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Old 12-10-2012, 08:04 AM
 
9 posts, read 48,693 times
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Hi Everyone,
My husband and I are relocating to North Carolina in 2013. We are 30-somethings, love good food & dining out, no children yet but plan to start a family soon. We have narrowed down our choices to Monroe or the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area. Can you all give me some pluses and minuses of both areas for a couple like ourselves? My biggest fear about Pinehurst/SP area is that its full of retired golfers and we would be out of place there with not enough of a social life. But I love the appeal of it being a small/charming area with a New England feel (where we come from). Monroe appeals to me because we'd be much closer to Charlotte so it'd be easier to get to the airport/nice dining options, etc but I really don't know much else about this area. Are there nice neighborhoods that would be great for starting a family? Any areas we should stay away from?

Any input you can provide would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
NewtoCarolinas
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Old 12-10-2012, 08:35 AM
 
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Pinehurst/SP has a "New England" feel? What gave you that impression? Hot, humid summers, lots of pine trees and few hardwoods, mostly flat land...I don't see anything about it that says New England.

Regardless, it's a nice area, but as you say it's not the most happening for younger folks. That said, there are some nice restaurants/bars and activities given its size. I don't know a lot about Monroe other than passing through on US 74, but on the surface it wouldn't have much attraction for me. It is near Charlotte, but so are a number of other places.

Can you give us a little more to go on? What is it that drew you to these two choices?
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Old 12-10-2012, 08:40 AM
 
Location: Sneads Ferry, NC
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I found Pinehurst in the town center has a New England feel from the architecture, but that's not sufficient reason to move there. There are many retired golfers there. I haven't been through Monroe, but I suspect you would find more action and young people nearer Charlotte.

It would help if people knew where you expected to find work.

Last edited by goldenage1; 12-10-2012 at 09:29 AM..
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Old 12-10-2012, 08:49 AM
 
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Hi, thanks for your reply! I heard about it having a New England charm from a few websites, mainly the Village of Pinehurst website: "Welcome to the Village of Pinehurst! Situated in the Sandhills of North Carolina, Pinehurst boasts world-renowned golf facilities and a Village Center full of New England charm." I think they are mainly referencing the look & feel of the small town rather than the weather. Although where I come from in New England the summers are also super hot & humid! (Connecticut).

We will be working in Cheraw, SC and aren't drawn to any of the towns that border it so we figured we'd deal with about an hour commute or so and narrowed it down to these two spots. Any other recommendations in and around these areas are welcome as well!

Thanks!
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:11 AM
 
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Cheraw, eh? Okay, that helps. First of all, I'd suggest that you not rule out living in Cheraw. It's a small town, for sure, but it's a nice small town. I have a cousin who recently moved from there, but she really enjoyed living there. Property is cheap, and there are some really nice older homes within walking distance of downtown. You should consider whether you want to spend a couple of hours a day, every day, in a car, or do you want to save that time and drive whenever you want bigger-city amenities. Commuting gets old, and puts an awful lot of wear and tear on your vehicles, in addition to the cost of gas.

If you must live somewhere else, you might consider Florence, SC. It's a little closer than Pinehurst, and a bit larger than Monroe. Rockingham, NC may also be an option.

Good luck in your search!
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:17 AM
 
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We will be living temporarily in Cheraw for at least a few months, so we'll definitely have time to consider it as a permanent option as well. The commute could become tedious very quickly, a solid point that we've considered. I think for us it'll all come down to the town that feels right to us based on visiting it a couple of times and any pointers you all have.

I have heard good and bad things about Florence, but it's still on our list to be considered. We want to spend at least a weekend in every town we're considering to try and get a decent feel for it. Haven't heard much about Rockingham to be honest.

Thanks again!
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:33 AM
 
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^ That's a great approach. It's very difficult to know what you'll like or dislike until you've seen it for yourself. I'd say Rockingham and Florence are like a lot of Southern towns--there are good areas and bad areas, and a pretty good divide between the two. If you live in the good areas, you likely won't be exposed to much of the bad at all. This probably holds true for many other areas of the country as well.

Feel free to ask more questions as your move unfolds--we'll try to help if we can!
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:39 AM
PDD
 
Location: The Sand Hills of NC
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We live in the Pinehurst area and we love it but we are those"retired" folks that people seem to not prefer to live near.Why do you think retired people move here? "few kids"

IMO Cheraw, SC is too long a daily commute to Pinehurst. 1 hr. Anything longer than 30 min. is too long for me.

However Pinehurst is home to many Northerners and SC is definitely Red Neck country.

I think you will find many more restaurants in the Pinehurst area than you will near Cheraw.

Yes Pinehurst Village is reminiscent of a small New England town and it does get very hot here June through September but they have this new invention called air conditioning and more than a few people down here have it installed in their homes and businesses.
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Old 12-10-2012, 09:46 AM
 
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Ok good to know We have an hour commute now out of necessity and it isn't as bad as we first thought. Now that we're kind of used to it we haven't crossed towns out that are within an hour away from Cheraw.

I will also say that we live in a city now so going from that to super small town life might be a rough adventure! But we both grew up in a very small town so we're not totally thrown off by it.

Thanks all!
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Old 12-10-2012, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NewToCarolinas View Post
Hi, thanks for your reply! I heard about it having a New England charm from a few websites, mainly the Village of Pinehurst website: "Welcome to the Village of Pinehurst! Situated in the Sandhills of North Carolina, Pinehurst boasts world-renowned golf facilities and a Village Center full of New England charm." I think they are mainly referencing the look & feel of the small town rather than the weather. Although where I come from in New England the summers are also super hot & humid! (Connecticut).
Be VERY careful about getting your info from websites--you do know that they "fudge the truth" for marketing reasons and play up all of the quaint, charming things to attract tourists. Yes, Pinehurst is like that, but Pinehurst is almost like a little "Disney World" compared to the rest of the area, i.e. it's a sort of "resort" feel but once you step away from it, the rest of the county is pretty drab and dismal, at least for 30somethings (actually Pinehurst would be, too--it's a tourist[golf, specifically] town and aimed at that market). My father has lived in the Sandhills (the general name for Pinehurst/Southern Pines/Aberdeen area) for over 25 years.

Quote:
We will be working in Cheraw, SC and aren't drawn to any of the towns that border it so we figured we'd deal with about an hour commute or so and narrowed it down to these two spots. Any other recommendations in and around these areas are welcome as well!
I personally think that commute would get REALLY old, fast. I don't know much about Monroe, but at least it's close to Charlotte, which would have more things for 30somethings than the Sandhills. Though now that I look at where Cheraw is, Monroe is farther. I would suggest looking into Florence as someone else said.
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