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My husband and I have lived in Southern California for a majority of our lives. We have both come to the conclusion that we do not want to raise our family here. We would like to relocate to the South. We have been going back and forth between Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolin and South Carolina. We would like to live in a safe area that is full of young families. We have 1 child and are excited to continue our families growth in the future. Education is also very important to us. My husband is in the consulting and online marketing industry....being near a city would be ideal as well as near a sports team of some sort....college or pro. Any suggestions?
A little background: my wife and I have lived (or worked) in nearly every state in the Southeast (with the exception of MS, LA, and FL - although, we nearly took a job in the Panhandle several years ago).
I do agree that the Southeast (in general) is a fantastic area to raise a family. It looks like your priorities are: education, safe areas, near a big city, sports (college or pro). Any other priorities? Near the beach, mountains, outdoor activities, particular city size, etc?
Of your choices (GA, NC, SC, TN) - Tennessee will have the overall lowest tax burden and North Carolina will have the highest. Please search this topic as it has been discussed numerous times. In general, TN has no state income tax and no yearly auto property taxes. NC has both (and NC state taxes are quite high). Property taxes in all of those states will be relatively low.
The largest city/metro (by far) in those states is Atlanta. I would not recommend moving there (of course, there will be numerous opinions) unless you absolutely need all 4 professional sports and pricey, boutique shopping venues. The traffic is horrible and appealing, family areas (Alpharetta, Cumming, etc) are expensive.
If your priority is to live near the mountains: research Knoxville (TN), Greenville (SC), and Chattanooga (TN). The Greenville (SC) CSA is actually the largest (of the 3) at 1.2 million and has a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc etc. Greenville is about 45 minutes south of Asheville, NC. Also, research the NC Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point) - Winston-Salem is about 90 minutes to Boone, NC. I really like Greensboro but its even further away from the mountains.
If your priority is the ocean, I recommend: Raleigh, NC (fairly close to some decent NC beaches) and Charleston, SC.
If you desire a moderate to large "scenic" city (mountainous backdrop, ocean/water views, etc), I recommend: Chattanooga (IMHO, the most scenic city of the 4 states), Asheville (although only a moderate sized metro area - also very pricey), and Charleston.
Sports cities include: (Atlanta, of course, as noted above) Nashville - has the Titans, Predators (the Brentwood/Franklin area is fantastic for families). Charlotte with the Panthers, Bobcats.
Since your from CA, I suppose Trader Joe's could be a important part of your life . At this time, TJ's has stores in Nashville (1), Atlanta area (6), Charlotte (3), Raleigh area (3), Athens (GA,1), and Greenville (SC, 1).
Please remember this is an opinion board (there will be LOTS of opinions) and your questions are broad.
Last edited by drfranklin; 11-04-2010 at 07:36 AM..
More sports: Raleigh has the Hurricanes. College basketball is huge. Several cities have minor league baseball. Charlotte also has the highest-level minor-league hockey (whatever that is called).
We moved to NC from Southern California a few years ago. For me the biggest challenge has been the heat. It is much worse than CA because of the humidity, the length of the hot season, the fact that it doesn't cool off at night during the summer, and the contrast between winter and summer. The air quality is better, though. Because of the heat, I'd recommend NC over SC and GA, where it's even worse. (I can't imagine.) I don't know about TN.
NC taxes are higher than nearby states, but lower than CA. Sales tax is lower, but food is also taxed, at 2%.
I am sorry my questions are so broad. We truly are open to anywhere in those states...as long as it is out of California we are happy My biggest priority is safety and education for my children. Sometime in the next 10 years we plan on building a home. We would like to stay in the same area so our kids don't have to move school districts. So somewhere that has room to grow. We want enough property to be near neighbors but still have privacy...even a small area for horses
You've got lots of options here. Cities where you can find good schools and either a strong college or pro sports scene include Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville in TN; Atlanta; the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte in NC; and Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston in SC. Practically all of these cities have safe areas full of young families. Maybe you want to include a bit more criteria so we can narrow it down for you.
I am sorry my questions are so broad. We truly are open to anywhere in those states...as long as it is out of California we are happy My biggest priority is safety and education for my children. Sometime in the next 10 years we plan on building a home. We would like to stay in the same area so our kids don't have to move school districts. So somewhere that has room to grow. We want enough property to be near neighbors but still have privacy...even a small area for horses
You've still given very little to go on, not enough for anyone to tell you "Yes, unquestionably X is better for you than Y". You will need to investigate various areas and see what appeals to your own needs and interests. Moving "to get away from somewhere" is understandable, but if that's truly your only criteria, then technically you have 49 states to choose from. The more other info you can provide, the easier it will be for smeone to advise you. Figure out what specifically has set your sites on the states you mention, and expand on those reasons, for example.
I would say 2 hours is "fairly close" to the coast.
People in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Minn/St. Paul, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, DC, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Boise, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Toledo, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis, Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany, Birmingham, Wichita, Chattanooga, Charlotte, Rochester, Louisville, Roanoke, Harrisburg, Omaha, Reno, Albuquerque, Charleston, Lexington, Columbus, Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Asheville, Knoxville, Evansville, Tulsa, Topeka, Bismark, Billings, Scranton and about 5,000 other cities and towns would most likely consider it "fairly close" as well.
I used to live in Southern California and I know of many places in the Greater LA area that would easily take 1-2 hours to get to the beach.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovebrentwood
Is 2 hours from the coast "fairly close" to the coast? Raleigh is 2 hours from Wilmington.
The reason we narrowed it down to those 4 states was based on a cross country drive this past summer. We were so impressed with the South and how hospitable everyone was not to mention how much cheaper the cost of living is. While we love living 2 minutes from the ocean...being able to be financially free is more important to us. My husband lived in Cherry Creek, CO for 5 years and loves the mountains. I too love the mountains but am not sure if I could handle it year round. My sister-in-law moved from San Diego to Greenville in June and is so happy with the move and it has encouraged us to do the same. My husband loved loved loved Atlanta,GA and Franklin,TN. Franklin is just outside of Nashville, the communities seemed great and I have only heard positve things about it. I do not know much about Atlanta other than it is a big city and there are lots of sports teams there. Personally.....I have always loved the Carolinas. They have amazing beauty and they seem to have everything I am looking for in a place to build a home. I don't really have specifics because I don't know much about the Carolinas. Mainly why I am on here.....to figure out where people recommend for young families in he Carolinas : ) Once we have it narrowed down to a few cities we will take a trip and dig a little deeper : )
Don't drink the Kool-Aid.......Stay west but come a little further inland.....Try Arizona/Colorado/Texas.....but dont come South...South is not all what is cracked up to be....Yes..people move here and YES they do like it, because it's affordable...I will give the "South" that...but then some people have moved here and moved back to California....after a year or two....They missed the culture, diversity,things to do....Seriously, Think Long & Think Strong...
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. At this time, TJ's has 
My biggest priority is safety and education for my children. Sometime in the next 10 years we plan on building a home. We would like to stay in the same area so our kids don't have to move school districts. So somewhere that has room to grow. We want enough property to be near neighbors but still have privacy...even a small area for horses
