Winston-Salem or Greensboro?? (Charlotte, High Point, Micro: real estate, job market, good schools)

[melnper]

My family was planning on relocating to North Carolina from Nevada. But, wanting to stay close to other family members, we had considered Idaho and Oregon. After researching all of these areas, we feel we would be most happy and comfortable in North Carolina. Without making a trip out there it is really hard to determine what city to move to. We have info from Chambers of Commerce and visitors authorities but I think we need some personal points of view. It seems like Winston-Salem is a nice and reasonably priced place to live, while Greensboro seems great for the job market. I can work in just about any office environment and have computer skills. However, coming from Las Vegas and the casino industry, my husband is a slot technician and finding work for him may be tough. Does Greensboro have an abundance of manufacturing or blue collar jobs? What are the wages like? Also, by the time we move our son will be starting junior high. How are the schools? After reading some of the other posts on North Carolina it seems like we have picked the right state. We are excited about moving, but apprehensive about real estate, work and school. Any help is appreciated.

[JAS]

The Triad area of NC (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) has a lot of manufacturing. Keep in mind, however, that most of this is non-union; the wages therefore tend to be lower than in some other parts of the country.

You could check the classifieds, Monster, or other job search sites for employment opportunities. Some of the largest manufacturing employers in Greensboro are RF Micro, Volvo Trucks, Thomas Built Buses. The furniture industry has a strong presence, but it's not the safest business to be in for a blue-collar person. Dell recently opened up a new plant between GSO and W-S; FedEx will open a large distribution center in a couple of years. There are also a lot of distribution center and warehouse-type jobs in the area.

[melnper]

Jas,
Thank you for your response. I think we will check out Monster but at least we know who some of the major employers are now.

[mhogan10010]

Hi,

I lived for 12 years in NC before moving to NYC.
Check Craigslist also. You can find some great stuff there, especially housing.
The only place your husband would find the casino work is probably up near Cheorokee. But, there isn't much else up there but tourism and bears.

[melnper]

Thanks for your help. We definitely don't want to go with Cherokee. Part of the reason we want to relocate is to get out of the casino business for good. We also keep hearing that Charlotte is mainly a town for bankers. Is this true? We are having such a hard time deciding on what town in NC to move to. We don't want to be near the coast and we don't want to be in a congested city (like we are in Vegas), but we want good employment opportunities and good schools. I feel like we research cities constantly and end up back at square one all the time. Does anyone out there have any advice? The unemployment rate for NC looks good, however it could change by next year (when we plan to move) and the rates can be deceiving. Let's say one city states a low unemployment rate but it's a city full of hospitals- the majority of the jobs are nurses jobs, etc. But, just because the unemployment rate is low, that city may be the worst move for us because i want an office position and my husband possibly manufacturing. Am I making any sense? Help from all is appreciated!!

[mhogan10010]

Manufacturing has been moving out of NC like most of the US pretty fast. The textile industry has been hit especially hard. Sure there are jobs to be had, but nothing like before. I have two friends in NC who recently lost jobs when plants that they had worked at for over 25 years closed to go to South America.
Perhaps your husband could get some training in working on health related equipment. That is a large field all over the state.