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I agree the Boone commute is not like driving on the interstate, but I think it's the closest place to find liberal attitudes (such as it is...Boone isn't Chapel Hill, for sure, but it's a lot more liberal than just about anywhere else in the area). I know several people who have commuted to Boone, so it is do-able. Just trying to lay out all the options here.
But really, I think Hickory is by no means a lost cause. I grew up in a much smaller town than Hickory, and there were plenty of things to get involved in that were not church-related. Places to look include civic clubs (like Lions, Kiwanis, etc.), the city/county recreation departments, volunteer organizations like United Way or the local hospital, athletic/game leagues (for both kids and adults), school PTA and volunteer opportunities, historical societies, book clubs, garden clubs, and on and on. I have to believe that Hickory offers more than my tiny town did, so I encourage the OP to not give up just yet.
I don't know the OP's outlook on things, and yes, some of her comments may make one think she is the problem. After all, to give up after only 7 weeks seems a bit rash. But then again, I'm not in her shoes, so I'm not going to judge her. I just hope she finds a comfortable place to be.
Here in Charlotte, many of the ladies I see going to church are dressed like straight up prostitutes. They all seem to be looking for a man who "believes in the lord". Whether one believes in God or not, most men can relate to an attractive woman who can afford to place $50 in a collection plate.
Sort of reminds me of a line from a movie about how the same women you see at church on Sunday were getting their freak on at the club on Saturday. Heck, a church filled with scantily clad, affluent single females might be enough to get even me out of bed on Sunday mornings, godless heathen that I am.
Do you have a clue on housing in Blowing Rock? Seriously?
Actually, yes. We have a house in Boone. I'm familiar with the property prices in the area which is why I gave a caveat of if she could find something in her price range. Boone would be cheaper, but farther.
That's not accurate at all. Since I have been here, I have already been exposed to racial hate, antisemitism, and rampant homophobia. I feel that the area in general in not accepting or tolerating of people of different groups of people. My world view is love and peace and acceptance of all people for who they are...so yes if you don't align with my view of love, peace and acceptance, then I don't have any reason to tolerate you.
I'm exposed to those things every day by watching the news and reading the paper, what is your point? If you constantly look for things to offend you then you will find them. Unfortunately there are people in this world that are not as "enlightened" as you are. That doesn't mean everyone in a specific area is like that.
I'm going take a guess and say that before you moved down here you talked about it with your Northern friends and they all made jokes about how we are all uneducated, Bible-thumping, racist homophobes. Then when you got down here you looked for any minor transgression to confirm your stereotypical view of the area to use it as an excuse to isolate yourself and not make any effort to be social with anyone. Then you complain about how much you hate living in NC.
I have observed this pattern repeat itself over and over with many transplants. If you are this unhappy I can't think of anything that will solve your issues other than moving back to where you are originally from.
I went through 8 pages and am surprised this wasn't brought up.. but OP, if you recently moved here, and aren't happy so far, why on earth would you want to buy a house now!? First off, not every place is going to work for everyone, and just because you know 20 people who moved to north carolina and raved about how cheap it was (which isn't the case since NC is in the middle of the pack), doesn't mean you are going to move here and like it. You may find yourself within the next two years deciding that you like it here, and want to stay for good. Or you may find that it's just not for you, and you are ready to move on. Nothing wrong with not liking everywhere you live, it's just human nature, we are all different, and have different tastes. But deciding that you don't like a place so far, so clearly the next step is to buy a house somewhere is a flat out terrible idea. If you decide that North Carolina isn't for you, but you've got a recently purchased house that now needs to be sold before you leave, you've unnecessarily created an anchor that will do nothing but increase the feeling of bitterness. Do yourself a favor, and decide if you are ready to spend the next 20 years somewhere before you buy a house.
Actually, yes. We have a house in Boone. I'm familiar with the property prices in the area which is why I gave a caveat of if she could find something in her price range. Boone would be cheaper, but farther.
Well, actually, I am sitting in my second home right now, located 7 miles from Blowing Rock. And my son lives here as he has a job here. And we have been looking at what property is available for him to buy in the $185K range for about 18 months. It is pretty shocking what is out there and at what price point. Of course, they can opt to live in an apartment, surrounded by students.
Perhaps you haven't really researched property lately, poppydog. Even with the economic downturn, Blowing Rock property is expensive as much of it is resort property . . . and what isn't resort property is often rented to students . . . or to tourists.
Yesterday I had a dentist appointment in Blowing Rock and had to sit and wait on traffic b/c of road construction.
I love this area, but it is not an inexpensive area to live in. We bought our second home over 18 years ago and I saw prices triple over the years . . . and even with the economic downturn, property is still high here.
I mean - sure - you can get a house for $185K. But it may be < 1200 sq. ft, 60 years old, poorly insulated, sitting on a gravel road several miles from a state road, have a wood stove and no neighbors nearby. I find that quite acceptable at this stage of my life, but I wouldn't have found that acceptable for year round living when I was raising kids.
Or you can find a condo amidst other condos that parents have purchased so their kids can live in them while in school here. Or one that is owned by part time owners who rent it out during tourist season.Typically, those will be closer to Boone than Blowing Rock.
I am not here to argue . . . just as you said . . . just laying out some options. I do agree that there are homes in the Boone area that can be found in that price range, as well as in Vilas, Todd, Newland, Mountain City, TN, Trade, TN, etc. But those areas are not Blowing Rock.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,813 posts, read 34,657,307 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by netbrad
I'm exposed to those things every day by watching the news and reading the paper, what is your point? If you constantly look for things to offend you then you will find them. Unfortunately there are people in this world that are not as "enlightened" as you are. That doesn't mean everyone in a specific area is like that.
