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I’m originally from MA, and now I’m live in GA, just over the SC line.
Just sticking to the geography, unless you are along the coast, or maybe in the mountains, the southern states are just plain ugly, compared to the New England states. There are miles and miles of nothing but tired looking flat landscape.
Unless you’re near a large city, there’s a whole lot of nothing to do.
Gentle hearts,
That’s exactly what my friend who was in Charlotte, NC and now Mount Pleasant, SC said: it’s all very boring and blah. Just not a lot to do and he also mentioned the same thing about the types of things his kids are exposed to at school that people mentioned in earlier posts. The last straw was when his neighbors in Mount Pleasant pulled guns on his tween son and his friends for playing ding-dong ditch-it. (Yes, kids had guns pulled on them for ringing a few doorbells and running off.) That would be a hard pass for me as well.
I bet the kids didn’t do that again. I don’t care about the guns, really.
As far as being boring. We moved from rural Ohio, and that was boring. Now we are outside Savannah and there are a million things to see and do, but if we drive 20 miles in any direction it’s just one long stretch of nothing.
Hi! Just relocated from Charlotte, NC to Hingham in October. I grew up on Long Island, relocated to Charlotte in 2007. Husband is from Mt. Airy, NC, parents now live in Winston and we have a family beach house on Oak Island (near Wilmington, NC).
NC winters are painful and when I say painful, the snow we just had in Hingham the other day would have shut down the state for days. They do not have the infrastructure to support ice and hail (which is mainly what you get) in the winter. Spring is dangerous with tornado warnings/watch’s and severe thunderstorms. Summer is also extremely hot and humid. It is truly a different kind of hot. We visited MA in July when we were considering relocating here - and even though it was a similar temperature, the humidity in NC is extreme. We do nothing in the summer. Towns are also not very cohesive in NC, which was a big selling point to me in MA. I wanted my 8 year old when he gets older to ride his bike into town, walk around with friends. In NC you can have a “neighborhood” with a highway in between. NC cities are still so “new”. Don’t expect the culture, museums, history and charm.
Schools are horrendous. In Charlotte at least, services for ADHD, Autism, any kind of special needs is limited and lacking. Ratios are high (26:2 was my sons class) and private schools are 30k+ a year.
Taxes are not that significantly cheaper when you consider what you get in return. NC car tax is higher than MA, their local income tax rate is pretty much equal and utilities are priced different. In NC water is extremely pricey and most homes in a neighborhood have an HOA which has strict yard requirements (which means irrigation bills). My water bills averaged 200-300+ a month from spring to Labor Day. Plus the maintenance for the yard, irrigation and bug treatments (which is a must). Homes are also larger and that is more sqft to maintain. Our property taxes were 4k in NC and now they average 9k. Housing has shot up tremendously in NC and forget public transportation.
Another thing to keep in mind is that NC is a gigantic state. Everyone loves to say oh, NC has it all - beaches and mountains but those destinations are not close in proximity - especially in the summer. It may say 3 hours to the coast (it was 6+ hours to get to the outer banks from Charlotte) but I have a feeling it is very similar from what I hear visiting the cape is like in the summer. You’re going through one lane roads in the middle of bum F no where in bumper to bumper traffic. Most trips required at least a 3 day weekend.
My final stance on NC and one of the many reasons why we wanted to move, was the amount of hate, anger and straight up ignorance. If you’re liberal or moderate - you will struggle. I know not all of MA is liberal or moderate and I hear parts of Western MA may be similar? But this is very consistent throughout the entire state. Don’t expect to see rainbow flags and those cute signs with the red hearts on them for first responders. You will find “Straight Pride” flags / white lives matter. I personally just didn’t want my kid being raised in that environment. Most of the mountainous areas are more liberal/moderate/happy but there is 0 work in the area, so that was a no go for us. My best friend is a teacher in the state and she is sending her kid to private school and barely makes 60k (she was hired when they paid for a Masters - which they no longer do and was grandfathered in).
COVID changed NC, at least in Charlotte it did. I really believe this, things just turned ugly from a people perspective. Grown Men literally cussing you out for wearing a mask, running around with guns out and flags on their trucks. Scary times.
We visited back “home” in NC in December for the holidays and we were so ready to get back to MA.
At the end of the day, this was my experience over the last 15 years in NC. Not everyone’s will be the same and what might be a good fit for one, may not be for the other. To be honest, if you really want to move south - I would consider TN. Schools are still poor but it is smaller, lots of green in terms of trees but you will still have a far drive to the coast but you have tons of lakes, rivers, rapids. You also do not have income tax in TN. My brother and sister in law are in Chattanooga and it is a fun city. I’m not in touch with TN’s political side of house but I’m sure it is similar to NC.
I know what it is like to live somewhere you hate, it is a horrible feeling. I truly hope you find a place you can call home and enjoy whatever state you guys pick!
