Quote:
Originally Posted by kristine
Run far from Sanford!!!!..We just moved from there to Ohio..The town can be deceiving from first glance..Looks like it is so nice and has the small town charm...The crime is high...Unless you don't particularly like your valuables-then it may not seem so bad....Almost every day, the newspaper is filled with arrests and court records....Schools suck and the heat and humidity is awful!!...Winter consists of ice storms....Rarely snow...Forgot to mention hurricanes...Yes, you can get lots of hurricane damage that far inland..We know from Hurricane Fran...July and August are so hot..In the 90's (once in a while it hits 99 or 100)with 1,000,000,000% humidity...heat index can get up to 105 or so....Our air conditioning could never keep up with it and we still had the almost $200/month electric bills....Most people there are uppity (whether they have money or a trailer!)..Gangs and drugs-crack and crystal meth- are unbelievable..Not to mention the tons of illegal immigrants....and, hookers in downtown ....Most jobs require fluent Spanish... Trust me when I say, "do not be fooled"....IF I HAD to move back to NC-I would recommend Wilmington on the coast or Sylva (a small town in the mountains)....Carolina Trace, referred to above, is a gated community of mostly older retirees from the North.....Some people really seem to love Sanford...It's just not the environment I want to live in or raise my kids ....Goodluck in whatever you choose!!....
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To balance this response a little...
Sanford has all the problems you describe above, although I'm not sure in the quantity suggested. After all, all cities have the same or similar problems, some more, some less.
Although it is true that the "Police Beat" in the paper does list around 5 events a day, they are often just the run-of-the-mill police calls any city has. Given that Sanford has a population of just under 30,000, this really isn't a high number. And as far as court/legal postings, just pick up any city's newspaper, and you'll see similar volume, probably more.
I think one factor that may make it seem like more volume than it is, is that our local paper is so small
I suppose "it is all relative" depending upon where someone comes from, but I've lived across the breadth of the US in large and small cities, and Sanford is far from being "crime ridden".
And opinions on weather is again very subjective. Sanford is in the South, what can I say. I am from Louisiana, lived in Houston and Florida for years as well, and can attest that the humidity here in Sanford, while high(although no higher than similar areas throughout the area) is nothing compared to my former states of residence. We've had very mild winters these last two years, and the last two weekends were in the 60s with bright clear skies, in February.
If one is unsure of your "comfort zone", check out weather statistics for areas you prefer or can stand, and then look at the statistics for the Piedmont of NC to see if it is for you.
It is true that at the extremes we can get ice in the Winter(haven't for 2 years now) and 100+ in the Summer. But both are extremes, and the median is far more mild. And hurricanes are rare, although it is fair to point out that they can hit NC and come inland. But that is true of the entire SE and Gulf Coasts. Fran was an extreme example, and was indeed damaging this far inland. However Hurricane Fran hit in 1996, was the strongest hurricane to make a direct hit on North Carolina since Hazel in 1954, and the first to brush the coast at the time since 1993.
Here is NC specific hurricane and tropical storm data:
State Climate Office of North Carolina: NC Hurricanes (http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/climate/hurricane.php - broken link)
And again, Sanford is about 2-3 hours inland, so even if a hurricane come inland or up through SC, the odds rapidly decrease that the storm will have much impact to the Raleigh area.
So I wouldn't characterize the weather specific to Sanford as extreme or unusual. It is typical of the general area's weather characteristics. If that sort of weather isn't for you, that's OK of course, but is very desirable for millions of Americans.
We do have a relatively large Hispanic population here in Sanford, which for many is considered a benefit, as it lends to cultural diversity. This community is a direct result of NC's agricultural legacy as many migrant workers came to NC to work the tobacco fields, etc. And many stayed to settle. But the comment that fluent Spanish is required for many jobs is just not accurate. I suppose it might be beneficial for some occupations, but Spanish isn't a daily requirement in Sanford like in some areas of California, Texas, or Florida. And even if it were more commonly encountered in Sanford, I have to be frank and offer that's more often the reality worldwide, not the exception. We do have some "mercados", and some signs in Spanish, and some businesses do advertise "habla espanol" but again, it's all relative...
And finally, I really haven't found anyone to be "uppity" in Sanford. In the brief two years we've lived here, we've made more friends than all other places we've lived, we've gotten involved in a number of community groups, and have never felt so personally empowered to have the ear of local government. Where else does your Mayor wave at you as she drives by your house(and knows your name), and your City Councilman personally calls you every so often to see how things are going?
We asked for a community stop-sign, and within a few days, it was installed!
As far as schools, that is readily researched. Sanford(Lee County) schools do have some challenges, but then again, look at Wake County's issues, which consistently rank among the country's best. At least at the elementary and junior high level(where our kids are), we've found the schools to be fine.
Also, if you do an advanced search on all of the North Carolina City Data forums for "Sanford", you will find quite a few threads that reference Sanford. This may help you find some additional and helpful information.
A fairly recent thread is:
Can anyone tell me about Sanford?
Sanford isn't perfect, but is a nice mid-sized town, well placed, and showing lots of potential.
Wilmington and Slyva are indeed nice recommendations, but represent entirely different parts of the state, geographically speaking. If you like mountains(and the weather associated), then moving to the West of the state is the place to look. If one likes the coastal areas(and also associated weather), then head East. However, Sanford is in the Piedmont of NC, almost dead-center of the state(which BTW, is an advantage) and shares its weather, geography, and other characteristics with its peers.
To your question about Lillington, it is about 15 minutes from Sanford, and is quite a bit smaller. I don't know much about the local government or schools unfortunately. The downtown area is pretty abbreviated, and doesn't have a lot of shopping and other resources.
Perhaps someone who knows Lillington better will offer their feedback.
Cheers,
Al
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