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Just a bit of background, I am originally from MA but do not fit the Northeast mold. I've been living in Concord, NC for 3+ years now renting. I work from home, have a good job, and overall like the area. Currently single, very early 30s not married. Big car guy, into NASCAR, camping etc.
The home costs have continued to rise (everywhere naturally) and it continues to get busier with the constant construction and stores being put in around Concord Mills. I have found myself enjoying Salisbury, NC much more and visit it multiple times per month. It is more spread out, more land for homes, and I am a big gear head, so I want a nice sized shop and Salisbury has quite a few properties that fit this criteria. Top budget where I'd feel comfortable is up to around $270k or so. Preferably around 1+ acre lot.
I'm looking at buying within the next year or so, depending on what happens with the housing market. That's been my plan the whole time and still plenty of affordable options for me at my income. I'm starting to wonder if I should explore the Winston Salem area more. I'm a family oriented person and find Concord and the general area nice, but like many places around here, it feels so transient and too busy/traffic. I'd like to find an area that is not loaded with apartment complexes on every corner - if that makes sense.
Salisbury checks the boxes for me around here as it has good internet, some really nice properties, and close to some beautiful parks. I like going hiking with my dog so that is a big plus for me. I am not into the cities, don't visit Charlotte anymore, and really enjoy the suburbs with a bit of land at each house.
With the brief description above, is it worth checking out Winston Salem? And if so, any area in particular that may fit those needs and be good for the future stages of life (wife, kids etc)?
Yes, you should definitely check out W-S. It meets a lot of your requirements. I lived in W-S as a single person on my early to mid 40's and liked it a lot. Housing is more than Salisbury, but less than Concord, I would think. You might want to look in the Pfafftown, Tobaccoville or Walkertown areas.
Some things you might like about the area:
Nice Greenways and trails system
Car races at Bowman Gray Stadium
Nice parks
Lots of suburban/semi-rural areas
Hiking at nearby state parks
Thank you for that, Pfafftown looks very nice, I will have to take a ride out there. The greenway and trails are a big plus for sure. Just poking around, there's some nice properties that resemble Salisbury which is a plus.
I'd look at the northwestern quadrant of Davidson County as well. You'd have more options for that acre+ of property on a $270K budget and be close to Winston-Salem and Salisbury, which you seem to like. You seem more drawn to being in a semi-rural area from what I can tell and you would have more areas where you tinker on cars and more space to have a hobby shop within reason--no car crushing operation or anything like that-- without an HOA or city code being in conflict with what you're doing as there's more "car culture" in the rural areas where your neighbors probably work on their own cars.
Any area in western Forsyth (Pfafftown, Bethania, Tobaccoville, Lewisville or Clemons), or eastern Yadkin or Davie Counties puts you in proximity to the Yadkin River for canoeing, Tanglewood Park for horseback riding, golfing, or hiking, and to numerous parks and trails in northwest of Winston-Salem: Pilot Mountain State Park, Hanging Rock State Park, Stone Mountain State Park, and Rendezvous Park. You would also be within an hour of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the New River, and Kerr Scott Res., and Elkin also has two hiking trails from from town up the Big Elkin Creek toward the Blue Ridge....and the Overmountain Men Historic trail. Great camping sites at Stone Mountain and at Doughton Park along the BR Parkway near Roaring Gap.
Any area in western Forsyth (Pfafftown, Bethania, Tobaccoville, Lewisville or Clemons), or eastern Yadkin or Davie Counties puts you in proximity to the Yadkin River for canoeing, Tanglewood Park for horseback riding, golfing, or hiking, and to numerous parks and trails in northwest of Winston-Salem: Pilot Mountain State Park, Hanging Rock State Park, Stone Mountain State Park, and Rendezvous Park. You would also be within an hour of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the New River, and Kerr Scott Res., and Elkin also has two hiking trails from from town up the Big Elkin Creek toward the Blue Ridge....and the Overmountain Men Historic trail. Great camping sites at Stone Mountain and at Doughton Park along the BR Parkway near Roaring Gap.
Took the words right off my keyboard
We lived in eastern Davie County for ~25 years. Moved to eastern TN for retirement, thinking "it's like our previous well-loved home, but cheaper" and got that soooo wrong. I'm campaigning to move back when I'm 65 and don't get hit so hard with health insurance costs.
It's 125 miles away from Davie County; maybe a 2 1/2 hour drive; but living in the W-S area gives one access to SW Virginia, which is a jewel of relatively unspoiled beauty. 421 to Mountain City, TN then 91 to Damascus puts you at the crossroads of the Appalachian Trail and the rails-to-trails Virginia Creeper Trail.
We've done the entire length of the BRP several times and camped quite often at Stone Mountain. Having lived in that area for so long, we thought we'd be ready for something different, but not a day goes by in the almost 3 years since we left do I think about that area and not feel homesick
I am looking at a move to W-S. Had a 3 month stay in Thomasville--which I did not like but liked the weather in the Triad area and fell in love with the beauty of W-S. Also its more liberal bent large arts community. I have lived in 19 states, 22 cities and 2 of them 3 different times. I just went out to W-S for a week to check it out. That the City is built in the hills there is no street grid which makes finding your way around challenging--However with my Phone GPS never missed a turn or got lost--except if the right address wasn't punched in. With the exception of the older central city it has a pretty much suburban feel.
The Triad airport is not my favorite and has limited direct flights. Currently living in Southeastern AZ in the Huachucha Mountain foothills. The year around weather is great here--warm days and cooler nights--Not 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Tucson and 15-20 degrees cooler than Phoenix. But the lack of green and water is hard for me to take. I like its size and proximity to so many other cities. the mountains .
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