Lots to unpack here, and lots of difference experiences and opinions. Here are mine:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tcalloway4
Hi! Just relocated from Charlotte, NC to Hingham in October. I grew up on Long Island, relocated to Charlotte in 2007. Husband is from Mt. Airy, NC, parents now live in Winston and we have a family beach house on Oak Island (near Wilmington, NC).
NC winters are painful and when I say painful, the snow we just had in Hingham the other day would have shut down the state for days. They do not have the infrastructure to support ice and hail (which is mainly what you get) in the winter. Spring is dangerous with tornado warnings/watch’s and severe thunderstorms. Summer is also extremely hot and humid. It is truly a different kind of hot. We visited MA in July when we were considering relocating here - and even though it was a similar temperature, the humidity in NC is extreme. We do nothing in the summer. Towns are also not very cohesive in NC, which was a big selling point to me in MA. I wanted my 8 year old when he gets older to ride his bike into town, walk around with friends. In NC you can have a “neighborhood” with a highway in between. NC cities are still so “new”. Don’t expect the culture, museums, history and charm.
We have been here for 8 years (I lived in MA my whole life prior) and I think the last time I remember a bad ice storm was a year or two after we got here. It's honestly been many years since I remember any sort of "shut down for days" storm. That being said, I'd rather everything shut down for a few days than get up, shovel, go to work in terrible traffic, come home, shovel again, get on the roof and chop some ice dams, etc.
The humidity in NC is bad, no doubt about that. MA isn't all good in the summer though, there are definitely some stretches where it's as humid if not worse. The humidity doesn't stop us from doing things in the summer - we feel like we've acclimated.
I disagree with your point about non-cohesiveness. In MA the towns are old - fewer sidewalks, no real "neighborhoods". Where we lived on the 495 belt, you couldn't walk anywhere. We lived on a tiny dead end street that fed onto a numbered route with no sidewalks. You couldn't walk outside of our street. All the streets were built for horses, not cars. Here, the town is planned. The subdivisions are large and walkable, include pools, playgrounds, etc. My kids have lots of friends within the neighborhood and I have no issues letting them walk around because there's sidewalks. Tons of kids playing in culdesacs, it's great. We also are within walking distance of two grocery stores, several restaurants, a Dunks, etc.
Schools are horrendous. In Charlotte at least, services for ADHD, Autism, any kind of special needs is limited and lacking. Ratios are high (26:2 was my sons class) and private schools are 30k+ a year.
Special services are lacking - agree. But there's a reason taxes are significantly lower (see my comments later about taxes). Nobody should ever move to a place like NC from a place like MA if your child needs special services. Five minutes of research would tell you that.
Taxes are not that significantly cheaper when you consider what you get in return. NC car tax is higher than MA, their local income tax rate is pretty much equal and utilities are priced different. In NC water is extremely pricey and most homes in a neighborhood have an HOA which has strict yard requirements (which means irrigation bills). My water bills averaged 200-300+ a month from spring to Labor Day. Plus the maintenance for the yard, irrigation and bug treatments (which is a must). Homes are also larger and that is more sqft to maintain. Our property taxes were 4k in NC and now they average 9k. Housing has shot up tremendously in NC and forget public transportation.
Completely disagree - our experience has been the opposite. The main difference is property taxes. Our 1900 sf Cape 45 minutes outside Boston is currently at about 10k/year. Our 3000sf house 15 minutes outside Raleigh is about 3800/year. And we live in the "high tax" town. Our taxes have gone up 1000/yr since we bought the house 8 years ago. Our water bill is around $50/mo, I've never heard of a 300/mo water bill, but maybe Charlotte is different. Irrigation is unnecessary if you have warm-weather grass, which most subdivisions are built with. If you do have irrigation, our town offers a separate meter which you don't have to pay the sewer portion on.
Another thing to keep in mind is that NC is a gigantic state. Everyone loves to say oh, NC has it all - beaches and mountains but those destinations are not close in proximity - especially in the summer. It may say 3 hours to the coast (it was 6+ hours to get to the outer banks from Charlotte) but I have a feeling it is very similar from what I hear visiting the cape is like in the summer. You’re going through one lane roads in the middle of bum F no where in bumper to bumper traffic. Most trips required at least a 3 day weekend.
We go to the coast several times a year (Southport/OKI area like your family). We take rt 40 most of the way from Raleigh, and the only traffic we ever hit is at the 440/40 interchange for a few miles. Once we're out of Raleigh I set the cruise control at 75 and relax. Just wait until you visit the Cape in the Summer....you'll understand. Two hours forty minutes to the beach for us, 2.5 hours to the mountains. Yes it's longer than the Boston area, but it's not longer than many places west of Boston.
Beaches are soooooo much nicer in NC, and you can actually swim in the water comfortably. I will say I miss the Cape though, it has a unique charm to it for sure. I think the mountains here are kind of eh compared to New England, but I'm more of a beach person than a mountain person so that personally doesn't bother me.
