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Sorry to start a new Raleigh vs. Charlotte thread, I but couldn't find anything that quite fits our situation. We're moving to NC this summer from Illinois and found two houses we like: one in suburban Raleigh (Wake Forest) and one in suburban Charlotte (Fort Mill, SC). Any advice on which would be the better choice for us, given the description in the title, would be much appreciated.
The title isn't really saying much, but I will address that later. Personally, I'd pick Fort Mill hands down over Wake Forest.
1) Fort Mill is cheaper (SC has lower gasoline, county, and property taxes)
2) Fort Mill has MUCH more to do than Wake Forest
3) Fort Mill is 15-20 mins from uptown Charlotte; Wake Forest is at best 30 mins out from downtown Raleigh
4) Fort Mill is closer to more "interesting" places for a weekend trip (ie Charleston or the mountains)
5) Fort Mill has the Baxter Village area (997 Market Street, Fort Mill, South Carolina, - Google Maps) ;(Welcome to Baxter Village | Fort Mill SC Master Planned Community)
6) To be fair, Wake Forest has Savannah Village at Wakefield Homes For Sale ; however Baxter has a better location IMO (see point #2; more things to do in Fort Mill)
As for the title
7) Wake Forest is located in a county that voted for Obama; Fort Mill's county did not (Fort Mill's next door neighbor of Charlotte did though)
8) fort mill sc catholic church - Google Maps ; St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School (Wake Forest)
9) Then there is the fact that gay clubs are closer to Fort Mill than they are to Wake Forest (Fort Mill area gay clubs - Google Maps ; Wake Forest area gay clubs - Google Maps)
10) Being that you are retired (clubs may or may not be your thing), I'd simply view the closer proximity of gay clubs (to Fort Mill) as a "clue" to how people think near Fort Mill vs Wake Forest.
I agree that your title is somewhat cryptic. I can't speak for Fort Mill but the Triangle area is open-minded and gay-positive (I'm gay and grew up here). Our new LGBT Center has just started up a "Gay and Gray" group specifically for seniors, and had their first social event last week. But, other than political climate, you don't mention anything else you might be looking for--mountains vs coast, city vs country, etc? NC has a little bit of everything, so the more specific you can be about what you are looking for, the better. There are certainly more places than just WF and FM that fit the (limited) criteria you've mentioned.
We've visited the areas and they both seem to have everything we'd need in terms of shopping, things to do, etc. We're more concerned about whether we'd "fit" into one place better than the other. We're coming from the Midwest and will have no family or friends nearby, so meeting people and making friends will be a must for us. We're not gay but two of our children are, and we want them to be comfortable when they come to stay. We're looking at small houses/townhomes in communities that have associations that take care of outside maintenance. A nearby church is important, as well as medical care and access to a good-sized airport.
We raised our kids in a very conservative suburb outside Chicago and the first thing they did when they grew up was leave. It's hard to gauge the "feel" of a place when you're coming from the outside. That's where we're having a problem. Thanks for your input; it's much appreciated.
We've visited the areas and they both seem to have everything we'd need in terms of shopping, things to do, etc. We're more concerned about whether we'd "fit" into one place better than the other. We're coming from the Midwest and will have no family or friends nearby, so meeting people and making friends will be a must for us. We're not gay but two of our children are, and we want them to be comfortable when they come to stay. We're looking at small houses/townhomes in communities that have associations that take care of outside maintenance. A nearby church is important, as well as medical care and access to a good-sized airport.
We raised our kids in a very conservative suburb outside Chicago and the first thing they did when they grew up was leave. It's hard to gauge the "feel" of a place when you're coming from the outside. That's where we're having a problem. Thanks for your input; it's much appreciated.
Well, if your gay children will just be here to visit, likely they will be with you and family the whole time anyway, no? So the "local GLBT climate" would be only peripherally interesting to them. There is a thriving community here with lot to do, but I don't think someone in town to visit their parents would be doing much of that anyway, eh? Unless they came in mid-August during the NC Gay/Lesbian Film Festival in Durham, or during GLBT Pride weekend in late September.
You will find lots of churches in NC and many locals will ask you about joining a church early in the greeting process. 99% of the time, this is meant to be helpful, and if you aren't interested, just say so--though you say you ARE looking for a church home, so you will likely want to shop around some.
Your desires sound very low-maintenance, so I think you will "fit" in in either of the places you mention, in addition to numerous other locations!
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