsburg, VA.
In terms of a place to live, you probably want to look around the Oak Ridge, NC area (Greensboro). It's definitely more of the Suburbs you're probably used to. There are houses for sale on my road currently. You should be able to rent a pretty decent apartment for that amount of rent, and probably could find a decent house with a monthly mortgage payment in that ballpark.
Oak Ridge has some of the best public schools in the area (from what I'm told, my son is only 2 years old though.) Greensboro has a lot to offer, and coming from a small town myself, I've found it satisfies pretty much all of my needs and more.
Depending on where in Jersey you live, most of the Triad may feel fairly suburban to you, including big swaths of Greensboro and Winston-Salem. From any place in either, you can get out of town and into nature fairly quickly. From Winston-Salem, for instance, you're maybe half an hour from Pilot Mountain State Park and under an hour from proper mountains. Boone, a great mountain town, is less than an hour and a half away.
BC1960's recommendations for sights are good. I don't have a ton to add.
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