whats it like to live in NC (Asheville: house prices, job market)

[Nobodysfool4766]

I am intrested in moving and want to find a good place all around to live. i was wondering what it was like to live there. what the temps are like and the job market. hows the cost of living and so forth.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by Nobodysfool4766

I am intrested in moving and want to find a good place all around to live. i was wondering what it was like to live there. what the temps are like and the job market. hows the cost of living and so forth.

You'll need to be a LOT more specific than that. Are you aware how large and diverse a state NC is? It's not like Vermont We have mountains, flatlands, and beaches. We have large urban cities, small cities, towns, and country. We have very Republican areas and very liberal areas. Over 9 million people live in NC with very diverse lifestyles--there is no one "way that people live in NC".

What specifically has drawn you to this state? The job market is not terrific but mostly varies by industry--what would you be looking for? Cost of living is lower than large Northeastern cities, though many say there are extra costs here that aren't elsewhere. Temps are MUCH hotter and more humid here in the summer than anything you're used to, but the winters are mild.

You should search through old threads in the forum that would answer various specific questions you might have, but "what's it like to live in NC?" will get you approximately 9 million different answers Probably you should plan to visit the area and see what you think of it firsthand before seriously considering relocating. You'd need to decide whether mountains, Piedmont, or coast are what you're looking for, city or rural, etc. research the specific industry you would be looking for jobs in, and decide which part of the state interests you.

[zthatzmanz28]

HOT and humid in places. Warm and mild in other paces. In Western Carolina it snows way more than the Piedmont or Coastal regions. Jobs are hard to come by (particularly general labor) unless you know someone or have specific training / skills. COL is higher than some midwest areas, but lower than the northeastern area of US. Same with taxes. Some folks complain Taxolina is out of control, other folks say it's better than where they were living.

[Tanya Donaghy]

Originally Posted by Nobodysfool4766

I am intrested in moving and want to find a good place all around to live. i was wondering what it was like to live there. what the temps are like and the job market. hows the cost of living and so forth.

I'll start by saying that my husband (also from the Plainfield area) and I moved from Vermont about 4 years ago... We chose McDowell County in Western North Carolina after doing quite a bit of research and after several visits. So, here's a little bit of information that might be helpful...

As, the others that have already posted replies have said, there is a lot of diversity across the state, so it really does depend on what you're looking for. However, if you're looking for an environment that looks more like Vermont than others, but is a lot warmer, Western North Carolina is probably where you would want to be. That's a big reason that we chose this area. We picked McDowell County specifically because of the lower house prices, lower taxes and the wider range of larger parcels of land. For example, we lived in a similar area in Vermont and were paying about $2K in taxes each year, where as here, we pay less than $1K on 4 times the amount of land... quite a difference!!

McDowell County is also lower in elevation than some areas in Western North Carolina and we don't get as much snow here as they do in places like Asheville. However, we still do get some snow almost every year. Well... kind of... The longest we've seen it last since we've been here is a week and that was after getting about 8 inches. Usually though it's only a little dusting and doesn't last long at all. Nothing like the 6 months of snow on the ground that we had in Vermont...

We also picked Western North Carolina because we wanted to stay away from the hurricanes that they tend to get more in the coastal areas. That's not to say that we don't ever get hurricanes here, but we don't get them as frequently and they don't seem to be as severe.

As for the job situation... Like every other place in this country right now, the job market is a little slumped... though it does depend on the field that you work in... From what I've been seeing here lately, there are quite a bit of businesses coming into this area.

Well, I have to admit that you've got me a little bit curious... your login name doesn't give me any clues as to who you are and whether or not you are someone that my husband and I know...

[downhome55]

Are there good swimming holes close to Asheville? This is vital for my husband.

[carolinadawg2]

Originally Posted by downhome55

Are there good swimming holes close to Asheville? This is vital for my husband.

//www.city-data.com/forum/weste...things-do.html

[Francois]

Originally Posted by downhome55

Are there good swimming holes close to Asheville? This is vital for my husband.

The Western NC forum has a lot more specifics about Asheville.

[mlhm5]

Winters have virtually no snow or ground cover, except for the day it snows. Very rare for the temp not to be above 40F. Winters are short and over by mid March or before.

Summers are buggy, hot and humid with 90F common in late April early May. 6 degrees cooler in the mountains with elevation. You will never see 90F at 3000 ft. Not buggy at all.

The RTP IMO, is the hub of NC. Schools vary and there is no guarantee of assignment in Wake Co.