My final stance on NC and one of the many reasons why we wanted to move, was the amount of hate, anger and straight up ignorance. If you’re liberal or moderate - you will struggle. I know not all of MA is liberal or moderate and I hear parts of Western MA may be similar? But this is very consistent throughout the entire state. Don’t expect to see rainbow flags and those cute signs with the red hearts on them for first responders. You will find “Straight Pride” flags / white lives matter. I personally just didn’t want my kid being raised in that environment. Most of the mountainous areas are more liberal/moderate/happy but there is 0 work in the area, so that was a no go for us. My best friend is a teacher in the state and she is sending her kid to private school and barely makes 60k (she was hired when they paid for a Masters - which they no longer do and was grandfathered in).
I haven't been to Charlotte outside of the airport, but it must be much different than Raleigh because I just don't experience that here at all. In fact, it's often the opposite. Multiple rainbow flags, BLM signs, etc in my subdivision.
COVID changed NC, at least in Charlotte it did. I really believe this, things just turned ugly from a people perspective. Grown Men literally cussing you out for wearing a mask, running around with guns out and flags on their trucks. Scary times.
I've never seen a gun here in my 8 years - again Charlotte must be much different. I will say the amount of petty crime is annoying here, and there's more shootings than I'd like. However the shootings are almost entirely in the urban areas of Raleigh and Durham, not people riding around in their trucks with flags (I never see that).
We visited back “home” in NC in December for the holidays and we were so ready to get back to MA.
Ha...as soon as I get on 93 leaving Logan, I already miss NC. You haven't been in MA very long, I'm curious how it works out for you long-term. Forget the nasty winters, the traffic and driving alone are soul-sucking.
At the end of the day, this was my experience over the last 15 years in NC. Not everyone’s will be the same and what might be a good fit for one, may not be for the other. To be honest, if you really want to move south - I would consider TN. Schools are still poor but it is smaller, lots of green in terms of trees but you will still have a far drive to the coast but you have tons of lakes, rivers, rapids. You also do not have income tax in TN. My brother and sister in law are in Chattanooga and it is a fun city. I’m not in touch with TN’s political side of house but I’m sure it is similar to NC.
We agree - everyone has different experiences. I'm not sure why you originally relocated to NC, but people often move for the wrong reasons (I'm not insinuating that you did). Like I mentioned upthread if you relocate just to have more spending money in your pocket, your relocation is guaranteed to fail. If it's a forced relocation for work or something like that, there's a good chance it may fail.
But if you've done your research,visited, visited again, did more research, made a pros/cons list, etc, then there's a good chance you will be happy with your choice if you go with your gut.
I know what it is like to live somewhere you hate, it is a horrible feeling. I truly hope you find a place you can call home and enjoy whatever state you guys pick!
I have only heard positive experiences about Raleigh. I have visited a few times and always enjoyed it. My in-laws are NC Staters so we always hear “Go Pack”! The schools also have a much, much better reputation from CMS & Union County PS.
It would be misleading to say I dislike NC as a state, my response should really be “Don’t move to Charlotte” lol and again maybe there is someone out there who just LOVES it here lol! In my 15 years living and working in Charlotte, including family have never said “wow we love it here”. It very much seems to be an in between city - what does Charlotte have? Banks - that is our “uptown”. Maybe the difference is due to Raleigh having such a positive university and medical presence. That culture and even college student presence brings that level of positive I have very much been seeing in Boston and you seem to be experiencing in Raleigh.
Utility rates can vary significantly per city/town.
My husbands family beach house has been in the family for 40 years. I love Southport (provision $ co!) and OKI - my husband has been going since a baby and I the last 15 years and it is definitely growing in popularity. It now takes us 4+ hours on a holiday weekend but it is still fun. Just not day trip possible.
I’m glad you guys have found your new home and have had a positive experience. I hope we have the same in MA!
“Nasty winters?!” It’s already mid-January and we’ve gotten maybe 4 inches of snow total. Many other states in the country got snow months before we did. It was almost 50 today. My coworker is in California and when we’d compare temps back in December, it was almost always warmer here. We haven’t had a truly nasty winter in the Boston area since 2015. I know this because we moved in 2016 and the last really bad winter was the previous year.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Remy11
Nasty winters?! It mid-January and we’ve gotten maybe 4 inches of snow total. Many other states in the country got snow months before we did. It was almost 50 today too. We haven’t had a truly nasty winter in the Boston area since 2015. I know this because we moved in 2016 and the last really bad winter was the previous year.
It sucks. Snowshoes barely get used. Ice fishing almost non existent. Tracking rarely productive. I guess the good side is I'm not a skier, but thats a selfish take. The worst thing is the impact on forestry work, the season is so short (if it exists) for frozen ground that lots of cutting isn't happening at all. I do hope there is enough ice up in VT and ME for the ice swims.
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