I'm going take a guess and say that before you moved down here you talked about it with your Northern friends and they all made jokes about how we are all uneducated, Bible-thumping, racist homophobes. Then when you got down here you looked for any minor transgression to confirm your stereotypical view of the area to use it as an excuse to isolate yourself and not make any effort to be social with anyone. Then you complain about how much you hate living in NC.
I have observed this pattern repeat itself over and over with many transplants. If you are this unhappy I can't think of anything that will solve your issues other than moving back to where you are originally from.
Actually, on the Charlotte board we tell people outright to keep away from Lincolnton. The only native who I know who has not outright disparaged Lincolnton is a woman from Gaston County whose widowed father sold his farm in Gaston County & moved into Lincolnton. She & her siblings have to go help him regularly because his neighbors will not. That's hardly a thumbs up for the place.
While the OP has made some aggressive posts, get off your high horse about Lincolnton. She's in the ballpark there.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,813 posts, read 34,657,307 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Man From Utopia
I never said Burke County was liberal. I never said Democrats in Burke county were liberal. I was pointing out that Burke County and especially Morganton was more likely to vote Democratic than the surrounding counties. Yes, Democrats are more likely to be liberal than Republicans are.
"if you think all Southerners who are registered Dem" You mean all those Charlotte City Council Democrats who voted against the budget, and Mayor Foxx(Democrat) who stated that was irresponsible.
I'm sorry, I completely understand NC politics.
Can you say Blue Dogs? The Dems in Burke County are Blue Dog Democrats. In the new apportionment Burke was combined with Cleveland County for the state legislture. Cleveland is majority Democratic, & is a blend of Blue Dogs & regular Democrats.
We live outside of Hickory. The family across the road from us is not religious, does not go to church. They are even Democrats. But I don't think OP would like them anyway, because she would find them too respectful of religion. You couldn't sit around and scoff at religious folk together - after all, those despised "religious folk" are their parents, neighbors, cousins, etc., and they love and respect them.
OP, you have been in Hickory seven weeks. Away from friends and family, in a strange culture - a very strange culture - and I think at home with your children while your husband works. It isn't an easy situation, and I don't know how people in that situation usually find friends. I realize you have no interest in church and I wouldn't recommend that you join one. But you will be pretty lonely if you refuse to associate with anyone who does go to church. In fact, in some of your responses, it seemed like you wouldn't even want to associate with anyone who associates with church people. In that case - if you need to be that far removed from religion, and if you cannot like or respect anyone who is not like you in that way - this is definitely not the place for you.
There are a lot of people in Hickory who are not believers, but like my neighbors, most of them are not going to be vocal about it. If you want to find other couples and kids for friendship and fun - start visiting places you might find them, get past believing that all believers in God have cooties, and stop worrying about whether they have Bibles in their homes. If you want to be around people who will scoff at religion with you, it will take you a while to find them.
Maybe they are more likely to be in Charlotte, but even there they won't be the majority. In my opinion, it isn't worth ten hours/week of commuting, especially when you have children. But maybe for you it's worth it.
Last edited by sll3454; 06-14-2012 at 09:09 AM..
Reason: comma
I'm really not getting a vibe from the OP that she wants to sit around and scoff at religious folks, nor did I read anywhere that she said she would refuse to associate with people who go to church. What she did say was she didn't want to go to church and she didn't want her kids to go to church which, of course, is her right just as it is the right of other folks to attend the church/synagogue/mosque/pagan temple of their choice. I don't think she has any problem with people going to church. What she has a problem with is finding a way to integrate herself and her kids into her community w/o going to church. And she would like to be in a less conservative area. Maybe the "fairy story" bit was a little heavy handed, but so is telling her to suck it up and go to church.
I do know a lot of people who had lapsed from their childhood religion and when they had kids themselves found that they were drawn back to the church partly to provide a connection and a nurturing place for their kids. And I think that's what some of the previous posters were suggesting. But going back to your religion when you've just kind of slacked off on it is different from deciding that you don't believe and you don't want to teach or have anyone else teach your children to believe.
Personally, I wouldn't want to live in Hickory, either. And I'm not a yankee. My family and my spouse's family have been in NC since before the revolutionary war. I am a liberal atheist and I wouldn't want to live a lot of places in NC, but there are a lot of places that I could see myself living. I'm very happy in Chapel Hill. Could be happy in Durham, Pittsboro, Hillsborough. Don't like bigger cities, so Raleigh and Charlotte, Winston, G-boro would not top my list. I grew up in Fayetteville and am really glad I don't live there any more. I like Wilmington and many of the beach towns, though, and Boone, Asheville and some of the smaller mt towns (where there is a lot of religion, but folks will leave you alone, too—one half of my family is from the mts).
If I had a job in Granite Falls and didn't want to live there, personally, for me, I'd look at something closer to the mountains because it's beautiful there and I like the cultural vibe there better. However, the OP may not be interested in the mountains and might prefer something closer to a more urban area like Charlotte. Even if living in Charlotte itself is too far to reasonably commute, living nearer Charlotte would put her closer to all the bigger city has to offer on the weekends. I have relatives in Charlotte and it's just not for me, but the OP might really like it.
So 828Mom, if you're still out there. What do you want in a town besides less conservative and less religious-oriented?
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