Relocating from Italy

[Randomstudent]

Originally Posted by firwol

Any particular reason why the Greensboro area doesn't seem to be recommended?
From a geographical point of view it looks very well centered, abour 1-1.5 hrs from all other metro areas, which may be good if I want to tap into those other markets...?

I like Greensboro, in fact I lived their for many years, but it doesn't seem to really fit what you are looking for. While it does tend to be on the liberal side for North Carolina its not like an Asheville, Chapel Hill, or Durham. I don't know how much of a foodie area it is especially compared with other parts of the state. While it does have an airport its airport is not on par with Charlotte or RDU and I am not sure if its school system is particularly remarkable. I suspect it is not really recommended because based on your criteria the Triangle and Charlotte seem to be better fits.

[firwol]

It sounds like the first area to consider based on our assumptions/likes would the the Raleigh/Durham area...we have a wedding to attend this spring near Charlotte so that will be a great opportunity to take a drive up there and see for ourselves!
In the meanwhile thanks to all for the precious info!

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by firwol

Hi I am hoping to get some useful information to help us decide whether NC is a good choice for our family...
We are relocating to the US from Italy, I am Italian and my wife is American - we have two children (2 and 4 yo).
I will be opening a catering/personal chef business while my wife will stay at home with the kids until they are both old enough for first grade.

Here is a short description of our likes/dislikes:

Liberal, democratic
Good school system
Diverse society and more on the liberal side
Family oriented
Can be a small town or a larger city's suburb
No need for crazy nightlife, just good restaurants and cafe's
Not sports fanatics
Foodies - need to have a farmer's market or even better farms/vineyards nearby
We LOVE the snow
We LOVE seasonality in weather
Ideally nearby a larger airport with direct flights to EU - I know Charlotte does, not sure if there are others
Finally, for my business, I would prefer to be near a quite affluent area with a good amount of disposable income and where people do organize large dinner parties.

I think that's it...sorry for the long list and thank you in advance for any and all suggestions.
Much appreciated!

Giuseppe

Sounds more like.....Nevermind....What about Boone or Asheville?

[Amy Osorio]

Lake Norman region is a wonderful place to start a catering business. The tourism industry here is booming.. With NASCAR, Panthers football, NC's new baseball team... It goes on and on. Mooresville is just 35 minutes to the airport ... The area is exploding with people from all over falling in love and moving here. Italian catering is in short supply. But, with all the northerners here it would be well received. This is what they miss most about the north... The awesome food...