Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My fiancee and I are currently living in north Jersey (bergen county) and we want out. It's far too expensive and crowded here. We are taking a week long trip down to VA and NC and are stopping by several cities. We wanted to see if anyone familiar with these cities can recommend any neighborhoods we should check out.
We are an engaged couple in our 20s with no kids and we would like a place that has the convenience of living in a city without living in a big city. So some kind of suburb or on the outskirts of a city where entertainment, shopping, etc would be a quick drive away. For example, we used to live in Arlington, TX and found that to be a great mix where it wasn't overly crowded or with too much traffic, but we had tons of shopping and entertainment around as well as easy access to major highways. We also had Fort Worth and Dallas 30 minutes away if we did want to go to the city for a day. My fiancee works for Walgreens and she would be transferring so it is a must that there be at least several Walgreens in vicinity. Also, very important is the cost of living. Right now, anything will be better than Bergen County, NJ... but having lived in TX with no state income tax, we got a bit spoiled, so a place with a cost of living near or below the national average would be optimal. As for me, I will likely be going back to school so most of the cities we are visiting have schools with the programs I'm interested in.
Here are the cities we will be stopping by; any advice as to which neighborhoods to check out would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
- Richmond, VA
- Charlottesville, VA
- Roanoke, VA
- Blacksburg, VA
- Greensboro, NC
- Winston Salem, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Norfolk, VA
- VA Beach, VA
I have live in Richmond and enjoyed it. You might look at the west end suburbs. My husband I investigated NorfolK and Virginia Beach for retirement, but found the property taxes would be too high. I have also heard good things about Roanoke. Charlottesville is nice, but small and very college oriented.
I also enjoyed visiting Winston-Salem, and you are a reasonable drive to Raleigh or Charlotte for larger-city entertainment.
Back the train up.
START with finding at least one solid job between you.
With a job... just about any of those places will be fine.
And if you later discover that it isn't? You can move.
I work from home so my job will not change and my fiancee will be transferring from a Walgreens here to one out there. Work is not really an issue which is why our options are open and we want to investigate which neighborhoods in these cities (or surrounding cities) might be a good fit for us.
Affordable cost of living....I'd say in the Raleigh area maybe head to Zebulon/Knightdale area. I have always been a big fan of Nashville (NC) myself...still close to Raleigh but a real small town. Spring Hope is kind of nice in a quaint sort of way. As to the Va Beach area, consider Suffolk.
I work from home so my job will not change and my fiancee will be transferring from a Walgreens here to one out there. Work is not really an issue which is why our options are open and we want to investigate which neighborhoods in these cities (or surrounding cities) might be a good fit for us.
You list way too many cities, which have way too many neighborhoods, to narrow down to one post. Visit them all and narrow the list to 3 or so, then post in the subforums that fit each city. Every city you listed has a bounty of good places, but you would want to see them first to see what fits you best.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
