North Carolina Versus Washington State? (Charlotte, Raleigh: real estate, mortgage, house)
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We are in the preliminary stages of deciding where to relocate to.
North Carolina, Charlotte in particular, seems to be a magnet for relocation right now. We are equally drawn to Washington state and researching both areas now.
Employment is not an issue. We are looking for a temperate climate and want to live in a watefront house, lakes and rivers are fine although we live on a saltwater bay in Florida now. A serene setting is preferred. I am aware of the general winter gloom/rain issues in Washington and I think North Carolina has summer heat and humidity issues which probably balances out the two places for us.
Well I am from oregon and would have to say that Washington state is amazing, i actually liked it better than Oregon, lots of jobs and the locations you are looking for, lots of water front, Seattle is expensive but there are plenty of communities around the city that are still affordable, there is alot to see and do, mountains, lakes, ocean, rivers, amazing trees and wildlife, there is a reason they call it the evergreen state. It does rain!
I live in NC now but we are moving to AZ for a job, but if I could go back to the Pacific Northwest it would be to washington.
Personally, the rain, drizzle, clouds would get to me after a while. NC has more sun, is more affordable, and has beaches, lakes, rivers, and is very green. My pastor moved here (suburb of Charlotte) 3 years ago from Renton, WA to pastor our church. He said they enjoyed it there, but has fallen in love with NC. Wahsington is a great and beautiful state, don't get me wrong. It's definately a personal opinion. I just really love our 4-season climate here. Good luck in your search!!!!!
I am also considering moving to NC from the Pacific Northwest, western Oregon to be specific. If I move, it will be to eastern NC, for a particular job, so I don't have the luxury of moving anywhere in the state I want. I am concerned about adapting to the humidity again (I used to live in southern Illinois, so it's not that foreign to me). I love the weather here most of the time, although it is pretty wet and overcast from Nov - March or April, sometimes longer. Wish there was some way I could live here in the summers and there in the winter! Maybe when I retire......... Anyway, any other former Pac NW'ers in eastern NC? Is the humidity really THAT bad?
The average annual relative humidity in North Carolina is 65-75%, but the temperature varies more than 20° Fahrenheit from the Mountain to the Coastal Plain Region. Although the humidity does not vary greatly across the state, the heat index (comfort level) does.
Data: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
I am also considering moving to NC from the Pacific Northwest, western Oregon to be specific. If I move, it will be to eastern NC, for a particular job, so I don't have the luxury of moving anywhere in the state I want. I am concerned about adapting to the humidity again (I used to live in southern Illinois, so it's not that foreign to me). I love the weather here most of the time, although it is pretty wet and overcast from Nov - March or April, sometimes longer. Wish there was some way I could live here in the summers and there in the winter! Maybe when I retire......... Anyway, any other former Pac NW'ers in eastern NC? Is the humidity really THAT bad?
The fact is...the humidity IS that bad. lol
But it is not much different from southern Illinois. Another thing, it's only like this during the late spring through the summer. During the fall and the winter the humidity gets low.
In the most extreme cases, you will see temps climb in the low 100's in eastern NC, and drop below zero in the winter. That is the extremes though. Three times in my life the temp has dropped below zero. The coldest was minus 9.
The high temps range from 88-98 in the summer. And anywhere from 25 to 65in the winter months. The winters here can be kind of extreme. I remember winters as a kid when the temps would be in the low 70's, then it would be snowing the next day.
Anyway, I say yes, the humidity in the summer is horrible
Overall, the winters are mild to cold. It always changes. The summers are brutal. expect low to mid 90's most every day, with little extremes.
I am an NC native but lived in Seattle proper for about a year. I like warm weather, so the Seattle summers just didn't cut it for me. Way to cool. It was 50 degrees in the morning in June...that just isn't right to me.
I could deal with the lack of sun, and in reality it never rains that much or that hard, just a light drizzle most of the time there. The city of Seattle is incredible and the surrounding scenery is unmatched. However I have a much higher quality of life here in NC. It's cheaper, especially housing, and there are more days where you can get outside and do stuff comfortably. True the summers are hot and humid, but there is never more than a month or two of weather here all year long where it is just too unbearable to be outside. Compare that to Seattle where you have a steady 3-4 months of gray and rain mixed with 40 degree weather, and I'll take NC any day.
We just moved to Raleigh this past June from Washington after living there for 2 years. Throwing in my 2 cents, I would have to say 'Washington'. We moved because we wanted to buy the home of our dreams, or at least close to it without spending over half a million. Check out the "Olympic Peninsula" -- stunningly gorgeous!! If you have the cash (and it sounds like you do) check out real estate in Sequim, Port Townsend, or Port Ludlow. I personally adore Port Townsend. Aside from that, I loved Seattle - to me, in a tiny way it felt like a smaller version of Toronto.
There is also way more to do in WA State, and as far as I'm concerned - a lot more to see. We loved going on road trips. Try driving through the amazing Cascade Range...WOW! And Mt. Rainier?? AH-MAZE-ING! Check out Hurricane Ridge, a 5,000+ high mountain you can actually drive up! We loved and still love Washington. The mountains here in NC are gorgeous, but to me, nothing beats those in Washington.
If you don't mind lots of driving, you are also near gorgeous States like Idaho and Oregon where there's lots more to see and do.
To me - the weather was perfect in Washington. Being Canadian, I like a bit of breeze and hate humidity. This summer here in Raleigh was quite unbearable, and thankfully it was only a couple months of heat wave!
If we had a bit more $ and were a bit less stubborn with what we wanted in a home, perhaps we would have stayed. In hindsight -- we even think we may have made a $10,000 mistake (5 grand for the cost of moving here from there and 5 grand for possibly going back, LOL.)
Nothing beats the Pacific Northwest.
I agree, as far as scenery and for the most part weather. But while climate and surroundings are important components of being happy, they aren't everything. I spend so much each month on my mortgage (and I certainly don't live in my "dream home"), that there isn't anything left over to save or to spend enjoying life with my kids. So while I expect to be homesick and miss the weather and the scenery, it will be nice to be able to buy a house and still have some money left over each month!
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WA State all the way!
