Moving from FL, not sure where I'd like, Greensboro? (Charlotte: find a job, school)

[scylla]

Hello. I am a young web developer and I currently live in Orlando, FL. Compared to 2 years ago, the economy is apparently good enough for me to find a job in a number of different states. I just visited the Boone area for a snowboarding trip, and I am thinking seriously about North Carolina. I may have an offer on a position in Greensboro. I really know nothing about the town so I'm not sure if I would like it there. I do not know whether I'd want to live closer to Charlotte, closer to Raleigh, or in Greensboro. Any thoughts on these areas are appreciated.

I would like to be near lots of music, art, and culture in general. That pretty much rules out areas that are fairly far away from the larger cities, I think. My career is also a factor in that respect. I am willing to travel up to an hour from work, and up to an hour from one of the larger cities. However, I do not want too much pollution (yes, I also know that living far from work causes more pollution ). I love to snowboard, and would like to be within 3 hours of the mountains. I have given thought to Burlington, between Greensboro and Raleigh.

Any thoughts on these areas?

[JAS]

You can see my post about Winston-Salem that is floating around here - I commented about the Triad in general and GSO specifically at times.

GSO has a population of about 220k and is the 3rd largest city in NC behind Charlotte and Raleigh. The metro population of GSO/Winston-Salem/High Point and the surrounding counties is a little over 1 million people.

GSO is a traditionally blue-collar city with expanding white-collar industries. It doesn't have the extensive high-tech business presence as the Research Triangle Park in Raleigh/Durham, but there are still plenty of business offerings in the Triad. Biotech and pharmaceutical businesses are growing in the area.

Both GSO and W-S are in the midst of downtown revitalizations. Charlotte and Raleigh have the reputations in NC as the place to be for young professionals, but GSO has plenty to offer in my opinion. I'm not a "young" professional any more, so maybe I'm out of touch with the younger set. W-S probably has a more active arts community since the NC School of the Arts is located there.

GSO is a short drive to the western NC and the VA mountains. From the middle of the Triad (let's say between GSO and W-S), you would be about 1.5-2 hrs from Boone.