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AutumnWilderland, I enjoyed reading your impressions (particularly since you have quite a bit of travel perspective in your background) and agree with much of it.
As to your point about not having a distinct characteristic that you can describe, I think to get a bigger picture, you'd need to venture to places other than the Triangle, Charlotte and to a lesser extent, Greensboro. The Triangle and Charlotte, while having some positive characteristics and the most robust economies in the state, have less native influence to give you a feel for the old North Carolina. Greensboro is probably in the middle between the Triangle/Charlotte and areas of the state that have retained more traditional aspects of North Carolina life (accents, pace of life, NC comfort food, etc.)
If you're looking for that vibe, just to gain a sense of the old NC, you may want to venture into some rural areas, which are often the less prosperous areas of the state that haven't seen the influx of growth of the Triangle or Charlotte. Places like Mt. Airy, Marion, Wilkesboro, Thomasville, Rockingham, Wilson, etc. Of course, if you're used to Southern California, and coming to Raleigh would be a cultural adjustment to a somewhat slower pace, you'd definitely have more of a culture shock in some of the more hidden places (which don't have the same economic structure as Cary, for example), so maybe they would just be worth of a visit, but perhaps not the places that would be the best fit for you to live in your case.
Thanks Jowel, we'll definitely do that on the next trip, and also include Ashville which we didn't have a chance to see. I'm also excited to use NC as a central point to do exploring up to Virginia, down to South Carolina and to Savannah, GA. The fact that it's centrally located along the eastern coast will allow for a lot of nice weekend trips.
Thank you SO much...! It seems to have a great sense of humor judging by some of the articles. I'll have fun checking it out. I'm in the middle of exploring Village Art Circle linked from an article. JJ Jiang's art is right up my alley.
Glad you like it. It's really a very high quality magazine in both writing and photography. They do a good job of capturing the essence of North Carolina and I think you'll find some pointers to that elusive North Carolina identity in there.
That was my first thought as well...sounds like W-S was completely skipped over. Too bad because it's one of the nicer cities in NC and very different from GSO.
Most people moving to NC end up in either CLT or RDU. As a result, even natives have a hard time identifying a NC vibe. As an example, when we live in a 'burb, north of Charlotte there were more Ohio State flags out on a football Saturday than all North Carolina schools, combined.
Sorry you missed Winston Salem. IMHO, it is by far the best of North Carolina's cities.
If you want better NC experience, I recommend looking at towns between 25K and 60K. You get much smaller and you lack services.
You did pick one of the two or three best months to visit. July and August, other than in the mountains or right on the coast are pretty miserable.
That was my first thought as well...sounds like W-S was completely skipped over. Too bad because it's one of the nicer cities in NC and very different from GSO.
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Originally Posted by LLN
Sorry you missed Winston Salem. IMHO, it is by far the best of North Carolina's cities.
Agreed with both of these. Definitely include W-S in your travels next time
So great to read your thoughts! We're relocating to NC this summer from New Mexico - and are trying to decide between the same 2 areas you listed. It's TOUGH online to dig for a "feel" - we're headed out there in 3 weeks to scope out the areas and browse for homes. Did one really stick out to you? I'm hoping when we go, my gut will lead me in one clear direction!
So great to read your thoughts! We're relocating to NC this summer from New Mexico - and are trying to decide between the same 2 areas you listed. It's TOUGH online to dig for a "feel" - we're headed out there in 3 weeks to scope out the areas and browse for homes. Did one really stick out to you?
Well, what sticks out to me will be based on my needs and what I enjoy - not quite sure the same things will float your boat! :-)
I personally liked the Chapel Hill and surrounding area and the fact it has vibrant, young energy. I've found through personal experiences that while I adjust to a new place, if I don't have my "basics" I can quickly begin to feel very unhappy. What are my basics?
1. A great hot vinyasa flow place (found that in the Chapel Hill area - strangely enough there may be lots of yoga in Portland but I've never found a hot vinyasa flow place I particularly loved that has the type of challenging flows that feel incredible)
2. Access to fresh, healthy foods and organic stuff (no problem in the Chapel Hill area - the Whole Foods there also has a fresh juice bar we went to, $5.99 for 16 oz of fresh squeezed veggie juice is a great price!)
3. Ethnic variety in restaurants (again, no problem there - had great Indian food, decent Greek food)
4. Shops I enjoy (Southpoint outdoor mall is just fine, so is the Crabtree mall, lots of eclectic boutiques with nice clothing)
5. Very nice neighborhoods to live on 1+ acre (quite a few to choose from that we saw)
That area is also very central - not far from quite a few different towns and cities, next to RTP where hubby may be working. I'm by NO means an expert on the area at all. I've just spent weeks doing exhaustive research and was there for 5 days.
I also enjoyed Charlotte (especially the Davidson area on Lake Norman - gorgeous). It has a very different vibe, a more settled conservative vibe compared to the younger vibe you'll find in areas dominated by colleges/universities. Our friends live there and have been trying hard to get us to move near them. Their neighborhood is brand new - lovely greenbelts, water features, new school, new everything. It's also right next to 4 other brand new subdivisions with similar features! There is a community sense where people care about eachother and watch out for eachother in their neighborhood that I loved. Very family oriented. But we would opt for acreage if we bought property (at least 1+ acre) so the neighborhoods were not quite for us and we needed more diversity that we felt up in the triangle area.
City Data is very helpful and every time I've moved I've exhaustively read the boards for the particular area I went to. But it always amazed me that what I came to experience was often so different from what others shared on boards from that area. It's important to realize that posts are based on people's perceptions which can be positive or negative. With experience, I've learned how to do a pretty good job of sifting through posts and comments and articles to tune in to an underlying pulse of an area. Not sure if that makes sense?
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Originally Posted by sillybubba
I'm hoping when we go, my gut will lead me in one clear direction!
Right up my alley! I trust my intuition completely and it's never let me down. If I feel a "pull" to an area, I know it's important to follow that pull and trust it's for good reason (in addition to basic due diligence, of course).
What brings you out to NC, and what things are important to you?
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Too bad because it's one of the nicer cities in NC and very different from GSO.
